Chapter 38 Swan Castle: The Ugly Duckling Turns into a Swan

Led by Rosluna, Yu Naixin and she arrived at the end of the right-hand corridor of Swan Castle.

Occasionally, one might encounter one or two maids hurrying along the way, but no matter how anxious they looked, upon seeing Rosluna, they would all slow down and respectfully bow and greet her.

Yu Naixin had already noticed that clothing was a very important symbol inside Swan Castle. Whether it was an NPC or a guest on the show like herself, the clothes they wore represented their identity.

Including the four male guests, each dressed differently, their outfits were also unique and gorgeous.

Even a ghostly wizard completely shrouded in a black cloak, with runes and array patterns faintly visible on the cloak, indicates that it is no ordinary being.

Among the maids who bowed to Rosiluna were cleaning maids dressed in rough fabric dresses like Yu Naixin, but most of them were formal maids dressed in much more refined black and white maid outfits, just like Rosiluna.

Yu Naixin had observed carefully, but she couldn't find any difference between the formal maids' and Rosiluna's dresses. However, all the NPCs seemed to know that Rosiluna's identity was extraordinary.

At the end of the corridor is a wall adorned with exquisite oil-painted murals, featuring a tall, fan-shaped window, a common feature in Neuschwanstein Castle. Yu Naixin personally tested it during the last simulation, and found the window sill to be quite sturdy.

Rosluna skillfully pulled a golden key from the pocket of her white apron and opened a very hidden door in the lower right corner of the wall.

Yu Naixin's eyes widened slightly.

This was a place she hadn't noticed at all, even after searching the entire castle.

When Yu Naixin occasionally had nothing to do and casually browsed the live stream chat, she saw viewers marveling at how unparalleled and unconventional her understanding of spiritual power was.

Yu Naixin is not quite sure whether she has any special talent in spiritual power, since she really lacks someone to compare herself to.

However, Yu Naixin could sense that her sensitivity to spiritual power was quite high after taking the Spirit Awakening Pill.

The last simulation used the invisibility mask purchased from the special store to tease the vampire duke, relying on this keen sense.

Now, watching Rosiluna open the door, Yu Naixin could clearly sense that the golden key in her hand was merely a formality; what truly mattered was the reaction caused by Rosiluna's spiritual power on the wall.

Rather than saying that Rosiluna opened the door with a key, it would be more accurate to say that she unlocked some kind of seal using her own authority.

Yu Naixin was absolutely certain that there was spiritual power within Luosiluna.

Although compared to the male guests, or even to Yu Naixin herself, her presence was extremely small, almost zero, it was not entirely non-existent.

Yu Naixin narrowed her eyes subtly.

She has only experienced two episodes so far, so she doesn't have much experience, but Yu Naixin still understands how rare and precious spiritual power is.

The guests on the show all have their own spiritual power, but she, as a guest on the show, has to spend a lot of money to buy props from a special shop to obtain spiritual power. None of the NPCs that Yu Naixin had met before had spiritual power.

This maid, Rosluna...

“This is a special passage that only I can activate.” Rosluna’s words also confirmed part of Yu Naixin’s speculation. “From here, you can go directly to the fourth floor of the central round tower and arrive at Her Highness’s residence.”

Wow, the little witch really got her wish! She had the maid take her straight to the princess's room! The whole show kept mentioning the princess, so there's definitely some important information in her room!

[This maid NPC is way too special! I've never seen an NPC in any other dungeon who can hold so much crucial information all by themselves.]

[Don't you even consider what kind of instance this is? A mutated fusion instance is ridiculously difficult and extremely dangerous for the show's guests. The "Heartbeat 1000%" production team definitely needs to balance things out. Under these circumstances, the first NPC the guests encounter shouldn't be just anyone; it should be someone who can provide significant assistance to them.]

[Furthermore, if the female guest hadn't been so persistent, this NPC would have left almost immediately after giving her a role. Whether he could seize the opportunity depends on the guest himself.]

The interior of the special passage is a rather narrow road, only wide enough for one person to pass through. There are no windows or air vents, and the walls, floors, and ceilings are all made of brass.

With Rosluna's size, she was already almost bending over while walking through the passage.

Yu Naixin didn't feel too much pressure, but she did feel the cramped and stuffy atmosphere of the space.

At intervals along the passageway, there was a lamp that looked like a luminous pearl, emitting a faint light that was barely enough to illuminate the way.

After turning several corners, the special passage was finally completed. Luna took out the golden key again and opened the door. Yu Naixin followed her into an indoor garden.

Unlike the opulent banquet hall on the first floor, the indoor garden on the fourth floor is much more elegant. Plants, flowers, fountains, swings, sculptures, and pebble paths combine to create a delicate and refreshing landscape.

On the other side of the garden's exit, there is a magnificent and exquisite house.

Two formal maids stood guard at the door, one on each side.

Yu Naixin looked at the two maid sisters with some surprise.

As an NPC tasked with guarding the princess's gate, even if she wasn't a proper guard or knight, shouldn't she at least be a strong and capable maid?

However, the two maids were both very thin and frail, and their complexions were not good. They looked very weak, which made Yu Naixin want to tell them to stop guarding the gate and go back to rest.

The two of them standing there were practically telling Yu Naixin that something must have happened while they were guarding the gate, and that something must have happened to the princess.

Rosluna greeted the two maids familiarly: "Good afternoon, may Her Highness the Princess protect you."

The two maids immediately lifted their skirts to return the greeting: "Good afternoon, Head Maid."

[So this flaxen-haired NPC is the head maid of the castle?]

[This is another instance of information that can only be triggered in specific scenes or by specific NPCs, as is typical in "Heartbeat 1000%". Several NPCs who greeted her before didn't mention her identity as the "Head Maid" at all.]

[I just don't get the feeling this is right. This head maid's appearance is too plain. She's not ugly, but she's at most pretty. She's just really ordinary, not like someone who should be a special NPC.]

Yu Naixin is also thinking about this issue.

It was one thing not knowing that Rosluna was the head maid before, but I had a general idea that she was a trusted maid. However, since it wasn't clear, it wasn't surprising that her clothes were no different from those of a regular formal maid.

However, now that such a high title as "Head Maid" has been directly placed on Rosiluna's head, in Swan Castle, a dungeon where other places distinguish ranks by clothing, Rosiluna's attire is not as refined as that of the butler in the tuxedo in the banquet hall, which is quite problematic.

However, the most important thing right now is not that, but rather—the princess, who should have been peacefully staying in her bedroom, has indeed disappeared.

When Rosiluna knocked on the door, gave her name, and called for the princess, there was no response from inside. Yu Naixin had already pretty much predicted the outcome.

Repeated calls went unanswered, like stones sinking into the sea. Rosluna's expression changed from calm and relaxed to serious and tense.

Finally, Rosluna realized something was wrong. She forced open the princess's door and rushed in to search, but found that she couldn't find the princess anywhere.

"How could this be..." Rosluna stared wide-eyed at the room's furnishings, her expression gradually turning panicked. "Where is Her Highness the Princess?!"

She immediately went to ask the two maids guarding the gate: "Have you noticed the princess's movements? When did the princess disappear?"

The head maid was so at a loss, and the two maids were even more panicked, their already weak faces turning even paler.

"N-I don't know..."

"None of us noticed that Her Highness had left..."

"But we really didn't slack off or neglect our duties! We've been guarding the door to Her Highness's room the whole time!"

"Your Excellency Head Maid, please believe us!"

Seeing that the two maids knew nothing when asked and were trying to shirk responsibility, Yu Naixin felt a little annoyed, even from the perspective of how things were unfolding.

However, Rosluna, who was most concerned about this matter, did not get angry. She even hurriedly comforted the two maids who were guarding what kind of door, saying, "Don't worry, I'll look again."

Then, Rosiluna really did it all by herself, starting from this level, and seriously began searching for the princess.

Yu Naixin immediately followed, saying, "Sister, I'll help too!"

“I should have paid more attention three days ago…” Rosluna’s eyes reddened. “His Majesty said he wanted to choose a suitable husband for the princess, and the princess was very resistant to it, but neither His Majesty nor I paid much attention to it…”

"I never expected that Her Highness would be so unwilling, even going so far as to elope before tonight's banquet!"

Yu Naixin: "...!"

As the head maid, Rosiluna, revealed this secret, the fragmented clues in Yu Naixin's mind were finally able to connect.

When Yu Naixin first met Rosiluna, Rosiluna identified her as "the cleaning maid who arrived three days ago".

This coincides perfectly with the time when the princess learned she was going to choose a husband.

The princess character did not appear at all during the last simulation.

Even after the entire Swan Castle was slaughtered by the four male guests, leaving a trail of blood, the princess, who was supposed to be the owner of the Swan Castle, still did not show her face even once.

Even from the attitudes of the four male guests, it's clear that they didn't take the princess seriously at all, or rather, they didn't believe that there was such a thing as a "princess".

In this episode, the "princess" is more like a symbol, a concept.

However, at the same time, the "princess" is of paramount importance. Whether it is the background of the dungeon provided by the system, the frequent mention of "Your Highness" by the NPCs throughout Swan Castle, or the identity settings of the four male guests, everything is closely related to the princess.

At that time, Yu Naixin had some guesses.

Now, Yu Naixin is certain that "Princess" is actually herself.

To be more precise, it was the hidden identity that this segment of the show arranged for a guest like her.

In the background setting of the dungeon, the princess was unwilling to follow her elders' arrangements to attend the matchmaking banquet that night and ran away alone. It's impossible that the princess didn't have permission to use that special passage that even Rosiluna had the authority to open.

The passageway is located at the exit of the corridor, not far from the storage room.

During her escape from the marriage, the princess even changed into a cleaning maid's clothes and put on unflattering makeup, which matched Yu Naixin's appearance when she first joined the show.

To make her escape from the arranged marriage smoother, the princess immediately arranged for a large number of cleaning maids to be brought to Swan Castle upon learning that she was to be arranged to meet a suitor. This would allow her to blend in with the many unfamiliar faces and not be recognized.

After all, even the head maid, Rosluna, when she saw Yu Naixin with her unfamiliar face, immediately assumed that Yu Naixin was the new maid.

Looking down at the cheap fabric of her skirt, Yu Naixin finally understood why this episode was called "Swan Castle".

When she first saw the name, she subconsciously thought that there must be a lot of swan-themed decorations, sculptures, paintings, and so on inside the castle. But after actually walking around, she found that there were swans, but they weren't prominent at all. They weren't as noticeable as the roses and moonlight outside the window.

The mystery has now been solved: the "swan" in Swan Castle does not refer to the furnishings inside the castle, but rather to the guests participating in this episode of the show.

The show's guests are tasked with finding clues to transform themselves back into "white swans" from their initial "ugly duckling" state.