Cheng Shuang suppressed the shock in her heart. When she thought that this was a dungeon of the Land of Death, she felt that there was nothing surprising about it. It was just a mermaid!

The countess, who had hoped to see the mysterious visitor from the East display an expression of utter astonishment, was disappointed. She turned to the little girl and asked, "Do mermaids exist in the East too?"

“We call them merfolk.” Cheng Shuang laughed. She had read this passage before. “The Chinese classic ‘Classic of Mountains and Seas’ says: ‘In the sea there is a Lingyu, with a human face and a fish body, with hands and feet, and its cry is like that of a child.’ Volume 12 of ‘In Search of the Supernatural’ says: ‘Beyond the South Sea there are merfolk, who live in the water like fish, and do not stop weaving. When they weep, pearls come out.’”

"What's the meaning?"

Not only was the countess completely bewildered, but the mermaid, who was listening intently, also wore a cute, blank expression.

"We Eastern mermaids are called jiaoren. Not only are they beautiful, but their tears turn into pearls." The little girl shrugged. What could she mean? She was just trying to fool you!

The countess's eyes lit up, her interest piqued. "The East truly is a mysterious land!" Then, with a hint of disgust, she looked at the mermaid in the tank and clicked her tongue, "What a useless fellow!"

A hint of sadness flashed across the mermaid's beautiful blue eyes. Her body slid down, leaving only her eyes exposed, as she looked mournfully at the little girl who had instantly earned her the contempt of her master.

"The mermaid's singing voice is beautiful!" Cheng Shuang's eyes flickered slightly as she said with a smile, "How could it be useless? It's pleasing to the eye!"

These words struck a chord with the Countess, instantly soothing her. She affectionately embraced the little girl's waist, revealing a row of pearly teeth with an unreserved smile. "You're right, Pora's singing is so beautiful. The prince of the neighboring country went to war with the king because of it, but they're doomed to lose! We have the blessing of the Ocean's Darling!"

Neighboring countries? Cheng Shuang lowered her eyes, thinking of Li Lei and Han Meimei, who had not yet appeared. They either did not enter the castle or went to other places, depending on the size of this instance.

Even after praising Bora, the mermaid still showed hostility towards the little girl, skillfully flicking her large tail and splashing water droplets onto Cheng Shuang's face.

The countess lightly reprimanded, "Pora, how rude!" Then, she took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the water droplets from the little girl's skin. The skin beneath the handkerchief felt smooth and delicate, softer than the most expensive silk from the Far East. She couldn't help but rub it a few times with her fingers, her eyes gradually becoming more and more intense. "Pearl from the East, your skin is truly exquisite!"

Cheng Shuang stiffened and leaned back, trying to avoid the Countess's overly intimate actions.

There was no way around it; since it was a terrifying legend, and she was some kind of countess, her actions inevitably reminded the little girl of the real events surrounding Countess Bartoli in European countries—Bloody Mary.

Countess Bathory, who wanted to maintain her youthful appearance for love, made a habit of bathing in the blood of beautiful young girls. Although she was eventually caught by those who wanted to seize her property and was imprisoned for life, more than 600 young women died because of her.

Cheng Shuang wouldn't dare boast about her beauty, but she was undoubtedly a young girl, and a young girl with delicate skin at that.

Unlike Cheng Shuang, Lian Rong, upon witnessing the Countess's strange state, thought of a certain ghost from Liaozhai—Painted Skin—and found a good reason to believe it.

The countess immediately disliked her for being dark-skinned.

What's with the "dark" stuff? She's not exactly fair-skinned! A healthy, tanned complexion is something many women dream of!

Confident Lianrong has never known the meaning of the word "inferiority complex".

Listening to the mermaid's enchanting song, Cheng Shuang pretended to be infatuated and was tricked into revealing a lot of information, such as whether her identity was noble enough, her age and status, and the martial arts skills of her knights.

His social status was, of course, exaggerated, while his age was deliberately downplayed by the old man posing as the butler. The old man was concerned about the chaotic relationships between men and women among European nobles, but of course, he couldn't mention this to the young girl.

The awkward conversation continued until nightfall, when the countess took the opportunity to invite the guests to dine together. On the table were roasted venison, marinated quail, stewed eel, pepper fruit soup, and a whole, lifelike swan that exuded the aroma of meat.

Putting everything else aside, this swan alone was enough to make Cheng Shuang lose her appetite.

When the butler introduced the dishes, even the men present couldn't help but change their expressions.

The swan's body is hollowed out, stuffed with various fillings, and then baked. The feathers are then inserted back in one by one. It is said that this delicacy is extremely popular among noblemen, with a unique taste and an elegant and lifelike appearance.

Cheng Shuang mimicked the countess, holding up her fan and turning her head away with an expression of unbearable disapproval.

Standing behind her, Lianrong breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that being a maid and a housekeeper wasn't so bad; at least she and her grandfather didn't have to force themselves to eat such terrible food.

Du Jun and Sun Han obviously couldn't escape it. As noble knights, although they were seated far away, they were still invited to dine by the Countess and had the right to enjoy the delicious food together.

Cheng Shuang asked Lianrong to serve her a bowl of what looked like the safest fruit soup. She had eaten stewed pear with fritillaria before and thought it wouldn't taste too bad. But the young girl was still too young and never expected that sweet fruit could be paired with pepper. Her face immediately turned pale. She had a bite of fruit in her mouth and wanted to spit it out but politely refused.

The group watched as the little girl stretched her neck, gulped it down, and swallowed it whole.

Du Jun and Sun Han silently put down their cutlery knives, pretended to wipe their mouths with napkins, and signaled to the Countess that they had finished eating.

Cheng Shuang: You two old geezers are really wicked!

Fortunately, the countess enjoyed wine, but couldn't hold her liquor. She was already slightly tipsy, holding her glass, and didn't care whether her guests had eaten or not. Instead of maids serving her, she was attended to by strong, handsome young men dressed as knights, who dutifully guarded her. All the duties of serving the countess were handled by the silver-haired old butler.

Even after the guests finished their meal, it was the old butler who reminded the countess.

The countess ate very little. She tapped her wine glass to have the old butler refill it, and then, slightly drunk, said, "Odell, take the guests back to their rooms to rest. I... I want to have two more drinks."

Odell was the silver-haired man standing closest to the Countess. He was handsome and tall, standing at least two meters tall. He walked up to Cheng Shuang, put one arm behind his back, and gestured with the other arm, showing his imposing figure without appearing clumsy.

When those grey-blue eyes gaze at someone, there's a strange melancholy and depth that's hard to resist.

Cheng Shuang lowered her eyes and stood up. So far, nothing strange had happened. Based on experience, the night was unlikely to go too smoothly. She looked up at the countess, but her gaze lingered on the old butler. "Excuse me, are there any places in the castle that we should avoid? We don't want to displease the master."

It wouldn't be appropriate for anyone but the little girl to ask this question, so the group stopped and listened intently.

The knight Odell, who was leading the way, stopped and turned to look at Cheng Shuang. His gray-blue eyes, illuminated by the candlestick he held, lost their original color and turned into an extremely cold silver-gray, like a ruthless beast.

"Yes, please do not make noise at night, and please do not open the door if you hear any noise."