31. Stunned
A long silence followed.
The man finally released his grip, looked into Pi Min's eyes, and said, slowly and deliberately, "You don't need to worry about it. No matter what the other party does, I will not agree to it."
Pi Min frowned. Was this a question of whether or not to agree?
She wanted to ask him if this was his reason for banishing all of humanity, but considering the existence of the live stream, she ultimately didn't speak.
The man seemed to have read her mind, and nodded solemnly: "I will not compromise for any hostage. I would rather die a glorious death than live a shameful life!"
If they continued discussing this topic, they would be exposed, so they stopped short of revealing their identities and decisively ended the conversation.
The fire in the fireplace was still crackling, and the room was warm and comfortable. A cat and a rabbit snuggled together and fell asleep without realizing it.
When I awoke, it was already broad daylight, and the castle was brightly lit and decorated, filled with a festive atmosphere. Sure enough, the Earl had returned.
The maids were busy with their tasks, while the butler had concealed his muscular physique and returned to his previous white-haired, hunched appearance. He didn't even bother to glance at the two of them, keeping his head down and busy with his own affairs.
Given the unpleasant contact between the two parties before, no reaction is the best response.
In stark contrast to the cheerful NPCs, the players' side was shrouded in gloom. The leopard cub had a limp, the lynx cub had an arm in a sling, and the Arctic fox wore a hat with blood-soaked bandages peeking out from underneath…
They all looked dejected and disheveled.
Although everyone had cleaned and covered up their injuries before going out, it was still noticeable that each person had some degree of bruises.
Fortunately, the horrific scenes that Pimin had envisioned—who would have half their face bitten off by whom, or who would have an ear bitten off by whom—did not happen. The injuries on everyone's bodies were less from being bitten and more from being slashed and stabbed by weapons during a fierce battle.
In contrast, the perfectly intact cats and rabbits seem to have come from another world.
"Didn't you two hallucinate last night?" After staring at the two of them for a while, the little leopard finally couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering him.
There was nothing to hide, so Pi Min answered without hesitation: "Of course there was. The hallucination was terrifying; we almost ate each other."
"Eat, ate?" The little leopard's pupils shrank upon hearing this, as if it had just heard something unbelievable.
The others also stared wide-eyed, exchanging bewildered glances.
Everyone's reaction was so strange that even Pi Min, who was slow to notice, realized something was wrong and hurriedly asked, "Wasn't the hallucination you were seeing food?"
The little leopard shook its head: "Food? What food? What I saw was clearly a man-eating monster."
"What I saw were zombies that were biting people."
"What I saw was a killer robot."
...
If it's a monster, zombie, or robot, then it's definitely not edible.
Pi Min was shocked, but the viewers in the live stream were already laughing hysterically.
[Hahaha, stunned now? Everyone else is fighting to the death, while you guys are just licking each other's boots.]
Based on what I saw and heard while browsing various live streams last night, the hallucinations are related to players' impressions of other people.
[If a player sees their opponent as a big monkey, then that opponent is a big monkey; if a player sees their opponent as a small cake, then that opponent is a small cake.]
[Kill the big monkey, eat the little cake—it makes perfect sense, absolutely perfect!]
[True love! This couple is truly in love!]
...
Thinking of the strawberry cake from last night, Pi Min blushed. She didn't know if it was true love or not; she only knew that the man was really delicious.
Not daring to think too much, let alone delve into it, she could only lower her head and eat the food on her plate in large bites.
Perhaps because the Earl had returned and there was a ball that evening, the food today was normal and tasted good, but for some reason, just thinking about the strawberry cake from last night made the food in front of her instantly lose its appeal and tastelessness.
After finishing their breakfast without tasting anything, the group of players were led by the maids to try on their dresses.
The party outfits were indeed distributed along with the dungeon card, and after changing into them, the style was quite harmonious and unified.
The girls, dressed in their finest attire, flitted through the castle like butterflies, instantly bringing the once gray and gloomy castle to life.
This kind of outfit, with a corset, petticoat, and exposed breasts, is not flattering for women, and it's even more unflattering for cross-dressers who aren't used to wearing women's clothing.
Pi Min was surprised to find that a certain beauty next to her started to pull up her collar every now and then, as if afraid that her skirt would fall down.
She hurriedly pulled the person back to the room, demonstrated just how safe the corseted dress was, and then led the person back into the crowd.
There was a little incident in the middle. Just as she was grabbing the man's collar and pulling it down with all her might, a maid came in, and then the man ran out with a red face.
The little maid is too innocent. It's just a cross-dresser's fake breasts, what's wrong with touching them?
"Stand tall and proud. Even if this skirt does fall off, you won't be the one who suffers."
With Pi Min's encouragement, the cross-dressing man finally overcame his psychological barrier and regained his composure.
It must be admitted that this kind of gorgeous costume from fairy tales is really suitable for cross-dressers. The wide neckline reveals beautiful collarbones, the wide puff sleeves cover the overly developed biceps and reveal the slenderest part of the arms, and the wide skirt just covers the pelvis, smoothing out the natural differences in the bone structure between men and women.
After the maid finished combing her hair, she looked exactly like a princess from a fairy tale, incredibly beautiful.
Noticing Pi Min's gaze, the man immediately glared at her irritably: "What are you looking at?"
Pi Min smiled slightly, her eyes full of admiration: "Look at you, you're so beautiful."
The man, who was originally furious, froze upon hearing this. After glancing down at his magnificent attire, his expression turned even more unpleasant.
Recalling his reaction when he was changing clothes, he was indeed very impatient. The more accessories he wore, the darker his face became, completely unlike the happiness and excitement that other girls showed when they put on pretty dresses.
It was only then that Pi Min belatedly realized that he didn't actually like women's clothing.
"Are you trying to make fun of me again?" The man looked wary as he saw Pi Min staring at him with wide eyes.
"No." Pi Min shook her head. Seeing that he didn't believe her, she simply stepped forward and hugged his slender waist. Looking into his beautiful peach blossom eyes, which seemed to look at dogs with affection, she sincerely thanked him, "Thank you for going to such lengths for me."
She only harbored some resentment towards him because he had banished all of humanity; it wasn't that she was truly ungrateful or unable to distinguish right from wrong. Seeing a man go to such lengths to protect her, it would be a lie to say she wasn't moved.
Speaking of fakes, his fake breasts are so soft, it feels so comfortable to lean against them. For a moment, Pi Min felt a pang of regret; he didn't actually like cross-dressing.
The man was completely unaware of the jumbled thoughts in her mind and let out a long sigh of relief.
"At least you still have some conscience!"
Women's makeup and styling takes the most time. By the time all the players have successfully completed their makeup and arrived at the ball, night has already fallen.
After overcoming numerous trials, the players were finally fortunate enough to see the Earl's true face.
He was a young man around thirty years old, with a pale face and delicate, three-dimensional features, like a human figure in an art class. At this moment, he was dressed in a dark red court dress and stood quietly at the intersection of everyone's gaze. His posture was calm and elegant, perfectly matching the stereotypes of vampires in ordinary people.
When Pimin learned that a countess was having an affair with the butler, she thought the count would be a gloomy and ugly man. However, he turned out to be exquisite, beautiful, and sunny, a far cry from the gloomy and ugly image she had imagined.
As it turns out, a man's handsomeness has absolutely nothing to do with whether he will be cheated on.
Pimin stared at the count for a long time before realizing that the man beside him was glaring at him angrily, his eyes filled with pain and resentment, and even a hint of grievance.
Even though she guessed the man was angry, Pi Min was still a little amused and exasperated: "Why are you glaring at me? He's really handsome, what's wrong with me looking at him a few more times?"
"You like it that much?" The man dressed as a woman scoffed. "If you really like it, you can choose to stay."
"Why are you jealous of everyone?" Pi Min sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Wait a minute, are vampires even human?"
The man couldn't answer because the room suddenly fell silent. The count looked around the room, about to choose his opening dance partner from among the players.
Everyone instinctively held their breath.
Unaware of the truth, the players were hoping for the Earl's favor, while Pimin and the man beside her hoped that this pervert would be smart enough not to provoke them.
Unfortunately, what you fear most is what happens. The count's gaze slowly swept across the entire room before stopping directly in the corner where the two were. Before they could react, he strode over towards them.
"Here he comes! He's walking this way! Guess who he'll invite?" Pi Min subconsciously held her breath, feeling a sense of dread, like being called on by the teacher in class.
As if sensing her nervousness, the man beside her stepped forward and stood protectively behind her.
It was only then that Pimin noticed that the count's gaze hadn't even swept over her.
Sure enough, the other party wasn't interested in her, this ordinary rabbit, but rather in the beautiful woman beside her.
At first, Pimin thought he just wanted to invite someone dressed as a woman to dance the opening dance. However, when the count stood in front of the two of them, what he said made everyone present gasp.
"The most beautiful lady in the room, your beauty is unparalleled, your figure is elegant beyond compare. I am completely captivated by you. Would you be willing to marry me and stay as my countess?"
The aria-like tone, the elegant manners, the devout posture…
"Pfft—" Pi Min couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Having just been proposed to by a stranger, and then mocked by the girl he liked, the man dressed as a woman was indeed enraged and embarrassed: "Shut up, don't laugh!"
Pi Min covered her mouth and muttered in dissatisfaction, "Sorry, but it really is funny."
Among so many beautiful women, each one stunning, the Earl, however, made the crucial mistake of choosing the only one among them who was dressed as a woman.
It's hilarious, absolutely hilarious.
Pi Min originally wanted to be polite and hold back, but it was just too funny and she couldn't help herself.
"Hahahahahahaha..." She could only laugh while awkwardly covering her mouth, "Sorry, I wanted to hold it in, but I just couldn't! Hehehehehehe..."
Help! He even laughed out loud, making goose-like noises.
Just as she was blushing with embarrassment and at a loss for what to do, the man dressed as a woman suddenly pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard on the lips.
After kissing her, I deliberately asked her, feigning resentment, "Are you still laughing?"
After the kiss, the entire room fell into dead silence.
Pi Min, who was originally laughing happily, has now turned into a frightened quail.
Looking at the menacing gazes of those around her, how could she possibly still be smiling?
Shock, confusion, anger, gossip, excitement... The focus of the entire room had shifted from the Earl to the two of them, yet not a single person's gaze could be considered friendly.
Pi Min looked completely guilty, while the man who had just publicly cuckolded the Earl was self-righteous, pulling the girl in his arms tighter around the waist and proudly puffing out his chest: "What are you looking at? Never seen a lily before?"
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