Chapter 1 The Corpse in the Closet
【The copy information has been loaded! 】
Just when Zhu Yu was stunned, the system prompt sounded again.
Then, a chaotic stream of unfamiliar information flooded into her mind like a tide.
This is an imaginary medieval world, in the midst of a turbulent era of conflict between the royal family and the nobility.
According to the basic background setting of the copy, Zhu Yu's country is called Ludvia, and her identity is the eldest daughter of Viscount Draka, Elena Draka, who is only 18 years old.
According to the standards of the nobility, this age should be the golden period at the center of the social circle, but Elena was sent to the remote fiefdom "Arcé Town" by her family three years ago to manage a tavern. On the surface, it was an excuse to cultivate her independence, but in fact it was to marginalize her and avoid her from being involved in the family power struggle.
But unlike her family's expectations, Elena did not feel sorry for herself because of this "exile". The tavern underwent a tremendous change under her management. With her outstanding ability, she managed the originally ordinary tavern in an orderly manner, which not only attracted local residents, but also many adventurers and outsiders, and even some unspeakable existences, making the tavern a secret intersection with undercurrents.
In addition, according to the system's additional supplementary information, before Zhu Yu was dropped into the copy, Elena herself had been in danger unexpectedly.
It was an evening a month ago. When Elena went to the suburbs to check on a family winery, she was unexpectedly attacked by a group of mysterious men in black robes.
Those men in black robes not only have extraordinary skills, but also possess strange abilities.
Although Elena managed to escape, she was cut on the shoulder and abdomen by a sharp blade and almost died.
After returning to the tavern, her injuries forced her to suspend management affairs and recuperate in her room for nearly a month. At the same time, she ordered people to investigate the identity of the attacker that night, but still had no clue.
Zhu Yu sorted out all the information and then sighed in his heart.
According to the system description, she not only has to deal with daily affairs in the tavern, but also has to be careful of the secret surveillance of the royal family and the nobles, and even the prying of certain inhuman forces - this copy seems to have a high degree of freedom, but there are also many hidden dangers.
More importantly, apart from the above content, the system did not reveal any valuable additional information to her, and she needed to explore it on her own.
Just as Zhu Yu lowered her head to think, she suddenly thought of something and her eyes fell on the blue-eyed man in front of her again.
"Wait...you're not--"
Zhu Yu suddenly had an idea in his mind and his eyes widened, "996?"
Seeing Zhu Yu's shocked expression, the man smiled slightly, with a hint of cunning in his eyes that he had never shown in his usual bright state:
"Congratulations, host, you got it right. I accumulated enough energy in the last copy and successfully transformed into a human form in this copy."
There was a flash of surprise in Zhu Yu's eyes. She originally thought that the system could only transform into a panda, an insect or other ordinary forms, but she didn't expect that it could also transform into a human.
This probably consumes a lot of energy of 996, right?
She took a step forward and looked at it carefully:
"So... did you choose this look yourself? Your hair and eye color seem a bit too conspicuous. Can you change to something more low-key?"
996 obviously didn't expect her first reaction to be this. After a brief pause, he obediently followed her instructions and adjusted his appearance.
After a moment, his originally bright golden hair turned into ink-black, and his pupils turned into dark blue. He looked less sharp but more gentle and steady.
Zhu Yu nodded with satisfaction:
"Well, this is much better."
She thought for a moment and then asked, "By the way, now that you have a human form, you should have a name, right? Are you going to continue to be called 996?"
Zhu Yu's eyes lit up as he spoke:
"If you want to choose a new name, it's easy. I'll do it--"
"Stop." 996 immediately stretched out his hand to stop him, his expression becoming subtle: "Forget it, host, you should continue to call me 996." Zhu Yu: "..."
She was about to say something when she heard light footsteps on the stairwell outside the door.
Zhu Yu and 996 were alert at the same time, their eyes instantly locked on the door.
Zhu Yu's mind was racing. She knew very well that the aristocracy in the Middle Ages had strict etiquette. Even if it was a fictional world, if a strange man suddenly appeared in the Viscountess's room and was seen by others, it would definitely cause unnecessary trouble.
"Hurry back to the system space!"
Zhu Yu lowered his voice and urged.
"Host, I can only return to the system space in the form of a ball of light." 996 shook his head and said, "But I consumed too much energy to transform and adjust my appearance, so I can't return to the form of a ball of light for the time being."
Zhu Yu looked around with a headache, and heard the footsteps getting closer. Without thinking too much, he pushed him to the closet next to him: "Then hide in there first!"
996 was held by her shoulders and cooperated by hiding in the closet.
At the same time, Zhu Yu quickly tidied up his appearance and tried to make himself look more natural.
As soon as the cupboard door was closed, there was a regular knock on the door.
"Miss, can I come in?"
The voice was familiar. Zhu Yu's original memories flashed through her mind and she recognized it as her personal maid Maggie.
"Come in."
Maggie pushed the door open and walked in hurriedly, with a look of anxiety on her face:
"Miss, there is a man outside the town who claims to be a messenger from the Draka family. He said he has an important letter that needs to be delivered to you personally."
Zhu Yu took the letter, scanned the wax seal on the envelope, and then calmly placed it on the table.
She was about to send the maid away when she saw Maggie bow slightly and say:
"Miss, the housekeeper asked me to invite you downstairs for dinner. Dinner is ready."
"Got it. I'll be right down."
Zhu Yu nodded in agreement, tidied up the things on the table, glanced casually at the closet, coughed lightly, and implicitly signaled to 996 inside not to act rashly for the time being.
Maggie bowed and then walked down the stairs with Zhu Yu.
Based on the information provided by the system, Zhu Yu knew that this mansion was where Elena lived on weekdays. It was not far from the tavern and was convenient for management.
As she walked down the stairs, she looked around quietly.
The wooden surface of the stair handrail is slightly dull due to age, but it has been wiped clean and the fine texture is clearly visible.
The frames of the decorative paintings on the walls are a bit mottled, but the landscape paintings on the canvas are still brightly colored.
Although the carpet under her feet was a little old, the edges of the pattern were not damaged at all.
When he reached the first floor, Zhu Yu noticed the garden outside.
The garden doesn't look very big, with a few clusters of blooming roses trimmed into neat shapes, and the edges are surrounded by low shrubs in an arc shape. A small patch of daisies is planted in the flower bed, simple but full of vitality.
From this perspective, although the overall furnishings of the mansion appear a bit old, every detail shows signs of having been carefully maintained.
Zhu Yu came to the restaurant. The candlelight reflected the silverware on the long table, and the food was already placed on the table.
The main course was a plate of roasted lamb leg with crispy skin sprinkled with balsamic and coarse salt; the soup pot next to it contained a pot of rich mushroom soup with a few vanilla leaves dotted on the surface; the dessert was a plate of honey cake cut into small pieces, covered with a thick layer of syrup, exuding a sweet aroma.
As for the side dishes, there are pickled purple cabbage salad and golden toasted bread slices.
Zhu Yu sat down on the chair, Maggie quietly stepped aside, and another maid came forward and respectfully served her the food.
She first picked up a small piece of chopped lamb leg with a fork and put it into her mouth. Her brows frowned slightly instantly - the saltiness was too strong, the smell of mutton was too strong, and it was so dry and tough when she chewed it that she almost wondered if the meat had been stored for too long.
After swallowing the mutton with difficulty, Zhu Yu scooped a spoonful of mushroom soup to try to adjust the taste.
However, the herbal flavor in the soup was so strong that it seemed as if she had accidentally walked into a herbal medicine store. The slightly astringent taste instantly hit her taste buds, making her almost vomit.
Holding on to the last bit of hope, Zhu Yu forked a piece of honey cake and put it into her mouth. However, the overly sweet syrup almost made her tongue numb. It was so sweet that she could hardly swallow it.
Zhu Yu tried her best to maintain the elegant demeanor of a noble lady, and ate a few more bites. Finally, she had to put down her knife and fork, and instead picked up a piece of toast, spread it with purple cabbage salad, and barely filled her stomach.
After dinner, Zhu Yu did not stay long and hurried back to his room upstairs.
In the restaurant, Maggie looked at her leaving figure and couldn't help but whispered to the butler beside her:
"Mrs. Gwen, although the young lady's condition has improved a lot recently, her appetite is still so poor and she eats so little... Is the young lady still worried about the incident at Earl Tulip's Mansion?"
Housekeeper Gwen has watched Elena grow up since she was a child. She is now old, with a head full of silver hair neatly tied behind her head, looking capable and rigorous.
After hearing Maggie's words, she looked normal, but a hint of worry flashed across her brows:
"Maggie, we just need to do our duty conscientiously. As for other matters, I believe that the young lady has her own considerations, so there is no need to worry too much."
"Yes, Mrs. Gwen."
Maggie lowered her head, said no more, and began to clear the dishes.
Zhu Yu was unaware of the servant's concern for her. After returning to her room, the first thing she did was to quickly walk to the closet and open the door:
"996, are you okay? Are you feeling suffocated in there?"
She was half-jokingly teasing, but suddenly her voice stopped and she took a sharp breath, "Oh my God - what is this!"
996 walked out of the closet calmly, but the next moment, with a "click", a dead body fell out from behind him.
Zhu Yu's pupils shrank and he quickly took a step back, while subconsciously glancing at the closed door.
Then she turned her gaze to the body on the ground.
He was a middle-aged man, with several rips on the satin collar on his chest, covered in dust and blood.
The leather boots on his feet were fastened with delicate copper buckles, but the boots were covered in mud, obviously he had come from a long journey.
Zhu Yu paused for a few seconds, his eyes quickly scanning the details of the corpse's clothing, and soon noticed a badge hanging around his waist - a silver eagle with outstretched wings and a black rose pattern engraved in the center of the wings.
This is the unique symbol of the Draka family messenger.
"So this person's identity is..."
Zhu Yu squatted down and touched the badge with trembling fingertips.
"It should be the messenger sent by your family."
996 stood aside and analyzed it with her.
Zhu Yu lowered his head to take a closer look at the messenger's attire. His coat was a dark grey robe commonly worn by the nobles of Lodevia, with intricate patterns embroidered on the cuffs with silver thread. Pinned to his belt was a small scroll, the lid of which had been opened, but the letter inside was nowhere to be seen.
Her face was slightly tense, and she turned to look at 996:
"Are you sure this person was in the closet just now?"
996 nodded. "I just hid in the closet and found something wrong inside. I thought there was someone hiding in there, trying to harm you, but I didn't expect it to be a dead body."
Hearing this, Zhu Yu frowned even more tightly.
"But this person couldn't have died in my room for no reason..."
And the body of the messenger is here, so who is the family messenger that Maggie met?
Zhu Yu rubbed his swollen temples and glanced at the wounds on the corpse.
There were marks on the chest of the deceased, similar to those caused by a sharp object, and the blood had not yet turned black, so it was obvious that he had not been dead for long.
But there was no blood on the floor, as if the body had been deliberately moved there.
Zhu Yu: "Did someone put him here on purpose? Who would do that? And what was their purpose?"
She looked back at the door again. If someone suddenly broke in and saw this scene, she really wouldn't be able to explain it.
Thinking of this, she immediately turned to System 996:
"Come and help me. Let's move the body back to the closet and hide it."
The two men lifted the body together and were about to put it back into the closet when a blood-stained letter slipped off the body and landed lightly on the ground. Zhu Yu bent down and picked up the letter. The blood on it had dried, but a hand-painted simple pattern could still be clearly seen - a small wizard hat.
Her eyes suddenly darkened, and she quickly unfolded the letter, which read in scribbled handwriting:
"I've already taken care of the person for you. You can deal with the body yourself. See you tonight at the same time and place."
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