Crib

Leah gazed at the man in the photo, lost in thought.

"After receiving the request for help, we set off two days later to gather relevant information," she said.

"Madame Pualis's full name is Pualis de Roquefort, isn't it?" she paused for a moment before continuing, "We investigated the Roquefort family in Dariège and found no trace of Pualis."

In Intis, a woman could choose to keep her maiden name after getting married. If there was a "de" in her name, it meant that she was once a noble. The Intis meaning of "de" was "from," and the surname behind it was the fiefdom of the time.

"None?" Lumian was surprised. He knew something was wrong with Madame Pualis, but he didn't expect her identity to be fake!

Ryan nodded. "In Dariège, Roquefort is a large family with many members, including a provincial senator. We were in a hurry and didn't have time to conduct a more detailed investigation. We could only confirm that there was no such person as Pualis, but a man named Pulitt had been missing for over a year."

"Pulitt?" Lumian asked. "What's his relationship with Madame Pualis? They look alike."

Ryan shook his head. "Without enough information, it's impossible to make a guess. What we do know is that Pulitt de Roquefort was a popular dandy in Trier, and he had many illegitimate children. Many people hated and detested him. Perhaps this is why he had no choice but to leave or was forced to leave Dariège."

"Dandyism?" Lumian was unfamiliar with the term.

Aurore subscribed to magazines and newspapers targeted towards women or focused on national affairs. There were some materials on the supernatural, but none involved male matters.

Leah chuckled. "To put it simply, it's a casanova who dresses fashionably, speaks elegantly, and acts freely."

Lumian sighed and mocked, "Trieriens sure know how to live life. They package their affairs as a thought, a doctrine, and a trend."

When it came to cheating, Trieriens were at the forefront. The padre? In front of the Trieriens, he was still a child.

......

"In the past year, Trier has constructed numerous arcades," Aurore remarked while sipping her marquis black tea, regaling Madame Pualis, Nazélie and the others with the latest trends from her two-story subterranean abode.

"What's an arcade? It's a covered street with glass roofing and marble flooring. Elegant and stunning shops line both sides. During the day, light filters in from above, and at night, gas lamps illuminate the area. Carriages are prohibited from entering. The most renowned arcade is called the Opera House arcade…"

Madame Pualis, holding a white porcelain cup filled with black tea, watched Aurore with her bright brown eyes, listening intently with a smile.

"That sounds like something I must see…" Nazélie sighed, imagining the elegance, fashion, cleanliness and brightness of the arcade.

Aurore's knowledge of the latest Intis trends was the primary reason why they had accepted the afternoon tea invitation.

After chatting for a while, the discussion turned to Aurore's work and relationships.

"Love is just so unfathomable and elusive…" Madame Pualis mused aloud.

So, this is why you fall in love with so many men at the same time? Aurore couldn't help but inwardly criticize.

Madame Pualis gazed at her with a faint smile and sighed.

"Sometimes, I get so angry because of his mistakes. I wish I could kill him and send him to his death, but when he's actually facing death, I can't help but save him and refuse to tell him. Perhaps, this is love…"

......

In the master's bedroom of the administrator's residence.

"Madame Pualis may have once fallen in love with Pulitt, a believer in Dandyism, and engaged in a forbidden relationship, resulting in her disavowal by her family. She then had to marry someone and use her family's connections to secure the administrative position in Cordu for him." Lumian deduced this based on the stories and troupes written by his sister.

This explained why Administrator Béost's standing in the family was relatively low.

"Perhaps," Ryan replied simply, "Keep searching, but don't attempt to open the safe or anything that may trigger an alarm."

Lumian and his companions dispersed immediately and searched elsewhere.

Despite the Hunter's ability to observe subtle traces, Lumian still found nothing.

The same was true for Leah and the others.

They had no choice but to move to the study and search patiently.

As time passed, the four of them arrived at the end of the corridor, where a closed room stood opposite an open solarium. Beside it was a staircase leading to one of the towers.

Ryan, who had finished searching the solarium, turned to Leah.

Leah touched the small silver bell hanging from her veil, mumbling to herself as she walked towards the tightly shut wooden door.

This time, the four bells did not ring.

Leah heaved a sigh of relief and gently pushed the wooden door open.

It was an empty room with a rocking crib in the middle.

The crib was made of brown wood and installed inside a wooden frame. It was covered in clean but slightly worn cotton swaddling cloth that showed its age. The crib was empty.

This was the nursery where Madame Pualis's two children had once slept. Apart from the bed, there were no toys in the room. Scattered on the ground were wheat, barley, rice, rye, wheat, and other plants, making it look rather strange.

Furthermore, these plants were well-preserved, as if they had only been brought in a few days ago.

Valentine's body glowed as he entered the room and circled around.

Soon, he returned to the door and shook his head at Ryan and Leah.

"There's no evil aura."

"Alright." Leah looked at Lumian. "Shall we head to the tower next?"

Lumian had always been curious about the castle's two towers. He never expected to have a chance to "visit" them today.

Valentine left the strange nursery. Ryan grabbed the handle and planned to close the wooden door and restore it to its original state.

At this moment, Lumian's gaze drifted inside.

The brown wooden crib swayed gently, yet the tightly shut windows of the room and the solarium opposite, with their floor-to-ceiling panes, allowed no breeze to enter the corridor!

"Wh…" Lumian's pupils dilated.

Leah noticed his distress and turned to look.

The crib continued to sway, as though an invisible baby lay within its swaddling cloths.

Leah raised her hand to her glabella, as if trying to ease her tired eyes.

She readied herself to activate her Spirit Vision and see what lay inside the crib.

Suddenly, the four small silver bells on her veil and boots jingled, as if they were about to burst!

Ryan's face froze as he yelled, "Get out of here!"

With that, he dashed into the solarium, crashing through the floor-to-ceiling windows in an attempt to create a path of escape from the castle.

Bang!

A loud thud echoed throughout the room as Ryan hit the windows, yet there was no sound of glass shattering.

The transparent faces of young children appeared on the row of windows, some of them mere infants with pale, inexplicably terrifying faces.

As Ryan 'bumped' into them, they opened their mouths in unison and let out a haunting wail.

Their cries echoed through the third floor of the castle, casting an eerie gloom over the entire area. The walls and glass were adorned with the translucent faces of children, some wailing while others stared blankly at Lumian, Leah, Valentine, and Ryan.

Lumian shuddered with fear as he felt their cold gazes upon him.

Suddenly, Valentine's body was engulfed in a dark golden light, which quickly spread to envelop Lumian, Leah, and himself.

A warm sensation spread throughout Lumian's body, dispelling his fear and filling him with courage. He drew his iron-black axe with newfound confidence.

Meanwhile, Ryan seemed to grow taller and more imposing.

Dawn-like rays of light surrounded him, coalescing into a silver-white full-body armor and a massive broadsword of light.

With a mighty swing, Ryan cleaved at the floor-to-ceiling windows, dispersing the pale-white faces of the children into smoke as they screamed.

But the glass didn't break, and more faces appeared, their shrill cries tormenting Lumian and his companions.

"Who dares to trespass the castle?"

A woman's voice boomed, echoing through the halls.

Almost immediately, Lumian spotted a figure on the other side of the corridor, standing on the second floor.

She was a middle-aged woman with brown hair and eyes. She was rather good-looking without any wrinkles. She was the midwife who had helped Louis Lund's "delivery."

In her hand, she held a pair of enormous scissors that could decapitate a human while donning a grayish-white gown. It was as if she had just returned from pruning a branch in the garden.

She glared at Lumian and his companions and spoke in a deep, threatening voice.

"You deserve to die!"

......

In the subterranean two-story abode, Madame Pualis jolted suddenly, and her countenance altered.

She delicately placed the porcelain teacup on the table and smiled at Aurore.

"My apologies. I've just recollected an urgent matter that requires my immediate attention at home."

"Huh?" Aurore was shocked.

Pualis rose from her seat, her expression filled with regret.

"I had intended to stay and discuss your work and its beautiful and poignant portrayal of love."

Aurore responded quickly, "Please, you're more than welcomed."

"I cannot, unfortunately." Madame Pualis shook her head. "It concerns my children."