"Master who wanders between the abyss and the mortal realm..."
"Incarnation of depravity and decay..."
"Savior of the bloodline descendants..."
"..."
"Your humble servant begs for your grace here..."
...
...
Xia Luo woke up with a start from his sleep again.
The first thing that met his eyes was the familiar purple-black canopy of the bed, intricately carved with exquisite thorny rose patterns. Black gauze curtains edged with gold hung around it, and four pointed bedposts painted with religious reliefs loomed within.
Even though he had transmigrated into this otherworld for three days, looking at this Gothic-style noble bedroom, he still felt somewhat unaccustomed.
Of course, the murmuring prayers that sounded like whispers from ancient gods, which he heard every night while half-asleep, were also part of the reason.
Xia Luo always had an illusion that something was calling out to him in the dark.
But every time he woke up, he couldn't remember exactly what he had heard.
Turning his head to look out the window, night had already fallen.
Under the deep moonlight, the occasional hoarse howl of a cat could be heard.
Xia Luo was a bit surprised.
Today's nap, he had actually slept straight from noon until evening!
"Tap tap tap..."
The bedroom door was gently knocked on.
"Sigh, here we go again..."
Xia Luo slightly furrowed his brows, instantly feeling a headache coming on.
Before he could say anything, the door creaked open slowly, and two rows of maids dressed in black and white skirts marched in unison.
Their expressions were rigid and serious, each holding sets of gorgeous and intricate noble maidens' dresses in different styles. The wooden boxes filled with accessories and jewels were dazzling.
"Good evening, Miss Charlotte."
"Dinner time has arrived. Lady Castille requests that you change your clothes and come to dine."
The head maid stepped forward, bowing woodenly with an extremely standard gesture.
Oh right.
Now it should be "she."
Xia Luo numbly swept a glance at the women's clothing they had brought, instantly putting on the silly and cute face from the original body's fragmented memories, looking like a dazed maiden who had just woken up, naturally cute and innocent:
"Evening... good evening, Lady Marianna!"
Then, she naturally skipped over those overly sweet and cute maiden dresses, pointed at a Gothic Lolita dress dominated by black with gold trim, complemented by burgundy and white, tilted her little head slightly, and said sweetly:
"Let's go with this one!"
Her voice was soft and waxy, delicate and adorable.
That pure and lovely appearance was like night and day compared to the calm and helpless look she had when alone.
Men would feel an overwhelming urge to protect her, and women would feel a surge of maternal love.
Even the plump black cat passing by the window was momentarily distracted, almost losing its footing and falling.
It could only be said that this guy was really good at pretending, and when he did, he was extremely convincing.
However, as professional servants of the ancient Castille family, the well-trained maids still maintained serious expressions without any fluctuations, making Xia Luo feel rather bored.
Upon confirmation, these rigid maids moved like a silent army, immediately springing into action.
This was the good thing about being a great noble.
You didn't need to do anything at all; there were people to serve you in everything.
Some held silver basins filled with water for Xia Luo to wash, some used silk scarves dipped in rose flower dew to wipe her body, some picked up whalebone combs to style her long hair...
And Xia Luo herself was like a dressing doll, allowing them to manipulate her.
There was no other way.
Who let her have never experienced this in her previous life?
Not to mention such complicated noble dresses, she had never even touched women's clothing before.
The dressing process lasted nearly thirty minutes.
But to Xia Luo, it felt as if a century had passed.
"Miss Charlotte, you're dressed."
After a long while, the head maid bowed again and ordered someone to push over a magnificent standing mercury mirror.
In the mirror was a girl who looked thirteen or fourteen years old.
She wasn't tall, with features as delicate as a doll.
A black and white butterfly headdress gathered her smooth and silky golden hair, the ends of which were curled into ringlets, naturally draping over her shoulders.
Her milk-white skin carried a hint of sickly paleness, paired with clear blue eyes as vast as the sky, giving her an air of fragility and pity.
A white shirt adorned with ruffled edges had a burgundy bow tie tied in front, and a black corset cinched her youthful waist into a graceful shape.
The black and gold-based tulle outer skirt was decorated with complex and resplendent lace patterns, paired with the inner burgundy dress, black silk stockings, and small leather boots, exuding a strong sense of mystery and nobility. Beneath her young and innocent beautiful face, it seemed to add a touch of ascetic maturity and allure...
To be honest, even after looking at such a beautiful and cute appearance for several days, Xia Luo would still lose herself in the mirror.
But unfortunately.
This person was herself.
However, although there had been some issues with identity recognition when transmigrating, Xia Luo had no complaints.
Beauty itself was a scarce resource.
Experiencing a completely different life was also a novel experience.
Following the maids out of the bedroom, the maiden walked along the splendid corridor paved with handcrafted silk carpets and entered the dining room.
The dining room was equally luxurious, with religious decorative paintings hanging on the walls. The dim light cast by the large crystal candle lamps reflected dreamlike multicolored hues from every angle.
On the more than ten-meter-long purple-black carved U-shaped dining table, exquisite porcelain dishes held a dazzling array of dishes.
Roast suckling pig, baked snails, foie gras sauce with fried scallops, baked fish in paper, fried steak, braised potatoes, fruit salad, flame crepes, chocolate lava...
At first glance, there were no fewer than fifty types.
An old woman wearing a monocle stood by the dining cart, placing a serving of cream of mushroom soup on the table.
Seeing Xia Luo, she smiled, put down the porcelain plate in her hand, and said indulgently:
"Oh, come and take a look. Isn't this the pearl of Castille, the lovely countess, my precious Charlotte?"
As she spoke, she produced a delicate small box from behind like a magician, inside which was an exquisite cross necklace that clearly looked worth a fortune.
Shaking the jewelry box in front of the maiden, the old woman said lovingly:
"Happy birthday, my dear! This is your birthday gift this year!"
Glancing at the sparkling necklace, Xia Luo subtly twitched the corner of her mouth.
But she quickly noticed the apron the old woman hadn't yet taken off, and her heart warmed as she smiled and said:
"Grandmother, did you cook personally today?"
The old woman put down the jewelry box, first carefully wiped her hands with a wet tissue, then indulgently ruffled her little head, and said gently:
"Of course. Today is your special day, and no one knows better than me what you like to eat."
"Come and dine, my little birthday girl. Tonight's dishes are all your favorites from daily life."
If the maids and butlers in the manor always looked stern and depressed, making Xia Luo feel after transmigrating that these servants seemed to have some serious problem...
Then the grandmother of this body was the most comforting presence she had felt in the past two days.
Elena de Castille.
She was Xia Luo's grandmother, the current head of the Castille family, and the maiden's only living relative.
As a high-ranking great noble and acting family head, even though she was at an age when she should be enjoying her twilight years, the old woman still cooked for the maiden personally, which showed how much she doted on her granddaughter.
Preparing so many sumptuous dishes, even with the assistance of a chef, was no easy task for an elderly grandmother.
"Thank you for your hard work, Grandmother."
Warmth filled Xia Luo's heart.
She skillfully pinched the hem of her skirt, curtsied gracefully, then naturally sat down at the dining table.
In three days, she had become quite familiar with these noble procedures.
The old woman looked at the splendid wall clock and the night outside the window:
"It's getting late. Let's have dinner early."
After speaking, she declined the maids who stepped forward to serve and personally tied the napkin for the maiden, moving slowly and gently.
To be honest, if it weren't for her Inconvenient legs and feet that made it difficult to move around the dining table, Xia Luo seriously doubted that her grandmother, who doted on her to the heavens, would even take on the job of a waiter and personally serve her...
Today's dinner was even more delicious than the previous two days.
The cooking was exquisite, the taste was delicious, and it left one with a lingering aftertaste.
As Xia Luo elegantly dined under the service of the waiters, she pondered her future life.
The memories after transmigrating were not complete.
But in two or three days, it had been enough for her to figure out her family background and current situation, and successfully gain a foothold.
It had to be said that the identity Xia Luo had transmigrated into was truly a pleasant surprise.
Although the gender was different, the other parts were perfect, definitely a textbook-level "overpowered female lead" start.
This body was named Charlotte, which was a transliteration of her previous life's name, so it could be considered the same name.
Orphaned since childhood, she was the only direct descendant of the ancient and wealthy Castille family.
A true old noble of this otherworld, the future head of the family.
Although she was still young, with the experienced old countess personally taking charge and escorting, no one dared to covet the Castille family's property.
And when Xia Luo came of age at 16, she would officially inherit the family's count title and a large expanse of fertile land, owning dozens of castles, manors, and wineries.
In other words, Xia Luo had started her transmigration with financial freedom and at the peak of life.
The family property she inherited in this life would be enough to last a lifetime!
After getting familiar with her identity, Xia Luo knew she was about to take off in this otherworld.
These past two days, she had already started considering how to live it up after inheriting the title a year later.
Using her Blue Star knowledge to advance technology in this backward otherworld?
Building a commercial empire that spanned the entire continent with the capital from this identity?
Or hiring a hundred beautiful young ladies to serve her every day, living a dreamy life of leisure?
However, just as Xia Luo was lost in fantasy, she noticed that Countess Castille had not touched her cutlery at all.
The elderly noblewoman simply sat there quietly, smiling at her.
The maiden hesitated for a moment and gently put down her cutlery.
In the fragmented memories she had inherited, eating alone before the elder started was considered unladylike and something the original body had always tried to avoid.
"Grandmother, aren't you going to eat?"
Xia Luo asked.
Countess Castille gently shook her head:
"No, my little Xia Luo, these are all for you."
As she spoke, she smiled, extending her hand to gently and slowly stroke the maiden's cheek:
"After all, this is your last supper."
Last... supper?
Xia Luo was slightly taken aback.
She couldn't help but look at Countess Castille, feeling that the other's smile had suddenly become profound and strange.
The clouds outside the window slowly drifted by, revealing a crimson full moon.
The bloody moonlight poured into the dining room through the window, casting a hazy crimson glow over everything.
In Xia Luo's suddenly contracting pupils, the originally dignified and kind Countess Castille underwent a astonishing transformation.
Her face turned as pale as a corpse, and her gray-blue eyes gradually filled with crazy bloodlust.
The kindness in her gaze had completely vanished.
In its place were bloodthirst and greed...
"My dear, you don't look very well."
The old woman smiled at Xia Luo, her mouth stretching to her ears, and a long tongue like a snake's flicked continuously, gently sliding across the maiden's cheek.
Holy shit!
Monster!
Xia Luo was so startled that he instantly stood up.
The cutlery on the table was swept to the floor by her, clattering against each other with an ear-piercing ring.
"Miss Charlotte, your cutlery has fallen."
The emotionless voice of the head maid sounded.
A putrid arm covered in maggots picked up the cutlery and gently placed it in front of Xia Luo.
Oh my god!
Xia Luo's eyes instantly widened.
She stiffly turned around to see that the head maid beside her had a rotten face, with bloody rotten flesh under which white bones could be faintly seen, and several fat maggots were squirming in her eye sockets.
Outside the window, flocks of crows circled and flew with a series of croaks.
In the dining room, nearly a hundred waiters and maids in unison looked at Xia Luo, their rotten mouths curling into strange and uniform smiles.
The stench of rotting corpses instantly filled the air...
Xia Luo's scalp went numb.
Without hesitation, she turned and fled.
However, the moment she took a step, her body suddenly went limp, and she lost all strength in an instant...
Oh no!
The food... had something added!
A strong sense of fatigue spread to her limbs, and she collapsed to the ground, slowly going limp.
At the end of her fading consciousness, she heard "Countess Castille" issue that indifferent and cold command:
"It's almost time. Prepare for the final bloodline sacrifice ritual..."