Lei Ao was silent for a long time.
Kang Mu Cheng did not rush him either, waiting patiently for his reply.
After a long while, he rubbed his face and gave a wry smile, "It seems I'm really not a good liar."
"Kind people usually do not like deception," Kang Mu Cheng spoke gently, with inexplicable persuasiveness, "You have your own difficulties."
Lei Ao hesitated, then slumped against the wall in frustration. The old wallpaper gave off a musty odor of history that was quite unpleasant in the nose.
He organized his thoughts, "To be honest, I thought I could keep things under control - do you understand? I invited you to my wedding, I never intended for any harm to come to you - Kimberley's death was too unexpected, it left me at a loss for a moment...not knowing how to face it."
Kang Mu Cheng listened quietly.
In the narrow corridor, the window at the end let in the indulgent winter sunlight, everything was misty.
Lei Ao gazed at the distant ice and snow, momentarily transported back to a winter night in Boston. Both not native to America, neither fond of parties or all-nighters, after two years as classmates he and Kang Mu Cheng finally struck up a conversation one day.
At that time they were only in their early twenties, extremely young.
Neither could fully understand their peers' restlessness and clamor. But Kang Mu Cheng was a lot like him, both were quiet and reserved, preferring some things others might see as quite dull.
Like movies over six hours long.
After watching one such lengthy film, around five or six o'clock, Lei Ao remembered, the dormitory windows also let in this sort of hazy light.
It was as if from another world, already another world.
"I don't want to believe she killed Kimberley," Lei Ao opened with a bizarre conclusion, "But I have no evidence, nor can I prove for her...this is really awful."
Sure enough there was a woman involved. Kang Mu Cheng thought, asking, "Who is she?"
Lei Ao: "My sister, Margaret."
Once a taboo was broken, it no longer held oppressive pressure. Without waiting for further questions, he volunteered, "If there really is a curse on our family, it would be this - she has a rare allergy disorder, severely allergic to sunlight, even a tiny bit of sun exposure can send her into shock."
"Ever since she was little, she's never been able to go out in the day." Lei Ao gestured with his hands as he spoke, indicating for Kang Mu Cheng to follow him, "But that's not the worst part."
He gently pushed open an ornately carved door at the end of the fourth floor, inside was a portrait gallery, with paintings of every generation of the Sals hanging on the walls.
"Remember I told you my ancestors always encountered loveless marriages, and my father was the same. He married my mother - she was the daughter of an American steel tycoon - hoping to repair this castle, because the ravages of war had bankrupted the Sals.
"They had me, but neither side was happy, so my mother left me here and abandoned this place - I don't blame her, it was far better than the past, right? Then my father married Margaret's mother, at the time I was actually happy for him, but I suppose it was the curse, men who abandon their wives always lose their lovers.
"Margaret's mother had a mental illness. When she was giving birth there were some complications, she was extremely unstable mentally, and even wanted to kill the newborn Margaret. Our father tried to stop her, they struggled, and my father accidentally pushed her down the stairs, but she had also slit his carotid artery with scissors. When I found them, blood had already stained the entire floor red."
Lei Ao's tone was very complicated. He did not want to believe in this so-called "curse", but the series of tragedies that had occurred, each seemed to further attest to the eeriness of Castle Winterfell.
"It was an accident," Kang Mu Cheng said futilely in consolation.
"Always accidents, all accidents," Lei Ao murmured.
There was a moment of silence.
Lei Ao took a deep breath, bucking himself up, "But let's not dwell on that. Margaret inherited her mother's illness. I've had doctors see her, medicating on schedule, and her condition has been well controlled over the past decade or so."
Kang Mu Cheng asked, "Was that her singing?"
"I believe so, she can be a bit mischievous sometimes," a resigned smile appeared on Lei Ao's face, "She'll sneak out through the passages sometimes to play pranks and startle people."
This explained his earlier remarks about the "strange occurrences".
"I don't know much about crime, but Jian Jing is always writing about it, so I have some basic knowledge," Kang Mu Cheng deliberated for a long time before gently suggesting, "Kimberley's death was clearly murder, not the sort of accident that could happen from a prank gone wrong."
Lei Ao paused, turning to look at him, "You think so?"
Kang Mu Cheng nodded.
"I feel the same way," Lei Ao was visibly relieved, but his sister Margaret's situation remained unchanged. He immediately grew worried again, "If it wasn't her, then who was it?"
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What about Jian Jing? She seems rather - uh, knowledgeable about these things?"
Kang Mu Cheng said, "I went to her room this morning, she wasn't there, and I still haven't seen her all this time until now."
Lei Ao was taken aback, "Oh no, don't tell me it's..."
Kang Mu Cheng gave him a look that said "it's exactly what you're thinking".
Lei Ao sucked in a breath, immediately locking the portrait gallery door, then triggered a mechanism on one of the paintings. The decorative panel next to the fireplace slid away, revealing a stretch of passage identical to the one outside.
"Follow me," he said.
The two entered the passage - though called a secret passage, it wasn't cramped or dark, just like a normal corridor, only with some extra length, concealing a few rooms - Lei Ao pushed open the door at the end of the hallway, inside was a large bedroom similar to his master suite.
A glittering crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, with burgundy tassels trailing from the four-poster bed, exquisite full-length mirrors, ivory ornamental pieces, and powder blue Rococo armchairs.
Sitting in one of the chairs was a skeleton in courtly dress.
Kang Mu Cheng was startled, asking, "Is this the missing skeleton?"
"It's Margaret's mother," Lei Ao was terse. "Margaret couldn't accept her passing."
He apologized, "I'm very sorry for deceiving you all, I've since properly explained this to Margaret. She didn't realize it would be so frightening, only wanted to introduce her to Melanie's family. Kimberley's sudden scream gave her a huge fright, and she dropped her."
Kang Mu Cheng: "..." He could only shake his head.
"Margaret," Lei Ao called, walking through the bedroom into another hallway that had never appeared before, "Where are you?"
"Is that Lei Ao?" someone spoke from the room on the left, "Please come in."
Lei Ao pushed the door open and was dumbstruck, "What happened here?"
It was a doll room, filled with dolls collected from around the world, even a complete set of Barbies. At the moment, a blonde girl in a soft turtle shell lay sprawled on the soft wool carpet, limbs tightly bound by restraints, looking like an upturned turtle.
"Mm mm!" A strip of cloth over her mouth muffled her tongue, rendering her unable to speak.
"Oh my god!" Lei Ao exclaimed, "Jian Jing, let her go quickly!"
"Please don't worry, I didn't harm Miss Margaret, but she was rather - interested in this unsafe toy," Jian Jing turned the steak knife in her hand, "Wasn't she?"
Lei Ao was shocked, "Jian Jing, where did you get that knife?"
Jian Jing removed the gag from her face.
Margaret let out a shrill scream, "Die, die, die!"
Lei Ao was beyond mortified, striding forward to grip her shoulders, "Margaret, calm down!"
“Margaret, I hate her,” Margaret saw her brother, did not yell anymore, leaned on his shoulder and sobbed, “Let them leave, let them go, I don't, I don't want to see them.”
Lei Ao hugged his sister and patted her back to comfort her: “It's okay, don't be afraid.”
Kang Mu Cheng glanced at Jian Jing, slightly reproachful: Is this what you call not intense?
Jian Jing apologized immediately: “This is my fault. Yesterday Yingjie was scared, I was afraid everyone would get hurt again, so I chased in, but I seemed to have scared her.”
“Peggy has hardly seen strangers before, she can't be stimulated.” Although Lei Ao seemed to be objective, he was no longer as friendly as he was initially.
“I'm really sorry.” Jian Jing said.
Prying into other people's secrets and exploring hidden truths will naturally cause discomfort to others, this is an inevitable cost.
She waited a little before saying: “I need to eliminate Margaret's suspicion.”
Lei Ao said, “I believe it wasn't her.”
Jian Jing's eyes flashed slightly: “Just believe it? Please don't take it the wrong way, I don't mean anything else. I just thought that before you categorically stated that the matter was resolved, so I assumed you had temporarily restricted her actions?”
"Yes, I locked her up." Lei Ao said.
"Then why do you just believe it?" Jian Jing was very perceptive, "You heard the singing, you should have confirmed it through the secret passage in the study first? That's why you were late."
Lei Ao nodded: "Yes, but at the time..." His brow furrowed, and he said somewhat strangely, "The door was open."
"The bedroom door?"
"Yes."
Jian Jing fell silent in thought.
Last night, after she cracked the mechanism of the mirror house and entered the passage, she had carefully studied the bedroom door. It could not be locked from the inside, but three latches could be put on it from the outside to ensure the door was completely closed.
With Margaret's strength, it was impossible for her to break out on her own.
Who let her out?
"Margaret," she squatted down and turned on her charm card, "did you come out the night before last?"
Margaret leaned on Lei Ao's shoulder, tilted her head and smiled: "I knew she would die."
"Why?"
"She was cursed."
Lei Ao said regretfully, "No, Peggy, don't say that."
"What did you see that day?" Jian Jing continued to ask.
Margaret said, "Lei Ao, don't marry her, I can't be without you."
"Peggy, even if I get married, you won't lose me, you'll have one more person to love you." Lei Ao looked sincerely into her eyes, "I won't leave you."
"No!" Margaret's emotions fluctuated violently again, screaming incessantly, "No! No!"
Her face was twisted with resentment, even making Lei Ao jump with fright.
Was it her?
Did Margaret kill Melanie because she couldn't accept her?
The green dress prompts you: Please collect after reading, it will be more convenient to read on.