I am a master in India

Chapter 227 Collapse
Mary and Lena climbed up the slope, and gradually the metal railings disappeared.

In the pitch black, Mary, who was at the front, suddenly felt her way onto a flight of stairs.

After walking a few steps, they came to a door.

It was a small wooden door with inlaid flowers. The door was very small but exquisite, and at first glance it seemed to be designed specifically for children.

Mary turned the doorknob easily. She pushed the door open, and light rushed in.

This is an attic room with a row of four stained-glass windows, from which the light comes in.

The upright triangular windows, like those of a church, protrude beyond the roof.

This space seems to be separate from the palace; the only way to get up here is through a secret corridor hidden in the walls.

The fire didn't reach here, but things still look bad.

The walls were blackened with soot, showing wavy, burnt lines. There were also holes in the floor, revealing the interlayer between the floor and the ceiling of the room below.

However, the room was in good condition overall; the carpet and exotic wallpaper were not damaged.

The furniture was all there, intact, and Lady Elizabeth sat in a throne-like chair. Her face was contorted, and she glared fiercely.

Mary and Lena clenched their fists and the daggers in their hands simultaneously. They arched their backs slightly, their chests heaving rapidly, like leopards ready to pounce at any moment.

But the two soon noticed something amiss; Lady Elizabeth's ill-intentioned gaze wasn't directed at them.

To be precise, her gaze was unfocused; she stared resentfully at a moment in the past.

The two approached cautiously, their eyes growing increasingly vacant, as if they were trying to grasp at something in vain.

At this time, Lady Elizabeth was heavily made up, with thick layers of powder covering her face, so thick it resembled a mask, obscuring her original appearance.

Her mouth appeared larger because of the lipstick, her eyebrows thicker because of the makeup, and her cheekbones higher because of the makeup.

If you stand close enough, you can see saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth onto her thigh.

She reeked of alcohol, mixed with other, more foul and disgusting odors.

Her hair was completely covered by a wig, the thick, golden curly wig slightly askew, revealing short, sparse gray hair underneath.

She was wearing a green evening gown with a high collar that covered her throat and rested against her chin. She crossed her legs and placed her feet on the chair next to her.

She wore soft silk slippers, her hands resting listlessly on her thighs, just like her droopy mouth.

Mary and Lena approached in stunned silence, never expecting to see such a look on Mrs. Elizabeth's face.

In my memory, although she had a heart as venomous as a scorpion, she was a true beauty. Her beauty radiated from within, a beauty that was breathtaking.

Now, she's not beautiful, she's ugly.

That beautiful appearance has been swept away by the fire, leaving only ashes.

Mary and Lena knew the moment they saw Lady Elizabeth that she was doomed.

Her vitality was drained away, she weakened, and her whole being exuded decay.

She floated on the black lake, and soon the black water would drag her to the bottom.

A deep silence filled the room; even breathing was barely audible.

Mary and Lena were bewildered; their burning desire for revenge had vanished without a trace.

They were shocked and confused, unable to understand why their former instructor had suddenly fallen into such a predicament.

They stood right in front of her, but she ignored them.

"Mary, we..." Lena was distraught, and the dagger in her hand quietly slipped from her grasp.

"She won't live much longer. The fire destroyed the palace, and it destroyed her too."

"I," Lena's eyes glistened with tears. She wanted to say something, but was suddenly interrupted by a scream.

A heart-wrenching scream, sharp and piercing like the roar of a wild boar, rang out.

Mary turned around abruptly, and Abu, Lady Elizabeth's eunuch servant, rushed toward them.

She instinctively raised her arms to block, but it was too late. Abu's sudden impact caused Mary to lose her balance.

He carried Mary and smashed through an attic window, leaving Mary hanging outside.

“Mary!” Lena screamed, lunging at her like a leopard.

Then another figure crashed into her midway, and the two of them fell and rolled over.

Lena saw the face clearly; it was exactly the same as Abu's. He also had braids, shaved eyebrows, and a tattoo on his bald chin.

They're twins! Lady Elizabeth's two personal servants are actually twin brothers!
He held a scimitar as thin as a cicada's wing in his hand and pressed it down menacingly towards Lena.

Lena struggled to stay upright, then turned to look at the window; Mary was still there.

The broken glass cut Mary's arm and ear; the wounds were deep, and cold blood flowed out.

She was pressed against the windowsill, where she could see the blue sky above and Abu's head shaking wildly.

Abu pushed Mary forward with all his might, his feet moving strangely forward on the ground, seemingly unconcerned about falling out of the window.

Mary realized that he was determined to take them both down with him, as he pushed them both away and then they fell heavily to the ground.

Abu had no confidence in beating Mary, so he had to take the initiative and use a desperate, all-or-nothing fighting style.

Mary hooked one leg onto the windowsill and leaned back to absorb the impact. Caught off guard, Abu lunged forward and fell against the windowsill.

Mary seized the opportunity to climb through the window, grabbed Abu's braid with one hand, and then, using her feet and shoulders, threw Abu out with an over-the-shoulder throw.

She tried to help Lena, but Abu jumped up again and screamed as he rushed over.

Mary reached around her waist and a dagger appeared in her hand.

In the brief moment Abu charged forward, she ducked under his arm, then turned and swished around a few times.

Abu screamed in pain; his legs and back were covered in deep cuts.

He relentlessly charged at her again, and Mary's eyes flashed with anxiety.

She knew Abu was trying to buy time for his twin brother, while Lena was in grave danger. A woman's explosive power couldn't match a man's endurance; the curved blade was getting closer and closer to Lena, only centimeters from her pupils.

Lena hardened her resolve, preparing to trade injury for injury, sacrificing an ear to create an opening for a counterattack.

A muffled "thud!" suddenly echoed in the room.

The figure above Lena shuddered and then slowly slumped to the side.

Everyone turned to look at the doorway, where Ron stood, holding a pistol. Anil and several of his men also cautiously spread out around the attic, searching for any suspicious hidden targets.

"This is my first time firing a gun, and I was pretty accurate." He breathed a sigh of relief.

Lena collapsed to the ground and laughed.

"Dude, did you deliberately choose this time to try and be a hero?"

"Don't even mention it, that dilapidated staircase breaks as soon as you step on it. It took me ages to find my way here."

“You’ve come at just the right time,” Mary said with a smile.

A scream interrupted their conversation as Abu suddenly abandoned Mary and charged toward Ron.

The coldness on his face turned to shock, then to ferocity, anger, and extreme hatred.

That hatred made his screams pierce the eardrums, chilling anyone who heard them.

Ignoring his bleeding wounds, he charged at Ron like a madman.

The fire, the raging flames, the bursting anger, burned so intensely that his eyes were practically popping out of their sockets.

Bang! Anil raised his hand and fired a shot, aiming at the eunuch's abdomen.

Abu's legs buckled, and he collapsed to the side. He whimpered in pain, rolling on the floor, arching his back, clutching his bleeding wound.

He groaned, but with great willpower he got up and limped toward the throne-like chair, shielding Lady Elizabeth with his bare chest.

He glared fiercely at Ron, knowing he couldn't protect his master, yet he did it anyway.

Anil raised his gun, but Ron stopped him with his hand. He looked at Mary and the others.

"Do you have any questions?"

"Forget it, the palace is finished, and so are they."

Abu was already at his last gasp, and his twin brother had long since fallen silently into a pool of blood.

Ron looked at Mrs. Elizabeth in the chair; this was the first time he had seen her.

It's impossible to tell its exact age and nationality; it could be of Russian descent, Spanish descent, or even Greek descent.

“It looks very different from the photos,” Ron commented.

“You haven’t seen what she looked like when she was young.” Lena got up from the floor.

"So what exactly happened?" he asked.

“Let’s talk outside. Why did you come up here?” Mary walked over.

“I’m worried. You’ve been in here for too long without making a sound. To be honest, this building is dangerous. I can feel something is wrong just by stepping on the floor.”

“Alright, it’s all over.” Mary turned around at the attic doorway.

Abu collapsed beneath the throne, staring blankly at the ceiling, his chest no longer rising and falling.

Lady Elizabeth's eyes remained vacant, and her loose mouth was half-open.

She remained motionless like a puppet, without breathing or a heartbeat; a gentle push would likely cause her to fall over.

As the group turned to leave, the secret corridor suddenly collapsed, unable to bear the weight of so many people at once.

They fell down, through the scorched wood, and landed heavily on the hard floor.

"Cough cough. Damn it!" Ron emerged from the secret passage, covered in dust and dirt.

“I almost got caught here.” Mary pushed Lena away, still shaken.

The rising ash and fibers made the group cough violently, and they spat out filth.

"Are you alright, Master?" Anil asked last.

"Listen," Ron listened intently, "something's wrong, run!"

A faint creaking sound came from the rooftop, like the cracking of ice.

The group was terrified and ran out of the building as fast as they could, leaving through the back door into the courtyard.

Boom! The attic at the top of the third floor collapsed diagonally, falling to the ground and raising a cloud of dust.

"Damn it, luckily I ran fast!" Ron said, still shaken.

He guessed that the collapse of the secret passage had triggered a series of chain reactions.

The secret passage connects to the attic, and it has only one exit.

Mary and Lena stared blankly at the ruins, speechless.

Ron couldn't quite describe the feeling; it was as if they had unloaded some kind of burden, feeling both relaxed and exhausted.

“It’s over,” Mary sighed.

"I'm free," Lena smiled.

“Ladies, we can talk about our feelings later. We’d better leave quickly before any outsiders come to investigate,” Ron had to interrupt them.

"That's right, we're going to have a good drink tonight."

"Yes, we won't leave until we're drunk!" Lena shouted.

Ron glanced one last time at the ruins of the palace, his eyes gleaming.

Lady Elizabeth, deceased.

(End of this chapter)