Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Until the shadows in my mind began to erode those wonderful feelings.

The black pupil of his right eye began to spread across the white of his eye, like a piece of chocolate peeling off its shiny foil.

The ominous voice echoed in my ears.

"Finally, we've gotten rid of that woman's eyes and ears." The voice, exactly like Lyle's, was twisted into a monstrous roar by dissatisfaction and resentment.

"Ms. Helena meant us no harm. I initially thought you were just shy," Lyle teased his other self. Nia was still playing with the Shiba Inu on the grass, while Lyle, who had nothing to do, was stroking Medusa's serpentine body. The sensation of his fingertips gliding over the cool, layered scales was a pleasure to behold.

“Being grateful for the lion’s charity is what a rabbit should do.” From Lyle’s sleeve, black malice gradually devoured his body. “I will not tolerate someone looking down on me while feeling at ease.”

"Give me your body...for two hours..."

Lyle didn't resist. "By the way, if you have time, could you finish the assignment given by Professor Troy, the professor of soul studies? You know I'm not good at soul studies, but you're different..."

Before Lyle's will slumbered, he received a harbinger of doom.

“I am not interested in your teacher-student games.”

"Soul studies? That's just our instinct."

Lyle welcomed the presence of omens. Especially after regaining control of his body, the new knowledge naturally settled in his memory. Without the brain throbbing from prolonged study, the unfamiliar yet familiar knowledge felt as if it were an integral part of his own mind. Perhaps this was the joy of getting something for nothing.

To Lyle, having a negative version of himself in his mind was quite an interesting experience—a different perspective that always gave him unconventional ideas. Meanwhile, rumors of the Plague Doctor's madness were spreading in Andrei.

As the sun sank halfway below the horizon, the ghostly maid brought news that Kevin had awakened.

The shadows transformed into a reverse-flowing spring, climbing back up onto his body. Refreshed, Lyle strode forward, ready to greet his friend.

Kevin adapted much faster than Lyle in accepting the servants' service.

He stood in the guest room, his eyes gleaming with excitement, a deep red tuxedo with gold thread first climbing onto his body. Then, seemingly dissatisfied, the tuxedo, floating in mid-air, was torn apart, and a needle threaded through the broken cracks, re-weaving its way through.

"Cool!" One after another, dancing dresses twirled around Kevin, and the boy's laughter and exclamations became the only music in this silent dance.

Lyle's footsteps made Kevin turn his head. Lyle's clothes had already been changed into formal attire. He leaned against the door frame, his gaze shifting from the spinning top in the air to Kevin.

"The men's clothing here is all made to my size, Kevin, you've gained weight."

“Call me strong, I’m very happy with my physique.” Kevin waved his hands, jokingly dodging the sleeves reaching for his wrists. “Hey! Lyle, did you see that? These clothes are grabbing my arms, they’re practically alive!”

Yes, they are "alive," and they can not only react to your actions, Kevin, but they are about to be provoked by you.

In Lyle's spiritual perception, the paralyzed expressions of those ghostly maids were gradually contorting, the most noticeable change being their furrowed brows and the teeth about to be revealed.

This reckless human is courting death.

"No need to hide yourself anymore, ladies. Kevin, those who helped you change are ghost maids. You should keep a low profile before they go berserk and deal with you."

Four or five transparent images appeared in front of him, their battered faces almost pressed against Kevin's skin. A chilling aura rushed towards him like someone had opened a refrigerator. The ghost holding clothes and standing in front of him successfully silenced Kevin.

"...Hi! Beautiful girls..."

Sweating profusely, Kevin managed to greet them with all his might, and finally, the cold gazes no longer lingered on his face. The maids continued their work, and their guests became much more cooperative.

But the calm is only temporary; the restlessness is merely suppressed.

After the ghost inadvertently touched him, Kevin showed great interest in the castle's servants.

Are all the servants of magician families so magical?

“Naslan is special.”

"They feel like cool silk to me, very comfortable. They can understand me, right? She just glanced at me."

"To them, you are also a special guest, Kevin."

"Can they speak? Can they make sounds? I've heard that ghosts need to appear in dreams to communicate with people."

Lyle couldn't answer that question, because the ghosts of Naslan never spoke. Even though they could perfectly obey his and the Naslan sisters' commands, these servants seemed to be trying their best to minimize their presence, rarely uttering a word or even a sound.

"idiot."

That cold voice appeared behind Lyle's ears. It was a ghostly maid who had come to life. Her pleated skirt, which was larger than that of an ordinary maid, and the ribbons on her arms indicated her identity. And that familiar face had shown many emotions in front of Lyle.

Monica, Nathlan's head maid, was originally Ariana's personal maid and once played pranks on Lyle.

The clear enunciation echoed in the room. Kevin was stunned, and what remained on his face was not the shame and anger of being insulted, but the surprise of witnessing something amazing.

“Lyle! Did you hear that? She’s insulting me! That ghost is insulting me! Hey! Madam, could you repeat that?”

Monica narrowed her eyes, gracefully floating a small step towards the door. The combination of her disdainful expression and hurtful gesture, coupled with her approachable words, created a sweet blow.

"You slut."

Chapter 453 The Noble Lady

Two footsteps echoed on the Naslan floor tiles, reverberating through the renovated corridors. Lyle and Kevin headed towards the dining room, listening to Kevin's enthusiastic praise along the way. Young Master Kevin held the Naslan ghost maids in high regard, even after enduring the disdainful look of the head maid, Monica. Incidentally, Monica's disdainful gaze also inadvertently reached Lyle.

Kevin's maid obsession puzzled Lyle, and out of concern for his friend, Lyle asked him why.

"While people are free to pursue their interests, Kevin, you and Ghost have no future."

"What are you talking about? I didn't have that kind of thought."

"You're quite enthusiastic about the ghost maid, Mr. Single Aristocrat."

“Because it’s easy to get along with them.” Kevin turned back and smiled, the warm light of the setting sun retaining its warmth on his face. “I have few friends, Lyle, because I’m lucky, you know.”

“I always unconsciously bring bad luck to the people around me, except for my father. The servants at Bory Manor and my father all comforted me with phrases like ‘we’re used to it,’ which felt like talking to someone through a window.”

“Lyle, there aren’t many visitors like you who insist on barging in.”

This is Kevin Borre's dilemma.

Even at home, Kevin tries to keep his distance from his servants to avoid them getting hurt because of his talent. At home, Kevin also needs to be on edge; despite his seemingly perfect life, this seemingly glamorous young master, as Lyle sees him, also has his own burdens.

However, ghosts cannot be harmed.

They can instantly control a falling vase to levitate in mid-air, and a falling broom will pass right through their bodies. Even Kevin's touch won't cause any harm, because Kevin's hand will pass right through, and the ghostly maids will stare intently at this strange guest with eerie eyes.

There was neither pandering nor rejection.

Strolling through this truly haunted castle, Kevin felt genuinely relaxed.

The sun handed over the task of illumination to the light bats, whose luminous lives, perched on specially designed small platforms, once again amazed Kevin.

These well-behaved little creatures were resting on their platform. When Lyle and his companion approached, they noticed their gaze, raised their wings, and bowed in greeting. The lightbats had a good impression of Nathran's humans, perhaps because they had also attended Nia's cheese carnival party.

"Lord Lyle!" A shrill voice suddenly rang out in the quiet corridor. The startled light bats flickered their lights to express their unease, like a voice-activated switch that had suddenly malfunctioned. When everything calmed down and the lights came back on, the light bats collectively stared at a certain spot in the air, looking at their fellow light bats with displeasure.

Beside her round belly, two small wings fluttered in the air. The light shone through her black fur, turning into a beautiful dark purple, and her body was covered with dewdrops, which shimmered and translucent in the light.

Like a grape.

"Long time no see, Grape." This was Grape, the light bat who only wanted to become an explorer and had signed an employment contract with Lyle. After Lyle arrived in the Naslan Secret Realm, her exploration location changed from the market in Cassandel to the quiet forests of Naslan.

Grape and Nia often met, but Grape's contact with Lyle was much less frequent, because Lyle didn't walk his dog around every day. On the rare occasions that Grape was seen, it was in Lyle's own flesh and blood laboratory, where several flesh and blood puppets with Grape attached would approach him and ask if they could eat wild desserts.

The enthusiastic explorer Grape should be busy with his own explorations, according to Lyle.

While Lyle was pondering, Grape had already greeted Kevin.

“It is an honor to meet you, Lord Kevin. I am Grape, a light bat, and I lived in Cassandale for a time.”

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Grape. You look so beautiful, and your color is so special among your group."

And so, the number of companions became three.

Kevin and Grape got along very well, and Kevin would listen with great interest as Grape recounted some of her adventure experiences.

But these activities seemed perfectly normal to Lyle.

For example, you might encounter a beautiful woman herding ghosts in a dense forest, be chased (playfully) by an evil, laughing maniac riding a ghostly dog, be imprisoned by a monster, be taken to a terrifying mad doctor to await your fate, and finally escape by using your silver tongue.

A cawing, ominous laugh echoed in the mind of the terrifying quack doctor.

A tray of roast chicken flew over Lyle's head, and the strong aroma of nutmeg caused tentacles to grow on Lyle's body, which he then pulled back.

“Nia is hungry.” Like dehydrated seafood, Nia’s tentacles drooped on Lyle’s shoulder, pretending to use her last bit of strength to slap Lyle’s cheeks.

"Even if you're hungry, you have to eat at the table."

Lyle moved a step to let the long line of dinner pass by him.

"Kevin, let's hurry to the restaurant. Helena has already arranged a delicious meal."

"Grape, come too. You must be tired from the adventure."

"Ok."

The sound of the harp playing began almost simultaneously with the opening of the door. The first thing that caught the eye was the quartz lamp hanging from the ceiling. Through deliberate arrangement and the refraction of light from the sparkling gemstones, the food and the people on the round table appeared magnificent and luxurious.

Helena's sculpture was placed in the main seat. To her left, Ariana and Beatrice sat upright in their seats, their eyes fixed on the late-arriving gentlemen. Lyle led Kevin to his seat, directly opposite Ariana and Beatrice.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries with Helena, the hostess of Naslan, the dinner officially began with a performance by the Ghost Band.

Everything was perfect, if we were to summarize the dining experience.

Just as Beatrice said, she wholeheartedly demonstrated Naslan's nobility.

But it wasn't what Lyle thought.

Cold and aloof, Beatrice, who usually sports a mischievous grin, seemed like a completely different person. She and Ariana were vying for the role of the unattainable beauty. She ignored not only Kevin's curiosity about the guest, but even Lyle was disregarded. Beatrice ate her dinner with perfect elegance, displaying impeccable manners and an aloofness that kept everyone at arm's length.

As for Ariana, she's always like this. Perhaps her indifference isn't as chilling as Beatrice's, but it's not far off. She'll occasionally smile at Kevin, but Lyle knows it's not out of enthusiasm for Kevin, but rather satisfaction with the juicy steak she just ate.

Naslan's daughters are all cold and aloof.

Helena was the one who perfectly broke the ice by welcoming Kevin. She chatted with Kevin in a soft voice, steer the conversation toward the folk customs of Cassandra, and offered appropriate surprises and exclamations at the right moments.

The most humane thing about Naslan is actually a cold, lifeless stone sculpture.

"Inviting Mr. Kevin to our home is truly an honor for Naslan. I am quite interested in your and Lyle's hometown. If Mr. Kevin has nothing urgent to attend to, would you like to stay a few more days?"

Before Kevin could even fully open his smile to Helena's enthusiastic invitation, he suddenly remembered something, his body trembled, and cold sweat glistened on his forehead. Kevin quickly pulled the envelope from his pocket and handed it to Lyle.

"I almost forgot my original purpose!"

“Lyle, this is a letter for you. Miss Karen Pombay asked me to pass it on to you.”

Karen's letter?

Lyle prepared to put down his knife and fork and take the letter from Kevin's hand.