Something still felt unsettling like there was more to it than she could see. But at the same time, she couldn't think of anything else.

She didn't know enough just yet.

It appeared like she'll have to reflect upon this subject for a different day. As for now, the poison couldn't kill her, not when she had her power suppressing it within the body.

Hongyue seated herself on the dresser's wooden chair and mildly dusted a small amount of blush on to her cheeks before she pressed her lips together upon a red-tinted paper. As she anticipated, a sound of quick footsteps carefully headed her way.

"First Miss...my lady...are you all right?" While the question resembled to care, the mocking tone still floated inside the room with distaste.

Hongyue didn't acknowledge the question. However, her eyes turned cold. A hidden gleam of purple could be seen within the orbs of the young female. She proceeded to touch her mouth against the red paper, gently transferring the blood-red color to her lips.

The servant outside gleefully smiled as she believed she had achieved her mission.

Ten gold pieces, she thought, were hard to earn even in a year of hard labor. That kind of price was well worth killing such useless trash of a being.

She delightfully caressed one of the gold pieces and freely pushed open the door expecting to see a dead body. To her horror, her eyes gazed up upon the eldest miss who was alive and well. The miss was even slowly fixing her makeup in front of her dresser. The poor servant tripped back in alarm.

"Ghost! Spirit! Foul spirit!" She cried out. The servant's heart became alarmed as her mind became blank.

Hongyue turned leisurely around. She faced the servant, softly asked, "Ghost? Where? Tell me where. I want to know as well."

The servant shook her head, "P-please spare me, I'll burn phantom money for you. I-I...I didn't want to kill you...Yes! Her ladyship told me to do this! She paid me to do this," The servant's voice got shriller by the minute as she spoke. Desperation tugged at her heart as she tried to talk her way out.

"Really?" Hongyue tilted her head. Her voice was faint and unusually soft, yet it seemed to cut right into the servant's heart.

"Yes!" The servant nodded her head rapidly. She was beginning to feel lightheaded from her increasing despair. If she had known that the ghost of the first miss would come back to get revenge, she wouldn't have taken this bribe.

All the money in the world wouldn't convince her to throw away her life in such a horrific way.

"Say, do I look pretty?" Hongyue drawled out, amused by the horrified reaction. Did you think twice before killing me? Why regret it now?

"Yes! Very pretty! More beautiful than all the young misses in this estate!" Words poured out of the servant's mouth, all were meant to flatter Hongyue, yet the Eldest Miss didn't seem moved.

"Hmm. Did you know when I met King Yama, what he said to me?"Hongyue's cold eyes studied the groveling servant in front of her. The servant swung her head side to side vigorously. No, she didn't know, and she didn't want to know. Why was the spirit of the Eldest Miss so much scarier than the lady herself? Why was she asking so much?

Hongyue smiled calmly and leaned forward, "He said I was too pretty to be taken, so he asked if I could find some other girls to sent to him in my place."

The servant quickly understood her intent and slumped down, her mind shaking in fear. However, a calm sense of logic still managed to edge itself into her consciousness,"...Y-you...can't...you have no power...yeah...you're nothing... what can you do..."

Hongyue tsked lightly before beaming widely at the frightened servant.

"No?" The Eldest Miss clicked her tongue, "I can send you to hell."

The servant didn't even have the chance to widen her eyes before Hongyue clenched her right fist. Hongyue stood still as her face was blank of any pity. The servant sank over in pain as her blood started to boil inside her body throughout her veins. The organs inside her body, along with her nerves, fused from the crushing heat. As the heat intensified, the speed of her blood also grew, racing about her veins recklessly out of control.

Finally, her heart ruptured apart while inside her body from the swelling force. The servant slumped over dead. A streak of bloody tears rolled down her cheeks.

A single gold piece rolled out of the servant's robes. The sound of the metal caught Hongyue's ears. She reached down and picked it up, examining the money. The branding on the surface seemed oddly familiar. From her old memories, Hongyue immediately confirmed that it came from the Imperial Palace.

As she mused, Hongyue's eyes turned colder. A slight blue flashed within her iris. The miss swiftly leaned down and started screaming emphatically.

"Come servants! Come! Hurry! Someone has died!"

A stampede of footsteps came thundering towards her direction right after.

"It's the Eldest Miss! Something must have happened to her! She died!" Loud shouts rang out and more echoed the thought.

Hongyue sneered.

It appears like these people were thoroughly prepared already.

How else, in a proper household, would people mistakenly assume that she died just by a scream? Someone must have delivered the orders already for these servants to do so. Nonetheless, the cries were a lot louder than it should be, even if she managed to die.

Tsk.

It seems like the calls were for attracting more than just the family inside the household. They might as well just announce her death to the whole world. The goal must be a lot greater, that's for sure.

However, who were they targetting with her death?

"Daughter! My dearest daughter!" A thundering voice roared out raspily as if the owner was in pain. The owner of the voice came rushing over as if in deep concern for his daughter.

Glancing at the owner, Hongyue lowered her head. This should be her so-called father; the general, "Father, I'm still fine, I don't understand...this maid, she came into my room, and she suddenly died...I have no idea what's going on...I'm so afraid."

Hongyue tugged carefully at the General's sleeve as she cried. Something flashed inside the eyes of the general but was strictly followed with a mask of concern.

"My darling, it's fine now. I'm here to protect you." The general consoled her, his hands awkwardly patting her.

Hongyue sighed.

She had held a strand of hope before. But it seemed to be too much to even consider that there was possibly a decent person inside the household. No one in this household could be trustworthy enough. Hongyue fixed on a face of sorrow before turning to study the servants around her. Her eyes taking in their faces and imprinting them into her memories.

Good, watch when I'll pay you guys back.

"Oh my, what happened here, "A voice sounded out behind her cleanly and crisp.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry to disgrace your presence. It's merely a servant's death." The general quickly went up and greeted the incomer with a show of respect.

"Just a servant's death? By all the screaming, I thought perhaps someone else more important died." The person snorted at the general's messy response.

"Y-yes certainly, I should have my servants better instructed. I am sorry to have disgraced your presence," The General frowned but proceeded to nod, his mind spinning as his mood sank.

"You hold the title of general of an army. To see your servants so unhinged and disorderly is insulting to your high status. I suggest you rid of some before they ruin your name," The person remarked.

The general nodded with his face dark, "Crown Prince is truly wise. I shall take your advice."

Oh~

A Crown Prince.

Hongyue hid a dark smile.

I found one big fish.