Words: 1473
(Unedited)
~
They say when a husband is murdered, the perpetrator is always the wife. All eyes watched Madam Fiona who was crying over her husband’s corpse. Li Yan noted that Felix was awfully attentive towards her, more than a normal brother-in-law would be. Perhaps an affair occurred and Madam Fiona wished to get rid of her husband? Li Yan thought this idea to be too simple. Although the room was an easy one, it was not to the point of handing out the answers on a platter. Pomegranate and Li Bao also shared the same idea too.
Lola leaned over to the side and asked Elise, “Who do you think it is?” With the both of them being new to the rooms, she felt like her and Elise got along the best. Elise didn’t have the same mindset as the outgoing Lola, and answered vaguely. “I’m not sure.”
Pomegranate wanted to bend down to look at the body, but Madam Fiona stopped him in tears. “You wish to take advantage of your boss once he dies?! You’re sick!”
She was obviously aimed to place the blame on the players, but Pomegranate brought out a small leather badge.
“Sorry to disturb you, Madam. But, we got a mysterious report saying there would be a murder here so we came to investigate undercover.”
Li Yan was almost speechless by his transparent lie. Li Bao looked at him curiously but didn’t say anything. The item in Pomegranate’s hand was a police badge, and it was most likely a prop to disguise players as a detective making rooms like this a lot easier to go through.
Li Yan let a small sigh of relief inside his body that he was paired with Pomegranate. He didn’t know how he’d handle being accused and solving the murder. “Isn’t he smart?” Li Bao smiled and tugged on Li Yan. “My team leader is always very reliable in picking out teammates!”
Li Yan gave a “hmmm” in response while observing the surrounding family members. Venus was crying while being comforted by Gael and Lawrence was comforting his mother along with Felix. There was a distinct feeling of separation between the two groups that Li Yan noted in his head.
He felt like through all the commotion the house staff were overlooked, so Li Yan looked around to see the Maids and Butlers were all huddled closely to the wall in fear. It was unknown what they feared, but it was apparent that it was one of the family members. Maybe it could have been just a normal reaction to seeing their boss die in front of their eyes, but Li Yan felt that it was a hint.
“Go get the family doctor you fools!” Madam Fiona urged. “What are you waiting for?” The butlers and maids hurriedly nodded and ran to go grab the family doctor who lived in a building in the courtyard.
The doctor was a kind looking older man who seemed to be an irrelevant npcs, so the players didn’t pay much attention until he got the results of the examination.
“I believe it is poison, most likely arsenic.”
“Arsenic?” Li Bao frowned and shook her head. “How is that possible? He had none of the symptoms of arsenic.”
The doctor looked at her like she was a fool. “Don’t doubt my education, girl.” He gave her a cold scolding but a warm smile, making Li Yan shiver a bit.
Li Bao also was a bit creeped out and let him pass her without much arguing. “I think there’s something wrong here.” Li Bao said.
“Do you have a habit of bringing us to rooms with bugs?” She joked. Little did she know the curse she had just set for her beloved cousin.
~
“Ahhhh, another issue?” A red-haired man groaned. “Can you go take care of it?” He looked back at the handsome man sitting behind him sharpening a knife.
“Just send one of your evercrystals.” The man shrugged him off. “You see, I would but the issue seems a bit more complicated.”
“How so?” The other man asked, uninterested.
“Awareness.” The other man paused for a bit before continuing to sharpen his knife. “Awareness, huh?” He sighed. “Ok I’ll go then.”
“Wait, you need a disguise…” The other man looked at him and sneered.
“I got it. Just do your job and monitor.”
“Don’t remind me! Leave!” The man kicked out his cold and mysterious co-worker before continuing to close his eyes and view the rooms through his evercrystals.
~
It was later in the evening and earlier after the doctor diagnosed Sir Cole he took his body down to the basement while the family all left to their own rooms to mourn their loss. Pomegranate promised Madam Fiona that he and his team would look into the murderer and she nodded while sobbing softly.
“Thank you.” She said, but her eyes showed no hints of gratitude.
“Odd family.” Pomegranate mentioned. The others looked at him as he stated the obvious and watched as he walked back towards the rooms.
“Are you going to organize the clues?” Lola asked, trailing after him along with the others.
“Clues?” Pomegranate asked, turning his head slightly. “If you’ve got them then sure.” He snorted as he went into the room he shared with Li Yan and shut the door in their face.
“He’s just a bit of a tough one.” Li Bao comforted Lola who looked a bit annoyed. She wanted to laugh, but she was scared that if she did Lola would stab her the next second. Elise also looked vaguely amused but she was still quite timid in this group of strangers.
Li Bao took the grumpy Lola and Elise away while waving goodbye to Li Yan. Li Yan was then left alone outside of his own room. He was about to open the door when he saw out of the corner of his eye that sneaky cat again.
He stopped what he was doing and followed the mischievous cat who was walking away from him with an attitude. The cat was walking down the hallway in a confident manner, while they were messing around during dinner it probably managed to explore the whole mansion. Li Yan wouldn’t be surprised.
“Blice…” He whispered, wanting to stuff the cat back in his inventory. The cat seemed to sense that and continued its walk. It just gave its tail a wag toward him, almost as if asking him to follow. Li Yan stopped urging the cat to come back and decided to just follow. The cat led him to the opposite end of the mansion, across from where their rooms were situated, which led to a more decorated area. It was probably where the main family resided.
The cat swayed down the hall until it reached a huge double door that was slightly ajar. It shoved its tail over its mouth, telling Li Yan to keep quiet.
“Felix…my husband…your brother.” He heard Madam Fiona say. “He just died…” What started out sounding distressed slowly became enraged. Her voice increased in volume and emotion as she continued to talk.
“We didn’t even get the password to that damn safe!” There was a loud thud as he heard Madam Fiona’s harsh footsteps slam around the room.
Felix was silent, and Li Yan wasn’t able to look into the room without getting caught so he kept silent and held his breath occasionally.
“It’s this and that. Never anything else. I’m just exhausted. First the mysterious purchases, then I find out his secret, and then I-” A long and held out sigh came from her mouth. “I just want a good life.”
Finally, Felix seemed to have gained life and responded. “Yes, it is always good to support the family in whatever way is possible.”
“Yes! Felix I knew you would understand.” There was a soft sound of impact, perhaps from Madam Fiona hugging him.
“Now, I have another favor to ask of you-” The next few words were unheard, and Li Yan could no longer decipher them.
He waited for a bit, but then felt a soft material run along his legs. He looked down at Blice who was urging him with his eyes to leave. He followed the cat’s instincts to leave and quickly made his way out of the visible area and back to his own room.
Not long after he left, Felix had stepped out of the door and glanced back and forth in the hallway.
“Weird. I thought someone was here.” Felix sighed and clapped his hands together. “It’s tiring playing these roles.”
Felix then closed the double door behind him before walking down the hall in the direction of the dining room. Behind him, through the closing crack of the door was Madam Fiona’s unconscious body laying on the desk.
~
