Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 206 - 193 Soul Attached Helena

The interior decoration of Naslan Castle was identical to that of the Cup of Luxury, with numerous gold and stone ornaments filling the vast hall, creating a lively atmosphere in a castle inhabited by only three people.

Brooms sweeping the floor on their own, rags moving across windows, teapots pouring water mid-air, and clothes racks floating behind the two of them. Naslan’s servants were very active, and Lyle had no choice but to take off his coat and place it on a standing clothes rack that was practically touching his spine. The coat was patted down by a pair of invisible hands a few times before running off with the rack.

He declined the help of a dark blue carpet that wanted to carry him, watching as its fabric rippled on the floor like waves before coming to a rest. Lyle gripped the stair’s handrail, following Alianna to the second floor.

Alianna, floating in the air, looked back at Lyle with a puzzled expression in her blue-green eyes, "Why refuse their help when it would have been more comfortable?"

"Because I don’t want to become useless," Lyle kicked at the carpet that seized the opportunity to wrap around his ankle, "I prefer to move on my own, Alianna, I enjoy the feeling of having control over my body."

Alianna smiled, descended from the air, and quickly walked up to Lyle, taking his arm.

"You’re right, Lyle, now that I have a body, I should feel it more. Walk with me, Lyle." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Of course, Anna." Enjoying Alianna’s dependence on him, Lyle took a step up the next stair.

Two transparent figures appeared in front of Lyle, right at the corner of the staircase.

They were two Specter Maids, dressed as maids, with two identical faces that stared emotionlessly at him. Even without any emotional expression, Lyle still felt a chill down his spine.

They were Alianna’s personal maids, the same Specter Maids who had carried him at the Boray Manor’s ball. They were complaining, mourning the loss of Alianna’s reliance on them to Lyle.

Lyle could only offer a wry smile in apology, and the Specter Maids retreated a few steps, disappearing into the wall.

"The first floor is the living area, where my sisters and I occasionally engage in standard living activities to reminisce about the past. It should now be ready for quick use. The second floor contains our and the guests’ bedrooms. Beatrice’s and my room are right here until she moved out of her original room."

"Did she move to the Bloody Rose Bar?"

"No, to the basement. There, is the wine cellar." Alianna’s face bore a helpless look, "Beatrice is a very casual person. She set up a bed in the deepest part of the wine rack and has servants change the alcohol-stained beddings daily. She doesn’t like to sleep in coffins much, which is rare for a vampire."

Lyle imagined Beatrice in pajamas, clutching a wine bottle as she crawled out of the wine cellar, her face flushed with the glow of inebriation. The image, contrasted with the stunning appearance when he first saw her at the Bloody Rose, brought a ridiculous smile to his face.

"Here’s my room." Alianna pushed open a door to a room with a window sill facing a tranquil lake. Bright yellow curtains shrouded the soft bed in a hazy veil, with only one table close to the wardrobe, laid with tea service and a piece of parchment taken from the adjacent bookshelf. A gentle breeze from the window lifted a strand of hair at Alianna’s temple.

She turned, tucking her hair behind her ear, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Lyle. Alianna placed her palm lightly on Lyle’s chest, leaning against him with a mischievous smile. Lyle could feel her breath on his face.

"Have you picked out your room for tonight?" Alianna was like a little imp.

Lyle was about to go along and express his thoughts.

He accidentally glanced at Alianna’s room.

Above the curtains, under the bed, and in the shadows where the sunlight couldn’t reach, transparent faces began to materialize; they were expressionless, but their gazes were fixed intently on Lyle. The number of Specter Maids had reached over a dozen, and they emerged in the most bizarre ways, staring daggers at Lyle. Without words, Lyle understood.

"I have chosen. I’ll stay in the guest room."

Alianna’s eyes closed for an instant, her lips lightly touching Lyle’s cheek before she entered her room. She left the door ajar, with the blush on her face yet to fade.

"I need to change my clothes, Lyle. Monica will take you to the guest room."

Alianna’s room was completely closed off, leaving only a Specter Maid standing outside the door, if Lyle wasn’t mistaken, she was that very person who had stared at him earlier.

Monica stared at him, and just when Lyle thought this gaze would last a century, she curtseyed and drifted in a direction.

Eventually, Lyle arrived at a rather ordinary guest room.

His luggage was neatly placed in a corner, and the room’s decor was similar to that of the hall. Looking around, Lyle discovered something peculiar.

To say it was peculiar might be a bit irreverent, for the female sculpture placed in the corner was extraordinarily beautiful. It was a statue of a seated woman. Her likeness, Lyle had seen before, right in the main hall of the Cup of Luxury.

Feeling the bewitching charm upon the sculpture, Lyle slowly approached it, a statue of Naslan’s elder sister, Helena.

Helena must have been a master sculptor; her statue held a kind of magic, the stone woman so gentle and seemingly alive.

Lyle looked at the closed eyes of the statue, feeling as though she was watching him, even though her eyes remained shut.

"Welcome to Naslan, Lyle." The statue spoke, a voice as beautiful as the play of a violin, a calm and gentle female voice, its echo laced with charm.

Lyle felt the embarrassment of having his secrets poked at, and for a moment, he was at a loss.

The soft voice comforted him.

"I am Helena, the sister of Alianna and Beatrice. Has my current form startled you? I apologize, my existence is a bit special, and I can only appear in this manner. My clumsy sister suddenly brought a guest, and I couldn’t help myself but come to sneak a peek. Please forgive my intrusion, Lyle."

Lyle felt as though his inner turmoil was being controlled by her voice, and the anxiety was soothed, leading him to an uncommonly peaceful state.

"No, it would be disrespectful as a guest to visit the castle of Naslan and not meet its lady. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Helena."

"Just call me Helena, the owners of Naslan are the three sisters. You are welcome here, Lyle."

"Thank you."

With that said, the atmosphere turned oddly stiff. Lyle instinctively wanted to keep the conversation going.

"By the way, thank you for your help before. My magical wand, Medusa, is quite exceptional."

Lyle began searching for Medusa on his person, but after rummaging through his pockets, he found no sign of her.

"Medusa is here, Lyle."

Lyle turned his head, and there was Medusa, coiled in the palm of the Helena statue, with a numb look and stiff movements.

Like a puppet being controlled.