Life in Danger. Again.
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The castle is huge. The hallways twist and turn and run into each other, and it’s easy to get lost and end up where one originally was. He’d also have to stay on alert for patrolling guards and nearby servants.
When some footsteps ring out from the front, Du Yixin quickly hide into the nearest room – which turns out to be the kitchen, or a kitchen, at least. There’s the usual utensils and cooking tools, and meat and vegetables waiting to be processed in the cabinet. There’s also a few shiny knives hanging off the wall.
Speaking of, he didn’t get a weapon when he left. After the person outside has left, he should pick one up.
Unfortunately, the person outside not only didn’t leave, but even enters the kitchen proper.
“…” Du Yixin hides under the dinner table and holds his breath.
The person seems to be a normal servant, dressed in the most simple of garments. While the facial features are… in their right place, it’s certainly very hard to look at for how old and wrinkly it looked.
Odd. All the NPCs up to this point had no face save for the main characters of fairy tales. Was the person any special? He definitely doesn’t remember Snow White’s tale having a weird servant character.
The person has taken a basket out and is filling it up with… fruit. Then, it speaks for the first time. The tone is jarring, making Du Yixin have goosebumps all over, “hehe, today the Princess and I…” then, it instead starts humming a tune. Presumably, it is in a good mood.
The Princess? Snow White?
After the basket is filled, it leaves the kitchen, seemingly unaware it was observed the whole time. Du Yixin climbs out of the table he was under, and quickly grabs a knife from the wall and follows behind the NPC.
The night continues to darken.
Cold wind has blown open the silken curtains. A fallen leaf and made its way past the windowsill and falls into the room. Outside, the moon is shining bright. The bedroom door was unlocked, and a light push from Mo Yu and it opens up.
The cold temperature makes her furrow her brows. The room is entirely empty. The large bed is smooth, undisturbed, unoccupied.
“Missus, looking for me?”
A gentle voice from behind. She turns around and the slightly cold blade is already at her neck. Two guards, face obscured as always, have their swords raised against her. The person holding the knife, meanwhile, is smiling warmly.
“The ball is only to begin tomorrow. Are you perhaps no longer able to wait?”
The girl furrows her brows at the comment.
Then, the Prince seems to enter a state of euphoria, saying, “compared to my previous encounters, your beauty outranks them all.”
It is a beauty certainly no less impressive than Snow White’s. If she becomes part of his collection… Oh, thank the Heavens.
Mo Yu seems to get something, and says, “she and you set this all up.”
“Not exactly,” the Prince returns another gentle smile, “I suppose you could call it a couples’ intuition; I’m aware she has learned of my little… hobby, a long time ago.”
“…”
“You seem entirely unfazed. That is surprising.”
She really is too calm, to be someone at knifepoint. The Prince is staying on guard, when she suddenly says, “you will release me.”
He can’t help but chuckle at the comment. When he’s about to remark on what a silly idea it would be, he realise he can’t open his mouth anymore; Mo Yu is staring at the man, with her deep brown iris having turned red seemingly some time ago, becoming the brightest shade of colour in the dead of night.
“Let go,” she says.
This time, the Prince fails to chuckle. Expressionlessly, he says, like a marionette, “let her go.”
The guards are looking at each other nonplussed, though they don’t dare defy orders. They put their swords away.
Mo Yu glances over them, then says, “tell them to…” and then, she seems to fall into thought, before leaning in to the Prince’s ear and saying, with her eyes a burning crimson red, “…kill Du Yixin.”
Du Yixin, meanwhile, has completed failed to anticipate being stabbed in the back by his erstwhile companion.
Following the servant along, he’s reached the Princess’ chamber. The servant knocks, and the voice is trembling, perhaps from anxiety, “Your-, Your Highness, would you like some fruit?”
After a while, a response comes, “come in,” the voice is smooth like silk; royal, dignified.
When the door is pushed open, Du Yixin can somewhat see a white silhouette brushing her dark hair against the mirror. Just a tiny glimpse and it is already clear what a beautiful woman it would be.
He wanted to wait until the servant has left to do it. But, over ten minutes later, the person is still not leaving. And not just that, but some very suggestive noises have started to come from within.
Continuing to listen would certainly be very inappropriate for moral and ethical reasons. Du Yixin decides to just go do it and make use of the element of surprise.
But that is when the sleepy castle is suddenly wide awake. The torches are being lit and there are sounds of the marching soldiers. In fact, the march is so synchronised that their heavy armours are literally making the castle vibrate; Du Yixin can see the decorative painting on the wall shaking to and fro.
What is happening?
Then, he hears it. The soldiers are yelling, “capture the suspect ‘Du Yixin’!”
People are usually quite sensitive on their own names, and though Du Yixin suspects his ears were playing tricks on him, since he hasn’t even moved out yet, but when the soldiers keep repeating it, despite how illogical it is to yell out the suspect’s name as you search for him as if trying to allow him to escape, he knows they’re after him.
It might be Mo Yu getting busted, and he getting suspected along because they came together; could she have sold him out?
Du Yixin does not know. At the same time, the two people in the chamber certainly aren’t in the mood to continue their interesting activities with the ruckus throughout the castle. Du Yixin can see the servant, still shaking, run outside the chamber and dash away before even finish wearing his clothes properly. Perhaps he thought he was discovered while doing that with the Princess. Bits and bobs are falling out of his pocket as he runs away too.
Du Yixin thinks this is probably the best chance he’s going to get.
Perhaps this happened because he didn’t follow the procedure properly, to wait until after the ball, but he just needs to complete the objective to ‘kill Snow White’ and run away after that.
Though he really came to get the souvenir… Oh well, let’s at least get out of this search alive.
When he is ready to enter the room, though, he spies a card on the ground. It’s an… ID card?
What an utterly odd thing to find in a fairy tale. It’s clearly from outside. In fact, the photo looks like the servant from before.
No wonder he had a face. Could he have been like a-Shun, perhaps? He was once from the outside world, but died and ended up an NPC.
Not much time for him to think either, as the marches are getting closer. Du Yixin quickly pushes inside, and he can certainly smell the aftereffects of whatever has been happening inside. The incense they lit certainly isn’t helping.
The woman inside has already put night gowns back on and is sitting lazily in her bed. Her dark hair is smooth and delicate. Her mouth is as red as cherries and right now, more than half of her bosoms are visible through the loose clothing. Sexy. That’s the word to describe the person right now.
This is… Snow White?
Recalling the sounds he heard before, Du Yixin can’t help but sigh. Oh, his childhood!
The woman seemed unsurprised of his visit. She tilts her head, saying, “the Prince sent you, didn’t he… Mr. Assassin?” Perhaps amused by the man’s shock, she chuckles and adds, “you’re the third already.”
She knew? Well, if she’s been in this state with the Prince for a long while already… She doesn’t fear assassins. Does she have something to back her up?
Snow White continues playing about with her hair and says, “I do not know what the Prince has promised you. Though, that said, do you think that he would let you, the only witness, go free after successfully killing me?” She leaves the bed, revealing her thin, ivory white legs as she approaches Du Yixin, who reflexively takes a step back.
“Looks like you’re a shy cutie too,” she smiles, “why not stay by my side. I’ll keep you safe. And I’ll also provide you with… unimaginable, bliss.”
The saying is really true that even heroes fall prey to the trap of the beauty. Any normal man, seeing such a person in such a setting, even if they knew she was an NPC, would perhaps be unable to hold themselves back. In fact, it might be because they know she’s an NPC and they would be free of responsibility, and after the life-or-death thrill of the previous attractions, that they would succumb at this critical stage.
Perhaps, even the servant that ran away from before, didn’t actually die but chose to stay in this attraction himself.
Unfortunately, Du Yixin refuses her, “I haven’t even had a pure loving date yet. I can’t drain myself before that.”
Snow White seems to be surprised, and she pauses.
“I’m sorry, but I have to leave as soon as possible, “Du Yixin caresses her neck while preparing to grab the knife from before behind his back, “Ying Sheng is still waiting for me.”
Or probably not, given how he is.
Though, recalling the worn bat he saw from before, he can’t help but be worried.
Snow White blinks, as clear crystal-like tears start rolling down her face. There is no hysterical argument or fierce struggle, or even a call for help. It seems she is determined to stay a high-class Princess to the end, to die with dignity.
“…” Although Du Yixin, who just had to experience listening in on the affairs on the bed is the wrong audience for such a moving scene.
He pulls out his knife as he is intent on finishing this as soon as possible; the more talk the more likely something is going to happen or he might finally be unable to do it. The soldiers are hurrying here too, he must…
“Eh?”
His vision is blurring. He shakes his head, and realise Snow White has split into two. She is looking at him pitifully.
What is happening?
Even her voice is echoing. His brain is all mush, like he’s drunk. He’s unable to balance himself. Then, he tumbles and falls sitting onto the floor, his hand knocking the incense stand over. When the smell hits him, it makes him even more dizzy.
It’s the scent!
Snow White leans in on him, asking softly, “are you alright?”
Why did she even put this in her bedroom?! Does she enjoy such a play?!
That’s all Du Yixin’s clouded mind manages to think of.
Suddenly, the bedroom door is kicked open. A group of soldiers march in. The wind comes in as well, blowing the scent away somewhat. It makes Du Yixin feel slightly better.
Snow White seems entirely shocked, but then calmly puts her coat back on, asking, “are you aware whose chamber this is?”
Though after the soldier is the Prince, who seems to fail to notice the Princess’ presence entirely, as his eyes immediately lock onto the man sitting on the ground, ordering, “kill him.”
Wait, Mr. Prince, aren’t you killing the wrong person?
Du Yixin doesn’t even have time to ask as the soldiers rush at him.
“How insolent! I demand you answer what you are doing at once!” Snow White raises her voice.
“Apologies, Your Highness,” a soldier answers him, “we are arresting this person here. Please move to somewhere safe in the meantime.”
Du Yixin rolls away to avoid the first attack, as the vase right next to where he stood is smashed to bits by the several swords lunged at it. The Prince is standing behind the soldiers, his eyes blood red, cold as ice.
Blood red…
He remembers the Prince’s eyes being blue. Did he have a setting which makes them change colour when he’s angry?
Why is the Prince doing this? He told him to kill Snow White, but he’s leading the soldiers here to arrest him. What is he even doing.
He climbs onto Snow White’s bed then jumps off as the bed is also then punctured by countless swords, as feather and fabric fly all over the room, blurring everyone’s vision. Du Yixin takes the opportunity to try to rush at the door, but then, suddenly, the man that was unmoving like a statue puts his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Shit!
He’s too dazed to stop himself, so he decides to fall over instead.
‘Splat——’
The sword connects with the waist.
TL’s notes: Ooh, is he going to die a second time? Stay tuned to find out!
Oriental Rabbit 
My heart is running 🏃🏾♀️🏃🏾♀️
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