Chapter 619: Xinxin’s Stage

    "Y-Young Mas... ter...?" a choked sound escaped Gu Luoxin’s mouth as he struggled to come to terms with the inconceivable sight before him.

    Trembling violently, he reached out a hand to shake Young Master Ares’ shoulder as if wishing to call the other person awake, calling once more in a trance, "Young Master..."

    But once Gu Luoxin’s hand made contact, Ares’ body was akin to a broken marionette with its strings severed, lifelessly toppling sideways on the sofa, still with his empty eyes wide open.

    The horrid sight, especially the deathly pallor surrounding the face that was almost identical to his own, was too much for Gu Luoxin to take.

    His knees gave out at once, sending him crashing to the ground with a dull thud. Those lifeless eyes—eyes that had looked at him, smiled at him not even half an hour ago—were all he could see. Slowly, Gu Luoxin bent forward and hugged his own head as if trying to hold himself together. Trembling fingers yanked at his own hair, pulling, clawing, desperate for something—anything!—that could ground him.

    "Ugh... ah..." faint, guttural sounds akin to a dying beast escaped his mouth as his entire body trembled incessantly.

    Crystalline tears spilled from his bloodshot eyes, falling onto his lap and blooming into small, dark patches.

    Young Master Ares... was dead?

    What was happening? Could somebody tell him what was going on right now? How could something like this happen so suddenly?! There’s no way Young Master Ares could get into an accident on his own right here, so... did someone kill him?!

    As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Gu Luoxin abruptly snapped his head toward the table where the snacks and drinks had been prepared for the young master. His frenzied gaze zeroed in on a certain empty glass—or to be exact, the juice Ares had finished earlier. Was there poison inside? Judging from the blood and foam spilling out of the young master’s bluish lips, could this be a case of poisoning?

    Then... then... wouldn’t the culprit be the humans who had provided the beverages in the first place?

    But why would they kill Young Master Ares?! Did they not fear shattering the fac?ade of peace between the two territories and starting a goddamn war?!

    Besides, where were the two other servants? Where were they when they were supposed to stay by Young Master Ares’ side the whole time?! Could they be the culprit? That was possible, he thought, since they were the only ones who had access to the drinks before passing it on to Ares. They could very well sprinkle poison in before running away now that their task had succeeded.

    But if that was the case, then the possibility became more horrifying, for the one who had caused Young Master Ares’ death was his own people, the ones who were closest to him, a fellow Garuda.

    But—why? Was there an internal strife in the sky territory which he didn’t know about??

    In a matter of seconds, various speculations and theories flashed through Gu Luoxin’s mind at lightning speed, nearly driving him insane. His fingers dug deeper into his scalp, tearing off a few clumps of hair, but he did not even register the pain. Why, why, why—endless questions spiraled inside his blank mind. Why was this happening now when the young master was about to attend his betrothal ceremony?

    What should he do?!

    Dry, wheezing sounds leaked out of Gu Luoxin’s constricted throat. The air seemed to be pressing down on him, rendering him unable to breathe. He could feel himself hyperventilating. No...! He bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to taste blood. He must not collapse now. He cannot! He had to get himself together. He had to think—

    The faint sound of steady footsteps nearly made Gu Luoxin jump out of his skin in fright.

    He jerked his head up, his horrified eyes fixated on the door across the room. Due to how deserted the vicinity was plus his enhanced senses, he could keenly detect the footsteps approaching this room.

    In an instant, panic and dread enveloped his entire being. Who was it? Who could be coming here at a time like this?!

    Was it the missing servants, the people from the Land territory, or worse... Master Grinu?

    In the midst of his frenzy, Gu Luoxin’s eyes once again gravitated toward the young master’s body, which was still warm and soft to the touch, proving that it hadn’t been long since his passing.

    A crazy idea popped up in Gu Luoxin’s mind.

    It was utterly insane and reckless through and through. If found out, only a fate worse than death would be waiting for him. But now, Gu Luoxin had no luxury to weigh any available options he had— not when the footsteps nearly reached the lounge. He even had a bizarre notion that there was an invisible force pulling the strings behind the scene, leading him to make this maddening decision in a moment of desperation.

    Suppressing his tears, Gu Luoxin ground his molar and stretched out his hands, removing the clothes off Young Master Ares’ body in a fumbling manner. His trembling and clammy hands nearly caused him to slip a few times, and he was so nervous that he felt the urge to hurl. Each footstep that reverberated in the air was akin to a death knell knocking heavily on his heart, adding another layer of horror and pressure to the peril he was facing.

    Come on, don’t you dare mess up now, Gu Luoxin! Faster, move faster!

    With a speed he didn’t know he was capable of before, he swapped his clothes with the corpse.

    When a knock sounded outside the door, all that remained was the garuda mask concealing his face. Gu Luoxin moved to remove it, when all of a sudden, he was reminded of the warning Ares gave him yesterday—’Remember, you must not take off this mask no matter what.’

    Gu Luoxin’s movement faltered, and the back of his eyes stung with unshed tears. But in the end, his hesitation lasted only for a split second before he decisively tore the mask away from his face. Yet his movements were exceptionally careful and solemn as he fixed the aforementioned mask on Young Master Ares’ face, like a formal ceremony to close the eyes of the deceased.

    Lying on the sofa clad in the servant’s uniform and mask, Young Master Ares appeared no different than a servant himself.

    I’m sorry, Young Master... he apologized from the depths of his heart. I-I have no other choice but to do this. But don’t worry, I will definitely find out who did this to you! Please trust me!

    He gave one last grieving look toward the deceased young man before standing up and, resisting the weakness on his knees, took a couple of deep breaths to calm his frayed nerves. In his mind, the images of Young Master Ares turned up one after another—the perpetual smile tugging on his lips, the way he lowered his gaze to conceal the emotions underneath, the way he spoke, talked, and walked...

    Before long, the lost, panicked look on Gu Luoxin’s face faded away, replaced by a serenity that emanated deep from his bones. The corner of his lips curled in a slight curvature, as if he was born with a gentle smile lingering on his lips. He straightened his posture, adjusted his sleeves, and began walking toward the door.

    "Who is it?" a mellow voice, slightly low in pitch, answered the incessant knocking. It was devoid of Gu Luoxin’s animated and lively tone and instead, sounded extremely like... Young Master Ares himself.

    Consider this your stage, Xinxin, he tried to hypnotize himself again and again like chanting a mantra. You’re an aspiring actor. This is now your stage and your role is... the young master’s body double.

    Until the curtain falls, you must not, under any circumstances, drop your act.