Chapter 261: A Strange Man
Looking down, Katerina's pupils contracted.
A strange man was lying on her bed.
His body was wrapped in white cloth strips, resembling a mummy.
His head was round and smooth, like a silver ball.
Seeing him, some memories surfaced in her mind.
"Could it be... he's looking at me?"
His head was indeed facing her.
Katerina couldn't help but suspect he was watching her.
"Yes, I am looking at you!"
As if he had guessed what Katerina was thinking, Li Meng responded to her.
The two stared at each other.
Katerina didn't scream in panic.
She grabbed the blanket in front of her to cover her graceful figure.
Li Meng sat up, got off the bed, and walked to the coat rack to put on a black robe.
"My name is Silver Mask. I broke into the palace tonight out of curiosity. Although I wear the same black robe, those people have nothing to do with me."
Katerina's expression on the bed was somewhat dazed.
She recalled some events that happened in the Holy Land.
Katerina lowered her head in sadness.
"I know, thank you for saving me!"
Li Meng turned to look at Katerina on the bed.
"No need to thank me. I think I've already received my reward. We're even now."
Hearing this, Katerina quickly shook her head.
"It's not like that. This isn't a reward. Silver Mask, you saved me, I can't pretend nothing happened."
"Taken is taken. No matter the reason, I have received my reward."
Katerina looked up at Silver Mask.
Although his appearance was strange, it was true that Silver Mask had saved her.
"Silver Mask, Tyrone... what happened to him?"
This answer was within Katerina's expectations.
It also made her feel a bit relieved.
Tyrone's betrayal had to remain a secret.
Otherwise, Ferrandy would blame himself and feel sorrow.
After all, Ferrandy had always considered Tyrone a friend.
Even if that friendship was built on guilt towards Tyrone.
At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded from outside the door.
The footsteps made Katerina look nervously at the door.
When she turned back, Silver Mask was already gone.
Katerina quickly threw aside the blanket.
Enduring the discomfort in her body, she got out of bed barefoot.
She hastily stuffed the scattered clothes on the floor into the blanket.
Then she hurriedly put on her nightgown.
Just as the nightgown was on her, the palace door was pushed open.
A knight in silver armor rushed in.
When he saw Katerina standing by the window, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Katerina turned around with a feigned look of surprise.
Katerina ran joyfully towards Ferrandy.
She threw herself into her husband's arms.
Although the armor was cold, it gave her a sense of security.
"It's good you're okay. The maids said you went missing. What happened?"
Ferrandy examined his wife.
Seeing that she was unharmed, he was relieved.
Katerina gently shook her head.
"I just went to the Holy Land for a look. Ferrandy, Tyrone... he's dead!"
Faced with his wife's sorrowful gaze, Ferrandy's face tensed.
"How could this happen? Katerina, what exactly happened?"
Katerina lowered her head guiltily.
"I don't know. When I arrived at the Holy Land, I only saw Tyrone's corpse. He... ugh!"
Katerina bent over and pretended to retch.
Although she couldn't remember how Tyrone died, her vague memory recalled someone being slapped by Silver Mask and crashing into a wall.
The entire body shattered.
The wall was covered in blood and flesh.
That person must have been Tyrone.
Tyrone died in the Holy Land?
Ferrandy now understood why his wife was wearing a nightgown.
She must have witnessed something terrible in the Holy Land.
Ferrandy's face changed, and he leaned down to kiss his wife's forehead.
"My dear, I must go to the Holy Land to see for myself."
Katerina lightly nodded and let go of her husband.
"I'm sorry, I'll be back soon."
Ferrandy turned and left in haste.
As the door closed, Katerina finally let out a sigh of relief.
Her face turned pale as she sat down on the bed weakly.
After being tormented by Silver Mask, her body was in severe pain.
Katerina softly chanted a spell.
A soft and holy light emanated from her body.
After a while, the holy light gradually faded away.
The pain in her body disappeared, and Katerina took a deep breath.
She glanced sideways at the window.
Katerina stood up and walked over.
The inner city outside the window had gradually quieted down.
Only then did Katerina realize a long time had passed.
Thinking of the madness earlier, Katerina's face flushed slightly.
She had a dream, a strange dream.
In her dream, a strong yet not ugly Goblin climbed onto her bed.
Katerina knew it was just an illusion born from her fear.
"Silver Mask... truly a strange man."
For no reason, she had been saved by a stranger.
Tonight's events were too bizarre and dreamlike.
And Silver Mask not only saved her.
He also saved countless people in the Irisis Principality.
Without Silver Mask, the Demon God Cult might have succeeded.
The chaos outside was just a distraction.
The Holy Land was the true target of the Demon God Cult.
Therefore, Katerina did not blame Silver Mask for her loss.
If losing herself was the price of saving the entire Irisis Principality,
Even if she were awake, she wouldn't refuse.
As the Duchess, she didn't belong only to her husband; she also belonged to this nation.
As the Duchess, it was her duty to protect the principality and its people.
Two hours later, Ferrandy returned to the bedroom, looking lost.
"It's okay, my dear, it's okay!"
Katerina hugged her husband with a heartbroken expression.
She knew her husband must have seen the horrifying scene.
Katerina was also relieved to have kept Tyrone's betrayal a secret.
If Ferrandy knew about Tyrone's betrayal, he would lose his mind.
That night, dawn approached.
The chaos of last night had left Obenlo City in ruins.
No one knew how many had died under the claws of the Faceless Ghosts.
Early in the morning, the inner city was bustling with activity.
Volunteer soldiers carried corpse after corpse from the houses.
One beast-drawn cart after another transported the bodies away.
In the outer city, citizens watched the carts with complicated expressions.
Deep in the forest northwest of Obenlo City, a group of blood-robed figures stood in a circle under the dim trees.
Three figures stood in the center.
"I didn't expect to fail. This shouldn't have happened. Fraude, Kidd, you two are truly useless."
Faced with Darnell's mockery, Kidd and Fraude remained silent.
On any other day, they would have retorted sarcastically.
But today, after last night's events, they had nothing to say.