Chapter 5

That night, after searching all the rooms on the second floor, Gu Yuhuan also opened every room on the first floor except the one belonging to the golden key, but still found no useful clues.

The fixed time when she would be forced into sleep was approaching, and anxiety burned in her heart like flames.

“I’ll play you a piece.”

Mr. Lover seemed to know she would refuse, so he didn’t give her the chance and simply placed his hands on the piano keys.

Gu Yuhuan’s mother was a very artistic person. When she was young, their family circumstances were quite ordinary. After becoming famous through writing and gaining financial stability, she began a long journey of learning—dabbling in musical instruments, painting, calligraphy, dance, and more. However, none of that artistic talent was passed on to Gu Yuhuan.

Even the finest music needed an ear that can appreciate it.

Gu Yuhuan didn’t have one. Though her mother’s constant influence had familiarized her with some pieces, she was still surprised by Mr. Lover’s choice.

A lullaby…

“My dear queen, may you have a good dream.”

Such a sincere blessing, spoken by this handsome lover, soothed Gu Yuhuan’s anxiety and lulled her into sleep.

That night, she truly had a good dream.

After the virtual alarm rang, when she faced King Bluebeard—who had come once again to knock on her door—she managed to remain relatively calm. After he took the key away, she even had a maid prepare bathwater for her and enjoyed a long, comfortable hot bath. Only after drying her hair did she go to the dining hall for breakfast.

Perhaps because she no longer wore constant fear of the king on her face, Bluebeard King remained gloomy throughout the day. Only when he handed the key to her again did he show a smile.

“This is the final night, my beautiful queen.”

Gu Yuhuan lowered her head and stood to the side. This time, she didn’t stay to listen to the servants’ eerie song. She returned to her room and fell straight asleep, only waking again after nightfall.

This time, she went directly to the first queen’s room.

Bluebeard’s first queen—the twelfth princess of a neighboring kingdom mentioned in Jackson’s diary—was someone he had nearly sacrificed his life to marry. If this room had been personally arranged by Bluebeard, it wouldn’t be surprising. Yet now, this once-lavish room was covered in dust, and its former occupant was likely long dead, just like his other wives.

Gu Yuhuan took out the reconstructed painting. Even though it was pieced together from fragments, cracked and aged, it could not diminish the first queen’s beauty. During the day, she had already examined the painting over and over, but when she looked at it again at night, she quickly noticed something different.

The beauty in the painting was more alluring at night.

But it was a kind of allure that felt cheap—seductive in a vulgar way.

According to her mother, an artist pours their emotions into their work. So who had painted such an intimate portrait of the first queen?

“Ah—”

Gu Yuhuan let out a soft cry.

The beauty in the painting moved again. This time, she was certain she hadn’t imagined it.

The woman’s eyes… were gently fixed on her chest.

Gu Yuhuan forced herself to take out the other painting she had hidden against her chest. Sure enough, the beauty’s gaze followed that painting the entire time. No normal person would look at their own portrait with such tender affection, so she was most likely looking at someone else: her husband, King Bluebeard.

Paintings could not speak, but from the changes in this one, Gu Yuhuan was reminded of the other portraits in the castle—those of the queens hanging in Bluebeard’s study.

This was the final night. She couldn’t afford to overlook any possibility. When she arrived at Bluebeard’s study, she actually felt quite conflicted. If all these portraits of the queens suddenly reacted in unison, it would be utterly terrifying. But when she found that nothing strange happened, what she mainly felt instead was disappointment.

Gu Yuhuan opened the window and drew back the curtains. Moonlight finally spilled into the dim room, falling upon the last oil painting.

She saw that the figure in the painting—herself—had her gaze lowered, staring at the desk below.

To be honest, it felt a little eerie.

But now was not the time to dwell on that.

She had already inspected the desk several times and found nothing unusual. Letting out a soft hiss, a sudden idea struck her. She immediately crouched down and crawled under the desk, tapping the floor beneath it. Sure enough, the sound was off. Using tools she found in the room, she pried up the floor tiles. Inside was a thick stack of drawing paper.

…Gu Yuhuan had already guessed what these drawings were.

Sure enough, they were all “erotic portraits” of the former queens. She compared them one by one with the paintings on the wall. Every queen was accounted for except the fifteenth.

Knock, knock.

“My dear…”

Gu Yuhuan quickly stuffed the drawings back under the desk. The action was purely instinctive. Her mind was in chaos, all the clues racing through it, yet she still lacked the single thread to tie everything together.

“My dear…”

She opened the door. Perhaps she had taken too long, for Mr. Lover looked at her with concern as he entered.

“Are you alright, my dear?”

“I’m fine,” Gu Yuhuan replied.

Mr. Lover’s gaze fell upon the oil paintings, and a sorrowful expression appeared on his face. “These are the former queens…”

Gu Yuhuan narrowed her eyes slightly, “The king married so many queens? Then where did they all go?”

“They’re dead.”

Mr. Lover’s expression grew heavy as he looked at her with concern, “They were all killed by the king.”

Of course, Gu Yuhuan already knew this. According to the tale of Bluebeard, all the former queens had been murdered by the king. Still, she asked, “Why did the king kill them?”

“Because of curiosity, my queen. The king despises anyone who disobeys his orders. They used the golden key to open the forbidden door…”

[Bluebeard’s Rule Three: Bluebeard detests an unfaithful wife the most.]

Something flashed through Gu Yuhuan’s mind, but she failed to grasp it.

“Alright, let’s continue opening doors!”

Mr. Lover had no objections and stayed by her side. Whenever Gu Yuhuan spoke with him about matters concerning Bluebeard’s castle, he would answer everything he knew without holding back.

“Is the king skilled at painting?”

Mr. Lover replied, “When he was still a prince, he wasn’t good at painting. It’s said that he only began learning from the kingdom’s artists in order to preserve the beauty of his first queen forever.”

Gu Yuhuan paused, “Are you skilled at painting?”

Mr. Lover: “…My beautiful queen, I am a painter. My skill is more than enough for me to hold such a position. In the days when I cannot see you, only painting brings me any comfort.”

At that moment, the peach-blossom-shaped mole at the corner of his eye no longer felt charming to Gu Yuhuan, making her shudder instead.

Holding herself together, she went through the remaining places she had suspected, but found no more clues. She knew that the most important thing must be behind the door that belonged to the golden key.

The two of them arrived on the first floor.

“My beautiful queen, what are you going to do?” the lover asked.

“I’m thinking about whether I should open this door and take a look…”

“Don’t…”

Moonlight illuminated the corridor, spilling over the lover. As they struggled with each other, Gu Yuhuan suddenly saw his face clearly. His eyes were filled with deep concern, and his words tried to stop her from opening the door, but… the corners of his lips were curved upward.

Every hair on her body stood on end.

Her voice trembled, “Were you just… smiling?”

She was so shocked that the words slipped out, and she regretted it the moment she said them.

The man looked at her with his azure eyes, appearing very surprised. “My dear, you must have seen wrong.”

…Yet the smile at the corners of his lips never faded.

It was too strange. Gu Yuhuan’s scalp prickled as she tried to step back, but a pair of large hands seized her wrists and twisted the doorknob open.

“Go on.”

She was shoved forward.

At that instant, the thread that connected everything… was finally grasped by her.