Chapter 10: Rose Earl 10

Xia Qi returned to his room and asked the maid to bring some hot water. Unexpectedly, just as he stepped into the golden bathtub, the familiar system announcement rang in his mind.

"Ding dong! Blue Side progress +10%, survivors remaining: 5, deaths: 2."

With this additional 10% progress, Blue Side's total plot progress has now reached 56%.

Xia Qi suddenly sat up in the bathtub. Who had discovered the clue?!

Now, apart from him, only four people remained in Blue Side: Dashan Ji, the cripple, the old man, and his sister.

Although Dashan Ji likes to cause trouble, he is usually very timid and doesn't seem like someone who would advance the plot. The cripple, due to his mobility issues, rarely leaves unless he participates in a mission...

The only two people capable of advancing the plot were the old man and his sister.

After taking a bath, Xia Qi put on his pajamas and went downstairs to look for the old man, only to find that he was not in his room early in the morning.

He knocked on the cripple's door next door, and the cripple said he hadn't heard any noise last night, suggesting the old man hadn't returned all night.

Xia Qi couldn't help but fall into deep thought. Where did the old man go after jumping out the window last night?

However, Xia Qi deduced that the person most likely to have discovered the clue was still his sister, who was currently in the cemetery.

Back in his room on the third floor, Xia Qi fell exhausted onto the velvet mattress.

This mattress had an inexplicable magic; once you lay down, you don't want to get up. It was so soft that it sapped all your strength.

Xia Qi decided to catch up on some sleep first before heading to the cemetery to talk to his sister.

He slept deeply for a long time, and when he woke up, it was already noon.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, and birds chirped noisily, as if urging the person inside to get up and go outside.

He got out of bed in slippers and reached for his clothes on the sofa, only to find them missing again.

This was where he always left his clothes, and he couldn't have made a mistake.

Now, the clothes were gone again.

Xia Qi looked around and tentatively asked the air, "Are you here?"

Unsurprisingly, there was no response in the room after he asked.

He pursed his lips. Last night, while trying to save his sister, he accidentally used the true love magic wand's spell to knock the man away. He wondered if the man was injured?

And would the man be angry with him?

"Last night, I was too hasty. If I hurt you, I apologize," Xia Qi added.

But after his monologue, the room remained silent.

Xia Qi pondered for a moment, and suddenly had a bold idea.

Could it be... that the man cannot appear during the day?

Both times he encountered the man were at night.

These past few days, it has been safer during the day than at night. Xia Qi deeply suspected that as the boss of this instance, the man must be under some restriction that prevents him from appearing during the day to meet him.

As for the clothes on the sofa, they might not have been taken by the man himself; it could have been someone else.

After figuring this out, Xia Qi walked towards the observation terrace.

"Crack," Xia Qi pushed open the painted glass door, and at that moment, a rich floral fragrance wafted over, overwhelming his eyes and nose.

However, when Xia Qi opened his eyes and saw the scene before him, he was deeply stunned once again.

At that moment, the entire observation terrace had turned into a sea of roses. The fiery red roses clustered together, shimmering like glowing carnelians.

In the center of the flower bed, a bright red court dress hung, next to which was a matching red silk hat with white feathers, and a black velvet gift box.

Xia Qi walked through the rose garden to the dress and opened the box.

Inside the box lay an entire set of red diamond jewelry: a necklace, bracelet, brooch, and even a pair of... tassel earrings.

Looking at this ensemble that seemed fit for a queen's interview in a palace, Xia Qi's eye twitched, leaving him speechless.

If he really wore all this, wouldn't everyone know he was favored by the castle's owner?!

How could he continue playing this game?!

At the bottom of the box was a letter, sealed with a fragrant pine wax seal. Upon opening it, he found that the paper was hand-cut, and the handwriting from a quill pen was both neat and elegant.

"Dear Lady, I apologize for my rash behavior last night.

If I frightened you, I am willing to offer everything to regain your heart.

Once again, I apologize.

Yours sincerely."

The signature at the bottom of the letter was not a name but a red rose stamp, which looked like a family crest.

After reading the whole letter, Xia Qi couldn't help but sigh. It turned out that the man sent all these things as an apology!

Actually, the one who should apologize is him, since he hit the man with the True Love Wand and knocked him against the wall last night, without knowing if he was injured.

Just as Xia Qi felt extremely guilty, there was a knock at the door, and the maid's voice came from outside: "Lady, this is your lunch. Please enjoy it."

After setting the cart down, the maid added, "Lady, after lunch, the master will invite all guests to have afternoon tea in the Rose Garden. Please come downstairs with us in an hour."

"Ding dong!"

"Congratulations to the Blue Side for accepting the mission: Beauty Nourishing Rose Tea."

"Mission Description: What does it feel like to have tea with your beloved? It must be three times as sweet! Give me sweetness, sweetness, sweetness!!!"

"Mission Countdown: 02:00:00."

After hearing the mission announcement, Xia Qi nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood in anger.

He shouldn't have felt guilty about it!

Because the dress on the terrace was too ostentatious, Xia Qi had originally planned to stay at home today. Little did he know that he would be forced by the BOSS to go out and complete a mission.

No wonder the entire outfit included a lampshade-style wide-brimmed hat for sun protection—it was all part of this plan!

Xia Qi seriously suspected that the BOSS was using public resources for personal revenge.

After bringing the dining cart into the room, Xia Qi, with a grim face, walked to the scenic terrace and brought the dress and jewelry inside.

Over the past two days, he had tried his best to get used to wearing women's clothing, but wearing all these accessories today...

No way, absolutely not!

Xia Qi gritted his teeth, feeling that his bottom line was being continuously breached.

Under the repeated urging of the maid, Xia Qi finished lunch and, dressed in this queenly attire, put on the red silk white feather lampshade-style wide-brimmed hat and left the room with determination.

As expected, the maids outside were shocked when they saw him.

"Heavens, that's the most expensive dress in the entire castle!"

"I remember this dress was given to Madam by Queen Mary. Lady, you truly have the master's favor!"

It really was a dress worn by the queen...

Xia Qi couldn't help but be speechless.

The maids enthusiastically discussed and continuously expressed their envy towards Xia Qi.

Once downstairs, unsurprisingly, Xia Qi once again drew everyone's attention.

Unlike the maids, the other players' gazes contained not only envy but also some complex emotions.

Cha Gong was pretending to talk to his teammates when he suddenly saw Xia Qi enter in full regalia; he choked on his own saliva and started coughing violently.

"Brother Cha, what's wrong?" The young master patted Cha Gong's back.

Since entering the game, the young master had been sick. If not for the mission today, he wouldn't even want to leave his room.

After finishing his coughing fit, Cha Gong struggled to contain his anger and said through gritted teeth, "Nothing."

"Huh, why is Xia Qi wearing a new outfit again?" After Cha Gong recovered, the young master feigned surprise, "Xia Qi's clothes are so beautiful. Who gave them to him? Could he have a new boyfriend?"

After saying this, he looked up innocently, waiting for Cha Gong's opinion.

Cha Gong, who had already known that Xia Qi had cozied up to someone in the instance, found the young master's "innocent remark" particularly infuriating. He felt green smoke rising from his head.

How could such a monster be called human?

Unable to swallow this indignation, Cha Gong rushed over to Xia Qi, intending to confront him. At that moment, the butler appeared in the hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me to the Rose Garden," the butler said.

The Rose Garden wasn't far, just a ten-minute walk away. Everyone needed to walk there.

However, the Blue Side, as "ladies," received special treatment, with maids providing each "lady" with a small parasol.

The afternoon sun was intense, making everyone feel warm. Soon, those in elaborate costumes broke into a sweat.

By the time they reached the Rose Garden, the Blue Side, taking advantage of their status, remained unscathed under their parasols, especially Xia Qi, whose hair wasn't even touched by the sun.

Upon arriving at the Rose Garden, everyone gathered in a circular pavilion with pointed arches and Roman columns. The butler had already set up afternoon tea and snacks, inviting everyone to enjoy them.

Just as Xia Qi picked up his cup of tea for a sip, the butler said, "Ladies and gentlemen, look at how vibrant and passionate these roses are! Our master hopes to find the most beautiful rose in the garden. Can you help fulfill his wish?"

"Ding dong!"

"Congratulations to the Blue Side for accepting the mission: Roses, Roses, I Love You."

"Mission Description: Pick the most beautiful rose in the rose garden and give it to the castle's owner!"

"Mission Countdown: 02:00:00."

Xia Qi's right hand holding the teacup trembled, almost spilling the tea onto his dress.

After hearing the mission introduction, everyone was stunned and began whispering among themselves.

After discussing with his teammates, Cha Gong approached the butler first and flattered him, "Please rest assured, Master and Butler, we will definitely find the most beautiful rose in the garden!"

The butler smiled satisfactorily at Cha Gong, glancing intentionally at Xia Qi, and loudly declared, "The master will certainly reward those who help him."

Xia Qi: "..."

This man's pretense was too easy to see through.

What did it mean to find the most beautiful rose in the garden? Clearly, it was forcing him to send roses!

Was this a distortion of humanity or a moral collapse? A grand instance BOSS actually made everyone do a mission just to receive his roses...