Eldritch Horror Theatre

In all fairness, Nathalie’s reaction was rather impressive.

Faced with such a shocking revelation, she had instinctively glanced back, but immediately swept her gaze around the room, cleverly covering up the slip.

But as the saying went, love made a person sensitive.

In that instant, Olinter had clearly entered a state of being perceptive down to the smallest detail.

Guided by Fu Qian’s probing, he could easily piece together the finer details.

That was right. Olinter and Nathalie were very likely lovers—a suspicion Fu Qian had harbored since earlier.

After all, given Olinter’s status and personality, it was hard to imagine him appearing at the first summons so readily if not for the power of love.

Nathalie’s mannerisms as she interjected throughout the conversation offered similar clues, confirming he was her paramour.

As for the father of her child?

Fu Qian studied the butler, who hadn’t spoken a single word since announcing Olinter’s arrival.Although impeccably dressed and carrying himself with a distinguished air, the man was clearly in a completely different league than Olinter, not to mention significantly older.

Truly, affection knows not where it arises, yet deepens infinitely.

”Excellency, I have no idea what this man is talking about... Please don’t listen to him and tarnish Ms. Nathalie’s reputation.”

Under Olinter’s death glare and the menacing sight of those mangled arms, the butler’s composed facade was instantly shattered, his face crumbling in terror.

...

Brilliant.

After dropping that bombshell, Fu Qian watched the shifting expressions on the three involved parties, silently marveling at their emotional turbulence.

Ever since the governess appeared, he had harbored a faint premonition that tonight would be highly entertaining.

Setting aside any other gains or losses, this sheer level of melodrama was already worth the price of admission.

”Are you resentful because I talked too much tonight, Doctor?”

As expected, Nathalie was the quickest to regain her composure.

After her initial shock, the panic rapidly vanished from her face. Instead of offering pointless excuses to the parties involved like the butler had, she let out a cold laugh and directly questioned Fu Qian’s motives.

”I am actually quite curious. Exactly what kind of medical expertise led you to a diagnosis that even I wasn’t aware of?”

”You did talk a bit too much tonight.”

Facing this attack on his professional integrity, Fu Qian gave a slight nod, acknowledging her vicious tactic.

It was practically the best response she could have mustered.

The pregnancy was the truth, of course. She hadn’t been expecting for long, but as a master of flesh and blood, how could he possibly fail to notice?

Naturally, Fu Qian had absolutely no interest in providing a technical breakdown.

Instead, he turned his head directly toward Mister Winslow.

”Is she always like this?”

I’ve muddied more waters than you’ve ever seen, and you dare try this little trick against this seat?

As a professional spectator, he had plenty of ways to keep himself out of the crossfire.

...

Fu Qian’s question clearly caught the three participants of this twisted romance off guard. For a moment, even Olinter shot him a flickering glance.

”She is, to an extent.”

Even more surprisingly, Mister Winslow—now the center of attention—looked thoughtful and actually agreed with Fu Qian’s assessment.

”Nathalie hasn’t worked here for very long, and her performance has always been exceptional. My only complaint is her overwhelmingly strong desire to speak with me, which crosses the boundaries of a governess.”

Meeting Olinter’s scrutinizing gaze, Mister Winslow’s eyes remained calm and resolute.

”I wanted to dismiss her, but I hesitated because Jane is so fond of her. In the end, I decided to just keep my distance.”

After delivering that emotionless summary, he turned to stare at Nathalie, making no effort to hide his deep loathing.

”I’ve been trying to figure out why you did this, and now I see. Is this the reason?”

”Did my polite distancing really provoke such a terrifying level of resentment? Did you really have to watch me lose the one I love most?”

Winslow was gritting his teeth now.

”You lunatic!”

...

Mister Winslow was clearly a smart man. With just a slight nudge, he could piece the whole puzzle together.

And witnessing his daughter’s torment tonight had fueled a massive build-up of rage inside him.

Capable and highly motivated. He was truly the perfect tool for escalating this conflict.

And it proved to be highly effective.

”Yes. No one has ever rejected me.”

A few seconds after Winslow stared Olinter down and calmly delivered those largely baseless claims, the governess seemed to abandon any pretense of defending herself, offering a classic smile of open defiance.

”You aren’t even that exceptional. I could easily find someone better.”

Even under Olinter’s chilling glare, Nathalie’s smile didn’t waver in the slightest.

”But it was exactly that mediocrity, combined with your condescending arrogance, that made you so utterly insufferable.”

”Did you actually think I enjoyed teaching your illiterate daughter, or discussing opera with your idiotic wife?”

”I can assure you, for a very long time now, my sole reason for staying in this house has been to watch a scene exactly like this unfold... Hehe...”

”So you really are pregnant?”

Amidst Nathalie’s hearty laughter, Olinter finally spoke up, his voice terribly dry.

”I don’t know, but that doesn’t matter anymore. Necessary sacrifices must be made in order to properly control the situation.”

”Also, while I do apologize for this, I must remind you that it’s time to fulfill your duties to The Order.”

Despite her words, there was not a trace of remorse on Nathalie’s smiling face.

”Evil stands right before us.”

It was obvious this was what gave her the confidence to lay her cards on the table. Regardless of her own impure motives, Olinter still couldn’t turn a blind eye to Jane’s condition.

Better yet, the quack doctor who had spent the entire night hiding his true intentions had finally exposed himself at the very end.

”Or do you actually agree with this quack doctor’s view that they are all innocent?”

”Rest assured, I will do what must be done... But after today, you had best never show your face to me again.”

Staring at Nathalie as if seeing her for the very first time, Olinter finally replied.

He didn’t even wait for a response. He slowly crouched down and pressed both palms against the floor.

With this motion, a faint, ethereal pattern reminiscent of starlight slowly materialized across his body.

Yet this relatively subdued display seemed to place an immense strain on him.

Wherever the pattern spread, his flesh visibly withered away.

...

It seems to be a trump card demanding a massive price, not meant to be used lightly.

Amidst his gratification, Fu Qian realized that his own body had been enveloped by the same starlight.

The Stars in the night sky seemed to forge a direct connection with him through it.

Flesh, blood, bone, skin, soul, and will—everything was being tugged by their existence and rotation.

Dissolving bit by bit, truly returning to the origin.

Nathalie’s pressure-cooking tactics had worked wonders.

Staring at this astonishing transformation, Fu Qian felt a profound sense of satisfaction.

Even more satisfying was the fact that Jane, still clinging to the ceiling, was clearly receiving the exact same treatment.

Olinter was evidently willing to pay any price to resolve the entire situation in one fell swoop.

And it certainly appeared to be working. Almost instantly, massive chunks of the bloody patterns covering Jane’s body shattered, twisting her form to the point where she looked like she might lose her human shape at any second.

...

This intensity should be just about enough.

Fu Qian wasn’t in any rush to save his patient. Instead, he continued to wait in silence.

His objective had been crystal clear from the start: repeatedly escalate the situation to draw out the ”eyes” that might be watching from the shadows.

Though he wasn’t sure why, everything thus far indicated that whatever was behind this cared deeply about Jane. It wouldn’t give her up so easily.

”You bastard!”

A furious curse suddenly rang out. Mister Winslow actually lunged forward and slugged the butler in the face.

The butler cried out in pain and scrambled desperately toward the door, with Mister Winslow charging after him without a second thought.

Another sharp scream pierced the air. Mrs. Winslow had instinctively tried to follow her husband, only for Nathalie to grab her by the hair. The two women burst through the door, locked in a vicious scuffle.

It’s here!

Staring at this bizarre scene with total satisfaction, Fu Qian activated his Lucid Dream.