DLMSWSHH Chapter 19

TL: Hua

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Chapter 19: Stormy Night

Although it was called “cleaning the chapel,” in reality, the place was already quite clean.

Zhong Ming knelt before the sanctuary, using a cloth to wipe the statues on the altar.

The central statue of the Virgin Mary had her head bowed, her white robes flowing down with the folds of her sleeves carved like running water. Her expression of mercy was lifelike. Zhong Ming lowered his head and brushed away a bit of dust from the statue.

He had come to the chapel after dinner. Now, the sky outside was gradually darkening. The dim yellow hue of the sunset faded into the horizon, and a few rays of light filtered through the stained glass, making his eyes grow tired.

Zhong Ming couldn’t help but rub his eyes and look up at the sky.

Today, Albert had made another scene, claiming he didn’t like the food prepared by the kitchen and insisting that Zhong Ming feed him bite by bite. Zhong Ming rubbed his temples, feeling exhausted.

He was the only one in the chapel; a short break shouldn’t hurt. Zhong Ming set down his rag and went to sit in a pew. He had intended to just close his eyes for a moment, but drowsiness surged over him. His head nodded rhythmically until he eventually lay down on the bench and drifted off to sleep.

A long time passed before Zhong Ming woke to the sound of tiny droplets hitting the window.

He slowly opened his eyes, feeling his body was exceptionally heavy and his head groggy. Perhaps because he had slept on the hard, cold pew for too long, his hands and feet felt stiff.

Zhong Ming shook his head and climbed up from the bench. Looking out the window, he was immediately startled by the deep blackness outside.

The sky had turned pitch black at some unknown point. A heavy rain had begun to fall outside the chapel. The view through the stained glass was blurred by the downpour, and he could only vaguely see the forest swaying in the storm.

Listening to the pitter-patter of the rain outside, Zhong Ming felt a sudden chill crawl up his spine for some reason.

As if something in the dark were warning him, Zhong Ming turned his head and looked directly into a pair of pitch-black eyes.

On the altar, all the statues had transformed into something else entirely.

The white, holy Virgin Mary, whose eyes were originally lowered, now had them wide open. Her pupils were entirely black, creating a violent contrast against her pale face.

The expressions of the statues around her had also undergone subtle changes, shifting from a sacred mercy to a slightly rigid, blank stare.

It was enough to make one’s blood run cold.

Zhong Ming stared, his body paralyzed. He locked eyes with the Virgin Mary statue for a long time before he finally managed to move his body, avert his gaze, and take a sharp breath.

For some reason, Zhong Ming felt that if he kept looking at her, the Virgin Mary would step down from the altar.

Zhong Ming gasped for air.

It was only then that he realized the murals in the chapel had also changed. The original paintings of roses and thorns had turned into various twisted shapes. As Zhong Ming looked closer, he began to make out some details from the lines.

Those looked like tentacles.

Zhong Ming recalled the tentacles that had wrapped around his waist in the study that day, and a violent shiver ran through him.

CRACK

At that moment, a bolt of lightning struck outside. Zhong Ming’s breath hitched as he saw an ominous red glow suddenly wash over the statues. Panic flared in his chest.

Almost simultaneously, a faint sound drifted from the entrance, nearly swallowed by the heavy rhythm of the rain.

Zhong Ming sensed immediate danger. Sure enough, a sharp clack echoed a second later, followed by another, drawing closer and closer. He realized instantly: those were the sounds of high heels striking the floorboards.

Someone was coming.

His breath caught. Instinct told him he had to hide. He glanced around at the exposed pews; there was only one place to go.

Thud! Zhong Ming squeezed himself into the confessional booth beside the altar, pulled the door shut, and held his breath.

A moment later, the chapel doors creaked open.

The confessional was exceptionally cramped. Zhong Ming had to bow his head and curl his limbs tightly against his body just to fit inside. Through the latticed window on the side of the compartment, he peered out.

A deep blue hemline appeared outside the booth, slowly gliding past the carved wood.

Zhong Ming recognized the dress. The person outside was Miss Joan.

Her thin heels clicked against the stone as she walked past several rows of pews, making her way directly to the front of the altar.

Zhong Ming clamped his hand over his mouth, terrified of letting even a sliver of breath escape.

Fortunately, Joan didn’t seem to notice him. He watched as she came to a halt before the statue of the Virgin Mary, her dresss shifting slightly as if she were waiting for someone.

Who was she waiting for?

Zhong Ming felt a wave of inexplicable guilt. The fact that Joan had come to the chapel so late to meet someone meant she didn’t want others to know. He had accidentally stumbled into a secret rendezvous.

He made his breathing even shallower, desperate to remain undetected.

Suddenly, Joan’s voice rang out: “You’re already here, aren’t you?”

Her voice echoed through the hollow chapel. “Your Grace.”

Zhong Ming’s eyes snapped wide, his pupils shrinking. Before he could even process the name, a voice replied, “Yes.”

It was the Duke’s voice. He was inside the chapel!

Zhong Ming shuddered violently. He peered through the lattice but couldn’t see the Duke anywhere. The voice seemed to manifest out of thin air; he couldn’t even tell which direction it was coming from.

When had the Duke arrived? Had he been here the whole time?

Did he know Zhong Ming was hiding right here?

A thousand questions raced through his mind, but he forced himself to stay calm. Whatever happened, he couldn’t expose himself now.

Outside the booth, a calm voice spoke again: “What is it you want?”

Zhong Ming watched Joan shift her stance. “Your Grace,” she said with a trace of a smile in her voice, “won’t you even ask how I’ve been?”

Her light, playful tone hung in the air, met only by silence.

Zhong Ming frowned, picking up on a subtle tension in the exchange. The Duke’s attitude toward Joan seemed cold, especially compared to his treatment of Madam Mary, it lacked even a hint of respect.

Joan, however, clearly didn’t care. She gave a light laugh and continued on her own: “Albert has begun to develop an individual consciousness. He is growing very quickly.”

The Duke didn’t respond, seemingly indifferent to his son’s progress.

Hearing this, Zhong Ming felt a small sense of relief. They were just discussing Albert’s condition. It seemed he had overthought things.

But as the old saying goes, one shouldn’t celebrate too early. The very next second, Zhong Ming felt a lump of anxiety lodge in his throat.

“He seems to have developed some special feelings for Zhong Ming,” Joan said slowly. “From what I’ve observed, Albert seems to view Zhong Ming as a ‘mother’ figure.”

Inside the confessional, Zhong Ming’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He almost bit his tongue, only maintaining silence through sheer willpower.

Joan continued to dissect little Albert’s psyche: “Perhaps it’s due to the emotional void in his upbringing. Subconsciously, Albert wants someone to fill that gap.” She paused, then added, “And Xiao Zhong is indeed a bit too gentle.”

She placed a deliberate emphasis on the word “gentle.”

Hearing his name, Zhong Ming instinctively curled further into the corner of the booth.

Finally, the Duke spoke: “He does not need a mother.”

The voice was flat, the words distant and even cruel.

“As a monster, he doesn’t,” Joan said with a faint smile. “But to become a human, he naturally has emotional needs. A female figure like a mother is vital for a boy’s growth.”

She spoke in a calm, objective tone. Then, after a brief pause, she dropped a bombshell: “Haven’t you always hoped that Albert would replace you?”

A storm erupted in Zhong Ming’s heart.

Everything Joan said was beyond his wildest imagination. His eyelashes trembled. Albert is a monster? But on the surface, aside from being a bit too cold, the young master seemed like any other child. And what did “replacing the Duke” mean? Was he to become the heir?

Or… Zhong Ming furrowed his brow. Did it mean Albert was meant to replace the Duke as the big boss of this horror game dungeon?

While he was lost in his confusion, the Duke’s voice sounded again: “I once hoped you could fill that role.”

At this, Joan sighed, sounding somewhat helpless. “But Albert chose Zhong Ming. I am deeply sorry for failing your expectations, Your Grace.”

Though she offered an apology, her tone held no remorse; it even carried a hint of provocation. “Besides… in the end, I’m not exactly a woman.”

She dropped that massive revelation with total nonchalance. Then, her sapphire blue dress slid down with a sharp shhh, pooling in layers at her feet to reveal the pale, lean body beneath.

She… no, he… had just stripped buck-naked right there in the chapel!

CLANG!

Through the lattice, Zhong Ming saw a set of iron corsetry hit the floor with a metallic ring.

The corset looked like it weighed several kilograms; it landed heavily, glinting coldly on the stone.

Zhong Ming was speechless.

The faint, blood-tinged moonlight outside fell upon Joan. He, the man formerly known as Joan, tilted his head back, his golden hair falling over his shoulders. His chest was entirely flat. “Ah… much better.”

He spread his arms as if embracing the moonlight, the muscles in his shoulders rippling with the movement. It was only then that Zhong Ming realized Joan’s frame wasn’t small at all; he had been forcefully squeezing his body into that corset to create a feminine curve.

Joan reached up to crack his neck, the joints popping loudly. He let out a long, satisfied sigh, kicked off his high heels, and stepped onto the cold stone floor with bare feet. He walked toward the altar, looking around as if trying to find the Duke’s hiding place.

“Your Grace, where are you?”

Joan’s former reserved and cool persona seemed to have fallen away with the dress. His voice now carried a sharp, aggressive edge. “I’ve sacrificed so much for you. Surely I deserve some kind of reward?”

No one answered him.

Zhong Ming covered his mouth with all his might, instinctively looking around to see where the Duke actually was.

But as he turned his head, he caught something in his peripheral vision.

The confessional consisted of two small compartments. To facilitate communication between the believer and the priest, there was a small window between the two rooms. Zhong Ming had been in such a panic when he hid that he hadn’t checked if the adjacent room was occupied.

And now, he suddenly noticed a tentacle resting quietly on the window frame right next to him.

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