She Was Sentenced to Life Imprisonment [Unlimited] - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: The Rose Manor (3)

Don’t Get Too Close to Me

The roses climbed and decorated the ancient, extravagant castle. The sharp thorns on the green stems silently conveyed the danger of this place.

A woman’s slender, long hand rested gently on the jewel-encrusted banister. Her other hand held a vivid, bl00d-red rose. Her eyes were lowered as she seemed to admire the rose in her hand. The rose’s intense redness made her hand look incredibly pale.

Her deep-red, long dress nearly covered the entire staircase. The roses decorating the hem gave off a strong, intoxicating fragrance. The woman herself was like a blooming flower, opening up in this extravagant palace.

“Coralee.”

The woman’s red lips parted as she called softly. The tenderness in her eyes seemed to imply something.

Hearing that, Coralee quickly went to meet her. Her standard smile had a hint of an almost unnoticeable softness. When she saw the other person extend her hand, she naturally took it. After a kiss on the back of the hand, she walked down the stairs with her, their every movement an unconscious display of intimacy.

For a master-servant relationship, their actions were clearly out of place. But the other players were captivated by the sudden appearance of this beautiful woman and had no time to notice anything else.

After the woman and Coralee walked down, Coralee gently tucked her slightly messy hair behind her ear. Her demeanor was noble and charming.

Her appearance, accompanied by the fragrance of the flowers, was like a poppy, carrying a fatal danger that still made people fall deeply into it, unable to escape.

The woman’s gaze swept over everyone. The curve of her smile was as perfect as Coralee’s, as if it had been meticulously trained. It showed neither friendliness nor warmth. When she spoke, it was without a hint of emotion.

“I believe you all already know that I am the master of this place, Henriette. The reason I brought you all here is to hope that you can make a perfume that satisfies me.”

When the players heard the words “perfume,” they immediately remembered the dungeon rules from the system. They immediately agreed and flattered her. Even the willful Yan Xin, after a reminder from the person next to her, spoke reluctantly.

“I will present the best perfume to you.”

“I will make the best perfume for you…”

When it was Jiang Nan’s turn, a simple “Mhm” was her answer.

Henriette nodded in satisfaction, but there was still one person who hadn’t answered. Her gaze moved to that person. Her deep pupils were like a still pool of water, threatening to drown people in it.

Luo Ning smiled as she looked at her for a moment. Jiang Nan, who was standing right next to her, had a faint premonition. The next second, she heard Luo Ning speak.

“I want to know, what kind of perfume do you like? Is it the one with the scent of bl00d on you?”

Luo Ning’s words made Henriette’s face instantly change. If not for Coralee’s comforting presence, she might not have been able to maintain her elegance in front of everyone.

Hearing Luo Ning’s words, the others finally noticed that although Henriette was very fragrant, the faint scent of bl00d on her could not be completely covered up.

The players’ faces slightly changed as they remembered the scumbag who had been killed by Coralee.

But they weren’t brave enough to bring it up with Henriette. Luo Ning’s words had clearly set her up for disaster.

A subtle look flashed in Yan Xin’s eyes. She secretly said to the person next to her.

“Is she sick?”

“…”

Jiang Nan looked at Luo Ning out of the corner of her eye and only saw her confident smile. When she looked at Henriette again, she noticed her body trembling slightly, whether from anger or fear.

If it was fear, was she afraid of Luo Ning?

Just as they were about to feel sorry for Luo Ning’s impulsiveness, Henriette finally just smiled and let it pass. She didn’t answer Luo Ning’s question or look at her again, as if deliberately avoiding her. She changed the subject.

“I believe you are all the most outstanding perfumers Coralee found for me.”

After saying that, she slightly turned her head and gestured to Coralee.

“Coralee, go and get it.”

Coralee looked at Henriette with some worry. But after Henriette nodded at her, she could only leave. As she went upstairs, she inadvertently glanced at Luo Ning, as if to warn her, and then continued up alone.

Jiang Nan watched Coralee go upstairs. The area was densely covered with roses, like a natural wall that made it impossible to see the situation inside.

A look that others couldn’t understand flashed in her eyes, as if she wanted to see through the thorny branches.

After Coralee left, Henriette wasn’t very interested in the people in front of her. She continued to look down at the thing in her hand, idly playing with the delicate petals.

She was still so beautiful in her quiet state that a few people swallowed. The bolder man stepped forward and spoke.

“Beautiful Miss…”

The man had an ordinary appearance, the kind you would overlook in a crowd. His only advantage was his guts.

Henriette glanced at him and didn’t respond, not even bothering to be perfunctory.

“You should address me as the Manor’s Master.”

Hearing her words, the man’s face turned pale. But he couldn’t get angry at her and could only endure it.

This was undoubtedly a joke to the others. Chen Lei frowned. The hand he had put down unconsciously clenched into a fist. A gloomy look flashed in his originally gentle eyes, but he quickly hid it.

“Tch, a man who can’t control his lower body.” Yan Xin rolled her eyes and said sarcastically.

The high-ponytail girl standing nearby subtly blocked him behind her and said with a bright and friendly smile.

“Don’t mind him.”

After a moment, Henriette looked up, as if she had sensed something. Her gaze landed directly on Jiang Nan in the back of the crowd. There was no malice in her gaze, but more of a surprise. She frowned in thought for a moment, then a playful look appeared on her lips. She then commanded Jiang Nan.

“You, come here.”

The gold-chain man, who was standing right in front of Jiang Nan, saw her and mistakenly thought Henriette was calling him.

Since Luo Ning had already gotten a map, he thought he was about to get another clue. He immediately stepped forward excitedly.

But he never expected that before he could take a single step, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed the gold chain around his neck, abruptly stopping the man’s movement. Then, a laughing voice rang out from behind him.

“She wasn’t calling you.”

The person behind him used a lot of force. He was half-hanging in the air by his gold chain. The feeling of suffocation returned and made the man panic. His face instantly turned red, and his feet in the air kept trying to kick the woman holding him, but it was all in vain. He was immediately furious and started cursing with a hoarse voice.

“What are you doing?! Let me down!”

Seeing how easily Luo Ning was holding him, the others were all silent. Only the ordinary-looking man stepped forward, but when he met Luo Ning’s gaze, he hesitated for a moment.

After all, in this dungeon, even if the players killed each other, there was no penalty. But some people were still happy to have an ally.

Luo Ning glanced at the person, felt her hand getting tired, and let go. The gold-chain man fell to the ground, and the man in front of him also stumbled and fell. The disheveled man was still cursing, and even the man who had fallen barely managed to maintain his composure.

Jiang Nan glanced at Luo Ning next to her. Seeing her gesture for her to go over, she walked past the other players and stood in front of Henriette under their gazes. She said calmly.

“You were looking for me?”

Henriette nodded slightly, her demeanor still proud and arrogant. She handed the rose to Jiang Nan and spoke.

“I hope my perfumer is healthy.”

The implication was that Jiang Nan shouldn’t get sick and die during the dungeon.

The rose’s sharp thorn pierced her fingertip. The sting was accompanied by a warmth that spread throughout her body and into her limbs.

Jiang Nan’s fingertips slightly lifted, rubbing the thorn. She didn’t care about the wound that was welling up with bl00d. A look of unknown emotion flashed in her eyes as she said.

“That’s natural.”

Although Jiang Nan didn’t know why the other person would suddenly care about her health, her physical constitution was indeed strengthened the moment she took the rose.

Henriette had a meaningful smile on her lips. Her gaze casually landed on Luo Ning in the back of the crowd. With a hint of provocation, she said.

“Your hair is beautiful. I will come looking for you.”

Jiang Nan was blocking her, so Luo Ning didn’t see Henriette’s vengeful expression.

Then, footsteps were heard on the stairs. The next moment, Henriette’s smile widened.

“Coralee, you’re too slow.”

Although her tone was one of complaint and blame, it was also full of a spoiled charm.

Coralee was carrying something. Midway down the stairs, she met Henriette’s gaze. She spoke apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Henriette, it’s my fault.”

This time she didn’t call Henriette “master.” All of her tenderness was directed toward this one person.

Because of their actions, Yan Xin was a little suspicious. She immediately exchanged a look with the girl next to her and nodded silently.

After Henriette was satisfied, Coralee had already brought the thing down. Only then did the others see that they were keys with numbers written on them.

Jiang Nan retreated back to Luo Ning’s side. Coralee had already started letting them pick a key in order.

“What are these keys for?” The gentle-looking man asked politely with a smile.

“Rooms, haven’t you seen one before?” Yan Xin took a key and shook it. She saw the number “8” on it and said disdainfully.

Coralee then nodded.

“As this young lady said, these are the keys to your rooms for the duration of your perfume making.”

No matter what, they all deliberately avoided the first and last numbers. As a result, when it was Luo Ning and Jiang Nan’s turn, there were only three keys left: “1,” “11,” and “12.”

Since the scumbag had died, there was one extra key.

Luo Ning smiled. She reached out and held Jiang Nan’s wrist.

“You choose first.”

She guided Jiang Nan’s hand to take “11.” When Jiang Nan came to her senses, she glanced at the other person. She saw the other person’s intention, immediately broke free from her hand, and without hesitation, took “1.” Her face was cold as she spoke.

“Don’t get too close to me.”

Luo Ning chuckled. She didn’t mind Jiang Nan’s attitude and took “12.” She whispered next to the other person’s ear.

“I like it.”

She was teasing her, and she was happy to see the other person blush.

After the players had their keys, Coralee returned to Henriette’s side.

A mischievous smile appeared on Coralee’s lips. She spoke with a warning.

“Dear perfumers, I’m sorry, but because my master cherishes the flower field so much, you can only pick one rose a day to make perfume. I believe you have all seen the consequences of picking more or harming the flower field.”

In other words, they could only choose one rose a day.

Hearing her words, the others fell into thought. Men might not know, but women knew that a bottle of perfume couldn’t be made with just one flower.

“Hey, can we go out at night? I have a habit of jogging at night,” the middle-aged man with the beer belly came out and said. He was probably trying to show these young people that he wasn’t weak.

Coralee thought for a moment, then said with a smile.

“Feel free. But if my master is in the mood and chooses a room to visit, she wouldn’t be very happy if it’s empty.”

“During breakfast in the morning, my master will inspect your work and choose her favorite scent,” she added.

Henriette nodded. Her proud gaze swept over everyone.

“If you’ve all understood, you can return to your rooms on your own. But remember…”

She paused, and then the smile on her lips deepened. The petals behind her blew in the wind, looking vibrant and eerie.

“The first floor is for your rooms. I don’t want anyone going up to the second floor to disturb me.”

As she spoke, she looked at the person next to her. Her expression was a little tired.

“Coralee, let’s go for a walk. I want to see if the flower field has enough nutrients.”

Hearing that, Coralee nodded. There was a hint of tenderness in her respect.

“Let’s go. Although the flowers outside have been lacking fertilizer for a while, they have been replenished and are still beautiful. You will love it.”

“Mhm.”

The two figures left through the door. The players’ faces were pale.

“Lacking fertilizer” meant corpses.

The players were well aware of this. At this moment, the only people who could not care about this and calmly look for their rooms were probably Jiang Nan and Luo Ning.

The moment Jiang Nan used the key to open the door, a cloud of dust that had been gathering for a long time flew into her face, making her cough.

As she held her nose and frowned, she turned her head and met Luo Ning’s eyes at the end of the hallway. The light was dim, but she could still clearly see Luo Ning’s lips move.

[Wait for me.]

Jiang Nan frowned, no longer paying attention to Luo Ning. She went in and slammed her door shut with a bang, leaving only falling dust and mottled light.

Luo Ning looked at the tightly closed door. The smile in her eyes faded. The gloomy emotion at the dark end of the hallway made her unreadable.

The man with the gold chain looked at the end of the hallway with a sinister gaze. He nudged the arm of the person next to him, gesturing for him to look over there.

The ordinary-looking man hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.

As for the others, only a few chose to go back to their rooms. Most went out to look for other clues or to find a suitable rose.

“Are you going out?” The high-ponytail girl asked the person next to her in a low voice.

No one else was here, but habit still made Yang Yi ask cautiously.

Yan Xin snorted. She glanced at the two rooms, then thoughtfully looked at the staircase leading to the second floor.

“I want to go to the second floor.”

When her peripheral vision caught the two men sneaking around, her eyes were filled with disgust. She then looked at the person next to her, waiting for her to agree.

The other person held her head in her hands with a pained expression and said with a frown.

“I think you should stay here.”