She Was Sentenced to Life Imprisonment [Unlimited] - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: The Rose Manor (17)

◎Do you also think I was wrong?◎

Vultures flapped their wings, shedding a shower of red feathers that looked like a macabre downpour of bl00d.

They landed on the shoulders and stooped backs of the black statues, their heads tilted at a distorted angle, watching the two women with a chilling gaze. The surrounding green candlelight gave their black eyes an eerie, greenish glow.

Gabriel stretched his neck but still couldn’t reach Luoning’s height. A vicious look flashed in his eyes as he sized up the two women, then haughtily ordered, “You were sent by God to help me.”

“So now, you will stand on the witch doctors’ platforms, and God will instruct you on what to do.”

He had an unshakeable belief and an unquestioning reverence for the “God” he spoke of.

Gabriel pointed at the faceless statues, arrogantly ordering them to stand on the platforms.

“Oh.”

The indifference in her voice was so blatant that Gabriel almost lost the smile on his face again. He struggled to maintain his air of superiority, but his words came out tinged with a grinding annoyance.

“Go on.”

Jiang Nan scanned the statues, noticing two were missing. The pile of rubble at the base of the platforms could be vaguely identified as shattered statues.

She then looked at the two men, who were cowering in a corner, trembling from their wounds. In the candlelight, she could see their shadows—a bizarre mix of bird beaks and wings.

Jiang Nan’s eyes narrowed slightly as she thought. As she and Luoning walked over, she tugged at Luoning’s skirt, signaling for her to come closer.

Luoning lowered her head slightly, and Jiang Nan whispered in her ear with a hint of coldness. “When we get there, kick the statues down.”

She couldn’t guarantee how the statues would react, but the only way to earn Gabriel’s trust was to make him think they were under his control.

And if the statues were going to be shattered anyway, no one would know how it happened.

However, as she approached a statue, she realized that what was covered by the black hood wasn’t a face, but a sharp bird beak. As she got closer, the closed beak parted slightly, as if it was excitedly waiting for her, for a meal to be delivered to its mouth.

But before it could open wide enough to devour the person in front of it, Jiang Nan merely glanced at it. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Gabriel wasn’t paying attention to her side, and she seized the opportunity to swing her blade, cleanly slicing off the beak. The movement was swift and decisive. The blade’s reflection showed the sharp, ruthless look in her eyes.

The sound of the falling stone caught Gabriel’s attention. But when he looked over, he only saw Jiang Nan already standing on the platform. The severed beak had rolled into the pile of existing rubble, so although Gabriel was suspicious, he didn’t discover anything.

The statue, now without a beak, was rendered speechless before it could even let out a scream.

Jiang Nan calmly put away her knife and spoke softly to the statue with a hint of nonchalant politeness. “Sorry, your beak was in the way.”

The statue was taller than her, and once she stood on the platform, its long beak would be pointed right at her head, as if it were about to eat her brain.

Hearing her words, the statue trembled violently, whether from anger or something else. As Jiang Nan stepped onto the platform, it quietly shifted back, teetering on the edge.

Jiang Nan looked over at Luoning. Luoning was tall, and the hunched black statue was a head shorter than her, so Gabriel couldn’t see what was happening behind her.

But Jiang Nan, standing not far away, had a clear view.

The moment Luoning stepped onto the platform, before the monstrous statue could react, she lifted its black cloak, revealing a half-human, half-bird head—bizarre and unsettling.

As if it hadn’t expected to be treated this way, the statue’s mouth opened wide, but it trembled uncontrollably, as if it sensed a terrifying power. Dust fell from its body.

Luoning’s lips moved, silently saying something that was inaudible. Her enchanting, seductive purple eyes were like a terrifying, bloodthirsty abyss.

The statue’s eyes widened in fear, but its beak was grabbed by a pair of hands. As it tried to resist, the beak broke off in Luoning’s hands, the jagged edges scattering some rubble.

The monstrous statue immediately stopped moving. It stood cautiously on the edge, looking as if Luoning had bullied it.

Luoning noticed Jiang Nan’s gaze. All traces of killing intent vanished from her eyes. She tilted her head and smiled at her. “It was getting in the way.”

Jiang Nan, who had witnessed the entire thing: …

Jiang Nan thoughtfully examined the revealed head, which was a mix of human and bird features. It had feather-like growths on its face. After its beak was broken off, a dark hole remained below its face, and she could occasionally see human teeth inside.

Even though it looked so strange, Jiang Nan didn’t think this was a human-bird hybrid. This was likely a person with a severe deformity due to some reason.

Because of their deformity, they were revered as divine beings and served as witch doctors.

As she was contemplating this, Gabriel, confined in the birdcage, suddenly grabbed the bars with both hands. He looked at them with a crazed expression, muttering, “God, I have offered you two more people today. You must save me and make Henriette pay a terrible price!”

His crazed ramblings echoed in the enclosed space. The green candlelight in front of Jiang Nan went out in an instant. The surroundings suddenly went dark, a pitch-black that was impossible to see through and was filled with dread.

But the brief darkness didn’t last long. A red light appeared before her eyes, and a wave of heat washed over her.

When she could see clearly, she realized the light was a fire burning in front of them, and she was now in the manor’s flower field.

The blooming field was a mess, as if something had trampled the roses. The cold wind passing through the fire became warm and carried the scent of the burned roses.

Jiang Nan looked at her surroundings. She clenched her hand, her nails digging into her flesh, but she felt no pain. This confirmed that it was a hallucination.

“My dear daughter, why can’t you just give in?” A weeping female voice came, filled with sobs.

Jiang Nan followed the voice and saw a woman dressed in a pure black dress, like a beautiful widow, wiping away tears with a handkerchief. Her swollen eyes looked incredibly sad.

The woman’s appearance was seven-tenths similar to Henriette’s. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes showed her exhaustion and weariness.

Standing next to her was a man also in black. He had a stern face, and his eyes were fierce. He looked at someone with disgust and disdain in their depths and spoke in a deep voice. “Henriette, as my daughter, I can give you one more chance…”

The man’s words were interrupted by a frenzied voice. “I don’t need it, and I’m not your daughter!”

As soon as she spoke, a loud slap echoed. The man’s heaving chest and clenched teeth showed his fury. A triumphant smile appeared on the face of the person who had been knocked to the ground.

Seeing Henriette’s state, the man shook with anger. He pointed at her and cursed, “Without us, could you have this wealth and status?! We arranged this marriage for your own good!”

Henriette lay in the rose field. The trampled flowers had left countless thorns that pierced her skin. Bl00d flowed to the ground, blending with her crimson dress.

Her disheveled state and predicament made her beauty look more delicate and pitiful, but the hatred in her eyes made people not dare to approach. She was like a rose covered in thorns, which only made the man more obsessed with her.

Henriette seemed oblivious to the pain. Listening to her father’s self-righteous words, she sneered, a dark look flashing in her eyes as she refuted him. “Father, is this truly for my own good, or do you want to use me to climb the social ladder?”

She stated this calmly, not as a question, but as a statement of fact.

With her thoughts exposed, Henriette’s father’s face darkened. As if he remembered something else, his disgust deepened, and he pointed out her mistake sharply. “We never thought you would go against God and like such a filthy person. Has your mind been corrupted by the devil?!”

Henriette laughed softly. Her body, emaciated from days of suffering in the dark, still didn’t believe she was in the wrong. Her red lips, stained with bl00d, parted to speak in a hoarse voice, still firmly refuting his words.

“Whoever I love, as long as it’s not who you want, it’s wrong! Am I right?”

The man’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He was about to curse again, but the woman in the black dress quickly grabbed her husband. She looked at the stubborn Henriette on the ground with a complicated expression and said sadly, “Daughter, you can’t be so willful anymore. Lord Gabriel likes you. He will be good to you.”

Henriette stared into her eyes, with a hint of sadness, and said, “Mother, do you also think I was wrong?”

Faced with Henriette’s question, the woman’s gaze darted away. She didn’t dare to meet her eyes but still tried to persuade her. “You know, we had no choice.”

A figure walked over. Henriette’s father had to control his anger and immediately put on a fawning expression. “Lord Gabriel Mont, please don’t mind. Henriette is grown up now, she’s just a little willful. I swear, she will be very obedient from now on.”

Gabriel looked at Henriette, gesturing with his hand to show he didn’t mind. Then, he looked at the disheveled yet beautiful woman with a look of infatuation. He smiled politely and said, “Miss Henriette, I truly love you.”

Gabriel knelt down, which was against noble etiquette, but he was willing to lower his status for this beauty, hoping to earn her favor.

However, Henriette didn’t appreciate it. She said coldly, “You only like my face!”

Yes, all the men who came to propose marriage, all their compliments, were about her appearance.

Gabriel wasn’t angered by her coldness. He continued to smile, but it was a bit hypocritical.

He tilted his head to signal, and a servant brought a person out and threw them in front of Henriette.

The strong smell of bl00d made Henriette frown. When she saw the face of the person who was thrown violently in front of her, she screamed like a madwoman. “Corrie, I told you to leave! Why didn’t you listen to me!”

Corrie was covered in bl00d, her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be unconscious. Her state made Henriette’s heart ache even more. She ignored her own pain and tried to crawl towards her.

However, Gabriel did not let her. He placed his foot on Corrie’s head. The intense pain made the unconscious person groan weakly.

Henriette looked at the despicable man, her heart aching as she screamed at him to stop.

Gabriel threw down a delicate box. The pried-open lock was hanging by a thread, and the contents rolled out.

The silver gleam caught Henriette’s eyes. The words engraved on it made her mind explode. She heard Gabriel’s mocking voice. “I never thought Miss Henriette was such a loyal person. The thing that made all these suitors look like headless chickens in this rose garden was your secret love token!”

Whispers broke out around them. The people watching the spectacle included manor servants and her numerous admirers. Gabriel had gathered them here to humiliate her and force her to submit.

But he was wrong. Henriette’s cold gaze swept over them all before settling on Gabriel.

“Gabriel, do you know…”

Gabriel was startled by her look but quickly regained his composure. “What?” He thought she was about to give in, so his smile became even more triumphant.

Henriette shakily stood up. Her eyes were sharp, and she spoke mercilessly. “I truly despise a small-minded person like you. You’re despicable, hypocritical, and arrogant. Even without Corrie, I would rather grow old alone than be with someone like you.”

At this, Henriette’s father was so furious that he trembled. He pointed his finger at Henriette, but Gabriel’s presence kept him from saying a word.

Many people heard Henriette’s words. Gabriel’s face went dark in an instant. He gritted his teeth, kicked the person at his feet to the side, and then smiled viciously at Henriette. “I think Miss Henriette has been possessed by a devil for too long and is starting to talk nonsense. Today, I have specially invited thirteen witch doctors for you. They will surely eradicate the devil in you.”

Thirteen, an ominous number. Their love was also considered an ill-fated process by them.

Henriette’s father bowed, gratefully saying to Gabriel, “Thank you so much.”

Gabriel smiled gracefully, as if he hadn’t just had a furious look on his face. “Anything for my love, Miss Henriette.”

Their hypocritical faces disgusted Henriette. But all she wanted to do was get to Corrie’s side. Just as she was about to reach her lover, she was surrounded by people in black robes. She could vaguely make out the terrifying faces underneath.

One person held a torch, muttering something, and then threw the torch at the roses Henriette had planted. The fire that ignited quenched her love.

A strange curse, like a spell, rang in her ears. Her vision swam, and shadows swirled. A hidden dagger was in her hand. In despair, she plunged it into her heart. Her bl00d splattered on the meticulously prepared rose garden and on her lover.

As Henriette fell, her lifeless eyes seemed to reflect Jiang Nan in the distance. Her bl00d-red lips held a smile, and Jiang Nan heard her words, hoarse and sorrowful.

“And what about you, do you also think I was wrong?”

…