But it was at this moment that the third loud bang, like a clap of thunder, sounded in everyone's ears, and the door to the room was suddenly slammed open.
All the maidservants screamed in fright, "Who, who is over there?" One of the bolder ones tentatively shouted, but in the darkness, only a beam of strong light shot in this direction, causing her to whimper and lower her head, tears streaming down all at once.
Fang Hong looked apologetically at the lady, innocently retracting the crystal in his hand—heavens, it wasn't intentional, he was merely reacting instinctively to someone's inquiry.
And the ones entering, naturally, were Fang Hong and his group.
He swept his gaze around and instantly took in the situation inside the room—actually, he didn't really need the Illumination Crystal; it was only for the others. Fang Hong saw that more than ten maidservants were crammed into the space in the room, and not knowing what had happened beforehand, he couldn't help but marvel at the spectacle of this Noble Lady, feeling somewhat...envious.
As soon as he withdrew the crystal, someone asked in the darkness, "Who, who are you? This is the young lady's room. How dare you just barge in? Aren't you worried His Excellency the Governor will punish you afterward...?"
Fang Hong remained silent.
But Wu Xiaopang murmured under his breath, "Found the right place!"
Fang Hong couldn't help but glare at him. He actually felt a bit embarrassed, as the scene felt like he was playing a villain. But it was a matter of urgency, and he wasn't truly planning to harm anyone; it was just a performance. However, he was wary about saying too much and revealing their intent, and he certainly didn't want to involve the unrelated maidservants.
He had noticed the 'Noble Lady' on the bed early on, and he walked straight through the maidservants, grabbing her hand.
At the instant the explosion occurred, Lima was already terrified, cowering into a small ball on the bed, trembling helplessly—she immediately recalled the stories the young lady had told her, fearing a monster would emerge from the darkness and gobble her up whole.
And just at this moment, someone suddenly pulled her from the bed, and although not much force was used, Lima felt certain she would die in the next moment. Tears gushed forth, and she cried out, "Wahh, I don't want to die, please don't eat me."
Fang Hong almost turned to stone.
He instinctively reviewed his actions, wondering if he really seemed so frightening. He had merely pulled her from the bed, and gently at that. He looked at the girl, now a tearful mess, rendered speechless for a moment—the Noble Lady's timidness was beyond his expectations, unlike Hilveld or the Princess, but after a moment of surprise, he understood.
The secluded Noble Ladies people imagined tended to be like this, whereas someone like Hilveld might indeed be an exception.
Luckily, Tianlan and the others hadn't witnessed this scene; otherwise, he'd likely be labeled as someone bullying a little girl.
Fang Hong himself felt somewhat embarrassed—he wasn't skilled in such 'technical tasks' and didn't often play the bad guy. Watching a little girl sitting on the bed, wailing, he found himself at a loss, instinctively turning to Luo Hao. Luo Hao looked at the scene in speechless amazement, shook his head, and had no choice but to step forward.
To no one's surprise, as he approached, Lima became even more frightened by this 'unpleasant-looking' stout fellow, crying even harder. Luo Hao stuttered, his steps faltering in mid-air.
Seeing this, Fang Hong realized this guy was also unreliable. Having no other choice, he turned back and spoke softly to the girl in front of him, "Miss Lavali, please calm down. We won't harm you, at least for now."
It was only a temporary assurance.
Upon hearing this, Lima sniffled and cried slightly less loudly.
She secretly peeked at Fang Hong, noticing he didn't look particularly fierce, and was human, seemingly not intending to eat her, thus barely calming down a little. But thinking Fang Hong had likely come here with ill intent, sadness welled up, and she began sobbing again.
She cried while saying, "Wahh, I'm, I'm not the young lady, you must have mercy on me."
Fang Hong paused, thinking this girl's timidity was accompanied by cleverness, immediately understanding to lie to them. Although most people at such times might think of escape strategies, given her frightened state, her quick thinking revealed innate acumen.
But he didn't believe it for a second.
Only a fool would.
Seeing her calm down, he didn't intend to continue the exchange with the young girl because he merely planned to use her to stage a performance. His real concern was dealing with those outside, not the unrelated individuals inside. As long as they stayed quiet, he'd be satisfied.
At this critical moment, it was best not to provoke anyone.