Chapter 1823

chapter1823

Vivian arrived at a quiet part of town, far from the usual bustle, heading straight to meet Manfred. This time, he wasn't in the rundown storage shed or the shabby, isolated courtyard. Instead, he was in a newly furnished room, warm and well- organized.

Since there were others present besides Manfred, Vivian decided to remain silent, holding her belongings and standing quietly by the side.

Seated in the room were Zea and Randall, both with grim expressions. Zea, though well-kept, had a pale, weary complexion. She looked as if she hadn't slept well, or perhaps something was weighing heavily on her mind. The maids stood in silence, heads lowered, not daring to speak.

Manfred stood before her. His new clothes hung loosely on his frame, ill-fitting but still an improvement from when she first saw him. He had gained a little weight and no longer looked as gaunt.

"Manfred, was it you? Did you bring a female ghost to harm Cyril?" Randall's voice was sharp with accusation.

Zea's grip tightened on the armrest of her chair; her face contorted with anger as she pointed at Manfred. "Randall, it must be him! He's always been strange. When he was a child, he said he could see ghosts that we couldn't. As he grew older, he became even more sinister.

"Wherever he goes, misfortune follows. Most brothers protect their younger siblings, but him-he only wishes for Cyril's death!"

Her face twisted in rage at the thought of Cyril never becoming a real man. The idea repulsed her. She had always planned to rely on Cyril in the future.

She was determined not to let Manfred get away with it.

Manfred's expression darkened. "If you suspect me, then go ahead and report it to the authorities."

"Report it? Are you trying to disgrace our family?" Randall slammed his fist on the table in frustration.

He had only two sons, and Cyril, the one he had doted on, was now broken. If this situation became public, it would be a disgrace. He could never show his face in public again.

"Randall, there's no need to ask him. It must be him! Only he could have summoned those spirits to harm people. Use the family rules on him, and let's see if he dares to lie again.

"The priest I hired said our house is haunted, and those spirits must have been summoned by him. If it weren't for these ghosts, Cyril would never have gotten hurt. Cyril was our hope, and now he's been ruined by him!" Zea cried, her tears streaming down her face.

Her tears had been for show in the past, but this time, her sorrow was genuine. She hadn't slept in days, exhausted and drained. Despite consulting numerous doctors, the prognosis remained the same. Cyril would never recover. He could never live as a normal man again.

A man who could never live normally was no different from a palace servant. Worse still, Cyril had been crying, screaming that he wanted to die.

Zea was physically and emotionally drained, unable to bear seeing Manfred whom she had tormented for years alive and healthy, while Cyril was a shell of his former self. The hatred in her heart was near to exploding.

Manfred's expression remained unchanged, as though the accusations from Randall and Zea were meaningless.

Randall's unease grew under Manfred's cold stare. "What's with that look? Do you even know who hurt Cyril?"

Manfred's voice was colder than the snow outside. "You say it's a ghost, so it must be one."

Soon, he would be the very ghost coming to take their lives.

Suddenly, he caught a familiar scent in the air.