The butler's gaze on me shifted.

Before, he'd looked at the other players with cold contempt. Now, his eyes held something else.

"Miss," he said. His voice was no longer robotic. It was full of human concern. "Are you sure you want to choose this room? His Highness... hasn't had a guest in a very, very long time."

I nodded and picked up the ice-cold card. "Thank you for the warning. I'm sure."

A shocked murmur went through the crowd.

"She's insane! The final boss lives on the top floor!"

"Poor girl. We won't even find her body tomorrow."

The livestream chat was mocking me relentlessly.

[LMAO, is this newbie here for comic relief?]

[The Prince's Suite! That room has a 100% death rate!]

[The last pro who went in there didn't even last ten minutes!]

[I bet she dies tonight. Any takers?]

I couldn't see the mocking comments. I just gave everyone a polite wave and followed a ghostly attendant to the elevator.

"This way, please." The attendant's voice was surprisingly respectful.

The elevator slowly climbed. As we passed each floor, I could hear terrifying sounds from within—the roar of a beast, a woman's scream, the drag of heavy chains.

The other players would have been petrified.

But for a girl who grew up with countless guardian angels, I was just curious. "Does a different friend live on every floor?" I asked the attendant.

The attendant paused, then gave a slight chuckle. "Yes. A loyal... friend is waiting on every floor."

[Floor 30]

The elevator doors opened onto a long hall with a deep red carpet.

The walls were lined with old oil paintings. The eyes of the people in them seemed to follow me.

Candles on the wall flickered, though there was no breeze, casting dancing shadows.

"Your room is at the end of the hall, Miss," the attendant said with a bow. "If you need anything, simply call for us."

His tone was completely different. The malicious sneer was gone. Now, it was genuine respect.

My steps were silent on the soft carpet. I actually started to feel relaxed.

The place felt a little gloomy, but the decor was gorgeous. Deep red velvet curtains. Intricately carved Gothic furniture. Everything had a touch of aristocratic elegance.

It was just like the old castles Dad used to take me to see.

At the end of the hall, a massive, black double door waited for me.

It was carved with complex magical symbols. A dark red gem was set in the center, like a sleeping eye.

I took a deep breath and knocked softly on the door.

Silence.

I hesitated. Then I spoke softly to the door:

"Excuse me? Is anyone in there? They... they assigned me this room. I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

My voice sounded tiny in the vast, empty hall.

Still, nothing but silence.

Maybe no one was inside after all?

Taking a deep breath for courage, I reached for the handle, ready to push it open.

But before my fingers could even touch the metal, the door swung open on its own, slow and silent.

It was pitch black inside. I couldn't see a thing.

An icy chill spilled from the doorway. It carried the stench of old graves and rot.

I stepped into the room, fumbling along the wall for a light switch.

Suddenly, a little girl's shrill scream tore through the room.

"Aaaaaah—!"

A small, soaking wet figure with long, tangled hair lunged at me from the darkness!

Her eyes were a dead, lifeless white. Her mouth was stretched wide in a horrifying shriek.

A wave of pure hatred rolled off her, so cold it burned the air.

The chat stirred to life again.

[Here we go! Classic jump scare!]

[That's one of the manor's most vicious ghosts! It feeds on the players' fear!]

[This newbie is toast! She won't even have time to react!]

[I can already picture her getting torn to shreds...]

But I didn't scream. I didn't run.

Of course, my heart condition chose that exact moment to flare up. The pain was so bad I could barely stand.

The moment the little girl lunged, even through my blurred vision, I saw her face clearly—that pale little face, the features were faintly familiar.

Wait... could that be Lily?!

She was my only friend growing up! We played in the garden, shared secrets... my most precious playmate.

Until she vanished one day. I was heartbroken for so long.

So... this is where you've been.

A wave of shock and heartache crashed over me, so powerful it eclipsed the pain in my chest.

"Lily!" The name burst from my lips. Without a second thought, I opened my arms and caught her as she flew at me, pulling her into a tight hug. "Oh my god, you're soaking wet! You must be freezing, poor thing."

The ghost girl froze mid-attack. Held in my arms, her dead white eyes were filled with a shock and confusion she'd never known.

Feeling how ice-cold she was, my heart ached for her.

"Don't be scared, don't be scared, it's me, Aurora!" I whispered, stroking her wet hair, my voice trembling with emotion. "I missed you so much... I'm so glad I found you. This time, let me be the one to protect you, okay?"

I slipped off my Hermès cashmere scarf and carefully wrapped it around her small frame. "This will help you warm up. How about I make you some hot cocoa later? The kind with lots of marshmallows."

Lily just stared, stunned.

The venom and hate in her eyes were melting away, replaced by a flicker of light, as if a long-lost memory was stirring.

"A...Aurora...?" Her voice was no longer a terrifying shriek, but the lost, hopeful whisper of a little girl.

She finally recognized me. Her voice was barely a whisper, choked with a sob. "Sister Aurora... it's really you..."

My heart swelled with a sweet ache. I was about to melt from the cuteness.

The Lily I remembered from childhood used to follow me around like a shy little shadow, so sweet and adorable.

I never thought that after all these years, she’d turn into a ghost and her cuteness level would actually double!

This was, without a doubt, the best reunion ever!

I settled Lily by the fireplace to get warm. Just then, the robotic voice sounded again:

[Initial Players: 40; Survivors: 25.]

Fifteen players. Dead already. And all they did was pick a room.

I opened the system panel and squinted at the screen to read the small text.

Players were swapping intel in the main channel, talking about how the others died.

[Muscly_Tommy]: Holy shit! The werewolf on the third floor tore that football player to pieces! Blood all over the walls!

[Sister_Sarah]: Dear God... that poor boy, his insides were...

[Veteran_Frank]: My fear level is already at 55%. We're all going to die at this rate!

[Seminary_Student_Mark]: And the guy on the tenth floor! He stepped into his room and just... vanished! Not even a body left!

[Livestream Chat]

[Hahaha, the noobs' fear levels are skyrocketing.]

[It's only the first night and so many are dead already.]

[What about the little princess on the top floor? Why is she so quiet in the chat?]

[Probably torn to shreds. Can't exactly type when you're in pieces.]

I frowned at the comms panel.

"Why are they so mean?" I whispered, hugging Lily closer. "Torn to shreds? That sounds so painful."

Lily looked up at me. A flash of something... protective?... flickered in her once-dead eyes.

She whispered, "Don't be scared, sister. Lily will protect you."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so happy to hear you say that!" I nuzzled her cheek affectionately. "But you're so tiny now. It's my turn to protect you!"

Suddenly, the lights in the room flickered on.

I looked around. It was a ridiculously luxurious suite.

Deep red velvet curtains hung to the floor. The antique furniture looked priceless.

"Wow, this room is beautiful!" I said. "It's just a little dirty."

The carpet was dusty and covered in dark red stains.

"Lily, look at all these red wine stains. The last guests must have been clumsy. Let's clean them up!"

Lily just stared. Those "wine stains" were the dried blood of the room's last visitors. But she didn't say anything. She just nodded.

I pulled some wet wipes from my little pouch. It was part of a travel kit my mom had packed for me, for any kind of emergency.

"Come on, let's clean the room! It'll be like playing house!"

I knelt on the carpet and started carefully wiping at a stain.

Lily crouched beside me, using her small, cold hands to help me move the furniture.

"This room must be very popular," I said, still scrubbing. "I hope everyone who stayed here had fun."

[Livestream Chat]

[WTF... is this newbie for real or is she just playing dumb?]

[She's cleaning up bloodstains! And calling them wine stains!]

[And that terrifying ghost is actually HELPING her clean???]

[What is this plot twist? I've watched so many streams and I've NEVER seen anything like this!]

An hour later, the room was spotless.

Exhausted, I collapsed onto the soft, massive bed. My heart was pounding from the exertion.

"You must be tired too, Lily. Want to sleep with me?"

The little ghost girl hesitated, then nodded shyly and slipped under the covers.

Her body was like a block of ice. I hugged her tighter instinctively, trying to warm her with my own body heat.

The Hermès cashmere scarf clearly wasn't enough.

She must be so uncomfortable being this cold, right?

After Lily settled into a peaceful "sleep" in my arms, I carefully slipped out of bed.

I wanted to see if I could find another blanket.

I quietly opened the suite door and peeked out. The hallway was silent, lit only by the flickering candlelight.

I tiptoed out, searching the corridor for something like a storage room.

Just as I rounded a corner, I heard suppressed sobs coming from a half-open lounge not far away.

Curious, I crept closer and peeked through the crack in the door. My breath caught in my throat.

Inside, the arrogant veteran players, Jessica and Brad, were on their knees, covered in blood.

A menacing-looking nurse NPC was closing in on them, brandishing a giant syringe as thick as my arm with a vicious sneer.

"Please, don't take my blood..." Jessica sobbed, tears streaming down her face, all her previous confidence gone.

"We... we can get someone else for you!" Brad shouted in terror. "Use a newbie's blood! A newbie's is fresher!"

Just then, his gaze shot through the crack in the door and landed right on me.

Brad's eyes lit up as if he'd seen his savior.

He scrambled to point at me and shrieked at the nurse, "Her! Use her blood! She's the newbie on the top floor who doesn't know anything!"

Before the words even faded, he struggled to his feet, pulled a dagger from his belt, and charged at me with Jessica, their faces twisted in fury!

My mind went blank. I spun around and ran.

My heart pounded like a war drum in my chest as I sprinted back the way I came, but the sound of footsteps and curses grew closer and closer.

In a blind panic, my foot slipped. I lost my balance and pitched forward with a scream—

Thud!

I didn't hit the floor. Instead, I slammed into a man's hard chest, and the world spun.

"I'm sorry, handsome! Sorry! I didn't mean it!" I scrambled to find my footing, babbling apologies. "There are people trying to kill me! I... I wasn't looking, I'm so sorry, I have a heart condition..."

My apology died in my throat.

A well-defined, unnaturally pale hand was steadying my shoulder, keeping me from falling.

And on that hand was a ring I knew all too well.

My gaze traveled rigidly from the ring, slowly upward, until I met a pair of deep red eyes.

The man was looking down at me with great interest, a playful smile tugging at his lips.

"Isn't... isn't that the engagement ring my family had for my fiancé?" I stared up at him, asking dazedly. "Why... why do you have it?"