# Chapter 396: The Key Hidden in the Study
(To be revised later) "One space sealing prop sealed off the maze garden, two defense props on her person, and three attack props, though two of those were mental attack props that didn't work, and the other attack prop she didn't use." Mr. Dong evaluated objectively. "She had no intention of killing you."
Xu Huo's expression darkened slightly. Before the fight, her "Good Friend" value had indeed jumped to 9. Had she changed her mind midway?
But it seemed he would need to carry a stopwatch with him from now on. He hadn't realized that Butterfly Lady had not only worn props on her person but also planted other props in the garden. Advanced players were truly impossible to guard against.
"Thank you for last night," he said to Mr. Dong.
"No need to be polite," Mr. Dong replied, his expression unchanged. "But please be careful when you sleep. Butterfly Lady's props will give you nightmares."
"No wonder Duke Tal ran out. How is his bodyguard?" Xu Huo asked casually.
"Probably still having nightmares," Mr. Dong said. "I only woke Duke Tal."
Xu Huo raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling that although Mr. Dong was stern, he was indeed a genuine all-around butler. Even if he hadn't used the stopwatch tonight, a few more seconds and this man would have rescued him.
He looked up toward Butterfly Lady's room. The curtains that had been open moments ago were now tightly drawn. "Lost a prop in just a few minutes. I wonder if she'll be angry enough to tear down the house tonight."
Mr. Dong's face pulled downward at an even pace.
Xu Huo smiled and went back to his room to sleep.
A good night's rest, no surprises, no nightmares. When he came out of his room the next morning, he greeted Butterfly Lady with a smile as she was about to go downstairs.
Butterfly Lady smiled back. "Stealing two of my props. No wonder you became the heir of Rose Castle."
Hearing this, Xu Huo suddenly remembered that he had used "Hungry Greedy Snake" yesterday, and after using it, his stiff legs had immediately returned to normal. So he should have successfully stolen one of Butterfly Lady's props at that time, but he had completely forgotten about it afterward.
It seemed that "unable to immediately notice due to some mysterious reason" applied not only to the person being stolen from.
He didn't pursue the topic but instead asked, "Have you been to Rose Castle before?"
Butterfly Lady looked at him with amusement. "You don't even know He Pu's identity, yet you inherited Rose Castle?"
She added with a hint of mischief, "That butler definitely didn't tell you, did he? Want to know? If you do, trade me my props for it."
Xu Huo smiled. "Sorry, I don't want to know."
Butterfly Lady wasn't surprised by this answer. She simply said, "You're all strange people."
They had already reached the ground floor. Duke Tal was drinking tea in the tea room. When he saw Xu Huo, he said, "Stop keeping those spiders. I don't know if they're poisonous, but I couldn't sleep well all night. Young people inheriting their elders' things don't have to inherit their strange hobbies too."
"Those are my uncle's beloved possessions. I can't dispose of them casually. But I don't really like spiders either, so I plan to build a butterfly pavilion in the castle specifically for raising butterflies," Xu Huo said.
Duke Tal put down his teacup. "That's a good idea. Do you know how to raise them?"
"A little."
"Perfect timing then. I'm also planning to build a butterfly pavilion. Don't bother with yours—come help me with mine instead." Duke Tal turned to Butterfly Lady. "Madam, what do you think of my idea?"
"Sounds wonderful. Can I see it today?" Butterfly Lady smiled subtly.
"Yes!" Duke Tal immediately said. "There are many raised at the nature park. I'll have some brought over."
"Keeping them in bottles is boring. Why don't we go see them instead?" Butterfly Lady said. "I'd also like to visit Duke's residence."
Duke Tal's just-appeared smile froze. "The house is being renovated. I'm afraid I can't host guests."
"Then what should I do?" Butterfly Lady said. "I've already checked out of my hotel room, and I don't want to stay in a hotel anymore. There are too many people there, and the air is bad."
"Why not stay at my lakeside villa? The scenery there is beautiful."
Butterfly Lady looked at him with a half-smile. "As a guest, I can't visit the Duke's residence but instead stay at your pleasure villa? That doesn't seem appropriate."
There was a special pressure in her words.
"That's not suitable," Duke Tal finally remembered she was also a player. He changed his tune. "Then where would Madam like to stay? I'll have it arranged."
"This place is fine." Butterfly Lady's gaze swept toward Xu Huo. "The new heir is warm and hospitable—even came to deliver an umbrella for me in the middle of the night. I like it here. I plan to stay for a few days."
Duke Tal stared at Xu Huo with an unfriendly look.
Xu Huo pretended not to understand, exchanged a few polite words, and invited them both to stay, for as long as they liked.
Duke Tal certainly wanted to, but after a few phone calls came in, he dawdled for a while before finally leaving. Before going, he instructed Xu Huo to take care of Butterfly Lady—limited to care in public spaces only.
"He's overthinking things. Not everyone likes cradle-robbing." Xu Huo saw him off, then turned to look at the woman standing not far away. "You were friends with He Pu, so you must be quite old."
This didn't anger Butterfly Lady. She played with her fan. "Don't be nervous. I don't want to kill you right now. I'm staying here for a few days, and killing you would be inconvenient. Mr. Dong."
Mr. Dong silently walked over.
"Please prepare some guarantees for me. I want to go to the third-floor study to read," she said.
Mr. Dong said, "The third floor is the master's private area. It doesn't receive guests."
Butterfly Lady smiled. "Even if I want to go, you can't stop me."
"You need to obtain the master's consent," Mr. Dong replied.
Butterfly Lady looked at Xu Huo. "Young grass, is that okay?"
Five minutes later, the two were standing in the third-floor study. Butterfly Lady casually flipped through some potion research notes that Xu Huo had taken out. "These notes are all old."
"He's been dead for five years," Xu Huo said, following behind her as she walked confidently to the bookshelf, pulled out a hardcover "Complete Collection of Fairy Tales," flipped to a page, and lightly touched the spot where the word "Key" was written. A brass key appeared in her hand.
Xu Huo had searched this study more than once. He Pu's death and the appearance of the fake He Pu were both strange. The most likely place in this castle to hide secrets was the study, but he hadn't thought they would be hidden this way.
Butterfly Lady shook the key at him. "Do you know where the other thing is?"
With a key, of course, you needed to find a lock.
Xu Huo walked to the middle of the bookshelf and pulled out a book titled "Lock."
"There are many books with 'lock' in the title. How did you know it was this one?" Butterfly Lady asked.
"Intuition," Xu Huo replied vaguely.
Butterfly Lady didn't mind. She placed the key on it, and a keyhole appeared on the otherwise intact book cover. As it turned, a "click" sounded from somewhere in the study.