The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 186: The Wax Figure

The piercing, fear-filled scream echoed through the grand hall, shaking every guest to their core, causing an uncontrollable wave of fear to wash over them.

Painter Malon, sensitive to such emotions, turned his pale and unhealthy face toward Count Poufer, asking with concern:

"What's happening?"

At that moment, Count Poufer had a slight frown, looking somewhat confused. Hearing Malon's question, he snapped back to reality and smiled nonchalantly:

"Probably just a minor accident. I'll have a servant check it out. Don't worry, it won't affect us. What could possibly go wrong?"

After speaking, Count Poufer motioned for his personal valet, stationed in the corner of the grand hall, to investigate the source of the scream.

Then he addressed the guests: 
"Carry on, carry on."

While speaking, the member of the Soren family glanced at Lumiere.

Since the moment he had offered the gold bars, he had been observing every action and expression of this "Emperor," trying to figure out why it was Lumiere, not him, who had received the piece of King cake with the coin.

Lumiere, enduring the faint madness within him, turned to Painter Malon and said: 
"Paint a picture with your butt."

As the king of pranks in Cordu Village, he had a wide arsenal of ideas, more than enough to assign every participant a task they would find "unforgettable."

But this was not the primary concern weighing on Lumiere's mind. The bloody spirit swirling above the sofa area troubled him greatly.

This strange and terrifying presence had not left despite being unable to invade Lumiere's body. It continued hovering overhead, spreading irritability, bloodlust, and aggression.

Lumiere suspected that the earlier scream was somehow related to the presence of this lingering, crazed spirit.

Malon, who was handsome but pale and exhausted, was stunned when he first heard the command to paint with his butt, unsure of what to do.

Arnold and the others, having completed their own tasks and not wanting others to escape the same fate, eagerly joined in the fun. They excitedly ordered the servants to bring paints and a canvas, even offering to "help" Malon undo his belt.

Unable to avoid it, Malon had paint applied to his backside and pressed it against the canvas several times, creating a crude piece resembling a child's scribbles.

Seeing this, Arnold was suddenly inspired:

"We should frame this and send it to the art critics. Let's see what they say about such a masterpiece. 
"We'll sign it 'Emperor,' and for the title, Malon, any ideas?"

While wiping his backside, avoiding the gaze of the crowd, Malon thought for a moment and replied: 
"Let's call it 'Café.'"

"What does that even mean?" asked Cornell, editor-in-chief of *The Little Trier* newspaper, intrigued.

"It means nothing. It's just a word that popped into my head," Malon shrugged as he finished cleaning up and pulled up his pants. "This painting itself has no meaning."

As they continued discussing, Count Poufer's personal valet returned to the grand hall and whispered a few words into his master's ear.

Under the influence of the lingering "Blood Emperor" spirit, Lumiere, even when fully focused, could barely make out a few key words from the servant's report: 
"Missing... harmed... danger..."