Chapter 518 + 25 BONUS

“Shh. Don’t poke your nose where it doesn’t belong,” said Pedro. The guard swiftly clamped a hand over his mouth. Marion heard the sound and wrapped an arm around Debra’s waist. She glanced down at his hand, her eyebrows knitting together.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing. Just making sure you don’t fall.”

Debra brushed his hand away. “Behave yourself.”

Marion smiled. “Anything you say.”

On their way back, Debra examined the key in her hand, her fingers tracing the intricate craftsmanship. It was clearly an antique, the lock’s shape rare and distinctive.

“Let’s go to the old house. I want to check the ancestral hall.”

“Ralph mentioned there was nothing valuable there, or perhaps the value lies not in what’s hidden but in the secret itself.”

“Since my father valued the ancestral hall so much when he was alive, there must be something important hidden there. Ralph might not have found it because it’s not obvious.”

Debra recalled her visits to the ancestral hall as a child. She remembered her initial curiosity, but beyond that, she hadn’t given the hall much thought.

Seeing her furrowed brow, Marion gently tapped her forehead.

“Hey, don’t overthink it. We have the key now. We’ll find out what’s inside eventually.”

“I’m doing this for you, and now you’re telling me not to think too much?”

“You’re right, as always.”

“Stop flattering me.”

When they arrived, Debra and Marion walked hand in hand toward the ancestral hall. Debra inserted the key into the lock, and with a click, it opened. Relieved, she looked back at Marion, and together they stepped inside.

The hall was thick with dust, untouched for years. Debra coughed, waving a hand in front of her face to disperse the cloud. Marion moved ahead, examining the candlesticks that hadn’t been maintained in ages.

Debra surveyed the room. “Since Ralph took over, we haven’t been back. This place should be just as it was a few years ago.”

The hall bore signs of having been searched, the remnants of Ralph’s futile efforts to uncover its secrets. Debra frowned, her eyes scanning the family tablets.

“It’s so small here. What could be hidden?”

Marion ran his hands along the walls, crouching down to tap the floor tiles. The ground seemed solid, yielding no hidden compartments. He started to believe nothing important was there.