After Ophelia suddenly disappeared.
The tremors in the entire manor grew increasingly violent, and in addition to that, there were many other unexpected and bizarre changes.
For instance, objects suddenly floating in the air, the increasingly darkening sky outside the windows, and the eerie, inexplicable sounds of flesh squirming.
"What's going on? What happened??"
The maids were all panicking.
"Where is Her Highness? Where is she?"
Several black-clad shadow guards suddenly emerged from the room, their usually cold and stern faces now filled with confusion.
"I don't know where Her Highness has gone..." Caroline said, suddenly pointing out the window in even greater shock.
"Look..."
"The sun... it's gone..."
Outside the manor, the entire sky had darkened, and the world seemed to have plunged into night.
The maids and shadow guards stared in disbelief at the scene before them.
"How is this possible..." the lead shadow guard muttered to himself, "This shouldn't be happening... How could Her Highness possess such power?"
Head maid Caroline looked around in shock.
In the four years since she had followed Her Highness, she had never seen anything like this. The entire world seemed to have turned strange.
As she gazed at the scene before her, Caroline couldn't help but recall the rumors about the Fifth Princess that had been whispered in the palace, the ones that everyone avoided mentioning...
She was an embodiment of misfortune. On the day she was born, strange phenomena appeared in the sky.
She would bring about the downfall of the empire.
Caroline had always dismissed these rumors as baseless. Her Highness, though exceptionally talented, was just a young girl. How could she possibly shake the foundations of such a vast empire?
But today, it seemed she had finally caught a glimpse of the true nature of the princess, the side she had always deliberately hidden—the side that instilled fear in everyone.
Her true power.
As everyone was in a state of panic, Luo Wei, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.
"This isn't real," he said slowly.
The maids and shadow guards turned to look at him.
As the person most familiar with Ophelia in the room, Luo Wei had been observing the changes around him.
"Or rather, it's not entirely real..."
He left the room and walked down the corridor, each step he took on the wooden floor producing a sound that didn't belong to it.
It was as if he were stepping on soft, disgusting pieces of flesh.
It was very similar to what he had seen when he first used the [Insight Eye] to glimpse the truth of the Dreamlands.
The eerie and terrifying entities of the Dreamlands were now interfering with reality.
"Mr. Luo Wei! Please wait!!"
The lead shadow guard and Caroline immediately caught up to Luo Wei, still faithfully carrying out their duties.
"Where is Her Highness now? We need to find her quickly!"
Luo Wei looked at the anxious Caroline and shook his head helplessly.
"If my thoughts are correct, and the Dreamlands are indeed invading reality..."
"Then we probably won't find her easily, because she is everywhere."
"What?" Caroline was stunned.
By now, Luo Wei had reached the main hall. He frowned as he looked around. Many squirming blood vessels were spreading like spiderwebs or mold, and the manor was increasingly resembling the "flesh hell" he had seen in the Dreamlands.
At the same time.
A chilling sense of being watched followed him like a shadow.
In this domain, Ophelia's will was everywhere. She was definitely watching him.
"What should we do..." Caroline anxiously grabbed Luo Wei's arm.
"Mr. Luo Wei, I admit I've done some things to you in the past that weren't very kind, but..."
She pleaded, "But Her Highness means no harm... Everything she's done has been for your sake. Please forgive her!!"
Luo Wei calmly looked at the dutiful head maid.
Her expression grew increasingly anxious.
"You're the one who knows her best! Please, think of something!"
"Can you make Her Highness stop? We can't let this continue! If the Emperor finds out..."
Her Highness had only just managed to convince the old Emperor that she was no longer a threat, and had even been granted some rare privileges.
If Her Highness continued like this...
If she caused another disaster, she would certainly not be let off easily in the future...
"I know..." Luo Wei sighed softly.
The power of the Dreamlands was spreading outward. Luo Wei looked toward the manor gates, unsure of how far the domain had extended, but outside, panicked screams were already rising.
Under the dark sky, chaos reigned outside the manor. Many servants were screaming as they ran toward the manor, pursued by grotesque, terrifying figures.
They had bloated, rotting bodies, long, sharp claws, and mouths filled with jagged fangs dripping with black ooze.
Ghouls.
Drawn by the Dreamlands, they were loyal followers of the ancient god Nodens, a particularly troublesome type of monster.
The moment the ghouls appeared, the shadow guards sprang into action.
They vanished from their spots in an instant, reappearing like shadows at every entrance to the manor.
The shadow guards were clearly not facing these monsters for the first time. Using their speed to their advantage, they rendered the ghouls' bulky bodies useless, their sharp claws and fangs always missing their mark.
The sounds of gunfire and blades piercing flesh filled the air, accompanied by roars and howls as one by one, the ghouls' massive heads fell to the ground.
But that alone wasn't enough.
Luo Wei looked outside again. More and more ghouls were appearing in his line of sight.
Even the maids had joined the fight, each showcasing their unique abilities.
Luo Wei saw Caroline beside him begin to chant a long, obscure incantation, and then the head of a ghoul charging toward her exploded, the stench of rot filling the air.
Another maid's muscles began to swell uncontrollably, tearing her maid uniform to shreds.
Luo Wei watched as she transformed into a two-meter-tall muscular powerhouse, roaring as she charged into the horde of ghouls...
All the manor's servants were trapped in the main hall, the fighters relentlessly attacking the ghouls.
Yet the number of ghouls showed no sign of decreasing; instead, they were growing more numerous...
Finally, one ghoul broke through the defenses and charged toward the panicked crowd.
Susan, who was skilled in cooking but knew nothing about combat, screamed in terror.
Just as the ghoul's fangs, dripping with black ooze, were about to sink into her, a flash of sharp crimson followed.
Luo Wei stood in front of Susan, his [Crimson Blade] slicing off the ghoul's massive head.
Caroline rushed over anxiously.
"The ghouls are getting more numerous! Shadow Guard, what should we do?"
Before the shadow guard could respond, Luo Wei immediately said, "As long as the Dreamlands continue, their numbers will only increase."
"Then... what should we do?" Susan, the cook, covered her mouth, crying in fear. "Are we going to die here... I don't want to die..."
Luo Wei looked at the chaotic crowd and shouted, "Leave this place! Otherwise, you're just waiting to die!"
"But there are more ghouls outside!" the shadow guard objected. "If we stay here, we can hold out until reinforcements arrive, or until Her Highness regains her senses..."
"By then, you'll already be a corpse," Luo Wei retorted, shooting him a glance before turning back to Caroline.
"Right now, immediately! Take everyone in the manor and leave this place. Get out of the range of the Dreamlands!"
"But..." Caroline hesitated.
Luo Wei immediately said, "Don't worry about the ghouls. They're not after you!"
"No, that's not it..." Caroline quickly shook her head. "What about Her Highness? Are we just going to abandon her?"
This was the main reason the shadow guard and head maid were reluctant to leave.
"Who said we're abandoning her?" Luo Wei looked at her and reassured her, "Don't worry, I'll stay here."