The gardener did not return as quickly as expected.
Just as Claire was losing patience and was about to send the Lizard Maid to the graveyard, the abhorrent, stitched Little Gardener arrived at the estate, delivering a letter from the gardener.
The wind blew away the pervasive stench of rot from the surface of the letter. Claire unfolded the letter in front of Lu Li. The graceful, elegant handwriting seemed as though penned by a noblewoman rather than stitched-together abhorrent flesh.
Lu Li recalled the pale woman's arm holding a dagger he'd seen earlier.
The letter stated that the gardener had discovered surveillance—the Viscount's servant, the Bat Monster, was hanging upside down outside the crypt. If they didn't want to be discovered, they should avoid contact for now.
"I never realized the gardener was so clever..." Claire inserted the letter into the slit of Lu Li's cat paw. "I thought it would slip up and expose us. Could it be that the gardener is like me?"
