In a remote and secluded mountain area, there stands an ancient castle. The history of this castle can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It has witnessed countless wars, conspiracies, and love-hate affairs. The erosion of time has made the castle walls covered with moss. The spire towers look a bit weather-beaten in the wind and rain, and the surrounding thick forests add a rather eerie atmosphere to it.
Nowadays, this ancient castle has been purchased by a wealthy merchant named Charles. Charles is an avid antique collector. He took a fancy to the unique historical charm and seclusion of the castle and transformed it into his private residence, where he has collected a large number of precious antique artifacts.
On a stormy night, Charles held a grand party in the castle. Celebrities from all walks of life were invited. They were dressed in gorgeous costumes, dancing gracefully in the castle hall and enjoying delicious food and fine wine. However, behind this seemingly joyous atmosphere, there was an undercurrent of unrest.
Detective Jack, a private detective known for his intelligence and sharp insight, was also invited. He originally came to attend this social event but unexpectedly got involved in a thrilling murder case.
That night, as the party went on into the late hours, the guests gradually dispersed. The next morning, when the servants went to wake Charles up for breakfast, they found his room empty. After a search, they found some suspicious marks at the entrance of a secret room deep in the castle. The people worked together to open the door of the secret room, and the scene in front of them was shocking: Charles was lying on the ground, his face pale and lifeless. There was a bloody dagger beside him, and he also had some minor external injuries. But from the color of his lips and his body's reaction, it was obvious that he had died of poisoning.
Jack quickly arrived at the scene and started his investigation. He first questioned all the people in the castle that night, including ten guests and several servants.
One of the guests, Mrs. Alicia, was a socialite. She claimed that she had gone back to her room to rest after the party and hadn't heard any abnormal noises. But Jack noticed that her eyes flickered when answering questions, as if she was hiding something.
Another guest, Mr. Benjamin, was an antique dealer. He had some business dealings with Charles in the past, and there seemed to be some conflicts of interest between them. Mr. Benjamin insisted that he had nothing to do with the case. He just came to the party and discussed some business matters with Charles by the way.
There was also a mysterious guest named Lucas. His identity was unknown, and he seldom interacted with others. But Jack found that he seemed very familiar with the layout of the castle, and on the night of the incident, someone saw him wandering in the castle corridor, and his behavior was very suspicious.
During the investigation, Jack found some strange clues. For example, there were some faint scratches on the window of the secret room, as if someone had tried to open the window from the outside. And in Charles's study, there was an ancient book that was opened, with some strange symbols and words marked on it. These symbols and words seemed to be related to an ancient secret organization.
Jack began to suspect that this murder case was not a simple revenge or robbery for wealth. There might be a deeper conspiracy behind it. He decided to further investigate the background of each suspect and their relationships with Charles.
As the investigation deepened, more secrets gradually emerged. It turned out that Mrs. Alicia had had a relationship with Charles in the past, but later she was abandoned by Charles, so she held a grudge. And Mr. Benjamin had suffered heavy losses in an antique deal because Charles had deceived him. He had always been looking for an opportunity to get revenge.
As for Lucas, his true identity was a member of an ancient secret organization. This organization had been looking for a mysterious treasure hidden in the castle. They believed that Charles had found the clue to the treasure, so they sent Lucas to investigate. If Charles refused to hand over the treasure, they would get rid of him.
However, these clues seemed too obvious. Jack felt that things were not that simple. He began to reexamine every detail and found some overlooked clues. For example, in the castle garden, there was some freshly turned soil, and there seemed to be something hidden underneath. Also, beside Charles's body, there was a strange strand of hair that didn't belong to anyone or any animal in the castle.
Jack followed these clues and finally uncovered an astonishing truth. It turned out that the real murderer was Charles's personal butler, named Thomas. Thomas seemed to be loyal to Charles on the surface, but in fact, he had been secretly plotting a conspiracy.
Many years ago, Thomas's family used to own this castle. But due to a misfortune, the castle was taken away by Charles, and his family declined. Thomas had always wanted to take back the castle and avenge his family. After learning that the ancient secret organization was looking for the treasure, he deliberately left those clues about the secret organization in Charles's study to mislead Jack and others.
Taking advantage of his familiarity with the castle, on the night of the party, when Charles went back to the secret room to check the treasure, he secretly sneaked into the secret room, stabbed Charles with a dagger, and then fed him the poison he had prepared in advance. After that, he faked the scene of the secret room, trying to make people think that it was an unsolvable secret room murder case.
After the truth was revealed, Thomas was brought to justice. The castle regained its former tranquility, but the murder case that night became an eternal legend in people's mouths, always reminding people that there were countless secrets and dangers hidden in this ancient castle.
As time passed, Jack continued his detective career, and the castle still stood quietly in the mountain area, as if narrating its long and mysterious history. Everyone who passed by would be attracted by its unique charm, but at the same time, they would also feel a bit of fear and curiosity about the murder case that had happened.