With a turn, Ariana was on the verge of abandoning the search for Theodore.

However, spotting footprints on the wet soil by the stream stretching inte the distance renewed her resolve.

Upon sighting the footprints, Ariana promptly grabbed the oil Lamp near the doorway and pursued them.

As she strolled along, she couldn't help but berate herself. Though she was angry about Theodore, she still could not let go of her overwhelming desire to Locate him.

The footprints led Ariana to a dense forest.

The secluded area was eerily quiet, with undeveloped woods behind the forest.

A wave of fear washed over Ariana, prompting her to tighten her coat and shout, "Theodore? Theodore, are you there? Theodore?"

Her calls were met with nothing but the echoing wind.

In the chilling silence of the night and the desolate forest, Ariana felt an escalating sense of foreboding.

She refrained from pushing further into the forest, steadying her emotions and gradually finding her calm.

Leaning against a tree trunk, Ariana thought back to Helen's revelations.

She remembered Helen mentioning that Marley was a servant's daughter in Theodore's mother's house, residing there since her childhood.

However, the administrator had mentioned the Stone House by the stream was inhabited by an elderly couple and their daughter.

If that Little girl was Marley, it suggested Helen was lying.

Yet, if Helen was honest, there was no reasonable explanation for Marley's name on the swing in the tiny garden

And what about the mysterious room on the fourth floor of the Anderson family mansion?

Clashing pieces of evidence clouded Ariana's mind, creating a chaotic web she struggled to untangle.

As she grappled with her thoughts, the abrupt echo of a wolf's cry resonated from the forest.

Ariana froze.

Could there actually be a wolf here?!