Chapter 654

"This is harder than I imagined…" "At this rate, how are we supposed to find twenty candles? Being tied together is so uncomfortable." The complaints echoed through the villa’s echoing corridors. Compared to their initial excitement at the castle gates, the guests now looked visibly drained and irritable. What had seemed like a fun challenge was quickly becoming an exercise in frustration. They had underestimated the difficulty. Bound wrist to wrist, partners stumbled into each other, pulled in opposite directions, or froze altogether when neither wanted to yield. The lack of coordination turned every hallway into an obstacle course. Forget finding candles—just managing to walk in a straight line felt like dragging around dead weight. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over their heads, extinguishing their enthusiasm. One by one, they began to grumble, their voices pitched in half-joking tones that only thinly masked their frustration. The live chat pounced immediately