Walter's mother was slowly recovering, and the whole family was in high spirits. They were led inside by a servant to greet the elders and then went to Walter's private quarters, but he was conspicuously absent.

"Is Walter not home?" Effie asked the maid nearby.

The maid quickly lowered her head, looking very nervous.

Lilah observed the situation with suspicion. What was going on with him?

Effie had come all this way, yet he was still too cowardly to even show his face.

"I'm going to confront him, " Effie declared, making her way to Walter's bedroom on the second floor.

"Miss Zhan, sir is not there, " the maid began to say but then stopped, as if keeping a secret for Walter.

Effie was immediately infuriated. "Then where is he? Speak clearly!"

The maid was startled, not daring to refuse. "He, he's over there. Miss Zhan, our sir said no one should disturb him. He's been busy recently, but no one knows what he's doing."

Even Lilah found the situation odd.

"I'm going to find him, " Effie said, now fuming. "I want to see what he's so busy with."

At the small building to the west, the door was tightly shut.

Before going up, Effie rang the bell, but no one answered.

Frustrated, she started banging on the door.

Before long, someone inside, annoyed, finally opened it with a scowl, "What on earth."

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw the person in front of him clearly and his face turned pale with shock.

Effie also got a good look at Walter at that moment.

Wow, what a sight! An artist, perhaps?

Walter was dressed entirely in black, but his black shirt was stained with various paints, creating a bizarre and colorful pattern. He looked particularly odd.

His face seemed unwashed for days, a dull gray, with dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept for several nights.

"What happened to you." Effie asked, surprised at how strange Walter had become, noticing a strange smell emanating from him.

In a panic, Walter instinctively tried to close the door, but Effie was quicker, grabbing the doorknob. "Explain yourself. What are you doing in there?"

"I, I didn't. Let go, let me explain after you let go." Walter was almost incoherent, simultaneously blocking Effie and using his body to prevent her from seeing inside.

"I'm giving you one last chance. If you don't speak up, we're done, " Effie said sternly, her face serious.