Lupin III Fan Fiction ❯ Curse of Lighthouse Rock ❯ The Truth reveled ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

It would have taken Fujiko two hours to find the dining room if a suit of armor hadn't escorted her there in twenty minutes. She thanked him and he bowed saying it was his pleasure."It seems everyone got lost," Lupin smiled, seemingly back to his old self."Really?" Fujiko asked, sitting down looking around at the others."Yeah. I had a soldier in a picture give me directions," Jigen said ,leaning back, folding his arms across his chest.He was still in a bad mood over something but Lupin didn't notice."I was lead here by a pretty little girl in a nightdress," Goemon blushed a little."That was my great-great aunt Heather. She was killed when a fire broke out in the East wing," Lupin said."How'd you get here Fujiko?" Jigen asked ,clearing his throat."I got escorted by a suit of armor,” She laughed.Lupin's smile widened. The Frenchman rested his head on his hands ,elbows on the table, a queer gleam coming into his eyes. They looked at him, expecting him to speak. For several minutes no one spoke. It was quiet .Uncomfortably quiet. There was no noise what so ever. No birds ,no cars . Nothing. Perfect and absolute silence. All that could be heard was the old grandfather clock that stood in a corner of the room."Lupin. Is there something you want to say?" Goemon was the first to speak."I believe I owe you all an explanation,” the thief answered ,leaning back, and looking very gentleman-like. There was a reason he was called the gentleman thief like his father and grandfather before him."Like hell you do. Start explaining," Jigen ordered ."Snowmane has been in my family since the 1800's .It ,like the brooch, was my mother's. It came to me ,according to her will. It's said that this house was cursed by the members of Mother's family that passed on. No one ,like my father because he was greedy, was safe in this house.......""As are we all," Jigen mumbled, and their friend and host continued paying no attention to Jigen's mumblings and mutterings."......my father, he stole because he had the talent. He did it for the thrill and didn't care if someone gets hurt. In this house women had a tendency to turn up missing and men had a tendency to turn up dead. He didn't trust Snowmane even then. Snowmane protects those who do as they must to live. Like us,” the smile grew."Yes but I think we are here for a reason other then your brooch my friend," Goemon replied.Lupin's happy expression did not change,” I thought it best to stay here .I feel comfortable in this house. And I wanted to see Helen.""You're hiding something Lupin .Tell us the truth," Jigen said."Yeah .There's no reason for you to keep secrets. You rarely do. Please," Fujiko begged.Lupin's happy expression changed ,the smile faded and a sadness fell into his eyes. He certainly wasn't himself anymore."I’m dying,” he said solemnly.
His friends stared at him in disbelief.
“Let me start at the beginning. Snowmane Manor was completed on April 2,1802. My great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather gave that brooch to his youngest daughter ,not because they had just moved in ,but because it was also her birthday. She made a promise that the brooch would stay in the family ,passing to the youngest child only. About a quarter of the way through the party , an elderly nun knocked on the doors. She was soaked because it was raining out and she was welcomed in. My family gave her fresh clothes and allowed her to join the celebration. Out of gratitude ,the nun put a spell on the brooch that is both a blessing and a curse. It’s engraved on the back:” May this brooch give luck and happiness to you and those dearest to your heart. May it guide when you are lost and advice when needed. And to those who seek to steal this most precious heart, may calamity and death fall upon them. Should this brooch ever be stolen, the next heir has until their twenty-eighth birthday to retrieve it or they shall pas through the fire and perish,” he paused.” I fell ill not long before we got back together. I’ll be twenty-eight soon. My birthday’s in a few weeks.”
Fujiko wrapped her arms around his neck and began to cry. He hugged her saying,” Don’t cry. Everything will be fine. I promise.”
Converting /tmp/php9ksZCu to /dev/stdout