Welcome to the Rose Mansion - Chapter 114
Somehow, it felt familiar.
The way he put up walls first, afraid of being hurt or hurting someone else—it was exactly like how she used to be.
Richelle impulsively opened her mouth.
“Then, Young Master Otis.”
“…Yes?”
“Could you start calling me Richelle? I’ll call you Alan in return.”
The words came out far more easily than when she had suggested it to Rogéros. Even she was surprised by how naturally they flowed.
Ah, I see. At some point, I’ve let down my walls for this boy so much.
And you too…
“If you allow it, then sure.”
You’ve come to let me so close to you.
Alan awkwardly ruffled his hair. Richelle couldn’t help but laugh. She liked it—the way he was changing, the way she was changing.
The way they both were changing.
“Alan, I want to be a good person.”
“A good person? Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?”
“I’ve always hated myself.”
She used to think she was a coward. She despised how avoidant she was. Everything around her—herself included—was so unbearable that she had come to Bertrand on impulse.
Her experiences at Bertrand had been far from pleasant. But in the end, those experiences helped her grow.
Thanks to Rogéros’s support, she had started to hate herself a little less. It helped her take the first step toward change.
Her mother’s death had been horrible enough to make her want to die. But it also gave her the resolve not to live with regrets anymore.
And her father, whom she met in her dreams after so long, gave her the courage to move forward, to leave self-pity behind.
And then, meeting this boy, Alan Otis…
“Alan, you make me want to become a better person.”
She wanted to guide him. To be a lighthouse for him on the open sea. To be his umbrella in the storm.
Just like her precious people had done for her once upon a time.
You make me want to be better.
“…”
Alan was captivated by Richelle’s overflowing smile. Or perhaps it wasn’t just his gaze that was stolen.
“When we leave the mansion…”
Whenever he spoke, Richelle would look him in the eye, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. That simple act made him feel so content that he suddenly wanted to keep those green eyes forever by his side.
“No matter how long it takes, will you share your story with me?”
I want to be someone precious to you too.
Richelle, who had been quietly observing him, broke into a wide smile.
“I will.”
Seeing her smile, Alan Otis suddenly realized something.
It was the first time he had ever talked about life after leaving the mansion.
And Richelle quickly nodded, as if that simple fact filled her with so much joy that she couldn’t contain herself.
“Then you’ll have to share your story too, Alan.”
“…Alright.”
Let’s leave this mansion together, share more stories with each other, even the silly and boring ones.
Until we can become as close as one.
***
The two decided to stay in the kitchen until ‘their’ time ended at six in the morning.
There was much to discuss, such as how to open the entrance to the fourth floor.
“I can’t figure out what Rogéros is thinking.”
Richelle sighed, pressing her fingers to her forehead.
“It’s strange how much he hates the idea of us getting close to the fourth floor, but he’s leaving us alone now.”
The moment George Cameron had entered the kitchen, he’d been turned into that monstrous form. There was no reason for Rogéros to intervene since the door to the fourth floor was locked anyway.
And yet, now he was even giving orders to the roses, helping Richelle and Alan gain access to the kitchen. It was unsettling.
Alan tapped his oil lamp and replied indifferently.
“I told you, he’s a twisted bastard who enjoys crushing people’s hopes once they’ve inflated to the limit.”
“But I can’t help feeling like he has another motive. It makes me uneasy.”
She glanced over at Becky Dustin’s body lying in the corner of the kitchen. Alan gently turned her head back to him with his hand under her chin.
“Thinking about it won’t do any good. Rogéros is fickle. He’ll laugh sweetly at you one moment and slap you across the face the next—like a madman.”
Even as he recalled his bad memories, Alan’s expression remained indifferent. Richelle debated whether she should get angry on his behalf or offer him comfort.
In the end, there was only one conclusion.
“So, in the end, the only thing we can do is use this opportunity to push forward.”
To do whatever it took to escape the mansion together.
Richelle tapped the table.
“The key isn’t in the kitchen. Could it be that Rogéros has it?”
“That would be the worst-case scenario. But that guy doesn’t come into the kitchen, so it’s unlikely.”
“Then, where could the key be…?”
Suddenly, Madam Otis came to mind. She had supposedly been able to come and go from the fourth floor through the kitchen for a while.
But Richelle shook her head. Just mentioning it to Madam Otis lightly had caused a fit. Richelle couldn’t let the same situation happen again, knowing the risk.
“Where are the other keys usually kept in the mansion?”
“Well, normally, in any estate, the key rings would…”
Alan started answering automatically but suddenly paused. Both of them thought of the same person at the exact moment.
The answer to their question came out in a quiet groan.
“The head maid usually carries them…”
A new challenge awaited them.
