Welcome to the Rose Mansion - Chapter 126
Richelle and Alan fashioned a makeshift stretcher to carry the body of Jacqueline Otis.
The twins led the way as they made their journey toward the kitchen. Along the way, they passed by several roses that stared at them intently, but nothing attacked or hindered their progress.
By the time they reached the kitchen, the twins looked utterly exhausted.
“There’s really no fire, right?”
“The fire that devours everything is gone, right?”
The twins asked anxiously at the kitchen door. Alan ignored their pleading looks and marched into the kitchen. Richelle followed behind, nodding in reassurance to the twins, whose faces eased slightly with relief.
The kitchen, now abandoned, felt lifeless and dark. Richelle and Alan relied on the dim light from their oil lamp to find the door leading to the garden.
Above them, cold moonlight poured down.
“You know where the fifth garden is, don’t you?”
Alan gave a curt command to the twins.
“Lead the way.”
Without a word, the twins obeyed, pushing forward through the scent of roses.
Occasionally, in the distance, a long shadow swayed. The shadow moved with the slow, jerking motions of something made of paper, with long, spider-like limbs.
It was a shadow Richelle had seen before, often at night when she happened to glance out the window.
The creature wandered the garden, its pace slow and methodical. Richelle kept her eyes forward, determined not to meet its gaze.
A cold wind, sharp like a blade, swept through the air, mingling with the scent of roses. It cut through her skin and stabbed into her heart, much like the sensation she had felt while passing through the black forest.
The garden, devoid of the sounds of insects, was eerily quiet, as if the world had come to an end. The group walked in silence, as if by unspoken agreement, no one uttering a word.
They walked and walked until they entered a maze surrounded by tall rose vines. They moved deeper into the maze, still silent.
Eventually, they reached a towering red brick wall, so imposing it felt like they had reached the edge of the world.
“We’re here, Alan…” the twins whispered breathlessly.
Richelle glanced around the wall.
Is this… the fifth garden?
But there was no door or entrance in sight. Was the maze itself the fifth garden?
It was then that a sound broke through the stillness.
A deep, mournful wail, as though flesh were being torn apart, echoed from beyond the wall. Instinctively, Richelle’s body tensed.
She suddenly recalled a particular rule from the Bertrand estate guidelines.
[There are a total of five gardens within the mansion. You are free to explore them, but do not approach the fifth garden surrounded by a red brick wall.
It is currently under construction. Therefore, do not be alarmed by any noises that might come from inside.]
Was this moaning the strange noise mentioned in the rules?
Richelle listened closely. The wailing continued without pause. Could the one making this sound be another of the roses that had taken over the mansion?
As Richelle pondered, Alan was inspecting the brick wall closely. Suddenly, he pressed one of the bricks.
The wall began to tremble violently. Startled, Richelle stepped back.
“What—”
“Don’t be alarmed,” Alan said calmly.
Moments later, with a creaking sound, a long drawer emerged from the wall.
It sounded strange, but it was, indeed, a drawer—long enough to hold a body.
Alan gently laid his mother’s body inside. Hesitating, unsure how to begin, he finally explained in a quiet voice.
“It may seem strange, but this is how Bertrand handles funerals. The heir is always taught this, in case they ever need to take care of the dead in the mansion… though it’s rare to do it personally.”
“What’s beyond this wall?” Richelle asked.
“I don’t know. No one in the Otis family has ever lived to step beyond it.”
Let’s just hope Rogéros doesn’t defile the dead.
Alan’s mouth twisted into a bitter smile.
Once the body was laid in the drawer, the wall trembled again. Slowly, the drawer slid back inside, sealing itself shut.
Alan and the twins stared silently at the brick wall. Richelle bowed her head in a moment of silence for Jacqueline.
I hope you have found your peace.
Finally, all sounds ceased. Even the moaning that had clung to their ears was gone.
As the dawn began to break, casting light over the garden, Alan reached out his hand to Richelle.
“Let’s go back.”
“…Yes.”
As she turned to leave, stealing one last glance at the red brick wall, the twins suddenly tugged at Richelle’s skirt.
Startled, Richelle barely managed to keep her balance as she turned to face them.
“That was sudden. What is it?”
“Teacher, we just wanted to say… thank you.”
“Yes. Thank you for letting us say goodbye to Mother…”
Richelle didn’t know how to respond, so she offered an awkward smile. The twins hesitated, nervously biting their lips.
“And, um…”
They fidgeted for a while, then exchanged a glance before squeezing their fists as if making a decision.
“Teacher, you’re going to the fourth floor, right? We’ll help you.”
“…What?”
Richelle didn’t quite understand at first. The twins, their black eyes wide, took a step closer.
“If you go to the fourth floor now…”
“If you set foot on the fourth floor…”
In identical voices, with identical expressions, they whispered as if they were angelic messengers delivering a grim prophecy.
“Teacher, you will die.”
