Welcome to the Rose Mansion - Chapter 158
“See? I’m the only one in this estate who can do this!”
The white flames flickered in Neil Otis’s palm, rolling into a small ball. They devoured his flesh, charring his skin, only for it to heal and burn again in an endless cycle.
Even as his face contorted with pain, Neil Otis shouted triumphantly.
“Look! Look closely! I’m the only one who can hold this flame without being consumed!”
Despite his bravado, there was a sense of urgency about him.
“Don’t you understand? You should be begging me, pleading for my help! Without my aid, you’ll be in serious trouble!”
Though he tried to sound threatening, his tone was undeniably anxious.
Richelle stifled a smirk. She could see through Neil Otis completely.
Despite his years, Neil Otis hadn’t changed.
Like his body, endlessly decaying and regenerating, his mind was still lost in the glory and ruin of the Otis family. He craved authority, longed to control relationships, and basked in flattery. He wanted to feel the thrill of looking down on others who groveled before him.
At the same time, he feared losing the first conversation partner he had encountered in so long.
…Richelle knew exactly how to handle Neil Otis.
Calmly, she replied.
“It’s fine if you don’t help us.”
“W-What?”
A wave of shock crossed his face. His lack of experience in hiding emotions was apparent after so many years without human contact.
“W-Wait a moment. You came all this way, and now you’re saying you don’t need me?”
“If Rose knew we’d entered the Fifth Garden, do you really think he’d leave us alone?”
Recognition flickered in Neil’s murky eyes.
“You managed to temporarily incapacitate Rose, didn’t you?”
Without a word, Richelle shrugged. Neil reached out, visibly unsettled.
“All the more reason to ask for my help! We can’t afford to miss this chance!”
“We can try other ways. We’re here out of respect, to pay homage to an ancestor, nothing more.”
“O-Other ways…?”
“But, Earl Otis, doesn’t it anger you?”
Trying to sound like Rose, Richelle adopted a soft, coaxing tone designed to stir his deepest desires.
“Don’t you want revenge against Rose, who cursed you to endure this endless torment?”
“……”
“Even if you can control the fire, it’s useless if you can’t leave this garden. If anyone can’t afford to lose this chance, it’s you.”
“…What is it you want?”
Richelle smiled, calm yet commanding.
“Cooperate with us. Promise not to back out, and I’ll pave the way for your revenge.”
Reminding him that he wasn’t in control, leaving him anxious about missing his chance—that was the first step to baiting Neil Otis, greedy and proud as he was.
Neil’s gaze darted back and forth as if he was calculating his options. But in the end, he had only one choice.
He gritted his teeth and forced a crooked smile.
“F-Fine. I’ll cooperate. Just get me out of here!”
“If we create the path, can you truly destroy Rose’s roses?”
“Of course! I would never give up revenge! That’s all I’ve waited for!”
“Good.”
Richelle instinctively touched her temple. Feigning composure and confidence was draining her.
At that moment, a steady arm supported her as she staggered.
“Alan?”
Alan glanced down at Richelle before turning back to Neil.
“We’ll start at six tomorrow morning. I’ll come for you then.”
They had already discussed this. Relieved, Richelle left the details to Alan.
“We’ll keep Rose occupied while you burn the rose. We’ve heard it’s on the fourth floor, but do you know the exact location?”
According to Charlotte’s postscript, it was in ‘Rose’s Room’ on the fourth floor. However, the route Richelle and Alan had taken led them to the ‘household head’s room’, not Rose’s Room. Neither they nor even Charlotte Otis knew how to access it.
Neil, catching their doubtful looks, confidently pounded his chest.
“Of course I know. Bertrand is my mansion. I know its structure better than Rose himself. Just open the way.”
Neil Otis’s eyes gleamed with a twisted mix of pure madness and undulated hatred.
Alan observed him, then nodded gravely.
“Very well. We’ll give you the chance.”
“Yes, yes…! At last!”
Neil Otis twisted in laughter, his rotten tongue slurring with anticipation.
“Finally, the time for revenge! The heavens haven’t abandoned me! It was meant to end by my hands all along!”
It was a precarious, uncertain plan.
Only one thing was sure—Neil Otis’s hatred for Rose.
As long as his hatred outweighed his cowardice, that would be enough.
They had done all they could. The dice were cast.
When the sun rose tomorrow, fate would finally be sealed.
