Welcome to the Rose Mansion - Chapter 53
Tick, tock. Tick, tock. The seconds hand moved. Looking at the clock, it was time for Richelle to return to the twins.
Richelle glanced at Becky, who was putting the rag back into the tin can. The girl seemed to have no intention of speaking further.
‘It’s as if I’ve gained information, yet haven’t.’
The servants who have worked in the mansion for a long time were not normal ‘people’.
Perhaps the only real ‘people’ were herself and Becky.
It’s more likely that they weren’t like this from the start, but rather gradually changed.
Getting close to the Otis family draws ‘their’ attention.
Who were ‘they’? Were the Otis family the perpetrators who brought ‘them’ in, or were they victims entangled with ‘them’?
Was it safe for Richelle to extend a helping hand to the twins?
Once again, she was at a crossroads.
Normally, she would have chosen the safe path, but this time she couldn’t easily step away.
For now, it was time to return to her duties with the twins. Richelle crumpled the ink-stained paper and threw it in the trash can before standing up.
“It seems I’ve disrupted your cleaning for too long. I’ll leave now.”
She straightened her clothes and smiled at Becky. The girl was fiddling with a broom, deliberately avoiding eye contact.
After waiting a bit with no sign of a reply, Richelle turned to leave. That’s when she heard it.
“I’ve, I’ve been a nuisance.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m sorry. Truly sorry. But you’ll be fine, Teacher. Since you’re close with Mr. Walter…”
“Mr. Walter?”
Richelle’s eyes widened at the sudden mention of Rogéros’s name. Becky, looking restless, grabbed her cleaning tools and hurried out of the room.
Before she could think to stop her, Richelle stared blankly at the door.
“…Now that I think about it, she asked if I was close with Rogéros when she first spoke to me.”
The kind Rogéros. Rogéros, who gave her the courage to move forward.
But also Rogéros, the ‘servant’ who has worked in the mansion for a long time.
Why had she forgotten about Rogéros?
It was an uncomfortable feeling, as if a thorn was stuck in her throat. She realized belatedly that she should also inquire about Rogéros.
Still, Becky said she came here every day at two o’clock.
The questions she forgot to ask could wait until tomorrow.
***
Cold and hard.
Curling up, Richelle reached out her hand, feeling only the cool touch of marble instead of the softness of a blanket.
Richelle’s eyes snapped open.
“What…”
It was dark. Nothing was visible.
An intuition that something was wrong pierced her mind. Her breathing became rough, and her heart started to race. Richelle covered her mouth with both hands, blinking, trying to maintain calm and wait for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
Fortunately, the moon was relatively bright tonight. The space surrounding her gradually became clearer.
With clearer vision, Richelle took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe what she saw with her own eyes.
I clearly locked the door and went to sleep in my bed.
Yet, for some reason, Richelle found herself sitting on the landing of a staircase.
“……!”
About to let out a groan involuntarily, Richelle quickly covered her mouth. She must not make any careless noise, especially in a situation where something might be nearby.
‘Stay calm, just stay calm.’
Richelle stretched her hands behind her, feeling around cautiously as she slowly backed away. Little by little, until her back finally touched a solid wall.
Feeling safer with her back against the wall, she calmed down considerably. Richelle crouched down.
Was it an auditory hallucination? Somewhere, faintly, it sounded like footsteps.
No, it wasn’t just a hallucination.
Richelle’s body stiffened as if she had been doused in ice water. The footsteps were merely a signal flare, as all sorts of noises began to echo from every direction as if they had been waiting for the signal.
Step, step, step.
Creak, creak.
Swoosh― swoosh―
Kehehehehehe!
Countless presences. Laughter that assuredly did not belong to humans echoed high. Bizarre sounds like something dragging or scraping across the floor, footsteps…
Suddenly, a sentence popped into Richelle’s head, one from the rules of Bertrand.
[From midnight until sunrise, it is their time. Remember, you will be fully accountable for any incidents that occur as a result of violating this provision.]
Again, ‘them’.
Who were ‘they’, exactly?
What would happen to her if she would encounter ‘them’?
