Welcome to the Rose Mansion - Chapter 79
“Anna, tell me…”
The words felt rough in her dry mouth as she forced them out. Anna reached out worriedly toward Richelle.
“Miss, you look like you’re about to collapse. Maybe you should lie down for a bit…”
“I’m fine. But answer me this. Before Mother passed away, did you notice anything strange? Did she act differently than usual?”
“Something strange?”
Anna fidgeted anxiously but then became lost in thought. Before long, her eyes lit up.
“Now that you mention it, she did act differently.”
“How so?”
“Well, she suddenly became much quieter. She spent more time in her bedroom than in the living room. She would try on dresses she previously said were out of fashion, or she would handle the trinkets in the display cabinet…”
Thinking of Madam Howard’s usual demeanor, this behavior was indeed odd. But it wasn’t decisive enough. Richelle pressed on anxiously.
“Did her eyes look strange?”
“I’m not sure… Oh! She suddenly started using rose perfume. The Madam usually didn’t care for such natural scents.”
“Rose perfume on Mother…”
Mother, with the scent of roses.
Her heart sank again. Richelle staggered, grabbing the staircase railing. Anna, unsure what to do, finally ran up the stairs.
“Miss, Miss! Are you alright? I’m so sorry I didn’t take better care of the Madam. I thought she was just preoccupied after meeting you. I was too careless…”
“No, no. I’m not blaming you.”
If there’s blame, it lies with me.
Richelle clamped her mouth shut and crouched down. She felt nauseous.
The scent of roses on Mother? Like the servants of Bertrand?
Yes. Thinking back now, it was odd that Mother went for a walk on a rainy day. She hated getting her expensive shoes wet.
But why did Mother change like the servants? The rules clearly stated that keeping red roses for too long would result in wandering the corridors at night…
‘…Ah.’
No, that’s not it.
The Bertrand rules never said such a thing.
Richelle Howard, you foolish girl.
Richelle staggered to her feet. She looked at Anna, who was now on the verge of tears with worry, and smiled gently.
“I’m alright. I just needed to think.”
“Miss…”
“But I should rest. I’ll lie down for a bit. Don’t worry and go about your tasks.”
Ignoring Anna’s concerned gaze, Richelle returned to her mother’s bedroom. As the door closed, her body crumpled to the floor.
‘The price for ignoring the rules wasn’t merely wandering the corridors at night.’
The Bertrand rules stated, [If lucky, you might not be lost to us].
She had always misunderstood the reference to rule number 4, which advised not to leave the bedroom after midnight.
The red roses in the bedroom weren’t invitations to the night corridors. The reason red roses were dangerous was because…
They turned people into something other than human.
Like the servants of the mansion.
That night, wandering the corridors, if Rogéros hadn’t saved her in time, she too might have lost herself. Dragged away by the non-human servants, becoming one of them, forever wandering the mansion.
She felt a pulse in the bouquet of roses in her hand. Nausea surged up inside her.
‘Who?’
Who sent the roses to Mother? Who was it?
Mother. Mother, who lost herself without even knowing it. Mother, who became a non-human being and threw herself into the river.
For the first time in her life, Richelle felt a surge of murderous intent. She frantically searched for someone to direct this rage at.
Who could it be? The mansion’s servants were just puppets, moving according to their roles. Lady Otis didn’t have the passion for such things. The twins were too young, and Alan Otis had no power.
Then who? Who sent the roses to Mother?
Who killed my mother?
Tears fell onto the wooden floor. Richelle stared blankly at the dark spots forming on the floor, round like drops of ink. Suddenly, a face appeared in her mind.
“Ah.”
It felt like a lightning bolt struck her head. A name slipped from her dazed lips as if she were possessed.
“…Rogéros Walter.”
He knew the secrets of Bertrand deeply, moved freely within the mansion.
He knew the love-hate relationship between her and her mother.
He had said he would do anything for her…
