His tone was oddly amused, while Isaac, in contrast, stared at him sharply.
“What did you do to Mia?”
Raphael slowly approached, the sound of his cane tapping the floor echoing with each step. For some reason, the sound made Isaac tense. Raphael stopped right in front of Isaac, looking at him intently as if trying to bore a hole through him.
“Isaac, it seems I’ve been too lenient with you lately.”
“…”
“Shouldn’t you explain why you were at that place in the first place?”
Isaac remained silent, unwilling to offer any explanation. Raphael sensed his defiance and smirked.
“Oh my, are you going through puberty? You weren’t such a disobedient child before.”
His voice grew more forceful as his shadow stretched long under the flickering lantern light.
“Isaac, you know what happens to bad children, don’t you?”
Isaac clenched his fists. He knew exactly what Raphael wanted.
Raphael reached into a drawer and pulled out something—an intricate, multi-tailed whip. It was a brutal-looking instrument, but he only smiled.
Slowly, Isaac began to undress. First his tie, then his vest, and finally his shirt. Soon, he was bare-backed, revealing countless scars. Isaac turned his back to Raphael, took a deep breath, and then it began.
Whack! The whip struck, sending a searing pain across his back. Isaac gritted his teeth and struck himself again. Meanwhile, Raphael sat on the sofa, watching the scene unfold with a look of amusement. He watched endlessly.
* * *
Midnight came. When I opened my eyes after falling asleep, the dark mansion stretched before me again. I was hoping to rest after a long day at the party with Raphael, but there was no choice.
I quietly headed toward the study to take a look inside. Isaac wasn’t there. Part of me was relieved because it meant I could explore more freely, but another part felt disappointed.
Today was full of surprises. To think Raphael was the grand duke. And then, the kiss… I couldn’t understand what he was thinking by coming to this mansion. Even more so, why he was approaching me.
Does Isaac know Raphael’s true identity or not? If he doesn’t know, I should warn him. If he does… I need to hear the full story. But asking recklessly might get me killed again.
… I’ll think about that later. For now, I should focus on exploring.
As I walked cautiously, I heard a familiar voice.
“Ah, Mia!”
I turned to see Lian with his usual bright expression. He picked me up and greeted me with a cheerful smile.
“Mia, how have you been? I was worried since I hadn’t heard from you. Did you manage to leave the mansion?”
“Meow…”
When I shook my head, Lian looked a bit confused. After stepping into an empty room, he pulled out the Ouija board. “What happened?”
—That, I got a new debt… Even after using all the money you lent me, I still have debt left.
“You used all the money?”
—Yeah. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back somehow.
“It’s not about the money… I’m more concerned that you’re still in that mansion.”
He’s so kind. Truly the main character.
I pressed my head against him gently as a sign of reassurance.
—Don’t worry. I’ll gather 150 gold again.
“Do you want me to give it to you?”
—No, that’s okay. I appreciate the offer, though. Thank you so much.
No matter how shameless I am, I couldn’t borrow an additional 150 gold on top of the 100 gold he already lent me. Besides… I didn’t want to leave the mansion just yet. It might be dangerous to think this way, but I wanted to understand Raphael’s intentions. Leaving without knowing anything felt like it would be even more dangerous.
“Then, shall we search around again today? If I find anything valuable, I’ll give it to you!”
“Meow!”
Having an ally is reassuring.
Lian and I searched the mansion, but there wasn’t much to be found. I figured we had already checked the second floor, so it was time to open the third floor. But to do that, we needed to solve one of the puzzles. I led the way to the puzzle room, certain there was a clue there…
“Meow?”
Huh? The contents were different from what I remembered. Looking at the changed text, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Lian, unaware of the difference, calmly read the writing on the wall. “Hmm… This feels unsettling.”
[On the first day, Mary was pierced with her eyes gouged out. Three were left.
On the second day, Tom drowned. Two were left.
On the third day, Charlotte burned to death. One was left.
On the fourth day, Peter was beheaded. None were left.
On the fifth day, only they remained in the mansion.]
It was a disturbing story, but what made it worse was that these names were all of the servants who had worked at Dias Mansion.
Could everything written here be true? If so, it meant that after I died, so many people had also died.
What exactly happened at Dias Mansion?
“So, Mia, do you know what this means?”
“Meow…”
I shook my head. Lian didn’t seem disappointed and simply nodded.
“Let’s investigate together then. There must be more to look into here. And we still haven’t opened one of the doors.”
It seemed like we needed to open that door to solve this. Fortunately, Lian led me to a place where I knew the puzzle’s solution.
Inside, there was a chessboard. The puzzle involved finding a poem and using it to move the chess pieces, which would reveal a key.
I grabbed the paper with the poem and handed it to Lian. He thought for a moment before starting to move the chess pieces.
“Oh, so that’s what it means. This is pretty clever.”
He’s doing well even without my help. After he moved all the pieces, the drawer underneath clicked open.
“Got the key!”
“Meow!”
Things were going smoothly. Feeling good, we headed toward the final door, which Lian unlocked for us. As the door opened, I took a step back in surprise.
The room beyond was unfamiliar to me. There were no furnishings inside, but the atmosphere was oppressive. Four paintings on the wall were the source of the unease. They were portraits, but not of nobles. Two women in maid uniforms and two men in work clothes… And they were all faces I recognized.
“Mary, Tom, Charlotte, Peter…?” Lian murmured as he checked the nameplates under the portraits.
They were indeed the four people I remembered. The portraits were so lifelike that it felt like I was looking at real people through windows instead of paintings. They all stared forward expressionlessly, sending chills down my spine.
What kind of room is this?
Lian examined the paintings but didn’t seem to find anything unusual. “Hmm. There doesn’t seem to be anything with the frames…”
I needed to solve this situation. The poem I saw earlier was clearly related to these portraits.
I recalled the details: eyes, neck, fire, drowning… Then, a theory came to mind, and I tapped Lian’s leg to get his attention.
“Hmm? You want to say something?”
“Mew.”
He handed me the Ouija board, and I explained my theory. As I spoke, Lian’s brows furrowed.
“That sounds plausible. But it’s a really unpleasant solution…”
“Meow.” I agree.
Lian sighed deeply before stepping outside and returning with a bottle of water from the first-floor kitchen. After some hesitation, he drew his sword from his waist. First, he stabbed Mary’s portrait through the eyes. Next, he beheaded Peter’s portrait. He then poured water over Tom’s painting and set Charlotte’s portrait on fire.
Was this the correct solution…?
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