“Episode 47”
She returned to the table. As the plates descended onto the table, the fork eagerly awaited them, and she didn’t even bother to wipe away the sauce smudges around her mouth.
She was devouring the food so hurriedly, as if she didn’t realize it herself. She didn’t even glance at the empty plates piling up beside her, just eagerly awaited the food that Clodan kept serving.
“Do you need more?” “Yes.”
Clodan, the kindest she had seen so far, hadn’t taken a single bite yet. But instead of showing annoyance or impatience, he served the meal skillfully, like a competent butler.
He made sure to pour wine to clear her throat and carefully paced the serving of food, looking like a man who took care of his lover.
“Oh.”
Ray, holding a baguette in both hands and tearing it apart, suddenly stopped. Her stomach was full late, and her overfilled stomach felt uncomfortable. She looked at the piled-up empty plates in surprise, forgetting to chew the baguette in her mouth.
Ray pointed at the empty plates in disbelief. “Did I eat all of this?”
The dining table, swept away like a herd of deer passing by, was telling her everything.
Ray had been scolded several times by her parents for being too thin, with a mouth that was too short. They said she couldn’t bear children without flesh. But if they could see her appetite now, they would be stunned and perhaps even scold her for being a messy pig. Ray stared blankly at the dining table, unable to understand.
“This is weird.”
Clodan reached out and wiped the bread crumbs from her lips. Then he said casually,
“It’s not weird.”
Ray, who had been absent-mindedly stacking empty plates, looked up. “Isn’t this weird?”
“Ray.” “Yes.” “Anyone could eat that much. Think about it.”
Once her stomach was full, Ray yawned like a sleepy cat. Normally, she would have gone to see Mrs. Mary, but it was hard to ignore the overwhelming drowsiness.
“Clodan, sorry, but I need to…” Before she could finish her sentence, Clodan lifted Ray into his arms. He held her lightly, as if holding a feather, and moved away. Ray, drowsy, glanced at the table one last time before drifting off.
Even as they climbed the stairs, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the table. Was it really possible that all that food ended up in her stomach? Why did her appetite explode like that today? Perhaps finding stability after marriage?
Brief questions flickered through Ray’s mind, but she lacked the will to seek answers.
It was too bothersome to think further. Ray, overwhelmed by drowsiness, raised her hands and feet. Should she sleep deeply and think later? And she had to meet Mrs. Mary. That was the plan she made before closing her eyes.
***
The mansion was in disarray. It was a disaster for Philip more than anyone else. The mansion, now the main house, had no normal inhabitants. However, there was neither the time nor the clarity to deal with it, and the way out was uncertain. The newly built annex seemed ominous, and it ultimately snatched away the last hope.
Was it not he who had brought the master every day without fail? It had been three days since neither the master nor Ray had been seen. Philip was in a psychologically unstable state, and Mrs. Mary, who was fond of Ray, was a mess of nerves.
The gardener, who tended to the flowers, also stayed holed up in his quarters, refusing to come out, while the stable keeper, Jack, roamed around as if he had found his own world.
He was truly the leader of a pack of abandoned dogs. The flowers, neglected by the gardener’s attention, gradually withered, and Mrs. Mary’s feeble excuses deteriorated. The horses in the stable couldn’t be starved to death, so Philip was bringing them fodder. Jack, who had always been fawning in front of the master, didn’t even listen to Philip’s words now.
“Now, will the master care about us? Stop being foolish. It’s wise to find a way to live here.”
Jack may not know much, but he had a keen sense. So, unlike the gardener, who avoided Ray like a ghost, he would dodge her as if she were one. Although he hadn’t been able to use his sense at the gambling den and had ended up here, Philip now agreed with him.
The master had abandoned them. Just like grabbing treasure right before ruin and fleeing, the master had taken Ray and hidden away in the annex.
Philip had not hesitated to visit the annex himself. It was always blocked at the door to the garden, which was the problem.
They could somewhat understand each other’s circumstances, whether they were unfairly brought here or burdened with debt. They had lived lives suppressed for a long time, so it was natural to stumble in suddenly thrown freedom.
“Hey, John.”
But there was one person in this mansion whose actions were unpredictable. The offspring of Ray, who had disappeared with the master. John, whose past name had been erased from the mansion, didn’t say a word.
Taking a leaf out of Mrs. Mary’s book, John was the kind of person who would remain silent even if thrown into the sea. Philip, who had lived for a long time, was seeing someone so confident for the first time.
But even such John had not said a word for three days. Clearly, there was a problem, but no matter how much prodding, he kept his lips sealed.
“I’ll leave the meal here.”
Luckily, the master wasn’t entirely unreasonable. The pantry was still full, and the magic to keep things from rotting remained intact. Perhaps even if the pantry were empty, the master would fill it. He knew better than anyone that they had all gathered here without any other place to go.
Philip had to make a decision. Would he just sit back and accept the master’s decision, or would he boldly open the door to the annex and go in to reason with the master?
If he were to keep his oath of lifelong loyalty, the former was correct. Whether the master lived with Ray and faced destruction or the two of them were found dead inside, Philip was just someone who would wait.
But all loyalty stemmed from love. Love between a man and a woman wasn’t the only kind of love. Love was the foundation of all emotions. Philip respected Clodan as the master and felt heartache as a parent. He was originally a person, too. He was too afraid of an ownerless future to sit back and watch.
There wasn’t much he could do, in fact. Philip was just as attached to the mansion as a barnacle, and he didn’t have any special powers like the master. Except for one thing. He had the will to act.
Ironically, the only way out was to exacerbate the situation. He wasn’t someone the master would be afraid of, but still different from the mansion’s monsters. He had to contact Dela, the master’s maid.
Philip attached a small letter to the ankle of a pigeon used for communication between the master and Dela. The well-fed pigeon flapped its wings and soared into the vast sky. It was a trivial thing, but Philip envied the soaring pigeon.
In truth, there might not be an answer from Dela. But he asked her for an answer with the same feeling as catching at straws. It was better than being frustrated and crying.
With this, the disappointing events of the day were over. Although less bruised physically than when serving the master, it was a day where his heart was scorched in the fires of hell. Above all, he was worried about Ray’s safety.
“Hmm?”
Philip, who had been sitting dejectedly, stood up from his seat. He heard a sound. Thud, thud, thud. In the mansion where no one dared to come out, a strange voice resonated.
It couldn’t be the pigeon arriving already. Yet someone was knocking on the outer door, calling out loudly with a booming voice.
It was another unwelcome visitor.
