At this point, I should probably tell him I love him too. Instead, I lifted my head and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. I figured I needed to play along to get him to let me go.
When I kissed him, Isaac looked overjoyed.
“Mia likes me too. I’m so happy. If I can be with you, I don’t mind staying in this darkness forever…”
No, that’s not what I want at all.
But why is Isaac here in the first place? He wasn’t in the mansion in the original story.
I jumped down from his arms and placed my paw on the Ouija board.
-How long have you been here?
“I don’t know… about six years, I think?”
What? Isaac has been here for six years? This was different from the original story too.
Isaac smiled softly and patted my head. For someone who’s supposedly been trapped in a nightmare for six years, he seemed remarkably calm.
-Are you okay?
“Yes, I’m okay. Thanks to being here, I got to meet Mia again… Nothing else matters.”
“…”
“If only we could meet during the day too…” Isaac spoke of an impossible wish.
As I quietly watched Isaac, the clock struck the hour, and the sound of chimes echoed through the room. It was time to leave since three hours had passed. There were more things I wanted to ask, but it was time to move. As I headed toward the door, Isaac trailed after me.
“Are you really leaving…?”
Ugh, someone, please take away those doe-like eyes! Every time I see them, my heart softens…
I shut my eyes tightly and left the room. I kept my gaze fixed ahead, fearing that if I looked back, I’d run straight back to Isaac.
“Meow…”
Sigh. Finally, I was alone. I needed to look around and find anything valuable. And I had to be careful of the creatures…
I cautiously walked around, inspecting the area. Eventually, I ran into some people, but their gazes were filled with intense contempt and disgust.
“Hah, what an unlucky cat…”
Despite their mutterings, they didn’t dare to lay a hand on me. It seemed they were afraid of Isaac. This was fortunate for me. It didn’t seem like they intended to kill me this time.
As I quietly searched the area, I realized there weren’t many items to be found. The first floor consisted mostly of kitchens and storage rooms. Finding anything valuable here would be difficult.
I needed to unlock the second floor quickly. However, progressing with this body was a challenge. It would be better to find Lian.
While I was scanning the surroundings, I spotted Lian emerging from a room.
“Meow!”
“Ah, Mia.”
He quickly ran over to me and picked me up. As my body dangled in his arms, his eyes were full of concern.
“Are you alright? Nothing happened earlier, right?”
“Meow.”
“Hmm. I’d like to ask more, but I don’t have the Ouija board. I’ll bring another one next time.”
Yes, that would be very helpful for me.
First, we needed to open the locked rooms…
I jumped down from his arms, walked ahead, and then turned to look back at him. Lian pointed at himself with his index finger.
“Huh? You want me to follow?”
“Meow.”
Today, you’re going to be my door-opening shuttle.
As I led the way, I stopped in front of a door. It was the maid’s room. Ha, this place is creepy…
When I scratched at the door, Lian cautiously opened it. Inside the empty room, three maids stood against the walls, facing the walls like mannequins. Their feet weren’t visible beneath their skirts, making it clear they weren’t human. The sight was eerily disturbing, making it hard to breathe. Lian seemed to feel the same.
“…What is this place?”
Even though they were people from the mansion, I didn’t feel relieved. After all, they weren’t really people.
Lian cautiously approached one of the maids. “Excuse me…?”
“Meow!” I urgently blocked Lian’s path.
Lian looked at me in confusion. “Mia, what’s wrong?”
“Meow… Meooow!”
Touch her, and you’ll die instantly! Step back!
In this room, if you didn’t find the right maid, you’d be attacked and killed. You could figure out which maid was the correct one through hidden hints, but I already knew the answer from having played through the game.
I approached the maid standing against the right wall and sat in front of her. Lian observed me for a moment before approaching the maid.
“Um, excuse me…?”
Good, he’s quick to catch on.
As Lian touched her shoulder, the maid slowly turned her head. The sound of bones creaking echoed. Lian let out a short gasp.
“Gasp…!”
It was understandable because the maid’s face was just a gaping hole. Inside the large cavity was nothing but darkness. This maid was the least terrifying. If you picked the wrong one, the maid’s face would have a large vertical mouth that would open wide and devour the player.
Anyway, this time, we chose correctly. The maid stood still in front of Lian and then walked out of the room. Despite having no legs, dark footprints were left on the floor. She stopped in front of a door, pulled a key from her pocket, unlocked the door, and then returned to the maid’s room.
Lian watched the scene in disbelief. He looked at me. “Mia, how do you know about these things…?”
“Meow.”
I’ll explain that later. We don’t have the Ouija board now.
I pushed the door open with my paw. Inside was a fairly luxurious set of furniture. It was a parlor.
There should be some valuable items here…!
I carefully searched the room for items. When I placed my paw on a candlestick, the item description appeared.
[Candlestick: A candlestick gilded with gold. The candlestick itself is made of brass, but you could sell the gold for a decent price. Price: 30 silver.]
Wow, 30 silver!
Looking around, I spotted another candlestick. This place is a goldmine!
As I was exploring, I suddenly heard a sound in my head.
Tick, tock… It was the sound of a clock ticking.
What could that be? As I wondered and looked around, a message appeared before me.
[The pocket watch’s effect has been activated.]
At that moment, the scenery changed. The old, gloomy mansion transformed into a bright, ornate setting as if it had put on a new dress. And then… what else had changed? As I looked around, I nearly screamed at what I saw under the table.
W-What is that? A person…?
But soon, I realized who it was. It was a young Isaac, just as I remembered him.
Why is Isaac here? And why is he so young?
“Sob, sob…”
Young Isaac was crying, holding something black in his arms. It was a dead cat. In other words, it was me. I even had a collar around my neck.
Isaac was cradling my dead body, crying his heart out.
Is this… perhaps a memory of the past?
As I approached Isaac and tried to touch him with my paw, I passed right through. There was nothing I could do for the child crying so desperately.
Just then, someone entered the room and shouted.
“Isaac! Come out right now!”
It was the Marquis of Dias. He looked quite disheveled.
Isaac, hearing his voice, huddled further into the room.
“You must be mad! To ruin a sacred ritual over a mere cat!”
It seemed like this was the situation right after my death. Marquis Dias grabbed Isaac by the arm and forcibly dragged him out.
“Why are you holding onto that filthy cat corpse!”
He pried the dead cat from Isaac’s arms. Isaac screamed, crying.
“Give her back! Don’t touch Mia!”
“You’ve completely lost your mind!”
Slap! In the end, the Marquis Dias slapped Isaac across the face.
Isaac was only eight years old at that time. The blow sent him staggering to the ground. Meanwhile, Marquis Dias left, carrying the dead cat.
Isaac lay on the floor, sobbing for a long time before lifting his head. His tear-streaked face was filled with ash, and his red eyes glinted with hatred and a thirst for revenge.
How could such a young child have such a terrifying gaze? It was as if blood would drip from his eyes.
“I’ll never forgive you… for letting Mia die. I’ll never forgive you…!”
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thank you for the chapter!