BCHG Chapter 43

When the name ‘Dias’ was mentioned, I felt my heart sink for a moment. An inexplicable sense of dread began to creep in.

 

“But master’s surname is Blackwood.” 

 

“Yeah, exactly. Did they confuse him with someone else?”

 

Fortunately, the maids didn’t seem to pay much attention to it. After chatting about the culprit for a while, breakfast ended, and everyone went back to their duties. That was when the head maid approached.

 

“Mia, today’s your day off, right? Are you planning to go out?” 

 

“Ah, yes.” I needed to exchange items and meet Lian.

 

The head maid, with her usual stern face, spoke. “Before you go out, the master wants to see you. He’s been asking for you.”

 

Sigh, I expected that. He probably had a lot of questions about last night. 

 

I swallowed a sigh and headed to Isaac’s room. When I entered, I saw him reading the newspaper.

 

“You’re here? Sit down for now.” 

 

“…Yes, Master.” I quietly sat down across from him.

 

Isaac set the newspaper aside and looked at me as he spoke. “You must have been quite startled last night.” 

 

“Yes. But it was a relief that you were there, Master. Thank you.” 

 

“No need for thanks. I have something to ask.” Isaac picked up his teacup. After taking a sip of his tea, he spoke again. “Why did you run away from me in front of the bathroom yesterday?”

 

I knew he’d ask about this. I used the excuse I had prepared since the morning.

 

“…Because I was scared of you, Master.” 

 

“Me?”

 

Isaac asked without a change in expression, but there was an eerie silence that gave me chills.

 

“Why are you afraid of me?” 

 

“Before I met you, someone told me… to be careful of a man with silver hair. They said he hurt people…”

 

Of course, it was a lie, but it was something someone else might easily say. After all, they had seen Isaac offering people as food. I stammered as I continued. “And master, you had a sword with you… so I ran away without thinking…” 

 

Isaac stared at me in silence, his gaze sharp. Does he think I’m lying? 

 

The ticking of the clock was the only sound breaking the long silence. Finally, Isaac spoke again. “After you ran, you disappeared around the corner. How did you do that?”

 

Of course, he’d ask this too. I gave him my pre-prepared answer.

 

“I don’t know…” 

 

“You don’t know?” 

 

“Yes. Something suddenly came over me, and I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was in my bed…”

 

Rather than making up a clumsy lie, I figured it was better to act like I didn’t remember anything. But Isaac’s eyes grew even sharper for a moment.

 

“So, you’re saying you don’t remember anything at all?” 

 

“Yes…”

 

I pretended to be timid, waiting for Isaac to say something. After a while, I heard the sound of him setting down his teacup.

 

“…Alright. You can leave now.” 

 

“Yes, Master.” I quickly bowed and rushed out of the room. 

 

Did I manage to get through this okay? Leaving Isaac behind, I hurried to prepare for my outing. I was terrified he might call me back. Even though I knew I’d have to return eventually.

 

“Sigh…”

 

I quickly headed into town. I had some time before my meeting with Lian, so I went to sell the items I’d been collecting bit by bit. 

 

When I arrived at my usual shop and sold the goods, I almost screamed in joy when I saw the total. I finally broke 50 gold! It was a bit disappointing, thinking about how much I would have paid off if I hadn’t been constantly on the run, but the excitement outweighed the regret. 

 

Great, at this rate, I’ll hit 150 gold in no time. Maybe I should sell the pocket watch too… But since it was a special event item, I thought it was better to keep it. Humming to myself, I made my way to the meeting place.

 

“Oh, Mia, you’re here.”

 

When I arrived at the shop, Lian was already there. Seeing him during the day made me even happier.

 

“Hello, Lian. Did you wait long?” 

 

“No, I just got here. What do you want to order?”

 

After we placed our orders with the waiter, it was just the two of us left, and Lian looked at me quietly before speaking.

 

“Sorry about the other day. I suddenly said you were my lover.”

 

Right, we needed to talk about that. 

 

I wrapped my hands around the teacup and asked. “Why did you say I was your lover?” 

 

“Well, it just slipped out. I had to explain our relationship, but I couldn’t think of anything on the spot… Did that cause you any trouble?” 

 

“No, it was fine.” After all, I couldn’t exactly say we met in a dream.

 

Lian sighed in relief and looked at me again. “Still, I didn’t expect you to be that man’s maid. Is he alright? He didn’t seem quite in his right mind when I saw him at night…”

 

It was a natural reaction, considering what Lian had seen of Isaac—killing people, ignoring them, and leaving them to die. He looked at me with concern in his eyes.

 

“Wouldn’t it be better to leave that house?” 

 

“I want to, but the truth is, I owe some money…” 

 

“How much?” 

 

“Um, 100 gold.” I didn’t mention that I had already saved 50 gold.

 

Lian thought for a moment before speaking. “If that’s the amount, I can pay it for you.” 

 

“What?” I almost dropped my teacup in shock.

 

Seeing my reaction, Lian chuckled and said: “I said I’m a detective, but the truth is, I’m a noble. I can manage 100 gold.” 

 

“But… giving me such a large amount of money… Is that okay?” 

 

“You seem to be in danger. I need to save you first.”

 

Wow, he’s a true knight in shining armor…! That bright, smiling face really looked like a hero.

 

“I’d give it to you right away, but it’ll take me a bit of time to gather the money. Can you wait until then?” 

 

“Yes, of course. I’m so grateful. I promise I’ll pay you back.”

 

Lian smiled gently as he looked at me. There was a warmth in his gaze. “Mia, you’re so kind. You could just accept it.”

 

[Lian’s affection has increased by 5]

[Current Lian’s affection: 47]

 

Borrowing money and his affection rose up… You’re truly a good person, Lian.

 

I figured I could gather enough to repay him soon by selling items. For now, borrowing from Lian and escaping the mansion was my top priority. 

 

Feeling relieved, I unknowingly let out a deep breath. As I drank the now lukewarm tea, I looked at Lian. “So, was that the only reason you called me here?” 

 

“Actually, there’s something else. Take a look at this.” He pulled out a few pieces of paper from his pocket. They looked like letters and journal entries. “I found these while investigating the mansion. It seems like that place is tied to dark magic.”

 

So Lian had been gathering clues while investigating the mansion. He was getting closer to uncovering its secrets.

 

Lian handed me one of the papers. “It says that the mansion we’re trapped in is a place designed to lure in sacrifices. Someone created that space with a purpose.”

 

That was true. As I stared down at the paper he handed me, I noticed a particularly ominous line. Lian’s voice echoed in my ears.

 

“And to escape from there… it says we have to kill the person responsible for creating it.”

 

Hearing that, I felt a sharp drop in my chest. Kill… the culprit. And I knew who that culprit was. A trembling voice slipped from my lips. “So, have you… found the culprit?” I was terrified that Lian might try to kill Isaac at any moment.

 

He gathered the papers and put them back in his pocket as he answered. “I think I need to investigate the mansion more to find out.” 

 

“…If you do find them, will you really kill them?”

 

Lian looked a little surprised by my question, but soon, his expression shifted as if he had realized something. He gave a small smile. “You’re worried about me, Mia. Yes, I’d be punished if I killed someone. But…”

 

Lian’s eyes flashed with a sharpness I had never seen before.

 

“If they’ve harmed my brother, I’ll have no choice but to take revenge.”

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