Part 1: Hired at the Haunted Mansion
Our house isn’t in the greatest shape. To put it plainly, we’re poor.
If you were to ask just how poor, I could answer that there are holes in the ceiling and we don’t have the money to repair it even though the rain was leaking through.
The old walls let in drafts, and the creaky wooden floor is so unpredictable that you have to tread on it like you’re walking on eggshells.
Naturally, we can’t afford to hire any servants. While most noble families employ people for basic tasks like cleaning, cooking, and tending to the garden, we have to handle everything ourselves, my siblings and I.
It would have been better if the house were smaller, but this mansion, passed down from distant ancestors, is so vast that it’s terrifying.
With only my younger siblings’ small hands, it’s natural that we can’t properly maintain it all.
Consequently, the neglected mansion has deteriorated both in its exterior and interior.
For the past few years, a flock of crows has chosen the vicinity of our house as their habitat. No matter how many times we try to chase them away, these persistent creatures will start flying around the roof as each evening falls.
Their grating cries accompany them, adding an eerie atmosphere to the mansion.
Because of this, while the mansion bears the respectable name of “Haien’s Mansion,” the people around here referred to it as the “Haunted Mansion” or the “Cursed Mansion.”
Of course, the house does look gloomy enough that you wouldn’t be surprised if ghosts were to appear. However, there are no ghosts living in this house and it has never been cursed, so those are unjust nicknames.
The mansion’s most critical problem occurred on a stormy night. Given the many issues the house has, you might think that any trouble would be manageable, but this problem was… serious.
That day, I dreamed of standing under a refreshing waterfall, enjoying the cool water cascading down on me.
But when I woke up, the reality I faced was far from refreshing. Clearly, the worn-out ceiling that should have been there was missing.
Instead, the pouring rain was making its way directly into the house. Simultaneously, a lightning bolt struck next to the mansion with a deafening roar.
Oh no. This was crazy…!
I’m not kidding. The roof had been torn off by the wind.
In my memories from a past life, there was an expression that went, “torn to shreds by poverty.” I had thought it was just a metaphorical expression, but it literally meant torn apart. Our roof!
Oh, by the way, let me clarify that I have memories from my past life. However, that’s not an important story for now, especially when my siblings and I are about to end up on the streets.
In any case, I was consumed with anger at the situation before me.
No matter how hard I worked, my life was eternally plagued by poverty; a roof that couldn’t even withstand a strong gust of wind, and parents who just left, leaving behind myself and four younger siblings.
Why was my life this way, even in this lifetime?
Suppressing a sigh, I stood in the cold rain, my heart heavy. Then I threw down the damp blanket and walked out of the room.
First, I needed to make sure my siblings were safe. I walked through the corridor and turned towards the stairs, and suddenly noticed that all my younger siblings had gathered and were coming up from the lower floor.
“Sis, are you okay?”
“Sister, there was a loud crashing sound. I looked outside and saw pieces of the roof scattered in the garden.”
“Sis, our house isn’t collapsing, is it? Mom and Dad’s stuff is all here, what do we do?!”
The children exclaimed as soon as they saw me. The fourth and most sensitive sibling, Lottie, ran into my arms with a worried expression.
“Let’s go downstairs for now. You’ll get wet up here.”
I gave Lottie’s head a comforting pat and led the children downstairs. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. For safety’s sake, we couldn’t stay in a house without a roof. But at the same time, we didn’t have the money to find another place to live.
‘I need to find a place for the kids to stay and cover the rent by selling things from the house. Should I even sell my hair? If I let it grow longer, I could probably get more money… but for now, I need to deal with the current situation…’
I changed into dry clothes and entered a room that wasn’t leaking rain. I lay down side by side with my siblings, who clung to me.
The third and fourth siblings nestled under my arms, while the second sibling sat in the corner of the room, patting the youngest on the back.
I looked at each of them in turn before casting my gaze back up to the ceiling. I needed to find a solution to this dire situation. After all, I was their protector.
As the morning light gradually filtered in, I set out to the marketplace. I stopped by a bakery and bought a few hard but affordable loaves of bread, tucking them by my side.
“Are you okay? I heard the roof of your house collapsed?”
“Fortunately, none of my siblings got hurt.”
“Sigh. Just sell that house already.”
The lady at the bakery shook her head, expressing a sentiment I could relate to. I felt the same way. I wanted to get rid of that house and find a place with a roof that wouldn’t leak even if it meant downsizing. But…
“My siblings don’t want that. I think it’s because traces of our parents are still there. For me, well, I mean, I’ve spent more time with our parents than them, but they’re different. I want to do what they want.”
“You’re a kind person, miss.”
Saying that, she slipped a few more pieces of bread into my hand. I accepted the bread with gratitude and hesitated before looking back at the lady.
“Thank you. Um… by any chance, is there a store around here that’s hiring these days?”
“Because of the recent famine, even those who were working are losing their jobs.”
“I see. Well, times are tough for everyone.”
“Oh! But I heard that Covozhalden Mansion is looking for workers. Do you know them?”
“Do you mean that imposing mansion over there?”
I pointed with my finger to the grand mansion towering on the high ground at the end of the marketplace.
“Exactly. There. Ah, but the owners of that mansion don’t have a very good reputation. People say they’re fierce and intimidating. Even to the servants, they’re harsh and strict. Why? Are you interested?”
“As long as they pay well, I don’t care about the character of the employer.”
I turned my gaze back to the Covozhalden mansion as I spoke. Even from a distance, its immaculate exterior and ornate decorations were strikingly different from our mansion. If the owner of such a mansion was hiring, they’d likely have an abundance of money to offer a good wage.
Harsh to the servants? Well, what’s the big deal? I’ll take it. If I have to pretend to be dead, I’ll do that. It doesn’t matter.
With the bread safely tucked away, I returned home. But as soon as I entered the foyer, Lucia and Lottie rushed toward me. Lottie, sniffling, clung to my arm.
“Sis, I thought you were gone.”
“What are you talking about? Why would I be gone?”
“The house collapsed, and we thought you left because things were tough.”
“Why would I leave you guys? Have some bread.”
“Okay…”
With her face buried in my arm, Lottie nodded.
“Don’t be so hard on sister. Lucia, Lottie, bring a knife and some plates to cut the bread.”
Ren, the second oldest, appeared a beat later and scolded his sisters. They quickly distanced themselves from me and headed to the kitchen. Confirming that the third and fourth siblings had vanished from sight, Ren took a step closer to me and cautiously began to speak.
“Ryan had a fever, so after you went out, I also went out to get some fever-reducing medicine.”
“Really? How’s he doing now?”
“His fever has gone down a bit. I think it might be because it got colder during the night.”
The youngest nestled in Ren’s arms had a slightly flushed face, indicating that he still had a slight fever. As I gazed at the round cheeks of the baby, I sighed deeply in my heart.
‘He’s going to get sick a lot, so we’re going to have to spend a lot of money on medicines.’
After finishing our unappetizing meal of bread and water, I led the kids to a nearby old inn. Ren held Ryan, Lucia had her embroidery work, and Lottie clung to a wooden jewelry box left by our mother as she followed me.
I arranged for the smallest room and explained to the innkeeper that I would pay the room fee within a week.
Though the innkeeper clicked his tongue and seemed annoyed, he fortunately wasn’t heartless enough to kick little kids out onto the street. He simply muttered to take care of it and went off toward the kitchen.
I watched his retreating back and silently thanked him, nodding my head in gratitude. Somehow, I felt that it had bought me a little bit more time.
Afterward, I left the inn and headed straight for Covozhalden. Although I hadn’t noticed it from the market, the mansion was farther away than I thought. I caught rides on passing carts and finally arrived when it was already late and the night was pitch black.
I knew it was impolite to visit someone’s house at this time, but I knocked on the gate of the mansion’s garden without hesitation.
“Who’s there?”
An old man, clearly aged, opened the door a while later.
“Who are you?”
With his white hair neatly combed back, he asked in a polite tone to the uninvited guest who had arrived so late.
“I heard that you’re hiring people here. I apologize for coming at this late hour. But there is nowhere to stay nearby, and I came as quickly as I could.”
“Come in. This time suits the master just fine. For him, it’s no different from daytime.”
The old man chuckled and guided me into the house.
I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that I hadn’t been turned away, and entered the mansion.
However, a cold sensation washed over me the moment my foot crossed the threshold.
While the weather was getting colder as winter approached, it wasn’t the same as the chilly weather.
It was more like a chilling sensation, starting from my toes and spreading throughout my entire body, as if all the hair on my body stood on end.
Like my translations?
Buy me a Milktea!
