To dispel her unanswered problems, Bianca wandered around the mansion. Compared to the townhouse in the royal capital, this place was somewhat wider, making it more interesting to explore.
Incidentally, Bianca didn’t wander around much in the townhouse since she was always under the watchful eyes of the servants. Fortunately, the number of maids here was small, so she didn’t feel like she was being monitored the way she was at the primary residence. She figured she would take advantage of this opportunity to indulge in a little adventure on her own. Such mischievousness struck her.
Starting on the third floor, Bianca deliberately chose a narrow corridor to proceed. Unexpectedly, the structure was complicated. She had been informed that the aristocratic houses were intentionally constructed in such a way in case of an invasion. She wondered when she remembered this. It seemed like she was recalling a bunch of knowledge that wasn’t particularly essential.
Despite the slightly humid weather, the further into the house she went, the smaller the windows became, which made the area colder without much sunlight. After a short while, a single swinging door, relatively small for this house, could be seen at the end of a narrow corridor.
Was this a dead end? It might be locked. When she turned the knob, the door opened with a clank. She heard the creak of the hinges. Beyond the door was a staircase.
The staircase connected the top and the bottom. Bianca opted for the stairs going down.
Once I’m done here, I’ll explore the upper floors.
Perhaps a rooftop was there. Exploring the labyrinth-like mansion was turning out to be a lot of fun.
She descended the stairs creakily. Even though she reckoned she had reached the first floor, the stairs still continued. A basement seemed to be there. Nobody had mentioned that there was a basement, though. They may have merely forgotten to share it with Bianca. Such a thing often happened in the Kessler household, where family ties were thin.
Down the basement and out of the staircase, a dimly lit passageway led to a room. Using magic, Bianca made a light.
With this, it’s easier.
Doors lined the passageway. The darkness and humidity made Bianca slightly dreadful, but having come all this way, she figured she would reach the end of the corridor.
At the dead end of the passage, she turned the knob of the door. After all, it was also unlocked. She felt that she was being careless in various ways.
Slowly and timidly, she opened the door, only to find not an ominous basement but a staircase. Sunlight streamed gently through the upper-lighted window, and the stairs led continuously upward. Having lived in a monastery, she had confidence in her physical strength, but as expected, she was fed up with the endless stairs.
On the other hand, the dimly lit basement was equally unsettling, so she headed up to a well-lit area. She climbed exactly four floors. Thinking that the exploration for today would be over, she opened the door. It was probably going to be a hallway somewhere on the third floor.
Contrary to her expectation, though, it turned out to be a library. Several bookshelves were arranged in rows, and books were piled in a heap on the floor. She had no clue that such a room existed. Maybe it was untouched or it was just covered with dust in places.
While avoiding the piles of books, Bianca walked along the floor. Not wishing to return the way she had come, she decided to look for another exit. She wondered where she would find another way out. She was slightly thrilled.
At that moment, she heard the sound of a book falling with a thud.
“Hie!”
Startled, her voice leaked out. Was there someone there? Or was it a mouse? From the back of the room resounded the sound of footsteps. Not expecting to encounter anyone in such a place, Bianca started fleeing in surprise.
“Bianca?”
The familiar voice made her turn around.
“Brother!”
She was relieved to discover that the person who had appeared was Satias.
“Oh my goodness, please don’t spook me again.”
Reassured, she walked over to her brother’s side.
“Bianca, how did you end up here?”
A hint of strain was palpable in her brother’s voice.
“Huh? I had time on my hands, so I was exploring the mansion, and then I sort of ended up here.”
Despite her confusion, she told him honestly.
“You sort of ended up here? I doubt it’s a place that can be reached anyhow. Even though there’re supposed to be barriers…”
Although it didn’t seem like she was particularly welcomed, Bianca was far too thrilled with her discovery to dwell on it.
“More importantly, Brother, I thought you were helping Father, yet here you are, playing in a place like this?”
She looked around with curiosity. With her brother around, she wasn’t afraid. At the back of the room, where many bookshelves were lined up, was a small window. Beyond it was a view of the shining sea, and on the windowsill was a fancy white-painted writing desk.
“It’s not easy getting to this place, but it’s like a secret room, and it makes me thrilled! It’s incredibly wonderful.”
As she became more familiar with the room, Bianca began to get excited. When Satias saw this, he gave her a distressed look.
“This is a secret room.”
“Huh?”
Looking at her brother, she realized that he was not in a joking mood, but was serious. Bianca was taken aback.
“Am I not allowed to come in here, by any chance?”
“It can’t be helped since you’ve already came in. Don’t breathe a word about it to anyone.”
“Anyone…? You mean to say that Father also doesn’t know about this?”
Her brother gave a nod. She was taken off guard a bit. Why would their father be unaware of it?
“Isn’t there a floor plan of the mansion or something? I suppose it would be easy enough to find out or is Father not interested in this kind of thing?”
“I say it’s both ways.”
“Well, what a surprise. By the way, what were you doing here, Brother? Let me offer you a helping hand.”
A room that their father has no knowledge of. Somehow, she was pleased to know that. Bianca promptly offered to lend a helping hand to her brother.
“Bianca, I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your curiosity in check when it comes to this room.”
Even though she was told that her inquisitiveness was already at its peak. Nonetheless, if that would inconvenience her brother, another story would be told. From now on, perhaps it would be better for her to give up going in and out of the secret room. Mild disappointment washed over her given that she had finally found the secret room.
“Okay. I don’t mean to say this in return, but I’m tired from all the walking up and down the stairs. Do you know of any shortcuts?”
Bianca lowered her eyebrows in trouble, and her brother heaved a disappointed sigh.
“You came from the staircase? It’s a wonder you made it all the way here. It’s not a good thing to be idle.”
Her brother blurted out, which was unusual.
“Certainly, it’s a long way and there are several doors, but none of them are locked. Anyone could have arrived here had they wished to, right?”
“An ordinary person would not be able to see the doors leading to this place.”
“Huh?”
Leaving Bianca in a daze, the older brother turned on his heel.
Bianca followed behind Satias, who said, “Follow me.” Bianca felt apologetic that she had somehow disturbed him.
Passing through a row of bookshelves, he stopped at a large figure mirror attached to the wall at the back of the room. As her brother held out his hand before the mirror, a faint buzzing sound issued from it, followed by the mirror’s surface beginning to waver.
“Magic?”
Bianca’s eyes widened. The rippling mirror reflected not their reflections, but a different room somewhere else. Satias grasped Bianca’s arm.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes?”
Without giving Bianca time to ponder, he dragged her into the mirror.
