Chapter 6
It probably wouldn’t make much difference, but I thoroughly checked the house again before lying down on the bed.
The eerie scene I had just witnessed lingered before my eyes. It was a bizarre sight I had never encountered before.
I couldn’t sleep at all.
‘How can this possibly be reality?’
Until I talked with the student council president, I was actually quite arrogant.
I think I only half-believed his words about the villagers not being human.
Who would believe in ghosts in this modern age of scientific advancement? I wasn’t a child trembling in fear while reading a ghost story.
So I thought I could safely escape the village. Arrogantly so.
After encountering the bizarre Madam Ranart, that confidence evaporated, replaced by surprise and worry.
‘To think the villagers were really ghosts.’
My mind was troubled, and after tossing and turning in bed for a while, I finally got up and sat at the desk.
Since I couldn’t sleep, I might as well make a brief plan for the future.
I scribbled in my notebook with a pen.
How can I meet Raven?
= When taking the transfer exam for <Saint Gloria Private School>, I can enter the school, so maybe I can meet Raven then?
Yes, the transfer exam.
For now, this was the only way.
This damn school was so exclusive that it wouldn’t easily open its doors even to children of nobles.
Except for the top two students and those with special scores, students weren’t allowed to go outside until graduation.
Moreover, Raven hadn’t replied to my letters since his admission. So there was no proper way to communicate with him.
It means I have to go to school myself.
After writing down what I needed to do immediately, another question arose.
What’s the identity of the student council president with the mysterious ability to turn back time?
I hope I didn’t make a contract with the devil?
I can’t be sure he’s human. Maybe the student council president was a ghost too.
I really felt like I was possessed by ghosts. What if this is just a long dream from the shock of losing Raven?
…But this isn’t the time for such worries.
‘Let’s just focus on escaping from here for now.’
Because I must leave Chesswind tomorrow.
The only time given to me was tomorrow morning, during nap time.
The time when all the villagers are asleep. The time when the power of the ‘unknown villagers’ weakens.
Until then, I had to act as usual. I must never let them know that I’m trying to escape from the village.
As I calmly clasped my slightly trembling hands, I organized my thoughts.
‘It’s okay. I’ll survive. I can’t break down over just this much.’
My strengths are mental fortitude and quick reflexes. I’m also quite smart, so I should be able to overcome this difficulty.
You can do it, Melody.
🐈⬛
The next day.
As soon as I opened my eyes, a terrible stench greeted me.
Holding my nose, I looked for the cause and found it was the strawberry pie on the kitchen table.
To be precise, it wasn’t a strawberry pie. The pie, soaked in blood, contained something unidentifiable.
It was too disgusting to look at closely, so I dumped it, plate and all, into the trash can in front of the garden.
I didn’t want to think about what the pie actually was.
Turning away from the trash can, I entered my room to pack my belongings when I suddenly noticed that my reflection in the wall mirror looked somewhat unfamiliar.
‘Huh? I’ve got a star under my eye?’
A star-shaped tear mole that wasn’t there before had appeared.
‘What’s this? It doesn’t seem to be a stain. Why did this suddenly appear?’
Then, I belatedly remembered what the student council president had said.
“When you go back a year, a mark will appear on Miss Hastings. Probably because of that mark, you’ll gain ‘eyes that can see things others can’t see.'”
“What’s that mark? And what are these things others can’t see?”
“It’s a mark showing you’ve made a deal with me. As for the things others can’t see… You’ll probably know what they are when you see them yourself.”
I wonder if this star-shaped mole is that mark.
What could be the eyes that see things others can’t see? I still couldn’t understand exactly what he meant by those words.
But I didn’t have time to ponder this topic slowly.
I decided to figure out about the tear mole later and left the house with my packed bag and a can of red paint.
‘The villagers’ nap time starts at one o’clock, so I just need to hold out until then.’
As I headed to work at Baroness Ranart’s mansion, I recalled the precautions the student council president had told me.
“When you go to work at Baroness Ranart’s mansion, mark an X with red paint on the front gate. They can’t read red letters written by Miss Hastings.”
“Why do I need to make an X mark?”
“No questions. Ghost stories are incomprehensible to the human mind.”
He said ghost stories are incomprehensible to the human mind.
‘Is there anything in this world that can’t be understood?’
There must be a reason why he told me to do this.
Thinking this, I put down the paint I had prepared in front of the wall of the Ranart mansion.
After checking that no one was passing by, I quickly made an X mark on the front gate.
Then I hid the paint can in the bushes, opened the gate, went in, and hid my luggage in the bushes next to the gate.
“Melody, good morning.”
“Melody, you’re here!”
“Melody, how are you feeling today?”
As soon as I entered the mansion, the servants who had arrived before me greeted me.
This is where it starts.
I answered with the most natural smile I could manage.
“Good morning.”
At my response, the servants’ movements stopped at once.
Then, they all turned to look at me simultaneously. I met three pairs of eyes. Their faces were expressionless, which made it even more eerie.
I don’t understand why they’re reacting like this when I just greeted them. Did I do something wrong?
Then, the servants all tilted their heads to the right at the same time.
‘G-good grief.’
Soon, they turned their backs and then walked towards me backward, swaying as if they were about to fall apart like rusty hinges.
I unconsciously stepped back at this bizarre sight.
“?og ydoleM did erehW”
[“Where did Melody go”]
“.ti llems nac I”
[“I can smell it.”]
They seemed to be calling my name, but it was hard to understand because they were speaking backward.
“Humans feel fear when they’re powerless. Ghost stories touch on unknown realms. That’s why people are afraid of ghost stories. But in reality, it’s not like that, Melody. There are no problems in this world that are truly unsolvable. Remember that point without fail.”
Recalling the student council president’s advice, I closed my eyes tightly and then opened them.
This confirmed that those moving in front of me were not human.
Now that I had confirmed the truth, I needed to tell them that I would be away for a while.
“I’m going to visit the school to meet my younger brother. It’s vacation time. I’ll be away from the village for a while.
“Oh my, it’s Melody, isn’t it?”
“Has time passed so quickly already?”
“Give our regards to Raven. Though we’ve never seen his face.”
The mansion’s servants smiled brightly and agreed with my words.
It was hard to believe these were the same people who had approached me with eerie faces just moments ago.
‘I’ve communicated my intentions to three people. I just need to tell two more.’
The student council president had said I needed to make at least five villagers aware that I would be away.
“Where is Madam Ranart?”
Honestly, I didn’t want to meet Madam Ranart. She had been too frightened when I met her last night.
“.ereh si ydoleM”
[“Melody is here.”]
Just then, a chilling voice was heard near my ear. I turned around, startled.
The Madam was staring at me with her face close to mine.
She looked at me with wide-open eyes and a smile that seemed to split her face.
I need to stay calm.
I haven’t finished telling everyone that I’ll be away.
“I’m going to visit the school to meet my younger brother. It’s vacation time. I’ll be away from the village for a while.
Madam Ranart’s expression changed instantly.
The eerie atmosphere disappeared like melting snow, replaced by a bright face.
“Is that so? Come to think of it, that Raven boy never visits the village. If you miss someone, you have to go see them.”
Madam Ranart shook her head as if she couldn’t help it.
Then she patted my head.
“You’re going through a lot. You’re just a child who needs protection.”
For a moment, I choked up. It was the first time in my life I had heard such words.
I don’t know why I’m hearing these words at such timing.
I couldn’t say anything for a while. Madam Ranart hugged me tightly.
And after a moment,
“Melody.”
Madam Ranart called me. She was still hugging me.
She whispered in my ear.
“Do you still want to run away?”
I froze at those words. She gripped my collar tightly.
🐈⬛
Thank you for reading! ♡
They already know?!