Chapter 4
Shhh—
The sound of heavy rain poured down violently outside the window.
Every time I moved, the wooden floor creaked loudly.
As expected of the old mansion of the prestigious Crochet family, its long history was obvious. The hallway carried a sense of dignity, but at the same time, it looked old and worn enough to feel haunted.
Phantom had left me with an overwhelming task. After checking the pocket watch he pulled from his coat, he gave me a strange “see you again” farewell and boarded the train once more.
Strangely enough, the moment he disappeared, the train tracks vanished without a trace.
That wasn’t all.
Something had changed on my body too.
On my left wrist, lines appeared like a barcode.
Exactly seven of them, as if marking my remaining lives.
That just makes it even more stressful.
The fewer lines there are, the more anxious I’ll probably become.
Lost in thought, I continued forward.
“First, I have to find Adenhar before Sren does.”
I needed to hide him somewhere in the mansion.
Otherwise, there was no way I could escape this game safely.
“But this mansion is really dark. Not even the wall lamps are on.”
The mansion was enormous. When I reached the end of the long hallway, I saw a staircase leading down and an open window. The window rattled dangerously in the wind and rain, shaking with loud clunks. Rainwater had leaked in, soaking the floor beneath it.
“Who leaves a window open on a night like this?”
I carefully closed it, rubbing my arms as I headed downstairs. The cold made my breath fog in the air.
Along the wall beside the stairs hung countless portraits.
They were probably members of the Crochet family. Without thinking, I brushed my hand over one of the frames. Strangely, not a speck of dust came off.
I hadn’t seen any servants either.
“Where did everyone except Sren go?”
There was no way someone like him lived alone in a mansion this big.
And it wasn’t just the servants.
I had never seen his family members even once. I clearly remembered reading that he constantly clashed with the Duchess, his stepmother.
Of course, maybe I just hadn’t seen them because I was imprisoned.
Still… it bothered me.
Surely he didn’t kill everyone, right?
Shaking off the ominous thought, I continued down the stairs.
The moment I stepped onto the last stair, the wall lamps flicked on one after another, flooding the hallway with light.
“…!”
Before I could even react, hurried footsteps rushed toward me.
Then—
Something large and damp clamped over my mouth and nose.
“Mmph…!”
My body was yanked hard. In an instant, I was dragged into the darkness. A cold, wet surface pressed against my back.
Who is it?
Sren?
My heart started pounding like it would burst.
But the scent was different.
Not Sren’s clean aqua scent, but the faint smell of forest wood and citrus.
And then, a firm yet gentle voice whispered near my ear.
“Shh. Stay still.”
“…!”
“If you move, we might get caught, Rachel.”
Only then did I realize who it was.
Adenhar Seperta.
My longtime childhood friend.
The person I had been desperately searching for.
The one I absolutely had to save.
When I slowly lifted my head, he looked down at me. Under the moonlight filtering into the room, I saw his shining blond hair, pale blue eyes like statice flowers, a sharp nose, and soft red lips. He was handsome in a clean, gentle way.
“I was really worried. I’m glad you’re safe, Rachel.”
He smiled softly.
“I really missed you.”
He slowly removed the hand covering my mouth. I quickly looked around and spoke in a low voice.
“Why did you even come here?”
“I heard you were taken by Duke Crochet…”
“Even so, how could you recklessly come alone to look for me?”
Adenhar blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting to be scolded. Then he laughed awkwardly.
“I thought something terrible might happen to you… Lord Faminion was very worried too.”
After hesitating, he added in a worried tone,
“…It’s that Duke Crochet, after all.”
Knowing that and still coming here so carelessly…
I let out a sigh as I looked at him.
Does he even know how many times I’ve seen him die with his head cut off?
Shaking my head to dispel the chilling memory, I warned him.
“First of all, thank you for coming to save me. But I want you to go back.”
“Huh?”
“Of course, I can’t go with you. There’s something I absolutely have to do here.”
“But…”
Adenhar hesitated, clearly troubled.
“What is it?”
Sensing something strange, I asked. He smiled awkwardly again.
“Well… after I entered this mansion, the exit disappeared.”
“…What?”
What kind of nonsense is that?
A long silence passed between us. When I looked at him suspiciously, he waved his hands in a panic and explained again.
“It’s true! Rachel. I tried to scout the mansion first so I could take you out safely, but the moment I stepped inside, the door vanished right in front of me. Then I was standing alone in a room I didn’t recognize.”
So that’s how it is.
This damn game triggers a trap the moment someone enters the mansion. From that point on, there’s no normal way out. It turns into a maze.
Probably only the owner of the mansion, Sren, can find the exit.
Which means Adenhar, the sacrifice needed for the game’s progression, can never leave without my help.
“Hahaha…”
Damn it.
I barely swallowed my curse. My lips twitched uncontrollably. Noticing my strange reaction, Adenhar asked nervously,
“Did I… mess up?”
He looked at me like a lost puppy.
Seeing his innocent face made my chest feel even tighter.
What am I supposed to do with him?
You don’t even know your own fate. You just came to save me.
Just then, a whistling sound echoed from somewhere.
It was a hide-and-seek tune.
“Hide well, hide well, or I’ll see your hair.”
The familiar melody froze my entire body.
Then, footsteps echoed down the quiet hallway.
Instinctively, I knew.
It was Sren.
If he caught me with Adenhar, it was over.
I pressed a finger to my lips, signaling Adenhar to stay quiet, and quickly scanned the room for a hiding place. At the same time, doors creaked open and slammed shut repeatedly nearby.
Adenhar mouthed silently,
“What do we do? We’ll get caught.”
A handgun was tucked into his belt. He reached for it, preparing himself—but I stopped him.
Every time I failed, Adenhar died.
Which meant one thing.
No matter what, Adenhar could never beat Sren.
Provoking him would only make things worse.
Then I saw it.
An old wardrobe.
I gestured urgently for Adenhar to hide inside.
But he shook his head, mouthing that he couldn’t leave me behind. Meanwhile, Sren’s footsteps drew closer and closer.
I pinched Adenhar’s side sharply, silently urging him to listen. Even then, he stubbornly resisted. My chest felt like it would burst from frustration, but making noise now would doom us both.
“Rachel—mmph!”
Just as he tried to speak, I covered his mouth.
Through clenched teeth, I whispered,
“I won’t die. So please, just trust me once.”
Finally, he reluctantly climbed into the wardrobe.
The moment I breathed a sigh of relief—
Bang!
With a deafening crash, the door was blown open.
Sren stood there, his eyes glowing red.
With his usual eerie smile, he whispered,
“What were you doing here, Rachel?”
Then he slowly licked the blade of the sword in his hand.
My palms grew slick with sweat.
Still, I forced a smile and answered calmly.
“I was just looking around the mansion.”
My voice didn’t shake, right?
Sren smiled silently.
Then, in an instant, the smile vanished, replaced by a cold expression.
“I heard another voice. Not yours.”
“…You must’ve misheard.”
“Where did you hide them?”
“…!”
“Should I look for them myself?”
