Chapter 10
Sally, who had been diligently sweeping, suddenly froze. If what Jimmy said was true, now was not the time to be focusing solely on cleaning.
“Something the Carter lady would find useful…”
Though she had entered Room 333 countless times, she had never once encountered a ghost.
If the ghost wouldn’t show itself on its own—why not try summoning it? If that one act could earn her a week’s wages… The thought reminded her of something a colleague had once said.
‘Hey, did you guys know? The ghost in Room 333 is named Eddie.’
You were supposed to stand in front of the mirror and say Eddie’s name three times.
Then, the ghost named Eddie would appear and answer anything you asked—even questions about the future.
‘What is this, Bloody Mary?’
Someone had scoffed like that, but the colleague telling the story hadn’t cared.
‘But the important part is—sometimes Eddie appears holding a knife or an axe.’
In that case, you had to run out of the room immediately. If not, the ghost might kill you, they’d warned.
At the time, Sally had scoffed. But now, she was dead serious.
She stopped cleaning and stared at the wall-mounted mirror.
“Should I just try it…?”
It obviously wouldn’t work, but so what? There was no one watching, no risk of embarrassment, and nothing to lose.
And if something weird did happen, she’d have something to report to Mrs. Carter.
“Ahem.”
Standing in front of the mirror, she saw her reflection framed by rose-vine decorations.
“…Eddie.”
It felt a bit silly once she actually said it, but Sally repeated the name twice more.
“Eddie, Eddie!”
She waited after saying it three times, but nothing changed in the mirror.
“Of course.”
Sighing lightly, Sally let out a small laugh. Just as she was about to turn away—
—Who… called me?
The voice didn’t sound human. It echoed as if from the ceiling, and Sally jerked back in horror.
She whipped her head to face the mirror—and in the reflection, it was no longer herself she saw.
There was someone else.
A vaguely man-like figure, unclear at first glance. As she looked closer—
“…!”
A shrill scream tore from Sally’s mouth.
…The thing in the mirror was a rotting corpse, decomposed for what looked like years, waving its hand at her.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
Sally Melbourne fainted on the spot.
As her body collapsed with a heavy thud, the image in the mirror slowly changed.
—Oops. I forgot to change appearances.
The figure now turned into a handsome young man with brown hair and a striking face—none other than Henry Jekyll Langham.
The person with Jekyll’s face peered out from the mirror and shook his head.
—Seems like I don’t even need to do anything.
As he said this, the knife “Eddie” had been holding clattered to the floor.
That night, a familiar face knocked and entered the room.
A boy with a small face, smooth-looking skin, a slender build, and a gentle impression.
“You’re the one from yesterday…”
Unlike earlier at lunch when he wore a hotel uniform, now he was dressed in a plain shirt and trousers. Dressed like this, he looked older than she’d thought.
“Jimmy Barry from the hospitality department. Please, just call me Jimmy, Mrs. Carter.”
“Alright, Jimmy. Then you can call me Emily.”
As she replied absentmindedly, she realized—Oops.
Usually, when someone was of a lower rank, such requests made them uncomfortable.
But Jimmy just smiled and nodded naturally.
“If that’s what you wish, Emily.”
The ease in his tone, the refined vocabulary—none of it felt like something a mere hotel bellboy would say.
There was something off, but she brushed it aside.
“So? Did you come because… the thing I wanted is ready?”
The thing she wanted.
When asked if “Miss Melbourne” was ready to pass on the information, Jimmy grinned and nodded.
“She’s waiting at the door.”
“Then bring her in—”
“But there’s one thing I think you should know first.”
Emily straightened up.
“What do you mean?”
“Miss Melbourne was assigned to clean Room 333 again today. And…”
What he said next made Emily’s eyes widen.
“…She summoned Eddie’s ghost?”
The boy smiled as if he had expected her reaction.
“So, shall I bring her in now?”
A moment later, after Jimmy left, a young woman in her early twenties entered.
She looked pale with fear, probably from the ghost encounter. As she bowed her head in greeting, Emily got straight to the point.
“Jimmy said you summoned a ghost.”
“…”
The girl slowly raised her head. Tear stains streaked across her freckled cheeks.
“I… I broke protocol.”
“Protocol?”
“Item seven in the guideline manual.”
She glanced around anxiously, as if someone might be watching, then spoke with paranoid urgency.
“I wasn’t supposed to say the name. But I got greedy… for just ten shillings…”
“Miss Melbourne?”
“I summoned him. That… that face…”
She looked like she was about to collapse, drenched in cold sweat from the trauma.
Emily paused, then handed her a cup of warm tea.
“Take a breath first. You can tell me slowly.”
“…Madam.”
With a trembling expression, Miss Melbourne looked up and took a sip.
Time passed. Once she had regained some composure, she began to recount what she’d seen.
…It was utterly astounding. Emily carefully wrote down every word of her testimony.
Except for one thing that caught her attention.
“…You said Sir Henry was there today too?”
From what she described, it wasn’t the first time Henry had been spotted in Room 333.
“So he bans the staff from entering Room 333 but sneaks in himself?”
Stranger still—Sir Henry never remembered being in there afterward.
“It was the same today. He said, ‘Why am I here?’ and looked confused.”
As Emily mulled it over, she recalled something Henry had once told her.
“I’ve always been… sensitive to spirits, you see…”
So that’s what was going on. She was beginning to connect the dots. After handing Miss Melbourne ten shillings, she gently asked,
“Do you think I could take a look inside Room 333?”
Miss Melbourne looked tempted by the money, but she shook her head.
“As of today, even staff are banned from entering that room.”
“What? Why?”
“Because of me. After I saw the ghost… I fainted.”
She blushed with embarrassment and lowered her head.
But honestly, that reaction was perfectly normal.
“If it’s a ghost related to the Book of Avon, its power must be immense.”
The girl didn’t know it, but the fact she had survived—and returned sane—was an incredible stroke of luck.
Emily just nodded as if it were no big deal.
“I see. That’s a shame, but thank you for the story today.”
She smiled and handed over twenty shillings, making Miss Melbourne’s face light up.
“Oh, you don’t have to give me this much…”
“Just think of it as a token of appreciation.”
Miss Melbourne thanked her profusely before leaving the room. Just before she stepped out, she turned back and asked,
“Will you write a novel based on this?”
“Hmm, maybe?”
“Wow, I’m a fan of yours, Miss Carter! I’ll look forward to it!”
With that, she disappeared out the door. Left alone, Emily sat and gathered her thoughts.
“One thing’s certain.”
There’s a ghost named Eddie in Room 333, and he can be summoned by saying his name three times.
This ghost appears to move through the wall-mounted mirrors in the rooms, and most importantly…
“He’s using Sir Henry Jekyll as a hostage.”
Now, all that remained was to enter Room 333, investigate the site, and get a testimony from “that person.” With access restricted, neither task would be easy—but Emily had a perfect ace up her sleeve.
“I’ll just ask Sir Henry.”
She was just about to head out when an old memory flashed through her mind.
What was that bellboy’s name again? She picked up the business card he had left behind.
[Hospitality Dept., Jimmy Barry]
Given that “Jimmy” is short for “James”…
“James Barry.”
As she spoke the name aloud, the feeling of déjà vu intensified. If her memory was correct, then that boy…
“He might turn out to be a valuable ally.”
Emily stood up and headed straight to the hotel lobby—to send a telegram requesting an investigation from Helena.
A few hours later, in front of the executive office at the top floor of the Langham Hotel.
“Please wait a moment, Lady Carter.”
Following the secretary’s instructions, Emily sat comfortably in an armchair in the waiting room.
She was here to meet Sir Graham Langham, who presided over the executive suite.
Just as she’d guessed, getting here wasn’t too difficult.
After leaving her room earlier, she had gone to the one next door—to find Sir Henry.
“Henry, wait a moment.”
Just calling him by his first name made the innocent young man blush.
“Y-Yes, Miss Emily? Do you need something…?”
“There’s something I’d like to ask of you.”
“Anything. Please, go ahead.”
“Actually… would it be possible to meet your uncle?”
At this, Henry’s jaw dropped.
“……”
His face flushed, darkened, brightened again—whatever thoughts were spinning in his head, he clearly went through a lot. But eventually, he composed himself and asked,
“Of course, my uncle is a busy man, but if I request it, he’ll make time. But may I ask why you wish to see him…?”
With earnest types like him, you can’t give them time to think.
Smiling faintly, Emily stepped closer.
The young man instinctively began to retreat—but she grabbed his sturdy arm, leaned in, and whispered into his ear.
“It’s a secret, Henry.”
“…!”
She felt his arm tremble in her grasp.
Letting go and stepping back, she could see the tips of his ears had turned red.
