He thought of the curses of the manor he was aware of, but he couldn’t make sense of it.
“I don’t know what it is, but that woman has clearly lost her mind.”
If it hadn’t been for him, would anyone have even discovered such an anomaly? Recalling the Captain, who had been playing it safe and using authority as an excuse, he felt nothing but pathetic contempt.
‘He was always a pathetic individual.’
Though the Captain seemed to have a good reputation among his peers, the researchers and elders who were close to the former Captain called the current one a “blockhead.” He had heard that while things were better now, in the past, the Captain’s ideology was so impure that he had defied superior orders multiple times.
‘It wouldn’t be a bad idea to use this opportunity to rack up some achievements and take the Captain’s seat for myself.’
It was at that moment, as he was congratulating himself on his spying, that the woman—who had been standing still with her back to the mirror—slowly turned her head toward the rear.
For a split second, it seemed as though her eyes flashed red.
‘What was that?’
He leaned closer to the mirror to check her eyes. However, the red light he thought he saw a moment ago was gone.
“Did I see wrong…?”
He looked around his office. He wanted to check if there was any object that could have reflected a red light onto the mirror.
Then, a slender voice reached him.
“Marcissus.”
A chill ran down his spine. Startled by the sudden cold, he spun around, but there was no one there. This time, he felt a cold breath against his left ear.
“Marcissus.”
Terrified, he covered his ears with his hands.
“Who’s there!”
Was a mischievous subordinate playing a prank? Mages often played tricks to show off their skills, so he assumed it was that kind of joke again.
“I’m counting to three. Come out right now!”
As he began a mental countdown—
“I’m right here. Look this way, Marcissus.”
As if possessed by the voice tickling his ear, he looked back. The woman beyond the mirror was staring directly at him.
‘She shouldn’t be able to see me from that side…?’
Yes, this had to be his imagination. Perhaps someone was using illusion magic to mess with him. Just then, the woman’s hand moved slowly toward the knot of her bathrobe. She met his gaze shyly, as if tempting him. Following the movement of her white fingers, the knot loosened.
Marcissus involuntarily swallowed hard. Ever since he saw her under the duvet, he had felt a desire to strip that bathrobe off her. Unable to tear his eyes away, he took one step, then another, toward the mirror.
“Filthy wretch.”
At the sound of that fierce voice, the scene in the mirror shifted.
Squelch, squelch—.
On a table laden with mouth-watering food, a blonde boy with an expressionless face was slicing meat. A cold knife slid smoothly into the well-grilled steak as if sinking into it. Red juices overflowed from the cut.
Squelch, squelch, squelch—
Skreeeee— Skreeeeeeee—!
The slicing continued, over and over. Eventually, the plate shrieked under the scraping of the sharp blade. The sound felt like it was coming from inside his eardrums. Marcissus clutched both ears in agony at the tinnitus ringing through his head.
Even so, his gaze—forcibly fixed—could not turn away from the mirror. He knew where that place was. It was a place he must never, ever, ever tr—
Blood began to pour from his eyes and ears. He knew where that place was, where it w-w-was, k-kn-kn— NEVERBUTTERFLYANDETERNITYNOTVISIBLE! The moisture on the window broke. Die miserably and trample the bread deliciously! The wind blows and claims you!
“I read the insects and joyfully claim! The resurrection of the era with your love! Joyfully! Joyfully! Joyfully—!”
As his understanding and logic collapsed, the light in his office gradually dimmed. The darkness that pushed away the midday sun crept toward him. Finally, everything around him except for the scene in the mirror was submerged in black.
Clack.
Suddenly, everything went quiet. The blonde boy, having set down his fork and knife, looked up. Under the bright sunlight streaming through the window, the boy raised his deep blue eyes and stared at him.
“Are you joyful?”
“Yes! Yes!”
Rubbing his blood-soaked face, Marcissus smiled brightly. The corners of the boy’s mouth curved upward to match him.
“Then prove it.”
At the boy’s words, Marcissus nodded in ecstasy.
“Yes!”
With a happy face, he picked up a pen and stabbed his own right eye. He stabbed his neck, stabbed his chest frantically, and then threw away the broken pen. Rummaging through his desk like a madman, he pulled a letter opener from his drawer with a radiant smile.
A few hours later, when he was discovered by other members, he had flayed the skin off his entire body. The walls were splattered with words written in blood.
「Joyfully! Joyfully! The crime of voyeurism! Execution!」
“It fits perfectly.”
The quality of the delivered clothes was excellent, and the texture against my skin was incredibly soft. I made sure to memorize the size that fit me best. I was wondering how to move the large amount of ordered goods when I spotted a trolley in the corner.
‘Including a full-length mirror with the clothes order—whoever is in charge really has great sense.’
After tidying my hair and putting on shoes, I checked my reflection in the mirror. It was a classic maid uniform in black and white.
“Good, now I actually look like a maid.”
I grabbed a fresh duvet for the Young Master and headed to the second floor.
“Young Master, how do I look?”
The Young Master, who was savoring dessert, tilted his head.
“Like a human being.”
“It’s pretty, right? I’ve never seen a maid uniform this beautiful.”
Excited by my new clothes, I lightly held the hem of my voluminous skirt and did a twirl.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes. I ordered several sets, so I won’t have to worry about clothes for a while.”
“Why? You should have ordered a dress, too.”
“Oh, come on. Why would a maid ever need to wear a dress?”
“Exactly. Since you won’t have a reason to wear one in the future.”
“I suppose that’s true. But they say anything can be delivered, so maybe I’ll try one on if I get the chance next time?”
A dress… since the Young Master mentioned it, I was a bit curious. The dress Priscilla wore at the banquet before was really beautiful.
By the way, our Young Master really eats well. The table that had been piled high with food was already nearly empty.
“Young Master, you must have been so hungry…”
At my pitying look, the Young Master’s brow instantly furrowed.
“Who exactly do you think you’re pitying?”
Despite his sharp tone, his fork was already moving toward the cake. How cute. Just looking at the Young Master kept me in a good mood.
‘Is this what they call maternal love?’
I suppressed the “motherly smile” that threatened to break out.
“Young Master, which dessert did you like the most?”
“The wild strawberry mousse cake.”
“Do you like wild strawberries?”
“It’s bright red.”
“True. It’s shaped like a red heart, so it’s even prettier. Food that looks good definitely tastes better.”
I fell into thought, memorizing which dishes the Young Master had reached for the most.
‘I can’t order out every day, so I’ll have to practice cooking a lot from now on.’
“Young Master, I’m going to do the dishes and finish organizing the supplies. I’ll return the duvet you lent me after I wash and dry it.”
“Yeah.”
I gathered all the dishes and cutlery into a basket and headed straight for the kitchen. Checking the time, it was already two o’clock.
“I’ll have to hurry if I want to finish organizing the supplies before sunset.”
The kitchen was dark when I arrived. It was lucky I had pulled back the hallway curtains when I checked the kitchen earlier. Even so, it looked like the sunlight wouldn’t reach here much longer. I placed myself in a single beam of light hitting the sink and filled it with water.
As I was humming a tune, I noticed some small writing on the wall.
「Even if you hear a voice saying they are hungry, never look back!」
My brow furrowed involuntarily.
