Chapter 2

Despite the bright spring weather, the mansion felt strangely gloomy. Ivy vines were creeping up the mansion’s blue-gray walls. The house was covered with a drab green roof, as dull as the ivy.

 

‘How the hell am I supposed to escape this place?’

 

The novel never specified the exact date when the owner of this body, Vivi, first met Kid.

 

‘I think she survived at least a week…’

 

But whether it was exactly a week or more than that, I wasn’t sure.

 

All the novel said was that “Vivi died immediately upon meeting him, about a week later.” That made it much more terrifying.

 

‘If I realize he’s around before he sees me, would it be okay to run without us ever meeting?’

 

The carriage gradually slowed. My fingers and toes had long gone cold. As I silently crumpled the hem of my wedding dress in my hands, a soft voice spoke beside me.

 

“…Lady Jezline. No, that is to say, Madam.”

 

“…Yes?”

 

Now that we were officially married, I was no longer Lady Jezline but Madam McCurt. But Seniel seemed hesitant to acknowledge that.

 

When I looked at him anxiously, I saw that he looked just as uneasy. His eyes trembled slightly.

 

We met each other’s gaze with visibly shaken eyes.

 

“I’m terribly sorry to bring this up on the day of our wedding, but I won’t be staying here tonight. I must leave for a temple in another province. I expect it’ll take about a week to return.”

 

“R-Really? Th-thank you, I mean, that’s not what I meant…”

 

The words slipped out before I could stop them. I quickly shook my head, trying to control my facial expression.

 

“Well then, you must be very busy! You shouldn’t waste time here. Go on ahead!”

 

Hmm. I think I failed.

 

Seniel flinched at my over-the-top reaction, a faint look of confusion spreading across his face.

 

Still, I couldn’t help but feel relieved. If he was leaving for another temple, that meant at least I wouldn’t be dying today.

 

‘Surely even the most ruthless writer wouldn’t kill off an extra on her wedding night.’

 

He stared at me blankly for a moment, then slowly lowered his gaze again. Just like the novel described, shy and reserved.

 

“…Thank you for understanding. The butler will show you around. I’m sorry I won’t be able to stay by your side.”

 

“No, not at all! A busy man shouldn’t be held up!”

 

Did I sound too excited? But I didn’t have the composure to fake a calm reaction. Honestly, I wanted to dash out of the mansion at that very moment. But since I had no way of surviving on my own, I had no choice but to stay put.

 

Seniel hesitated, then spoke again, as if reluctant to leave me.

 

“Before I go… may I ask a few things of you? Please promise you’ll follow them.”

 

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

 

There was a new firmness in Seniel’s usually gentle eyes.

 

“After 9 p.m., do not leave your room under any circumstances. Even if you hear strange noises, do not come out.”

 

I hadn’t planned on doing so anyway. But hearing him say that just reinforced my decision to stay locked in tight.

 

“The butler will probably explain this too, but the servants don’t live on the premises and go home after their shift. So you won’t be able to call for them at night. Please don’t try to summon anyone after dark. This may sound strange, but…”

 

His voice trailed off.

 

Normally, someone would press him for more information. But I nodded vigorously.

 

“No, I understand. It’s because of the… ‘silent hours,’ right?”

 

The “silent hours” was a sacred rule in temples that after 9 p.m. everyone had to remain quiet and solemn.

 

But clearly, Seniel wasn’t warning me to stay in for some holy rule. It was because Kid wandered at night. And if I didn’t want to end up a corpse, I’d better not bump into him.

 

“…Yes. To honor the silent hours.”

 

His red eyes quivered slightly. I narrowed mine. He really can’t lie.

 

The carriage came to a stop.

 

I waved cheerfully to Seniel, whose face was worn with guilt and fatigue. From Vivi’s memories, I knew waving was considered improper in this world, but I didn’t have the mental energy to care.

 

“You must be busy, so off you go. See you in a week.”

 

Though honestly, I hoped we wouldn’t see each other again in a week.

 

Knock knock. With a sound at the door, the carriage was opened from the outside. Without looking back, I stepped down.

 

No matter how good Seniel might be, in the end, he was the one who would kill me. I didn’t want to spend another second with him.

 

* * *

 

As I entered the mansion, dressed uncomfortably in a trailing wedding dress, I was greeted by a row of servants lined up to welcome me.

 

The white haired man standing at the front appeared to be the butler Seniel had mentioned.

 

“Welcome to the McCurt estate, madam. I am Herben, the butler who will be serving you.”

 

“Welcome, madam.”

 

As he bowed, the rest of the servants followed suit.

 

‘Not many staff for such a large mansion…’

 

Seniel said the staff didn’t live on site. On top of that, maybe he kept the number of servants low to avoid… complications.

 

I accepted their greetings quickly and took the chance to scan the interior. What mattered now wasn’t courtesy, it was the layout.

 

The mansion had a red-brown color scheme, including the furniture. Since everything looked similar, it would be hard to run without a light once the sun set.

 

The luxurious chandelier on the ceiling gave off plenty of light for now, but it would be useless in a nighttime chase.

 

Behind the chandelier was an arched partition wall that opened into a large hall. There was no visible door. Just a passage.

 

Candelabras the height of a person stood symmetrically on either side. At the ends of the partition, staircases led to the upper floors. There was one on each side, but I wasn’t sure if that would be useful in an escape.

 

“I’d prefer to see the room first. I’m tired from wandering around in this outfit.”

 

“Yes, madam. I’ll guide you.”

 

Herben bowed stiffly and turned. I followed, inspecting the mansion as we walked.

 

There were many windows, so the sunlight streamed in. Still, maybe it was just me, but the place felt dark and ominous.

 

A maid gently lifted my hem to help me walk. Normally, this would be the job of a personal maid, but I didn’t have one. Or rather, I did, but I couldn’t bring her.

 

Seniel had asked me not to.

 

‘Maybe he didn’t want her staying here because she’d draw attention and Kid might notice her.’

 

I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. Should I say it was fortunate that there were fewer eyes watching me? Or a disaster where there was no one to help me?

 

Herben opened a massive door that reached all the way to the ceiling. It glided silently open.

 

“This will be your room, madam. Is it to your liking?”

 

Rather than like it… whew, I couldn’t breathe.

 

After climbing to the third floor without rest, I was winded. This body was just too frail.

 

The room was spacious and classically decorated. But I didn’t like it. It wasn’t the decor, or feng shui, or water veins, or anything like that.

 

First, escape. Second, escape.

 

This room was terribly inconvenient for that.

 

If I had to jump out the window, the third floor was a tricky height. With a body too weak to climb stairs, I’d definitely break something.

 

“Aren’t there any spare rooms on the first floor?”

 

At that, Herben’s polite smile faltered slightly.

 

Maybe he was annoyed because I was making things difficult after being given the best room.

 

“I’m sorry, madam, but the master has ordered that the first floor rooms remain closed. As for the second floor, you would need the master’s permission to move. Shall I ask him?”

 

I grimaced at the word “master.”

 

‘Was that in the original story?’

 

I almost insisted on a first floor room but gave up.

 

It didn’t seem like the second floor was entirely off limits, but I didn’t want to cause a stir when “the master” said no. More importantly, I didn’t want Herben wandering off and possibly running into Kid.

 

‘Better not provoke anyone unnecessarily.’

 

What if there was a corpse in the room I tried to move into?

 

“Fine. I’ll use this room.”

 

“Thank you, madam. Let me introduce your personal maid. This is Jane.”

 

Jane bowed. Her long brown hair slid off her shoulders. Her eyes had soft wrinkles around them; she seemed older than me.

 

“After you change, I’ll show you around the mansion. However, servants only work until 8 p.m., so please call for me before then.”

 

I glanced at the clock. It had just passed 6 p.m., only two hours left before they were off duty.

 

Not enough time to remove make up, change, and get a full tour. I raised a hand to stop Herben before he left.

 

“One question. What time do the servants start work? And how many are there?”

 

“They begin at 6 a.m. There are twenty servants in total.”

 

Twenty. It felt like a lot and not enough at the same time. As watchers for my escape, it was plenty.

 

‘Judging by their expressions, it doesn’t seem like they’ll stop me.’

 

If this marriage was divinely ordained, they should’ve had sparkling eyes. But the servants who greeted me only wore polite smiles, not genuine interest. Their expressions read more like “Can we go home yet?”

 

‘I could probably say I was going out and just run away.’

 

Then again, they didn’t know Seniel’s alter ego was Kid, so they probably didn’t see any reason I’d try to escape. They wouldn’t be on alert.

 

I brushed my tired eyes and waved Herben off.

 

“That’s all. You may go.”

 

“Yes, madam. Please rest well.”