Chapter 23
“…”
“Um, I’ll pour you coffee instead of the tea. It may not appeal to you though.”
After tossing the tea, I poured the coffee with milk foam, and the Countess gently lifted her hand to take the cup.
She drank it rapidly as if she preferred coffee over tea.
Instead of looking menacingly, she should have said anything.
I was afraid she was going to attack me…
「Gifted ‘Rarely Brewed Coffee’ to Priscilla.」
「Priscilla is very pleased.」
「Priscilla’s affection increased by 300.」
「Priscilla’s Current Affection Level: lv.4 (0/200)」
Priscilla’s affection gauge above her head quickly filled and climbed as the level rose to 5 following my first interaction with Adrian.
Due to the suffocating sights of the area, I hadn’t noticed an affection gauge flying above her head, which was suddenly vanishing.
So the Countess’s name is Priscilla.
But what’s the sense of garnering her affection, especially since she appears insane?
“Did you say your name was Hilda?”
“Yes, yes.”
The Countess’s voice was as soft and sweet as whipped cream, which shocked me.
She set the empty cup down and gave me a sympathetic glance.
Seeing the goat’s head in her arms made me uneasy, but her kind eyes elicited pity.
The original Countess was probably different from this.
A kind and sympathetic individual who is more prone to coming apart.
“Go to the village.”
“Pardon?”
“The community has a lot to offer. Mr. Andrew from the tea business stated he obtained some orange-scented rooibos tea leaves from afar, but I have yet to visit. I’m curious how he’s doing.”
「The map has been unlocked! You are now free to visit Aida Village.」
「You can leave the mansion.」
Unexpectedly, a white text emerged, catching me off guard.
I’d been barred from leaving the mansion, but I hadn’t anticipated the Countess unlocking it.
Despite my anxiety, it turned out that if Leticia hadn’t sent me in her place, the map wouldn’t have been unlocked, and I would have stayed trapped in the mansion.
I had yet to learn that earning affection points with key game characters was as vital as gaining experience points to unlock skills.
I would have given something to Adrian as well if I had known.
Developing affection for important characters may deliver better results.
“Lullaby, lullaby… our, baby…”
The Countess’s lucidity appeared transient as she lowered her head and hummed a lullaby once more.
Her disoriented speech and the red room were unsettling, yet remembering her expression from a moment before made me feel pity rather than dread.
Everything is so odd.
Maybe it’s because I know the Countess’s story, and Adrian is a devil.
Everyone else, unaware of Adrian’s actual character, accuses her of being insane.
Unbelieved by everyone, a person who broke down after screaming the truth alone.
She was trapped in an empty room, shouting into the emptiness until she became empty…
“I’ll come again, my lady.”
“Lullaby, lullaby…”
“Next time, I’ll bring some ingredients from the village and make even better coffee.”
I bowed deeply before leaving with the tidied tray.
The Countess didn’t turn around, but her sagging shoulders suggested she was lonely.
A new tune, quieter and more sinister than the previous one, trickled through the door gap just as I was ready to close the door and depart quietly.
“Rest easy, die peacefully, lullaby, lullaby… our, Adrian…”
My hand paused before closing the door.
I opened my eyes wide in surprise and yanked the door open again, but the singing had stopped.
The Countess’s neck was bowed like a tree branch, indicating she had dozed off.
Could I have misheard?
I thought I heard Adrian’s name.
I was overcome with anxiety and peered around the corridor, afraid.
I was alone in the long corridor, only the hollow sound of the wind to accompany me.
It was peculiar.
I was breathing differently than when I was in front of Adrian.
My inhales were icy, and my exhales were scorching.
My nose was hurting from panting.
I examined the door, my quivering hands, the Countess’s slender, bent neck, and the door again.
I slammed the door shut with such force that my nose nearly shattered when the Countess slowly turned her head halfway, and our eyes locked.
My heart was pounding furiously.
My mind was racing.
The insects from the goat’s head had gotten into my ear.
“It must have been the wind; I just misheard the wind…”
To calm myself down, I breathed for as long as I could.
The Countess adores Adrian.
Her love just took her aback.
Things would have gone wrong sooner if she had not loved him.
I dashed down to the first floor and smelled the cool air.
The chattering voices of the staff helped to relieve the ringing in my ears.
It was like getting out of a marsh.
🍂🍂🍂
Seeing Emily and Katarina’s faces in the kitchen was a big relief after seeing something dreadful in the Countess’s room.
Emily gazed at me anxiously as she took the tray as if she knew why my face was so pale.
I spoke as I wiped the chilly sweat from my brow.
“Did you see it, Emily? The… lady’s room.”
“Yes… Hilda, I’m sorry I couldn’t accompany you. I once passed out before I even entered the room. Right outside the door.”
“And Emily was bedridden for several days. She screamed every time she closed her eyes at the thought of that red chamber… Didn’t it take a while to recover?”
“But it was too frightening. Even thinking about it now makes me nervous.”
Her lower gaze twitched with apprehension.
If I shook in this false realm, how much more terrible and horrific could it have been for them in their reality?
“Has the lady… been like this ever since she lost her mind?”
“Yes, she’s always been that way. I have no idea where she gets those dead goats. When we leave the room for a short time, we find it filled with goat carcasses, and she paints the walls with their blood. She strews crosses all over…”
“She moved rooms?”
“Yes. We have to clean the room whenever she leaves it in that condition. So, as we were cleaning, we moved her possessions to the next room. Even in her new room, she brings dead goats and paints with their blood. She is currently in the final available room on the second floor. All of the other rooms are in the same state…”
“It’s impossible to keep it a secret when we’re all whispering about it.”
Katarina let out a long sigh.
“I went to the village a few days ago. There were unsettling rumors about the lady of the house, the lady at the sewing shop said.
“What should we do then, unnie?”
Emily inquired, her voice trembling.
“I told Leticia about it. The Count appears to be aware of it. It’s unlikely he doesn’t know, given the rumors… They intend to relocate the lady shortly.”
“What? Do you mean they’re taking her away?”
“Yes. They want to move her to a peaceful environment where she can focus on treatment because her mind is not in good shape. But we need to keep this private. There will be all kinds of rumors if it gets out. Pretend you don’t know.”
Katarina kept her voice quiet.
Naturally, stories of strife will circulate if the Countess is relocated while the Count stays in the mansion.
More rumors concerning her mental health are likely to circulate, given the existing rumors.
“Anyway, Hilda, you must be stunned. Leticia suggested you go to the village for some fresh air.”
“I can go to the village now?”
I was both astonished and thrilled.
Even though the village map had been accessible, I assumed it would be difficult to visit unless it were a holiday.
“Yes. She was extremely thrilled after viewing the garden you cleaned up this morning. She stated that you are not required to work today. Oh! It’s not quite an exchange, but we’d appreciate it if you could run a few errands for us.”
“That’s amazing, Hilda.”