CH 34

Just as I felt Henry’s hot breath on the back of my neck, I heard a familiar voice.

“I will protect your mind.”

After a while, I jolted awake.

The place where I opened my eyes was the balcony of the gloomy old house from before. 

Behind it lay an eerie green lake.

I was in the arms of a half-insane Mr Henry, on the verge of thrusting a tooth into my neck.

“I– Henry? Calm down.”

But Henry did not respond.

His eyes gleamed with madness as he refused to let me out of his arms. I immediately slapped him on the cheek.

“…!”

As if the stinging on his cheek had brought him back to his senses, Henry’s eyes regained sanity as he returned to his original state.

“Huh… Emily?”

“Please let go of me.”

“Uh-huh!!” 

Henry scrambled backwards as he let me go. He quickly offered his hand, which I held to stand up.

“I’m very sorry, Emily.” 

“It’s alright. Are you feeling better?”

“Ah, what the hell did I just do…” Henry’s cheeks were so red, they looked like they were going to burst any moment. Perhaps the memory was still intact, as Henry was unable to even make eye contact. 

“Why… Such a strange impulse… I am very sorry.”

I felt the same way, but I didn’t mean to slap him. 

The sight of a large, dishevelled man exuding masculinity and sensuality with his whole body, blaming himself for following some strange desires…

‘It’s just my taste.’

I sighed while appreciating his lovely appearance and then shook my head.

“I’m sorry as well. I think we were both under some kind of hallucinogens.”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you see a strange fantasy before?”

As I told Henry about the lavender field and the flower crown, his eyes widened.

“No, what I saw… that’s not it.”

Henry’s hallucinations were different from what I had seen.

In complete darkness, he was trapped inside a mirror.

He said that it was his ‘other self’ that had embraced me. 

“I tried to break the mirror, but it did not budge. The other me… I had to watch helplessly as he tried to bite the nape of your neck.”

“…” 

I stared at him without answering.

‘Other self’… no way.’

‘Was Hyde’s ego still there?’ 

I had seen it clearly. Edward Hyde had disappeared back then. Even the King in Yellow acknowledged it, then why…?

As soon as the question arose in my head, a voice rang out loudly.

“Lady Emily!!” It was Sally. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, Sally.” Her appearance relieved me.

The words she spoke next raised my eyebrows.

“Madam, people– People are behaving bizarrely!”

***

The party came to an end a few hours later.

As the wine-inflicted euphoria dimmed, the people came to their senses. They eventually headed back to their rooms.

The next morning, everyone in our allotted drawing room felt that they had gone crazy the previous night.

When I asked everyone what had happened, I was informed that their memories remained intact but their minds seemed hazy.

“My head hurts like it’s about to break.” 

Mr Henry, who couldn’t even raise his head properly, said that he was deeply ashamed that he showed his ugliness in front of me.

“…I never imagined I would dance so happily.”

Helena said she danced for over an hour in a frenzy with the man dressed as Louis XIV. 

Knowing her, it was difficult to imagine.

“I’m sorry I could not see it with my own eyes.”

“What nonsense are you talking about, Emily.”

…I’m really sorry.

I turned to look at Jimmy, expecting his recount of last night’s events.

“I, me? I just… Uhm… Do I have to tell?”

As I tilted my head, wondering why, Sally whispered in my ear.

“I think my guess is right, Madam.”

“What guess?”

“I’m guessing Jimmy is either a homosexual or a masculine woman.”

“… …”

It turns out that the previous night, Sally saw Jimmy paired up with a tall man, enjoying the party.

…That man must have been Jimmy’s type. 

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to talk,” I passed Jimmy’s turn, looking at James Moriarty. “Then..”

“I didn’t see you at the banquet hall, did you not attend the party?” I asked.

At that, James raised his head and smiled when our eyes met. 

“Emily, I didn’t get to escort you, so there was no reason for me to be there.”

“…”

“Of course, it’s a pity I couldn’t dance with you, but…”

As James’ smile widened, his eyes curved like a half moon.

“Is there still a chance?”

Mr Henry’s cold, murderous glare threatened to cut James in half.

Sensing the chilling atmosphere between them, I switched the subject.

“So, what did you do instead of attending?” 

“What do you think I did?”

Instead of answering, James smiled at me again, causing Mr Henry’s gaze to worsen.

“Oh, how could I know?”

As I shrugged in irritation, James quickly changed his attitude. 

“I explored the mansion.” 

“Did you find anything suspicious?”

“Yes, but it’s too early to be sure.” James’ long, slender fingers pointed downwards.

“There is something sinister hidden in the basement.”

Last night, when everyone was busy attending the banquet, James pretended to be lost and wandered around the mansion. 

According to the notice distributed to the attendees, they were free to explore the mansion.

“But, I was stopped from entering the basement.”

“…What’s in the basement?”

“Maybe… something so terrifying that even imagination fails to construct it?”

With those words, silence settled in the room. 

James’ low-pitched voice continued softly. 

“I have seen a lot of terrible things in my pursuit of the church of Starry Wisdom. If you’ve decided to stand by me, you will too.”

With everyone’s gaze on one man, James and my eyes met, and he continued. 

“It’s necessary to prepare your mind to face them.”

…Prepare your mind. Ha!

Somehow holding back my laughter, I gave a twisted smile. 

“Let us put aside such worries. And… Sally.”

At my unexpected call, she jumped. “Yes, Madam?!”

“You said you were talking to an employee yesterday.” 

“Ah, um… it was more like sharing a few words than talking.” 

“That’s enough. Approach her, get all the information you can get, and above all…”

I entrusted Sally with an important task. 

“Find out what’s in the Brichester Cellar.”

“Please leave it to me!”

I felt somewhat reassured by her powerful reply.

***

Sally left the drawing room with a spring in her steps. 

‘Madam has acknowledged me!’

Not too long ago, at the gathering in the drawing room, Lady Helena had spoken about some apprehensions.

“Isn’t the wine the most suspicious?”

The only thing that stood out about last night’s dinner was the Brichester wine.

Most of those who drank it had hallucinations and uttered nonsense, suggesting that there was something wrong with this wine.

“From now on, I will refrain from drinking the wine… but wait,” Lady Helena turned to Sally. “Sally, what about you? Did you perhaps not drink the wine at all?”

“Oh, I had a drink, but a few sips at most.”

“…I too only drank a few sips.”

Jimmy had spoken up after a long time. Even though he had taken only a few sips, he experienced intense hallucinations. 

Then finally, Lady Emily arrived at a conclusion. “It’s clear that Sally has a special talent. She said her great-grandmother was a shaman, right?”

“Ah, that…”

Everyone’s eyes widened at the appearance of the word shaman.

“Perhaps you were born with some kind of resistance. To me, rather than just containing mere hallucinogens, the wine looks like something made with some evil magic.”

‘I can resist evil magic?!’ At this moment, Sally herself was surprised by the words she had never thought of.

“Miss Melbourne, isn’t that great?”

Jimmy, Lady Helena, Mr Henry, and even Baron Moriarty were staring at Sally with truly admiring gazes.

Sally, who had never been noticed in public like this, was stunned for a moment when Emily smiled softly and stroked her hair.

“Of course, I picked a really good assistant.”

“…!”

When Sally left the drawing room after receiving so many compliments, her footsteps seemed to fly off.

Sally smiled and decided to work hard on the mission her Madam had given her.

‘I must find the person I saw yesterday.’

The maid that seemed to be about the same age as Sally, but looked droopy like drenched cotton. That was who Sally had to find.

Sally wandered around the mansion looking for her for a long time, and thanks to her unique sociability and talking here and there…

A few hours later, she was able to find the maid in a sparsely populated hallway.

“I’ve been looking for you for a while!”

“…Yes?”

Sally found out through some digging that her name was… uh…

“Abigail, right?”

“…”

Sally waved her hands as she looked at the woman who had a visibly wary expression on her face.

“No, please don’t think I’m strange. I just really liked you when I bumped into you yesterday, and there are things I want to ask you.”

“…What do you want to know?”

Was it because of Sally’s casual tone and innocent look?

Abigail entered the conversation with a slightly relaxed look.

“The wine I was carrying with me yesterday, it’s made only in Brichester, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“Then, perhaps…”

Sally glanced around, making sure there was no one there. After confirming, she lowered her voice.

—

Hello, this is Ash, the new translator. I’ll be picking up the novel~ This is something like a debut chapter!