Chapter 18
18
“The manual only says not to look for them.”
In the quiet room, the servant sitting across from Simone glanced around with a terrified expression.
Only Simone and a few servants were here, but he looked anxious, as if someone might find this place.
This was the case not only for the servant who spoke but also for the other servants present.
Servant Kaylee lowered her head and clenched her fists tightly.
Anna never refused any hard work and was always following her older colleagues, calling them ‘sisters.’
Kaylee still didn’t like Simone, who had suddenly entered the mansion and was living a luxurious life, but despite that, Simone was the only one she could trust now.
She felt like she understood Archduke Illestone’s intention in keeping Simone here with such special treatment.
Kaylee opened her mouth, her voice trembling, to Simone, who was listening to her without any expression.
“But there’s another rule passed down among the servants.”
“Huh?”
What is this about?
There were other rules besides the manual?
Of course, there was no such content in the book, and judging by what she was saying, Archduke Illestone didn’t seem to know about it either.
Simone nodded with a serious face.
“Keep talking.”
Kaylee lowered her head even further. She said in a trembling voice.
“A disappeared servant will eventually return to work, but you must never answer, look at, or even acknowledge them. Not until they disappear again.”
Kaylee’s voice trembled pitifully.
Just bringing up this story now, after a servant had disappeared according to the rule, made her afraid that the curse’s influence would affect her.
“If you hear the voice of the disappeared one while walking in the underground corridor after the sun has set and the moon has risen, do not answer and immediately move to another floor.”
Simone quietly swallowed her astonishment.
This was a very important guideline, so why wasn’t it written in the manual?
“Why isn’t this written in the manual?”
At Simone’s question, Kaylee hesitated and said.
“Because nobles can’t know everything that happens among the servants.”
Simone sighed. The servants Kaylee was talking about were those who lived underground, those in charge of menial tasks.
They usually didn’t speak, and they shouldn’t speak, and there weren’t many who listened to them.
The Illestone family was relatively good at taking care of the servants and had even created a manual for them, but of course, they didn’t know about every incident that happened among them.
A rule that couldn’t be written in the manual because it only happened among the servants.
Finally, someone had appeared who would listen to their story.
“Simone, I want to save Anna. I know it’s presumptuous of me to ask you this, but…”
Kaylee clenched her fists tightly. She remembered the day Simone first came to this mansion.
At that time, Kaylee openly showed her dislike and spread rumors about her.
She thought she was a beggar who had entered the mansion with lies, and even if her words were true, it was because of the prejudice she had against Necromancer.
So, she couldn’t lift her head and look Simone in the eye while they were talking.
Simone didn’t answer for a long time.
The silence grew longer. Was she going to get angry and ask who she thought she was to ask for a favor?
Just as Kaylee was worried and biting her lip.
“Okay, I understand what you’re saying. You can go now.”
“Yes?”
Simone issued an order to leave. When Kaylee raised her head in embarrassment, Simone was staring intently at the manual without looking at her.
Chapter 3. Disappearance
Simone was lost in thought. She never knew there was such a rule among the servants.
She now understood why the servants had looked at them so strangely when the young servant Lise said this morning that she would help find Anna, and why the head servant Ruth had suddenly approached and stopped the conversation.
She had been worried that a newly arrived servant was trying to break a well-known rule among the servants.
Simone looked at the moon shining brightly outside the terrace.
It had already been more than 24 hours since Anna disappeared.
‘I was going to rest until I solved the curse of Jace and Grand Duchess Florie.’
She had planned to entrust all the complicated and time-consuming tasks, such as searching for Saintess's Desire, to the Adventurer’s Guild and use that as an excuse to enjoy luxury for a while.
Simone postponed that happy plan without hesitation.
“Anna is more important, is resting important?”
Thinking that Anna had been caught up in a curse, she lost her appetite and didn’t even touch the luxurious dinner.
Simone got up and left the room again, saying something to herself for no reason.
“Simone, where are you going?”
Outside the room, guards were standing as always, watching Simone. Simone passed them and said.
“I’m going to break the curse.”
At Simone’s words, the guard tried to take a step forward but stopped in place.
‘Watch her and help her at the same time.’
They recalled the words of the head butler, Kelle. Their mission was to watch Simone so she wouldn’t run away, but if she was going to break the curse, letting her go without knowing was also part of the job.
“Haa…”
Simone sighed deeply and slowly went down the stairs.
The basement floor, the space only for servants.
She arrived in a corridor where not a single light was on and looked around.
“I should have brought a lantern.”
Usually, if something like this happened, Anna would have come running even in her sleep to bring her a lantern.
Tap- Tap-
Only the sound of Simone’s footsteps echoed in the dark and quiet corridor.
Simone had come all the way here, determined to confront the situation directly if there was such a secret rule, but suspiciously nothing was happening.
Tap- Tap-
Simone stopped walking.
Tap- Tap-
And held her breath. The sound of shoes she had been hearing since a while ago.
At first, she thought it was her own footsteps, but soon she realized that she was wearing soundless slippers.
Tap- Tap-
Then what was this sound?
The footsteps that continued even though she had stopped walking were getting closer and closer.
Simone frowned.
A faint light flickered far away at the end of the corridor.
A small figure was reflected in the light. She was staggering and swaying as she approached this place.
Tap- Tap-
It was thought that this sound belonged to her.
At that moment.
Come here
Simone turned her body sharply.
A hoarse voice, close to a whisper, was heard.
…Hey, come here
Hurry
The sound of shoes that had been approaching slowly stopped.
Simone turned her head again and looked at the figure reflected in the light.
The small figure paused for a moment and then continued to walk, staggering a little faster.
Tap- Tap-
Soon, the figure came close enough for Simone to see her face.
Simone’s eyes trembled when she saw her face.
Low-heeled shoes, still wearing the uniform of a servant, approaching her. It was the young servant Lise.
“Lise.”
Simone called Lise’s name without realizing it.
However, Lise didn’t seem to hear Simone’s call and continued to move forward.
As if possessed by something, her pupils were completely dilated, her mouth was open, and her legs were moving forward without matching her upper body.
“Ah… Ahh…”
A vacant sound.
Come here
Lise, hurry
The hoarse voice that had been heard since a while ago was calling Lise.
And soon Simone could also know the identity of this voice.
It was Anna.
Anna was calling Lise.
[Eighty-eighth, do not look for the disappeared servant.]
Was it because Lise was looking for Anna? So, she was possessed?
“Lise.”
Simone grabbed Lise, who was passing her and heading somewhere.
However, this little girl was so strong that Simone, who was holding her, was about to be dragged along.
That’s right
A little more
Simone naturally followed Lise. She slowly headed towards the end of the corridor, following her.
From some point on, her hands and feet became cold, and a chill began to run through her body.
“Anna! Lise.”
No matter how much she called, Lise didn’t respond, and Anna was guiding Lise somewhere for some reason.
Simone could finally see the firmly closed double doors at the end of the corridor, where Lise’s lantern was shining.
When Lise, staggering, barely stopped in front of the door.
Open the door
I’m here
Anna’s voice was heard again, and Lise grabbed the doorknob without hesitation.
At that moment, Simone could realize.
“Anna… Sister… Save… me…”
The voice that had been heard since a while ago was Lise’s voice calling for Anna.
At that moment, Lise’s hand opened the door without hesitation.
