Chapter 95
I asked Gary, who was butchering venison nearby, to step away for a moment. Once I confirmed he had left, I turned to Vanilla.
“Haig 10th Street. You said that mansion belonged to Baron Ruskin.”
“……I don’t know what this is about, but yes. As I mentioned before, it’s a mansion I inherited from my father.”
From behind me, I heard Knox’s startled voice. “What? The mansion from the Westmore urban legend cases belonged to Ruskin?”
I ignored him and asked Vanilla my second question.
“Then what about Notium Street No. 61……?”
“Huh? How do you know that address, Miss Sinclair?”
Vanilla asked back, her face etched with genuine surprise.
At this point, it was impossible not to be suspicious. Could Baron Ruskin be the ultimate mastermind behind this whole situation? Or perhaps the pink-haired man who supposedly scammed the Baron in a real estate deal was the true protagonist.
Regardless, the important thing was that we were one step closer to the source of the virus outbreak. We needed to know the exact path of spread to stop it from going any further.
Without that knowledge, even finding a cure would be like pouring water into a bottomless pit.
‘And besides, I’m curious. I want to know which bastard did something this insane.’
Then, Knox spoke up.
“The mansion at Haig 10th Street in Westmore is the setting for a famous urban legend.”
Eden, who had followed me in and was observing the situation, added to the explanation.
“And Notium Street No. 61 is where those damn monsters first appeared. Are you saying both of these mansions belong to the Lady Ruskin?”
All eyes turned toward Vanilla. A heavy silence filled the room. Vanilla replied as if she truly had no idea what was going on.
“I swear, I really don’t know anything about this.”
“Even if the Lady didn’t know, the Baron must have,” Eden said. I chimed in right after.
“But if Miss Ruskin truly didn’t know, I’d feel the situation was unfair if I were her. That’s why we need confirmation—or evidence—that Miss Ruskin has no connection to this incident.”
Having been misunderstood by Knox and Eden in a similar way before, I felt for Vanilla. I tried my best not to pressure her, watching her expression closely.
This must have been how Eden felt when he was interrogating me.
Vanilla pressed her lips together firmly.
“What is going on here?”
Just then, Victor the chef entered the kitchen to prepare a meal. Seeing us clustered there, he asked what was happening.
Come to think of it, Victor was good-natured and friendly with everyone in Happy House. I remembered that even though Vanilla was prickly and a woman of few words, she got along quite well with Victor.
Since it wasn’t a secret worth keeping from him, I nodded toward Knox. After Knox briefly explained the situation, Victor looked at Vanilla with a puzzled expression.
“Lady Ruskin. In that case, shouldn’t you just show them the letter the Baron left behind?”
A letter?
Vanilla let out a sigh and nodded as if conceding.
“Let’s go inside and talk first.”
Since it seemed like it would be a long story, it was better to sit down.
Purchasing the ten-person dining table for the banquet hall had been an excellent choice. I’d bought it on a whim, thinking I’d sit alone at the head of the table and play queen whenever I was bored. Who would have thought I’d actually have enough people to fill it?
Vanilla took a seat at the head. In her hand was Baron Ruskin’s letter, which she had brought from her room.
Eden, the only one who didn’t sit in a chair but instead perched irreverently on the edge of the table next to me, took the letter from her. Soon, he began to read it aloud.
[Vanilla, by the time you see this letter, I may no longer be of this world. I am sorry for leaving you behind.]
“Haa……”
Vanilla let out a long breath. Eden glanced at her before continuing his recitation.
[You must be wondering why I left you so many mansions. You will understand when ‘that event’ occurs, so until then, make sure you defend the BN1 mansion in Brunel at all costs.]
Eden paused and looked at me. I knew why he was staring. The BN1 mansion in Brunel referred to…….
“It’s the zip code for Happy House. The BN1 mansion.”
Vanilla answered with a look of resignation.
Since Happy House was a mansion in a small rural village, it was designated by a zip code rather than a street number or name.
“I was so angry at my father for leaving me nothing but debt that I didn’t even open the letter. I only read it after the world turned out like this……. In the letter he left as a will, he told me never to sell this mansion.”
Only then did I understand why Vanilla hadn’t mentioned the letter. If I were in her shoes, I would have been full of self-reproach and wouldn’t have wanted to utter a word about it.
“Of course, I’m not saying this to ask for the mansion back.”
I had something to say in response to Vanilla’s following comment. I gave her a thin smile.
“Of course not. I paid a fair price for it, after all.”
In the original novel, didn’t Vanilla abandon Happy House after barely holding out for six months? But I was going to make sure I survived here safely for two years.
Vanilla didn’t look flustered; she gave a natural smile, as if she expected me to say exactly that.
“That was a rude thing to say. I apologize.”
I felt a bit sorry for her, but life is ultimately a struggle where the side with more information ends up owning more. Regardless of my knowledge of the original plot, she wouldn’t have sold the mansion to me if she had read the letter a bit earlier. She’d had an entire year to read it, after all.
“May I continue reading?” asked Eden, who had been listening to our conversation. I nodded to him.
[The Brunel BN1 mansion is the main one. Remember only this. That mansion is the main site and the key.]
Happy House is the main site and the key.
Could this be related to the secret passages? Certainly, one of the passages led to the Brunel Police Station.
<Things to remember.
No. 1 is Brunel, No. 3 is Spring, No. 6 is Haig, No. 8 is Notium.>
What if these were paths leading to those locations?
No. 1, Brunel. I hadn’t seen a number written in chalk, but it was the closest path among the tunnels.
‘It makes sense.’
Given that No. 8 was Notium, it meant there were at least eight paths.
Eden continued reading the letter.
[Find Segrave. You will need help. You must reclaim the Spring. I cannot ignore the risk of this letter being discovered. I shall keep my words brief.]
Segrave.
‘The name Segrave shows up here?’
As I’ve mentioned before, the Segrave family was only spoken of in legends; they weren’t a family that actually existed. They were known as heroes or guardians who protected the world from evil.
The banquet hall buzzed at Eden’s words. Everyone seemed taken aback, whispering to the person sitting next to them.
Eden read on, unperturbed.
[Once, I believed that even if I sold a bit of my conscience, changing the world would erase the poverty I lived in. I thought that if I could achieve that, our family could live happily. However, an impure aura does not disappear just because you hide and cover it.
My daughter, happiness is not something that can be manufactured by force. It comes to you naturally. Just one of your smiles made me feel as if I owned the entire world. It was then I realized that what I was doing was not creating happiness, but erasing it.
My daughter. When you eventually learn the whole truth, could you say just one thing to your father? Tell me thank you for having courage. Tell me that your father made a magnificent choice. Even if the whole world curses me, I will be able to close my eyes in peace with just those words from you.
Though I didn’t do much for you during my life. My daughter, please know this. The depth of my love for you would not fall short even when compared to the wealthy Chairman Sinclair.
I love you, my daughter, Vanilla.
From your father, who will live in your heart forever.]
As he finished the letter, Vanilla, who had always seemed cold and distant, was silently shedding tears.
Amy, Emma, and even Gary and Victor—who were eavesdropping from the kitchen entrance—were also wiping their eyes.
Did I cry?
I don’t know. I was just envious of Vanilla. At least she had a final letter left by her father. I had nothing.
More importantly, why was ‘Chairman Sinclair’ mentioned here? Mentioning my father specifically, of all people……. It made it seem like Baron Ruskin and my father were close.
“Miss Ruskin, did Baron Ruskin know my father?”
“No. I don’t know why Chairman Sinclair’s name is in here either.”
Vanilla shook her head at my question. Perhaps he just mentioned it because the Sinclair family was famous. Even in my past life, people often used analogies like, ‘If I were Bill Gates, I’d do this or that.’
“Right. I know everyone is sad, but we have a lot to discuss regarding this letter.”
Knox spoke up. I scanned the banquet hall. Harrison had not yet returned from the village.
‘I’ll have to explain it to him separately later.’
Knox slowly stood up and walked over to Eden. He took the letter from Eden’s hand and shook it as he spoke.
“It seems certain that Baron Ruskin knew something about this infectious virus. And it has now been proven that Lady Ruskin knew nothing.”
“There’s more. This mansion might also be related to the virus,” Eden countered. I agreed with them.
“Baron Ruskin, who seemed to know something about the virus, told his daughter to defend this mansion at all costs. He said this mansion is the main site and the key. Doesn’t that mean this place is safe?”
“Correct. If you synthesize the contents of the letter, that’s what it implies. Still, it’s too early to be certain,” Knox replied.
Everyone fell silent, lost in their own thoughts. Then, they all began to look at me.
And I knew the meaning behind those looks. I was the owner of this mansion.
Even though Knox said it was too early to be certain, the title of ‘Safe Mansion’ seemed to have already taken root in their minds.
Of course, I wasn’t worried about someone taking the mansion from me. I wasn’t that careless, and none of the people here were the type to do such a thing.
‘Besides, no one here can beat me in terms of raw power.’
As I was lost in thought, Knox, looking at the letter, hit on the core issue.
“This letter doesn’t resolve all the mysteries. There’s no mention of why monsters appeared in the mansions owned by Lady Ruskin.”
Agreeing with Knox, Eden made a suggestion.
“To resolve these lingering and uncomfortable questions, I think we have no choice but to visit Notium Street No. 61 and Haig 10th Street ourselves.”
