“I intended to return to the room I’d originally entered, but somehow ended up here instead.”
“Hmm, I get the idea.”
“…You’re not even surprised?”
There was literally a hidden passage connected directly to his room, yet he remained completely calm. Naturally, I had to ask,
“Did you already know about this?”
“It’s a secret passage in my own castle. Wouldn’t it be stranger if I didn’t?”
“Fair point. Then what was that room I found?”
“That room… is meant to imprison someone if an unfortunate incident ever occurs in the mansion.”
“Oh my god, so it really was a prison.”
“Calling it a prison is a bit of an exaggeration.”
No, if you build something specifically to keep people captive, that’s literally a prison. What did he mean, exaggerated? Should I call it a “petite prison,” then? Seriously, why did aristocrats even have private prisons in their homes? Nobles truly operated on another level.
Noticing my obvious shock from the cultural revelation, Kalz added awkwardly, almost as if he felt the need to justify it,
“It’s been there ever since the castle was built, so I knew about it, but we’ve only used it once.”
“When exactly was that?”
“A very long time ago.”
Come to think of it, the castle had only been occupied by peaceful animal companions for nearly a century, so naturally, there hadn’t been any need for a prison. After hearing Kalz’s explanation, my initial shock gradually subsided, replaced by a more practical concern.
“That room smelled strongly of blood.”
“I heard you mention that earlier.”
“…Shouldn’t we clean it?”
“Now? Suddenly?”
When I hadn’t known about it, it wasn’t an issue, but now that I knew, leaving it untouched felt deeply unsettling. The real problem, though, was that I didn’t want to go back there alone.
“I mean, leaving a room smelling of blood untouched isn’t exactly hygienic. Plus, it’s underground—there won’t be any ventilation.”
“We’ve never had any problems with it until now.”
“Just because nothing has happened so far doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way.”
“True. Since you just opened the door, things might indeed change.”
He wasn’t wrong, leaving me without a retort. Kalz responded in an indifferent tone.
“Do whatever you want. If you’re eager to make more work for yourself, who am I to stop you?”
“I know this is mostly my fault, so I’ll handle the cleaning, but going alone is a bit…”
“And?”
“……”
I paused, looking up at the Beast with pleading eyes. Right now, my gaze probably resembled a rain-soaked kitten begging for shelter. Kalz raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by my desperate puppy-eyed strategy.
“You aren’t seriously suggesting I accompany you, are you?”
“Hehe…”
“Don’t laugh like that. It’s disturbing.”
No way—it’s absolutely adorable! This smile and these eyes had never failed to get me what I wanted.
“As you well know, the path is dark and scary. Too scary for me to go alone.”
“Ask one of the other employees, then.”
“How can I? Cleaning is Marianne’s job.”
There was no way I’d ask our precious bunny angel to accompany me to such a dreadful place. What if her lovely brown fur got stained by blood?
“And asking Butler Squawk doesn’t seem appropriate, either.”
“But asking me is fine?”
“Besides, you mentioned earlier that you’ve been there before. You’d know the way best. In fact, you’re clearly the ideal candidate.”
“Be honest—you think I’m easy to manipulate, don’t you?”
“Let’s say you’re someone I feel safe relying on.”
“Quit flattering me. I’m warning you clearly—I’m not going.”
“Aw, why are you being so stubborn?”
Despite Kalz’s persistent refusals, I continued coaxing and pleading until I successfully shoved a mask and lantern into his hands and positioned him firmly in front of the fireplace.
“I’ll handle the cleaning. Just stand there quietly. And don’t remove the mask while I’m working—it could be dangerous.”
“Dragging me here by force and pretending to care, how considerate.”
“Come on, let’s go.”
Perhaps it was because I was carrying two large lanterns and had a huge Beast trailing behind me, but this time, it wasn’t nearly as frightening as before. We exchanged a few trivial jokes, and soon enough, we arrived at our destination.
“I’ll start cleaning right away.”
First, I gathered the bedding and everything else burnable from the room into a sack, then began scrubbing down the walls and floors. Thankfully, the room was small—meaning I’d finish faster than expected.
As I eagerly reached beneath the bed, desperate to leave this creepy place quickly—
Clink.
“…What’s this?”
My fingers brushed against something metallic. It was lightweight—was it a knife? Could it be the cause of this nauseating smell?
…Maybe I should pretend I didn’t find anything.
But I was in the middle of cleaning. Ignoring it now would bother me later. So, I carefully wrapped the unknown object in a cleaning cloth and cautiously pulled it out. Thankfully, it wasn’t a knife.
“It’s just a thin metal plate. What could it be used for?”
It felt like there was some engraving on it, but the dim lighting and layers of dust made it impossible to see clearly. I decided to take it with me for now and examine it later before deciding whether to keep or discard it.
Just then, Kalz’s irritated voice came from behind me.
“Are you done yet?”
“Almost finished!”
Smiling sweetly, I turned away and quietly muttered my complaints. When I told him to stand still, I hadn’t meant for him to literally just stand there, arms folded, doing absolutely nothing while rushing me along.
Fueled by this sudden burst of annoyance toward my employer, I swiftly completed the cleaning, tossed the dirty cloth into the sack, and tied it securely shut.
“Cleaning’s done. Let’s get out of here.”
“I’ll take the lead this time. We can’t have you wandering off into another weird place.”
“Yes, yes, thank you very much.”
“I’ve told you repeatedly—answer once is enough.”
“Yes, yes.”
Kalz’s brows creased at my sudden rebellious attitude now that our task was finished. Still, before walking ahead, he reached over and took the sack I was carrying. Honestly, I hated how easily moved I was by these small gestures.
“Wait, isn’t it that way?”
“We’re going back to the room you originally entered. I’m not going to my room covered in filth.”
Whatever you say, your majesty. Thanks to Kalz, we easily exited through the bookshelf rather than squeezing through that cramped fireplace. Once outside, he handed me back the sack.
“I’m going to bathe immediately. Finish up cleaning here.”
“Will do. Thanks again for today.”
“…It’s nothing.”
Really, why did he always act shy whenever I sincerely thanked him? Watching Kalz leave, I glanced at the clock. It was nearly quitting time already. Cleaning that unexpected “petite prison” had eaten up more of my day than I’d realized. I decided to quickly finish cleaning this room and then take a much-needed bath.
As I stood up after wiping down the dusty floor around the bookshelf—
Clink.
Something fell from my apron pocket, landing on the floor with a cheerful ring.
“Right, I had this.”
It was the metal plate I’d found earlier under the bed. In the clear light, I saw it was a thin copper plate, triangular and slightly smaller than my palm, covered with dust.
“What exactly is written here?”
Curious, I began wiping it clean. But my hand froze as soon as the first two words became visible.
My fingers flew into a frantic motion. As each letter was revealed, my face gradually hardened into shock. When every word finally appeared clearly, I jumped up and sprinted out of the room.
Bang, bang, bang!
“Kalz! You’re in there, aren’t you?”
“Gah!”
When I pounded urgently on the bathroom door, a startled yelp—unexpectedly high-pitched—came from inside. Moments later, Kalz appeared at the door, dripping wet, hastily wrapped in a bathrobe. Upon seeing me, his expression shifted instantly into one I’d seen only once before today.
“Have you completely lost your mind?”
“I have something urgent to show you.”
“Seriously, knowing full well I was bathing, what could possibly justify hammering down my door?”
Ignoring his complaints, I pushed the copper plate forward insistently.
“Just look at this!”
“You could at least pretend to listen. What is it that’s causing all this fuss?”
Kalz swept back his damp mane irritably and took the copper plate from my hand. He read the words engraved upon it aloud in a quiet voice.
[To lift the Beast’s curse… without falsehood… in that moment…]
Clearly, this was a vital clue about lifting the castle’s curse. Although the message seemed incomplete, its meaning was still incredibly shocking. Kalz appeared momentarily stunned as he read the words, yet his reaction afterward was surprisingly mild.
“Where exactly did you find this?”
“Earlier, while cleaning that hidden room. It was under the bed.”
“…I see.”
“Could this possibly be a clue to breaking the curse?”
“Probably.”
Wait, why was he so calm? I’d expected excitement, praise, or at least a little enthusiasm. Unless…
“Kalz, do you know something about this copper plate?”
“……”
Meeting my suspicious gaze, Kalz resisted silently for a brief moment before finally surrendering with a deep sigh.
“…Fine. Let me at least put some clothes on first.”
