The Disappearances
I first sensed something was off while I was preparing for Kalz’s birthday.
“Hm?”
I opened a drawer to store the unfinished portrait of Kalz and tilted my head. Why’s this copperplate here? I was sure I’d shoved it all the way to the back.
“Did it slide out when I opened the drawer?”
Back then, I didn’t think much of it. I simply picked up the copperplate and pushed it deep inside. But on Kalz’s birthday, when I opened the drawer again—
“…It’s out again.”
It was in the exact same spot as before. I knew I’d buried it in the back. A chill crawled up my spine, but I pretended not to notice and shrugged it off.
It’s probably nothing. Maybe the drawer shifted or something. That’s what I told myself. Still, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. I hesitated, then used just the tip of my index finger to nudge the plate back in. After that, I forgot about it for a while.
Then one day, during a holiday, I was relaxing in my room when the copperplate suddenly crossed my mind again. This time, I opened the drawer as carefully as I could.
“Oh, come on!”
Sure enough, the copperplate had slid forward again. This wasn’t just in my head anymore.
“What the hell is going on?”
No one else would’ve come into my room and opened that drawer. That could only mean one thing—the plate was moving on its own. An object that moves without reason? That’s straight out of a horror movie. And it had to be a witch’s copperplate, too. Great.
“Maybe it’s magnetic?”
Trying to shake off the fear, I clung to the most rational explanation I could think of. I picked it up and brought it close to the tip of a metal pen—nothing. Then I tried a magnetic book clip. Still no reaction.
So much for that theory. At the very least, it wasn’t magnetism.
“…Maybe I should just throw it out.”
Honestly? I was half-serious. Keeping something that creepy in my delicate little room just seemed like tempting fate. But I couldn’t bring myself to actually toss it. All I could do was sigh and stare at the plate resting in my palm.
Slide.
“Ack!”
A cold slither grazed my skin, and I flinched, instinctively dropping the plate. It really moved!
My heart was pounding, but once the panic faded, curiosity crept in. Why does it move? How? Is it trying to get somewhere?
“Could this have something to do with breaking the spell?”
That possibility lit a fire in me. I set the plate down on a notebook and waited. Sure enough, it began to creep forward in a straight line.
“Alright then… let’s follow it.”
I stepped in the direction the plate was heading. I thought it’d take forever, but to my surprise, its “speed” was pretty decent. The only tricky parts were when it ran into walls or tried to head straight out the window. I had to detour a few times, but I kept following it.
And eventually, it led me to—
“The rose greenhouse?”
The plate stopped right at the greenhouse wall. That had to mean its destination was inside.
This is getting good. I felt like a detective closing in on the killer’s trail.
“I’ve been meaning to do some pruning anyway. Might as well see how overgrown it’s gotten.”
But the moment I stepped inside, I noticed something was off. I’d expected the roses to have bloomed wildly by now, but strangely enough, the place didn’t look much different from winter. No—if anything, there were fewer flowers.
“Why’s that?”
Maybe it was my fault. I’d been putting it off for a few days, blaming the low ceiling for my aching back. Still, fewer blooms than in winter? That didn’t add up.
Then, once again, the copperplate began to slide forward.
Forget the roses for now. I need to focus on this.
Hunched over, I carefully followed the direction the copperplate was sliding in. It was slow and awkward, and my back started to ache in no time. Thankfully, the plate made its way toward the center of the greenhouse, and just as I managed to straighten up with a groan, it came to a full stop.
“So this is the end?”
I set the plate down on the nearby table and glanced around. What’s so special about this spot that it led me here? I scanned the area, then ducked down to check under the table—and paused.
There was a small metal plate wedged beneath one of the table legs to level it. But the texture… the color… it looked oddly familiar. No way. There’s no way. I tried to brush the thought aside, but my hands were already lifting the table.
And then, fully revealed beneath it—
“Oh my god.”
It was the witch’s copperplate.
After all that effort—tracking down every little sign, chasing a moving plate like some kind of magic scavenger hunt—and it had been right here all along. Under this table. The one Kalz always sat at, sipping his drink while watching me prune. Talk about hidden in plain sight.
I quickly grabbed the piece I had and fit it against the one I’d just found. The edges aligned perfectly. The moment they locked into place—
A flash of blinding light erupted in front of me.
“Ugh…!”
I squeezed my eyes shut and threw my arms over my head, instinctively shielding myself. The light was overwhelming—searing—and then, as suddenly as it came, it vanished.
I blinked a few times, hard, trying to bring my vision back into focus. Slowly, the blur lifted, and the first thing I saw was the copperplate—now whole, fused seamlessly together like it had never been broken.
“How…?”
Was it the light? Magic? Another piece of the witch’s spell? I had no idea, but questions could wait. I wiped the dust from the plate and read the inscription etched across its surface.
To the one who seeks to lift the Beast’s curse: Love. When two hearts become one without falsehood… in that moment…
It still wasn’t complete, but it was far more legible than before. My heart leapt with excitement. So it really is true. The key is true love.
I was one step closer to breaking the curse. And if love was the answer—real love—then maybe… maybe I could be the one to help him.
My whole body trembled with adrenaline and hope.
“Bell! Are you in here?!”
Kalz’s voice thundered from the entrance to the greenhouse. I heard his heavy footsteps pounding toward me, fast.
“…Whew.”
When our eyes met, he exhaled a deep breath, like he’d just been holding it in. He looked… relieved. Like he’d half expected something to go wrong.
“What the hell did you do?”
“Okay, yes, I did do something—but how did you even know?”
“How could I not? A massive pillar of light just shot into the sky.”
“Wait—that light? It was that big?!”
“Yeah. It lit up the entire mansion. Everyone was panicking.”
“Oh no… I’m so sorry. I’ll explain everything later. But first—you have to hear this.”
“This better be worth it.”
I couldn’t hold back my excitement. I grabbed his arm and pulled him closer, practically bouncing as I explained everything from the start. Then I held out the copperplate—two-thirds complete now—with pride.
“This is it! Look!”
“Yeah, nice work,” he said, in the flattest voice imaginable.
He gave the plate a quick glance, utterly unimpressed. No enthusiasm, no curiosity. Seriously? That’s his reaction to this huge breakthrough?
Wait a second…
Something didn’t add up.
He said the light engulfed the entire mansion. So how did he come straight to the greenhouse? And he called my name the second he arrived. He didn’t even hesitate. That meant he already knew I was the one who caused it.
And the copperplate—it had been hidden under his table this whole time.
My heart, just moments ago racing with excitement, suddenly went cold. My gaze sharpened, my tone chilled to match.
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
“What was?”
“You’re the one who hid the copperplate here. Aren’t you?”
