As the sun slowly set in the evening sky,
I returned to my room and opened the quest window with eager anticipation.
[▶ Uncover the Secrets of Belmond Ducal Castle! (In Progress)]
[▶ Please Take Care of Belmond Ducal Castle! (Completed)]
[▶ Tears of an Obsessive Fan (Completed)]
My heart swelled at the thought that I had finally cleared some quests.
By evening, the cleaning had apparently been completed, and along with the quest completion message, the rules regarding “Indoor Hygiene” and “Do Not Open the Curtains Covering the Windows” had also been updated!
Everything was going smoothly.
‘Shall I collect the rewards now?’
[Would you like to claim your rewards?]
As soon as I nodded to myself, a message appeared saying that 500 Diamonds had been added, and the assistant’s affection increased by another 10 points.
Good. Next is…
[You have obtained 3,000 Diamonds.]
[The affection of all major characters has increased by 5.]
By major characters, that probably means the head maid, the chef, and the assistant, right?
When I checked their affection levels, I realized just how much they had increased through the quests.
[· Head Maid
Affection: 60/100
· Chef
Affection: 35/100
· Assistant to the Duke of Belmond
Affection: 40/100]
Hmm, with their affection this high, I should be able to get some new clues soon, right?
My current Diamond balance was 5,370.
Since I had been selling excess supplies whenever they piled up, my wallet had become much healthier than when I was miserable over having only 20 Diamonds.
It still wasn’t exactly a huge amount, but if I kept selling things here and there and spent carefully, it wouldn’t be too little either.
The moment I thought that, however, a new window appeared before my eyes.
[Beginner Tip!: Reward yourself with a special item for all your hard work!]
What was that supposed to mean?
I wasn’t exactly rich. I was planning to save as many Diamonds as possible from now on.
I ignored the notification and headed for the bathroom, but the exact same window appeared again.
[Beginner Tip!: Reward yourself with a special item for all your hard work!
The ‘Cash Shop’ has been updated.]
After the notification blocked my view twice, I finally sat back down on the bed.
And a Cash Shop update?
Anyone could tell it was trying to grab my attention.
…Though it wasn’t like the system messages were anything more than pre-programmed prompts.
‘Cash Shop.’
Then something strange happened.
When I opened the catalog without much expectation, a sparkling new tab had appeared as though it had been hastily added.
[Special Sale Zone]
“Was this always here?”
The system offered no explanation.
Still, if it had put a tab this noticeable right in front of me, then obviously…
It wanted me to buy something.
I started by checking the sale items.
[Princess Aurora’s Pheromone Perfume — 3,000 Diamonds (-60%)
· A perfume said to have been used by a princess from a kingdom that fell long ago.
The user emits a mysterious pheromone and attracts… something.
※ Warning! Excessive use may cause side effects.]
[Carmen’s Peaceflower Bracelet — 5,000 Diamonds (-90%)
· A bracelet said to have been created by General Carmen, the one who ended the Ashen War, in pursuit of peace.
Designed after the mythical Peaceflower, this bracelet possesses the power to calm intense emotions and hostility.
However, it does not enforce obedience. Instead, it soothes resistance deep within the heart.
※ Does not affect affection levels.]
[Arachne’s Thread — 4,500 Diamonds (-10%)
· A mysterious spool of thread that can never be cut.
The user can connect invisible threads between themselves and others, allowing them to track those people.]
Since it was a special sale section, there weren’t many items.
However, one item immediately caught my eye.
[Carmen’s Peaceflower Bracelet — 5,000 Diamonds (-90%)]
The generous discount was one thing, but the effect was exactly what I had been needing.
Being able to buy such a rare-looking item for only 5,000 Diamonds?
I had to get it!
‘Instead of practically brainwashing difficult people like the librarian or the assistant, maybe it’d be better to rely on an item’s power.’
The moment I selected Purchase, I felt an unfamiliar weight settle on my wrist.
Looking down, I found a silver bracelet wrapped around my wrist like a vine.
Tiny leaves were intricately carved between the slender vines, and green gemstones resembling peridot glowed softly from between them.
‘It’s nicer than I expected.’
After holding it up to the light and admiring it for a while, I nodded in satisfaction.
Now I could finally go wash up!
*****
Inside a room swallowed by pitch-black darkness.
Edwin Belmond, who had been lying in bed, quietly sat up.
Clank. Click.
Just as he lowered his feet toward the floor, thick metal shackles could be seen fastened around his wrists.
Several layers of restraints had been added, as if someone had already anticipated an escape, and weak sealing magic had been placed upon them as well.
“Ha…”
Crunch.
The moment he grabbed the shackles and tore at them with brute force, the solid metal ripped apart effortlessly.
Tonight was the night when his power reached its peak.
No matter how tightly they restrained him, they could never completely bind him.
“Fool.”
The cold sneer was directed toward the “Edwin Belmond” sleeping inside him—the daytime Edwin.
Of course, he himself was also Edwin, but between them flowed a river that could never be crossed.
“So weak.”
After tearing away all the cumbersome restraints, Edwin stretched like a beast beginning its hunt.
After countless battles and compromises, they had agreed that the “good” Edwin would act during the day while the “bad” Edwin would take the night.
But that agreement was little more than a formality.
Considering how the daytime Edwin spent his time using tricks to restrain him, it was fair to say that he had always been the one getting the worse end of the deal.
Even during the daytime, when his actions were restricted, he could still observe everything through Edwin’s eyes.
The head maid’s words.
The rumors about the strange woman shaking up the castle.
Because they were two and yet one.
“It’ll be better for you if that woman disappears. She’s irritating in more ways than one.”
Belmond Ducal Castle had endured for hundreds of years without change.
The woman who brought change to this place was different from all the others who had become prey to the curse before lasting even a week.
For some reason, she had survived much longer.
Well, there had been one or two similar cases before.
Once, there had been a woman who survived by hiding like a cockroach, barely clinging to life.
The good Edwin had pitied her enough to help her now and then.
Of course, in the end, he had personally hacked her to death with an axe.
Back then, the daytime Edwin had still put up a lively fight against him.
Now, however, he had become as unresponsive as a broken doll, making things far less entertaining.
Creeeak.
Edwin stepped out through the firmly shut door, his upper clothing discarded.
His eyes swept rapidly across the surroundings.
“Where is it?”
The axe.
The beautiful platinum axe he always carried with him was nowhere to be seen.
He was not the type to form pointless attachments, but the axe was an exception.
After all, it had been with him since his very first murder.
The “good” Edwin hated keeping blades in his room and always hid it somewhere else.
But this time, no matter how much he searched, he couldn’t find it.
“That’s strange.”
The servants feared him too much to dare touch any of his belongings.
After a long search, Edwin stopped in the darkness and spoke in a hollow voice.
“…A thief?”
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