Surviving in the Cursed Mansion

Chapter 4: The Portrait of a Maid (1)

Asche clung to my sleeve, avoiding my gaze. Her hunched shoulders spoke volumes about her state of mind.

“Um… Butler.”

“Yes, Asche.”

“This diary… it’s a clue, right?”

“It seems so. You’ve done well to find it.”

Her hunched shoulders straightened a little, her confidence apparently bolstered by the honest praise.

“Of course! The royal family is born with exceptional intelligence and strength.”

“Exceptional… intelligence…?”

I could believe the strength. Her survival against assassins and her attempt to stab me showed she had confidence in her abilities.

But exceptional intelligence…

“You’re being cheeky, aren’t you?!”

She snapped, clearly noticing my skeptical expression.

“I may not know much about commoner nonsense, but I was the top student at the academy, you know?”

“Oh?”

“Especially in history. My grades in that subject were praised by everyone!”

She puffed her chest out proudly, shaking off her earlier fear. But her expression soon turned serious as she covered her chin with her hand.

“That’s why this is so strange. I’ve never heard of the Arkaden family. Not in all of the empire’s history…”

“You mentioned you memorized the genealogy of all the noble houses, correct?”

“Exactly. And if it’s a historical event recorded in books, I remember it all.”

Her eyes sparkled as if asking, Impressed yet?

I offered no response.

“Praise me!”

Sure.

‘Still, it’s strange that there’s no information about this mansion in the outside world.’

Its reputation as a cursed house was clear. Occasionally, people would approach, but they always turned back, visibly unnerved.

Uncovering the mansion’s full history seemed to be a task left entirely to us.

“…Butler.”

“Yes?”

“So, what do we do now? The diary’s too short to be useful.”

“What else?”

Nothing would change if we stayed still.

“You’ll have to open more rooms yourself.”

***

Asche left Maid A’s room, now draped in a shawl.

What surprised me next was her sudden initiative.

“Butler, I’ve been thinking. There’s no way this is the only diary Maid A wrote.”

“Most people would buy additional diaries if they wanted to keep writing.”

“Exactly. And in a mansion this big, it’s common for maids to switch rooms periodically, right?”

“…That’s… correct.”

I didn’t actually know. But admitting ignorance would hurt my pride, so I feigned knowledge.

“Maybe her other diaries are hidden in different rooms. They might have been left behind when she moved.”

“That’s a valid assumption.”

My calm agreement earned me a suspicious look from Asche.

“That said, do you really not know anything? From the way you talk, it doesn’t seem like you know much about this place.”

“I’ve said from the start that I don’t know anything.”

“Oh, come on. You’re a butler, aren’t you? That’s so useless.”

“…!”

Her words struck me deeply.

To hear such harsh criticism from Asche, of all people—the same princess who had been cowering moments ago—was infuriating.

“So, who’s this ‘mistress’ you mentioned? Don’t tell me you don’t know her either.”

“…The owner of this mansion.”

Probably. I had just made it up, but it sounded plausible enough.

“Obviously. What kind of person is she, and how can I meet her?”

“…I don’t know.”

“What?! You’re just a lowly servant, aren’t you? No wonder you look down on me—you’re projecting your own inferiority!”

I was beginning to realize how painful words could be. Any more of this, and I’d surely lose my patience. Turning away, I decided to let her prattle on.

“Idiot. Moron. Lowly butler. Pretentious know-it-all.”

“Haa…”

Asche followed close behind, her stream of insults relentless. Should I be relieved that she seemed to have relaxed enough to behave like this?

As she continued receiving an orientation of the mansion’s rooms, her brow furrowed.

“Wait, this is weird. I think we’ve gone over most of the rooms, but there’s no Maid B’s room. We just passed Maid C’s, didn’t we?”

“There is no Maid B’s room.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Who knows? I’ll leave it to the brilliant and intelligent Princess Asche to figure it out.”

Perhaps I sounded curt. Asche burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.

“Pfft! Hahaha! You’re upset, aren’t you? Turns out you’re softer than I thought, Butler.”

“Who’s upset? What nonsense.”

“‘Upset,’ he says~! So childish~!”

My fists clenched instinctively. I focused on the ceiling, taking deep breaths to calm myself.

‘Ignore it… She’s just a child…’

I decided to let her juvenile teasing slide and instead asked,

“All the maids’ rooms have now been introduced. Where would you like to start?”

“Hmm… Let’s check Maid C’s room first. She clashed with Maid A, so we might find something interesting.”

“Understood.”

With that, Asche opened the door to Maid C’s room.

***

Inside Maid C’s Room.

Having gone through the process once before, Asche confidently entered the unfamiliar space. She immediately approached the nightstand, opening it to inspect its contents.

Instead of finding another diary, she pulled out a single photograph.

“This photo’s in terrible shape.”

Her assessment was accurate.

The photograph was badly discolored, and the face of the central figure had been charred black, as if burned.

“It’s a picture of a maid and a dog.”

“At least the dog’s kind of cute.”

The photograph depicted a maid tightly hugging a large dog.

The dog appeared to be a Labrador Retriever, with a well-maintained coat that gleamed as if regularly groomed. Uniquely, instead of a collar, the dog wore a blue scarf tied neatly around its neck.

“This must be Maid B,” Asche said.

“And the dog is likely the hunting dog B was fond of,” I replied.

“Ugh… it’s so creepy. No matter how much you hate someone, burning out just their face in a photograph is going too far.”

And to keep it in a nightstand, no less!

Asche added her indignation before shaking off her discomfort.

“…Let’s keep searching.”

After another shudder, she stored the damaged photograph into the leather pouch.

“Starting with the maids’ rooms was the right call. The best finds often gather at the bottom of the trash heap.”

“Such… noble wisdom, Princess Asche.”

“Hah, do you think ladies shower their maids with extravagant gifts for no reason? It’s all about give-and-take.”

Asche seemed pleased with herself, her tone shifting from combative to conversational. It was preferable to her earlier hostility, so I listened quietly as she shared her insights.

While Asche continued her commentary, I resumed the search and eventually found something beneath the desk drawer—a diary.

The title was scrawled across the cover.

“Butler! You found it?”

“It’s not Maid A’s, but yes.”

“Who cares? Let’s read it already!”

Asche couldn’t hide her excitement, urging me impatiently. I handed the diary to her without a word.

She flipped open the cover with eager hands.

[I can’t believe I’ve become a servant of the Arkaden family. I’ve never heard of a noble household where maids are given private rooms, but here, it’s standard. The master seems as remarkable in character as he is in looks. …Unlike me.]

Asche immediately scoffed.

“‘As remarkable as his looks,’ huh? Everyone knows that people who look that good are usually hiding something.”

“…Where is that common knowledge?”

“It’s palace wisdom. My eldest brother fits the description perfectly.”

She frowned deeply, clearly irritated by the comparison, but soon returned her focus to the diary.

[Until now, I thought our master was the most handsome and beautiful person in the world. But I’ve realized I was just a frog in a well. Today, I spoke briefly with a maid named B. She’s so stunning that I found myself breathless—even as another woman. How could a mere maid possess such breathtaking beauty? …Unlike me.]

The diary painted a clear picture: Maid C harbored an intense inferiority complex about her appearance.

[I hate B. She has angelic looks and a gentle nature. If I looked like her, I’m sure I’d be a better person. I’d have confidence, too. But she has everything, just by existing. It’s so unfair.]

Flipping further, I found an entry that overlapped with Maid A’s diary.

[B and A are always together. It’s so annoying. Today, I snapped at B, and A jumped in to defend her, scolding me like she’s some kind of noblewoman. She’s just another maid, so what does she expect to gain?]

Asche read through the diary with rapt attention until she reached the final entry, which left an unsettling impression.

[Lately, A has been acting strange. There’s definitely something off, but I can’t quite put it into words yet. I’ve always dismissed her as someone pretending to be a lady, but… now she’s a little scary. Has something changed about her?]

Closing the diary, Asche placed it in the leather pouch.

But the moment she did, the air shifted.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Creeeeak, screeeeeeech, craaaack…!

The mansion roared with chaotic noises that echoed throughout the first floor, the sounds clashing wildly before finally dying down.

The silence that followed was suffocating, sharp as glass shards floating in the air.

“Ugh…”

Asche shrank back, trembling.

Her legs, hidden beneath her ankle-length dress, visibly shook. Her wide, red eyes locked onto me.

“Butler… what was that…?”

“…I’ll go check.”

“W-wait! Don’t leave me alone!”

Asche clutched my sleeve tightly with both hands.

“I-I’m coming with you! Don’t leave me behind…”

I nodded, and her face relaxed slightly, though her newfound courage seemed fragile at best.

When I opened the door, we were greeted by a transformed hallway.

“Butler… what happened here…?”

The corridor was in shambles.

The floor bore deep gouges as if something had taken massive bites out of it, while claw-like marks raked across the walls.

It was as if a storm of savagery had torn through the mansion.

Each step deeper into the truth felt like a descent into a darker, more twisted abyss.