Chapter 66: The Forbbidden Door: One Rule
Rhea hesitated, her expression thoughtful. "You’re not wrong," she finally replied. "It does feel like that."
Naomi smiled, relieved to hear her observation validated. "I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks so."
After a brief pause, Naomi stood. "I’ll go back to my room now and read," she said.
Rhea nodded but didn’t follow, sensing Naomi’s desire for solitude. Naomi climbed the stairs, her thoughts wandering. The mansion felt enormous, and though she had been living here for a while now, she had only explored a small fraction of it. As she moved, the overwhelming silence seemed to fill every corner of the house. The only sounds were the soft tap of her footsteps against the marble and the faint rustling of the wind outside.
She suddenly felt a strong curiosity stirring within her, a deep urge to explore the mansion further. The world beyond her room, beyond the familiar corridors, seemed to beckon her. What lay in the hidden corners of the mansion, places she had never dared to enter? The sensation was both thrilling and unnerving, and she couldn’t ignore it.
Her gaze drifted toward the upper floors, where she hadn’t ventured before. The staircase ahead of her seemed to stretch endlessly upward, and though she’d walked past it many times, today felt different. It wasn’t just the view—it was the feeling that something awaited her up there. Something important. Something she needed to see.
As she ascended the stairs, Naomi’s steps slowed. She had been here for some time, but she’d never dared to explore this particular part of the mansion. Her curiosity piqued further, her thoughts racing as she wondered what lay beyond the unknown spaces of the house. What was so hidden, so off-limits?
Her heart beat a little faster, and her eyes darted toward the upper hallway. The shadows of the staircase stretched, almost unnaturally long, as if leading her somewhere she wasn’t meant to go. She glanced at the closed doors on either side, familiar rooms where she had been before, yet one part of the hall was different—there was only one door at the very end of the corridor.
The sight of the door struck her as odd. Why was there only one door on this floor? It felt imposing, mysterious, as though it held secrets she wasn’t meant to uncover. A sense of dread swirled in her stomach, but it was quickly overshadowed by an overpowering desire to know what was behind it.