Chapter 54: The Trap
“Are you sure this is where the butler's room is?” Alina whispered.
She slowly moved along the wall, following Nuri's lead as quietly as possible. Neither of them wanted to make enough noise to alert anyone.
“Stop talking. Do you want us to get caught?” Nuri glanced back at his sister. “Our situation isn't exactly getting any better.”
Alina rolled her eyes but remained silent.
As they continued forward, the sounds coming from inside the mansion grew louder. It was strange, they hadn't noticed just how loud they were before. With sounds like these echoing throughout the mansion, how was everyone sleeping? Could they really not hear it? Or... were they simply used to it?
Either possibility was unsettling. No matter how they looked at it, nothing about this mansion was normal. Even the pale moonlight filtering through the storm clouds seemed almost unnatural, casting long shadows across the corridors as if silently urging them to leave.
The siblings continued until they finally reached the main servants' quarters. The butler's room was noticeable even from the side.
Alina and Nuri exchanged a glance and nodded at each other.
Alina slowly pushed the door open, just a crack, enough for her to see inside. She waited.
No light. Fortunately, there was no visible glow from a lamp.
She pushed the door open a little further, and the two slipped inside.
With careful footsteps, they began searching the room. Thankfully, the moonlight coming through the window was enough for them to see most of their surroundings.
They split up. Alina searched the small cupboards near the window. Nothing, they contained only a few daily necessities.
Meanwhile, Nuri searched through the wardrobe. Clothes. That was all.
He stared at them for a moment. Well... at least he really does dress like a butler.
Then another thought crossed his mind. Was he a shut-in?
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The room was surprisingly small considering the size of the mansion, which made searching it relatively easy. And yet... it was almost completely empty. Too empty.
They had expected the butler's room to contain far more belongings. Instead, there was barely anything. Even the servants' quarters seemed strangely cleared out.
“What are they trying to hide?” Alina whispered.
Nuri didn't answer. They had already searched almost everywhere. There was only one place left.
Both siblings slowly turned their heads. Their eyes landed on the butler.
He was sleepin peacefully in his bed. And there it was, the key. He was clutching it tightly in his hand even while asleep.
Alina stared. Seriously? Was he really that cautious? Or had he anticipated that someone might come looking for it?
No. That wasn't possible... right?
The siblings exchanged another glance and tiptoed toward the bed. Alina carefully reached toward the butler's hand.
Just a little more...
Whoosh.
The butler suddenly turned over.
Both siblings froze, their hearts nearly stopping. They stared at the sleeping man, waiting for him to wake.
Nothing.
Alina slowly let out the breath she had been holding. They waited a few more seconds, but the butler remained still.
Carefully, Alina reached out again.
This time, success. She managed to slip the key from his hand.
The siblings immediately retreated, moving faster than they ever had before. The door closed behind them with a soft click.
Inside the room, the butler slowly opened his eyes. He stared at the closed door, watching it for several seconds. Then he closed his eyes again, as if nothing had happened.
“Okay, so where is the door to the second floor?” Alina asked immediately.
Nuri looked around. “I can deduce it from the architecture of this place.” He pointed toward the main building. “It should be somewhere around the main chambers.”
“Then let's go.”
With that, they hurried toward the main building. It would be easier to travel through that section at night, as the servants rarely went there after dark.
After a few minutes, they finally reached the door. Nuri quickly inserted the key.
Click.
The lock opened. Alina looked at him. “It worked.”
She slowly pushed the heavy door open. But almost immediately, both siblings noticed something strange.
The door was incredibly heavy, far heavier than it had any right to be. Despite its appearance, it felt almost as though it had been made entirely from steel, as if its entire purpose was to keep something inside.
Alina struggled against it. “This... is so hard to open.” She looked at the door. “It makes me wonder how that monster came downstairs in the first place...”
Nuri froze. His eyes widened.
“...Alina.” He looked toward the door. “No, wait.”
Something was wrong. Something about this didn't make sense.
If the door was this heavy... if the lower area was supposedly sealed... then how had whatever they heard last night gotten upstairs?
“Alina, no. Wait.” His voice became urgent. “Let's get out first!”
They both turned around and froze.
Talia was standing directly behind them. She was smiling, a bright, beautiful smile, almost as bright as the sun and almost intoxicating.
The siblings couldn't move.
Talia tilted her head. “This is why I love kids.” Her smile widened. “Always so gullible.”
With that—
Bang!
The door slammed shut in their faces.