ITIWAFRBIAHS Chapter 25

While I briefly called Jeril from the study, the entrance hall had inexplicably become a battlefield.

Honestly, I expected my stepmother to wake up, but I never dreamed that more people would be added. Moreover, when I confirmed that the additional people were the detective and Hazel White (former maid Sunset), my mind went blank.

Hazel White is even pointing a gun at my fiancé with a very skilled posture. Excuse me, weren't you formerly a maid? Your gun-holding form looks like you've served in the military.

What should I do about this sudden makjang development? It's not just the dragon setting that's unreasonable, the plot development is unreasonable too.

"What is this..."

"Miss, come over here quickly! Quickly!!"

As soon as the detective saw me, he shouted. And he also takes out a pistol from his coat and aims it at my fiancé.

I really can't understand the situation. Why is my fiancé suddenly being treated like a notorious murderer? No, why did the detective and Hazel White appear at the mansion together in the first place? It even seems like the former maid is better with guns than I thought.

I looked back at my fiancé. My fiancé has a dark expression without any emotion. I can't tell if he's too shocked from being falsely accused or too shocked from having the truth exposed.

This time I looked back towards the detective and Hazel White. I don't know what their relationship is, but anyway the detective is looking at me with very worried eyes, and Hazel White is aiming at my fiancé without wavering.

I looked at my awakened stepmother. She's coughing and sobbing while laughing at the same time. She definitely doesn't seem to be in any state for conversation.

Finally, I looked back at Jeril. Jeril is looking at me with an expression full of confusion and tension.

Hmm, this really is a complete mess. In the end, I decided to use the most primitive method too.

"Nobody move."

I took out my pistol and aimed it at the entrance hall chandelier.

"......!"

"Rose!"

For reference, that thing is incredibly large and heavily decorated. If it falls, the entire entrance hall would probably be destroyed, right? Of course, there's a high chance I won't hit it, and maybe I'll be destroyed along with it, so I absolutely have no intention of shooting.

But fortunately, just the pretense seems to shock everyone. Good, you're all flustered, so tell the truth.

"Now let's have each person speak in turn if they have something to say."

And suddenly the entrance hall became an impromptu courtroom.

"Let's start with the side that intruded first."

I gave the opportunity first to the side that seemed to have a lot to say, but the detective jumped up instead.

"Intrusion! Surely you mean a helping hand?"

"...That helping hand is trying to shoot my fiancé?"

A long sigh came as an answer. Hazel White quietly spoke beyond the detective who was shaking his head.

"Miss, please don't be surprised. You don't have a fiancé."

"Excuse me?"

Eh... you were the one who first told me that my fiancé had come. I remember it clearly because I suffered a tremendous visual shock from my fiancé's face that day. I even filled in half of my fiancé's profile thanks to you!

"That thing uses enchantment to manipulate the memories and perceptions of people it meets. It's an evil spirit attached to this mansion, disguised as a fiancé to approach you, miss. It probably intended to completely dominate this mansion by marrying you."

Hazel White continued speaking while still looking at my fiancé instead of me, not relaxing her vigilance.

"I arrived in this area following the traces of that evil spirit and entered the mansion after tracking it down. However, I was accidentally possessed by the evil spirit, but now I've barely escaped its influence by quitting as a servant."

"......"

I know this. I saw it in an exorcism movie I watched because a handsome actor was in it. The genre where exorcists are dispatched to catch those who cause poltergeist phenomena, rolling their eyes back and walking backwards on all fours.

But to mistake it for that genre, my fiancé was too much of a visual genius, too rich, and ate too well. I looked at Hazel White with jaded eyes.

"Listen... I went out with that fiancé, went shopping and had meals."

"...That's."

"Can an evil spirit be rich, handsome, go out and spend money lavishly, and also eat meals?"

The detective's coughing sound was loud beside me. He must have choked on his saliva. In that gap, Jeril unexpectedly came to my support.

"...At least one thing is true."

"What?"

"You don't have a fiancé!"

Jeril glared at my fiancé through gritted teeth. My mouth fell open.

"...You're telling me this now?"

Jeril choked up.

"You didn't listen!! I, I tried to tell you several times..."

"S, sorry..."

He looked so wronged that an apology came out of me without realizing. I'm sorry. I thought you were trying to pick a fight... I thought we didn't get along back then.

Jeril, who had shouted loudly, was startled by my apology and took a defensive posture.

"And, and... when everyone acts like you have a fiancé, what was I supposed to do...! I would have been treated like the only crazy person!"

This is logical when I hear it. I can't refute it. This time the detective chimed in.

"So, he cast suggestion on all the servants to make them think he was the young lady's fiancé! He probably used the same method when going out. He probably cast the suggestion of 'having eaten' for meals in the same way. Do you clearly remember the scene of that so-called fiancé actually eating?"

"Hmm."

Yes. I remember it extremely well. I can even recall him giving up the last piece of cream tart to me while drinking coffee.

No, is it okay for the detective to make such illogical and supernatural claims? Isn't this character breaking?

Is this kind of occult misunderstanding happening because this romance novel background is modern era? No matter what, isn't evil spirit nonsense too much? Poisoning, dragons, and now evil spirits. It's a complete mess. Soon they'll probably claim the dragon clone was also an evil spirit.

Still, for even Jeril to say such things, at least the fact that this body really didn't have a fiancé might be true? Somehow the teaspoon fabrication theory comes to mind and the genre is leaning towards dark romance with a scheming male lead...?

I looked at the person I had known as my fiancé until now. That person was just standing there silently. He seems either unable to speak because he's been caught, or conversely, speechless because it's such an absurd false accusation.

"Lord Moore."

"......"

"Please say something. You're not really an evil spirit, are you?"

So please quickly clarify that you're not a fiancé. Even if you fell in love at first sight with this body when you met as a child and infiltrated by bribing all the mansion servants to pretend to be a fiancé, I'm willing to forgive you. Of course, there would need to be deep expressions of regret and financial compensation.

But Lord Moore only said this.

"I am not an evil spirit."

Of course not. More than that, let's talk about the engagement.

"I eliminated that evil spirit for you."

"...Excuse me?"

Are you suddenly saying you also perform exorcisms? So, so in context, you're saying there really was an evil spirit, but you're actually the one who exorcised it?

However, before I could voice this interpretation, Lord Moore opened his mouth again. His muttering gradually became slower and lower.

"There's no benefit to me whatsoever."

The feeling is gradually becoming ominous. Lord Moore didn't even look at me while answering. And even now, he's looking down at the floor instead of at me.

"But it doesn't matter... Yes. It was something that didn't matter."

Lord Moore suddenly raised his head, and a deep smile appeared on his face. That smile, which highlighted his symmetrical beauty, was tremendously beautiful, but it didn't fit the situation, making it as out of place and eerie as a rose blooming in a graveyard.

Honestly, it's a bit chilling. And he still absolutely refuses to turn his gaze this way.

Eh... Suddenly I'm getting an urge to have an in-depth conversation with the detective about the teaspoon fabrication theory.

Lord Moore, with that smiling face, turned his head to look at Hazel White. Then former maid Sunset immediately pulled the trigger! Ahhh!!

Bang!

Gosh, I don't know how he dodged it, but anyway Lord Moore is fine!

I was looking at Lord Moore, who still had his gaze fixed on Hazel White, wondering if I should remind them of my chandelier threat again.

But before that, someone grabbed the back of my neck.

"Ugh."

When I turned my head, the detective's face was right in front of me. I have no idea when he ran from the entrance hall to here. Was it while I was talking with Lord Moore? Anyway, the detective's expression was serious.

"We need to get out of here right now! You people don't even have tools to resist mental manipulation. It would be more helpful to leave while Hazel deals with it!"

Gah, this is driving me crazy!

"But that mental manipulation thing has no substance! The servants could also be bought with money. First of all, I very clearly remember like a photograph my fiancé spending money, driving, and eating meals!"

No matter how much of a scheming male lead he is, being misunderstood as an evil spirit and shot to death is clearly a bad ending! Is this because I was late in conquering maid Sunset? Did this happen because side character intimacy was insufficient?!

"Miss, do you still believe that thing?"

No, I'm not believing Lord Moore, but why don't you understand that your claims are too out of the blue! Besides, there are huge gaps in your argument! For instance, like this!

"If he were really an evil spirit, he could have just set it up as being married from the beginning, there's no need to inefficiently use engagement for suggestion! Moreover, if he was going to manipulate anyway, he could have comfortably cast suggestion on everyone! Why would he leave out my brother?"

"Because Jeril's mind has already been taken by something else."

Uheok I almost screamed. My stepmother, who seemed out of her mind until just now, spoke terrifyingly calmly and precisely. She's quite far away, right in front of the entrance hall, but somehow her voice pierced my ears clearly.

My stepmother ignored Hazel White and Lord Moore, who were in confrontation, as if they didn't exist. Instead, she looked at Jeril, whose complexion had turned deathly pale, and grinned.

"Now it's all over. It's all over... My poor child."

"......"

"Rose, since you're going to die anyway, why didn't you die usefully? Why did you suspect me?"

Are you confessing to the poisoning attempt now? Was the story about buying a house in town to live with Jeril a lie to reassure me?

But before I could respond, a tremendous vibration shook the mansion.

"......!"

Is it an earthquake? I reflexively shouted.

"Everyone get away from the chandelier!!"

But worrying about the chandelier wasn't the time, as was revealed tens of seconds later.

Suddenly, from somewhere came a short, dull thud sound along with the sound of a door opening. It was definitely a very rusty door. The creaking hinge sound that sounded almost like a scream was unreasonably loud.

The source of the sound barely caught the edge of my vision from the stairs.

That looks like the basement door...?

And as soon as the door opened completely, all the vibrations disappeared as if by magic. Instead, a tremendous sound began echoing thump thump from the basement. It sounded like construction noise, and also like people screaming or sobbing.

It reminds me of when the owner of my studio building suddenly decided to remodel the rooftop and did construction every night, ruining my finals. The wine racks in the basement must be falling over due to the vibrations.

I decided to ignore that sound for now and check the entrance hall. I can clean up the wine later. More importantly, I can't miss the opportunity this natural disaster has given...!

Let's talk, everyone! Real conversation, not gun conversation!

"Are you okay there? No injuries?"

In the entrance hall, Hazel White and Lord Moore, who had just been shooting and dodging, were both looking towards the basement as if they had planned it.

No, it's not just those two. Looking around, everyone except me was staring at the basement. I inadvertently looked at the basement again too. Is this what they call mob psychology?

At that moment, a hand popped out from the basement.

The neat black sleeve covering the wrist is dusty but familiar—it's the uniform worn by the people working in this house.

"......"

Suddenly I had this thought.

Strangely, I hadn't encountered any of the staff working in the mansion today, had I?