WCMP 47

chapter 47

I collapsed onto the bed, lost in thought.

I could feel Yullen crawling over me, but I didn’t care.

I closed my eyes and groaned for a long while, yet no solution came to mind.

He had come to recharge his mana, so hiding him in another room would defeat the purpose.

The biggest problem was keeping him close to me while ensuring no one else discovered him.

After a long moment of pondering, I felt the tip of Yullen’s sharp snout lightly poke my chin. I opened my eyes.

“…What? Why?”

“Do you have a dark mage in your house?”

Those golden eyes peering closely at me were so clear, so pure.

I stared into Yullen’s glassy eyes and answered his sudden question.

“No. Not that I know of.”

“Hmm… then maybe someone has secretly dabbled in dark magic.”

In fantasy stories, a sorcerer who wields ominous, forbidden power is usually called a dark mage.

And in this novel, The Blue Bird in the Cage, dark mages did exist.

Although their role wasn’t explored in depth, I was at least aware of their existence.

“I’ve felt it ever since coming into this mansion. Dark mana.”

Yullen’s golden irises gleamed.

Now that I thought about it, I had also felt a strange, oppressive energy ever since returning to the manor—a suffocating, sticky aura.

Even during everyday life, I would occasionally feel unpleasant chills that made me frown.

I had brushed it off as fatigue from traveling.

“I also sensed something unusual after returning, but could it really be related to this dark magic you mentioned?”

“Probably. Humans without divine power would hardly notice it, but you’ve absorbed both my mana and divine energy, so it’s natural you can sense the dark mana as well.”

I sat up, placing Yullen on my thigh, and he continued talking as I adjusted my posture.

“It seems it’s been lingering for more than a day or two… but I can’t figure out the source. Usually, mana spreads from the dark mage themselves, so this is strange.”

He tilted his head repeatedly, clearly puzzled.

“I don’t know where the mana is concentrated. All I can say for sure is that whoever it was must have stayed in this mansion for a very long time.”

Yullen now spoke almost to himself, and I felt my head growing heavy with thought.

The original story mostly focused on events within the Duke Robert’s mansion, so things like divine power or magic weren’t central.

‘I never even read it to the end, so I can’t be sure.’

Did I even reach the middle? There was no way to check, so even that was uncertain.

“Whoever it is may not be here now, so there’s no immediate danger. But maybe we should check if anyone has recently left the mansion, just in case.”

“Do you think the dark mage recently left?”

“I can’t say for sure.”

“……”

“Hmm… the residual mana suggests either a powerful dark mage stayed here for a long time, or a bunch of weaker ones gathered together… or maybe both.”

“…What does that mean?”

A chill ran down my spine.

The thought that those ominous beings could be quietly lurking somewhere in the mansion like roaches made me shiver with disgust.

‘I need to check who has recently left, and if anyone left in groups.’

Only then could I sleep with peace of mind.

Just as I made up my mind, a soft knock came from outside. Yullen and I looked at each other simultaneously.

I lifted the blanket without a word, and Yullen slid inside. Perfect timing.

Once I confirmed he was fully hidden under the blanket, I addressed the person knocking.

“What is it?”

“Miss, it’s past dinner time, so I came to check on you.”

Ah! Hearing Sebani’s voice outside, I checked the time.

Startled, I almost jumped up, then hesitated as I remembered Yullen.

I hadn’t even figured out how to hide him yet, and now I had to leave the room.

I couldn’t carry him in the basket while having dinner with Amon, so I quickly hid Yullen in the dress room again and hurried to the dining hall.

I barely noticed the taste of the meat I was chewing.

Perhaps noticing my distracted state, Amon asked with concern.

“Sister, are you feeling unwell? You don’t look so good.”

“Oh, no, I’m fine. Sorry for worrying you. Let’s just eat.”

“…Still, maybe after dinner you should call the doctor, just in case.”

I waved my hands quickly and smiled reassuringly at Amon.

“Yes, really, I’m fine.”

It wasn’t until Amon spoke that I realized I was overthinking Yullen’s presence and tried to control my expression.

‘I locked the dress room properly… so why do I feel such unease?’

Only a few people had keys to my room: the Duke with the master key, the head maid, my personal maids, the cleaning maid, and me.

The Duke was away, the head maid wouldn’t suddenly enter my room, and it wasn’t cleaning time, so only Eva or Sebani could possibly enter.

‘But they haven’t been instructed to do anything in the dress room, so they shouldn’t have come in.’

Still, a strange anxiety stirred in my chest. I fought to keep my face from showing it.

After ensuring Amon had entered his room, I reached for my doorknob.

The door, which should have been firmly closed, was slightly ajar.

‘No… it can’t be. It mustn’t be.’

But the feeling was bad.

Sensing a strange energy inside, I immediately opened the door and ran toward the dress room.

As expected, my ominous premonition didn’t fail me.

The door to the dress room, which I had locked before dinner, was open.

I took a deep breath and quickly entered the room.

What I saw froze my brain.

Sebani was kneeling, facing Yullen, in the strangest of situations.

Both turned their heads toward me simultaneously.

“Ah… Miss!”

Sebani, seeing me, quickly scrambled to her feet, bowing her head in embarrassment.

“Haah…”

What do I do? My mind went completely blank.

‘No… maybe this isn’t so bad.’

Once I collected myself, I realized it might be better to just tell Eva and Sebani about Yullen now that they had already seen him.

It was hard to completely restrict access to my room, and it would be far easier to inform the two closest staff members.

As I gathered my thoughts, Sebani’s anxiety became evident.

“Ah, Miss… I’m really sorry. This morning, while taking out your shawl, I… forgot to organize the dresses as well. I remembered and came in…”

I remained silent, and Sebani stammered on, her pale face betraying her panic.

Meeting my gaze, she continued like a trembling rabbit caught in a predator’s eyes.

“I-I’m sorry… really sorry, Miss… sorry for my mistake, and for opening the locked door… I… I should have asked first…”

Her head was down, so I couldn’t see her expression, but her trembling voice soon turned to sniffles.

No… I wasn’t that angry!

I simply couldn’t speak due to the shock of the situation, yet she seemed to have misunderstood completely.

“It’s okay. Mistakes happen. I’m not mad, so lift your head, alright?”

When I spoke gently, Sebani flinched slightly, her head trembling.

I noticed she was gripping her hands too tightly, so I carefully took both of her hands in mine.

Her head lifted slightly, revealing tear-filled crimson eyes.

I wanted to wipe them, but realized I hadn’t brought a handkerchief.

‘Ah, I didn’t bring one since I’m at home.’

I could have fetched one from a nearby drawer, but it felt awkward leaving her alone.

“Don’t cry. Mistakes happen. It’s my fault for not telling you not to enter, so don’t worry about it.”

Having lived with them, I knew Eva and Sebani were alike in appearance but different in temperament.

Eva was lively and capable, while Sebani was calmer and more delicate.

Eva rarely made mistakes, but Sebani occasionally did—just like now.

I carefully wiped the tears from her eyes with my hand, since the sleeve wasn’t wide enough.

Sebani, cheeks flushed, looked up at me, slightly parting her lips.

“Really?”

“Yes. And anyway, I was going to tell you both eventually… about the dragon.”

Sebani, still cautious, asked with wide eyes, and I feigned nonchalance as I replied.

Of course, I hadn’t actually intended to tell her yet, but let’s call it a well-meaning lie.