YPDM 13

chapter 13

We were completely trapped in this room.

I roughly rubbed my face as I looked at the shredded canopy scattered across the floor, no longer recognizable in shape.

“We’re totally screwed.”

[No! T-That can’t be true!]

“You realize you’re stuttering?”

[I-It’s a bit d-dangerous, sure, b-but we’re still inside the house, right? H-How bad could it possibly be?]

The way his feathers were bristling and trembling made it hard to take his reassurance seriously.

“Oh yeah? At this point, I’d believe that the knife in that still-life painting on the wall is going to fly out and stab me in the throat.”

[Eek…! D-Don’t say stuff like that! It’s really scary!]

Ash shrieked in horror.

He looked so pitiful, trembling in fear, that I figured I should stop.

But even if I didn’t try to scare him…

Creak—

“Ack!”

As I leapt up from my seat, the ebony chair I had been sitting in moments ago snapped apart with a loud crack.

[Olavia!]

“Oh my god… What is all this…?”

I gave a hollow laugh as I looked down at the broken remains of the chair.

‘How the hell am I supposed to explain this?’

A chair made of ebony wood—something that strong shouldn’t break just from someone sitting on it.

The angle where the leg had snapped was clean, as if cut with a power saw.

Worse, the pointed end had been positioned upward, like a spike.

‘This could’ve been more dangerous than a metal spear.’

If I’d stayed seated, it might’ve impaled me.

[O-O-Olavia…!]

Ash’s voice trembled clearly, and I clenched my jaw.

What started out as bizarre phenomena was turning into something far more dangerous—aggressive, even murderous.

And I knew exactly what it was that was threatening us.

‘The evil spirit will continue to lurk, waiting for a chance to devour you.’

It was a sinister entity said to have fled the Lutolu Forest and spread seeds of evil across the hidden corners of the world.

‘What do I do?’

I clenched my fists.

I had already tried everything I could think of to escape, but every attempt had failed.

I could feel it in my gut—there wasn’t much time before the final blow.

[Hey! L-Look at the window!]

“I see it too.”

The window was beginning to split and crack.

Earlier, no matter how much I tried to break it, it didn’t even scratch. Now…

All the glass shards—sharp and narrow—gleamed crimson in the setting sun.

I could already guess what was coming next, just from the way they shimmered.

“Ash. When that window breaks, don’t look back. Just run.”

[What?! B-But what about you?!]

“I’ll be right behind you. I promise.”

That was a lie.

Even if we could escape through the window, this room was on the third floor.

Creeeak. Screeeech. SCRAAAPE.

With a bone-chilling sound like fingernails raking a chalkboard, the shards began to twist in the air.

Every razor-sharp tip pointed at us, perfectly synchronized.

I tore the wooden picture frame off the wall and held it up like a shield.

“Get ready, Ash.”

[I can’t leave you! No, I won’t!]

“Don’t be stubborn. Just listen to me.”

[You’re the one saying nonsense now!]

‘Why can’t you just listen for once?’

I grabbed the flapping bird and shoved him behind the frame to shield him.

His tiny body wouldn’t survive even one of those shards if it hit directly.

At this point, it was do or die.

‘Bring it on.’

If I timed it right, maybe there would be a chance to escape.

I tensed, bracing myself for the imminent attack.

Then, something strange happened.

Shhhrrrrrk!

All the shards that had been floating midair, full of murderous intent—suddenly dropped.

The glass slammed into the floor with loud crashes, shattering into pieces.

[Wha… What just happened?]

Ash widened his black eyes in confusion.

I didn’t know either.

Maybe it was the abrupt silence, but goosebumps broke out across my skin.

Then I heard a voice from behind me.

“Miss, why on earth did you leave the doors all open—… Miss?”

I turned around to see Mary standing in the hallway.

Her face had gone pale as she clutched the tray in her hands.

‘The door’s open?’

Sure enough, as if it had never been locked, the door—and even the windows—were wide open.

The evening breeze was unusually fresh and cool.

All that remained was the wrecked room—and me, standing in the middle of it like a madwoman.

The picture frame in my hand and my dramatic stance were just bonus details.

“Miss…?”

Mary looked around the bombed-out room, then at me, then back again.

And finally managed to say one thing:

“What… on earth happened here?”

If my back had been drenched with fear before, now it was sweat of pure awkwardness.

How am I supposed to explain this?

I could brush it off with Mary, but if other servants heard the truth, they’d think I’d lost my mind.

I sighed and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.

“Sorry. I guess I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”

Let’s just say the spoiled noble lady threw a hysterical tantrum.

Mary quickly took care of everything.

She brought other servants in, gave orders, and in no time, the room was spotless again.

“You’ll have to stay in a different room until we replace the windows.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary…”

I felt bad making the servants do extra work for my sake and tried to decline.

But Mary was firm.

“The night air is cold. You’ll catch a chill sleeping with a broken window. If you get sick, that’s a big problem.”

In the end, I nodded. Only then did Mary smile, satisfied.

Moving to the new room went faster than I thought.

I didn’t have many belongings, and I’d be back in the original room soon anyway.

“Please rest well, Miss.”

After the servants finished unpacking and left, I looked around the new room.

‘It really is simple.’

I thought the same thing the first time I woke up in Olavia’s body, but today it hit me again.

Olavia, for a noble lady, had very few possessions.

If she decided to go on a journey, she could leave at a moment’s notice.

‘She always wanted to leave the Count Brien estate.’

Olavia didn’t like her home.

She feared her neglectful, sometimes abusive father and avoided the servants who subtly bullied her.

When she left the mansion, she even called it an “escape.”

‘But the environment isn’t that bad now.’

Unlike in the original story, the servants were polite, the room was pleasant, and the food was good.

The Count was a jerk, but not totally irrational.

The more I thought about it, the more questions I had.

“This really is strange.”

[What is?]

Ash suddenly popped up beside me.

“Jeez! When did you get here?”

[Just now. So what’s strange?]

I avoided his curious gaze and quickly changed the subject.

“It’s nothing. Did you finish checking the area?”

[Yeah. I looked around, and I don’t feel anything weird anymore. I think it’s all gone.]

“Don’t let your guard down. We don’t know when they’ll come back.”

I had assumed the house was safe—but I’d been wrong.

Today proved the mansion wasn’t safe either.

We could be attacked anywhere, anytime.

It was like playing a survival game, where death traps were hidden all around.

[Don’t worry too much, Olavia. I’ll keep checking whenever I can.]

I could feel how hard he was trying to comfort me, so I forced a smile and hid my anxiety.

[By the way, this room’s a lot like your old one. Same size, same furniture.]

It was on the same floor, too—the third floor. The only difference was the direction it faced.

[You can see the garden from here. If you sit by the window during the day, you’ll see all the flowering trees. Honestly, the back garden view was kinda boring.]

The old room only had a view of the rear lawn.

The only flowers I ever saw were the potted ones.

I glanced down at one of those pots, which the servants had thankfully remembered to bring.

The red flowers were still fresh and vibrant. The petals shone unusually smooth and bright.

“So pretty.”

It was lucky the delicate stems hadn’t been damaged in all the chaos.

[Oh!]

Ash’s sudden exclamation snapped me out of my thoughts.

[I’ll be back in a bit!]

“The sun’s already setting—where are you going?”

But before I could finish, he flew out of the room like he was running away.

His tiny bird form vanished in a flash.

‘Hope nothing happens…’

He looked pretty startled.

I was staring into the empty air where he’d disappeared, sighing with worry—

When someone spoke behind me.

“Is something bothering you?”