Surviving in the Cursed Mansion

Chapter 2: The Uninvited Guest of the Cursed Mansion (2)

“What secrets could this mansion possibly hold?”

Asche asked, her emotions seemingly subdued.

I wanted nothing more than to give her an answer, but all I could do was shake my head slowly.

“I don’t know.”

“What? Is that even an answer?”

She let out a baffled huff. In this instance, even I couldn’t salvage my dignity.

“It seems you’re mistaken. I am also a victim of this mansion—”

The words were on the tip of my tongue, but my mouth abruptly stopped.

An enforced restriction.

It appeared I was even forbidden from uttering certain keywords in conversation with others. I hadn’t anticipated this level of control.

“Of this mansion, what?”

“…A butler. Supposedly.”

“So, you’re keeping secrets because you’re a butler?”

“Feel free to interpret it that way.”

Asche clenched her fists tightly. The anger she had just barely contained now simmered once more, like water ready to boil over a fire.

It seemed this journey would not be an easy one.

The only silver lining was that I was meant to act as her ally in uncovering the mansion’s secrets.

“At the very least, I’ll assist you in your search for the truth.”

“You must be insane. If you’re going to help, do it properly and stop spouting nonsense.”

“I am helping.”

Abruptly, I halted my steps.

Asche, trailing close behind me, walked straight into my back, her nose colliding with me.

“Ow! Why did you stop so suddenly?”

“This is the room where you’ll be staying. I’ve told you properly, so take note.”

She recovered quickly and turned to face the door in front of her. Unsurprisingly, her expression twisted into one of displeasure as she inspected it.

“What’s with this shabby door? Is this the guest room? I don’t even need to open it to know how pathetic it must look inside!”

Bam!

As if to vent her frustration, Asche flung the door open. The moment she laid eyes on the modest interior, befitting that of a maid’s quarters, she gasped in disbelief.

“This… This is a maid’s room! It’s a miracle it even has a bathroom!”

“Perhaps the lady of the house was unusually generous. To think a maid’s room would include a private bathroom.”

I didn’t know who this “lady” was either. But if she were truly kind, she wouldn’t have turned someone into the mansion’s wretched servant.

“Give me another room. I absolutely refuse to stay here!”

“That’s not possible.”

“You stubborn mule!”

How easy life would be if I could do as I pleased.

I agreed that this room was far too humble for a princess. But I had no choice—there was a reason she had to stay here.

Assign Maid A’s room to the mansion’s guest. Refusal will result in penalties.

Reward: A leather pouch.

…This was the mansion’s decree, forcing the princess into this specific room.

Ignoring her complaints, I remained silent.

The moment the message from the so-called system appeared before me, a leather pouch materialized out of thin air and dropped to the floor.

The bizarre sight left Asche, who had been grumbling incessantly, momentarily speechless.

[Item: Leather Pouch]

Ignores volume and weight restrictions, allowing objects to be stored within. 

Simply imagine the object you wish to retrieve while reaching inside.

“An inventory, of sorts.”

In time, Asche would face numerous events and gather a variety of items. 

This leather pouch was clearly a convenience item meant to aid her exploration.

I explained the pouch’s function to Asche. Her face, initially filled with disappointment at the room’s modesty, gradually turned to shock.

“That’s impossible… There’s no way this isn’t a lie! An artifact this revolutionary doesn’t even exist in the royal treasury!”

“This is a mansion that traps people. Is that so surprising?”

“…Damn it!”

Asche scanned the room again, her face hardening as she returned to the grim reality of her situation.

“This place is disgusting. For a maid’s room, it has five expensive dresses. Not exactly my taste, but they’re tolerable.”

I had a feeling the dresses would even match her measurements.

“Well, I’ll leave you to freshen up. I’ll return when you’re ready. Rest well.”

“…Get lost.”

At her sharp dismissal, I bowed politely.

Perhaps it was due to the long years I had spent in this mansion as a butler, or perhaps it was the lingering instincts of a ghostly existence, but I found myself habitually adhering to formal etiquette, even without prompts from the system.

‘How… bleak.’

Asche was my final hope.

Though the future was uncertain, her quest to uncover the mansion’s secrets seemed intrinsically tied to my liberation.

But now that I’d met her, she seemed far more naïve and fragile than I had imagined.

Could Asche truly endure the horrors of this mansion and reach the truth? Even with hope now at my doorstep, I couldn’t help but worry.

“W-Wait!”

Her sharp call snapped me out of my thoughts.

“What is it, Your Highness?”

“Well, it’s… uh…”

“Yes, please speak.”

“…Come here.”

Following her order, I walked back to Maid A’s room. As I approached, I noticed her flushed cheeks peeking through the crack of the door.

“Is there something you need?”

“Y-Yes, but… um.”

She hesitated, her indecision dragging on. Just as I was about to step inside—

“I-I don’t know…”

“Don’t know what?”

“…Clothes.”

“Clothes?”

“I tried taking them off, but they just… ripped on their own! They’re ruined!”

Finally, I understood why she only peeked through the door.

“Very well. I’ll repair them. May I come in?”

“W-Wait! I’m still in my undergarments! Give me a moment!”

Thud!

She darted back into the room, forgetting to even close the door properly. Curious about what nonsense she might attempt next, I waited idly.

“Okay, you can come in now.”

“Excuse me.”

Stepping inside, I was immediately overcome with despair.

In her desperation, she had wrapped herself haphazardly in a blanket, resembling a poorly made cocoon.

“D-Don’t look at me like that! I can’t just expose my skin to a strange man!”

“Will you manage to remove the corset yourself?”

“Ugh.”

She hesitated, stuck between pride and practicality.

Changing clothes… It was likely uncharted territory for someone like her, who had always relied on maids to tighten her corset.

“If you enjoy the smell of sweat and sourness, I won’t stop you.”

“You… I hate your tone!”

“…”

“…”

The silent standoff wasn’t much of a standoff at all. Asche simply needed time to confront reality and set aside her stubbornness.

“Y-you’ll squint your eyes, right…?”

“If that puts you at ease, then so be it.”

“T-then… okay, let’s do that…”

With a hesitant sigh, she unwound the blanket she had wrapped tightly around herself and neatly placed it back on the bed.

Droplets of water fell from her damp golden hair, rolling down her pale skin as she stood before me. I watched her unabashedly, my eyes wide open.

“Then, I’ll just—Hiiik?!”

Naturally, Asche wasn’t oblivious enough to miss what was happening.

“You tricked me, didn’t you?! You shameless, perverted rogue!”

“Logically speaking, squinting my eyes would make it impossible to attend to you properly. Besides, I assure you, not even the slightest bit of lust is involved, so please dispel such misunderstandings.”

“Liar! My father and the maids always said I’m the prettiest in the world!”

“What else would they say? Would they dare call the empire’s princess plain?”

“Uh…?”

Her momentary speechlessness at the reasonable explanation was amusing. She looked like a teenager suddenly questioning her own identity.

Of course, this time, I was lying.

Asche was undeniably beautiful, even by objective standards. Her reputation as one of the empire’s most striking figures wasn’t unearned.

But I had long since lost any interest in the female form after spending countless years trapped in this wretched mansion.

“Am I… not as beautiful as I thought?”

It seemed beauty and intelligence often worked in inverse proportions. For now, I cursed the world for finding such an unnecessary way to balance things out.

I began loosening the laces of her corset as I asked,

“Asche.”

“…What?”

“Not to doubt your basic capabilities as a person, but for the sake of clarity, may I ask: do you know how to bathe yourself?”

…

…

A sudden silence filled Maid A’s room.

Somehow, it felt like an optical illusion. Even as I worked on her corset from behind, I could almost see the embarrassment coloring Asche’s face, tears of humiliation welling up in her eyes.

“…You don’t, do you.”

“Stop using that condescending tone! The royal family doesn’t need to know such things! Everything is done for us!”

She repeated herself, her voice growing softer with every word.

“Everything… was done for us…”

“From now on, you’ll need to learn to do it yourself. Dresses may require assistance, but everything else should be manageable.”

“But… how am I supposed to…?”

I hesitated to answer immediately. The absurd image of her slipping on the wet floor and meeting an untimely end crossed my mind, filling me with dread.

Once the thought took hold, it became impossible to unsee. Asche started to resemble a fragile creature doomed to collapse at the slightest misstep.

“…I’ll give you two choices.”

“Go ahead.”

“First, I assist you with bathing. Second, you learn how to do it properly tonight. Choose whichever you prefer.”

“This cursed mansion!”

For once, I wholeheartedly agreed. I wished for nothing more than for Asche to bring this cursed place to ruin.

In any case, her answer was obvious.

“…Isn’t there something like an auto-cleanse artifact, considering there’s a magical leather pouch?”

“Perhaps you’ll find one someday.”

My response carried a hint of mockery.

Her face flushed as red as an erupting volcano, and she let out a furious shout.

“Fine! Fine, I’ll learn! I’ll take a bath, okay?!”

This protagonist truly had a long way to go.