“I think there’s something important I haven’t said.”

“Something important?”

“We got dragged into this strange dungeon because something went wrong while making a donation.”

“......Right. It’s already the third time you’ve failed to break that ridiculous curse of yours.”

Reid seemed to relax a little, maybe thinking I was trying to make casual conversation.

Of course, my intention was the opposite.

“That curse.”

“Yeah.”

“For these next fifteen days, it’s fine.”

After all, this genre definitely includes romance. Expressing feelings causes no problems whatsoever.

As expected, Reid showed the reaction I predicted.

“......The curse is lifted?”

“Yeah. It’s temporary, though.” 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“.......”

“.......”

His face, full of surprise, gradually calmed. In the strange silence that followed, we both had many thoughts.

What could be done now, and what should be done, was being redefined in our minds.

Who would speak first? We swallowed dry saliva, taking turns hesitating.

[ Event has ended.]

With a clatter, the sealed room opened. The dolls spilled out first through the opened wooden door.

Our standoff was broken. Reid was the first to speak.

“Ai.”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry.”

“......Huh?”

What was that? Apologizing during confession time meant rejection, didn’t it?

Just as a chill was about to run through me, his hand— which had been resting on the wall, not touching me all this time— gently cupped my cheek.

The overflowing tenderness and preciousness in that soft touch could never be interpreted as refusal.

But why?

“I can’t say it first.”

“.......”

“Shall we go out now? The door is open.”

“.......”

Reid stepped away from me. Courteously, he took hold of the door handle and waited for me to come out into the corridor.

His voice echoed softly in my dazed ear.

“I should get back to restoring the paintings. I don’t think I’ll have much time, so I won’t have dinner.”

“Uh... you shouldn’t starve. I’ll send some up to your room.”

“Thanks. See you later, Ai.”

“Mm-hmm.”

When I came back to my senses, I was standing alone in the corridor.

“.......”

Calmly and collected, I searched my sleeve pocket. My gaze fixed on the last item on the paper listing the rules the Guest must follow.

[6. The Guest has a taboo they must not violate.]

Probably the taboo leading to the protagonist’s death route.

“I know what it is.”

But that wasn’t all. I also checked the rules the Countess must follow.

[6. The Countess has a taboo they must not violate.]

There was enough implication about what exactly the Countess’s taboo might be.

After a long sigh, I shouted resentfully, making the corridor echo.

“Ah, can’t confess again?!”

[‘The Word Spirit Building the World’ clears its throat.]

[‘The Scales That Judge the Soul’ encourages you, saying you can do everything without confessing.]

[‘The Eye Watching the Chaos of All Things’ glares with a look full of shamelessness.]

[‘The Cynical Balancer of Order’ evaluates that calling ‘The Scales That Judge the Soul’ when drawing ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) the Long Fist might have been a mistake.]

‘I want to be alone. Everyone, please leave.’

Why is this possession life like this?

✠

From 3 PM to 5 PM was mansion maintenance time. As Reid had said, I could easily handle the chores by borrowing the mansion’s mystical power.

“All I have to do is walk around.”

Whenever I neared, rooms got tidied neatly, dishes were washed sparkling clean, and corridor windows shined.

It felt like experiencing Reid’s transcendent domain, at least for cleaning.

After preparing Reid’s meal, I ate dinner alone. I didn’t see Reid’s face.

The dungeon instructed that if the Guest didn’t come down to the dining room, skipped meals, or wanted to eat simply in their room, the meal should be left at their door.

Anyway, the dungeon maintained a needlessly secretive atmosphere.

From 7 PM was reading time, but magical books weren’t my interest. I decided to investigate the paper listing the mansion’s rules.

I stared at the six rules and tried to interpret their meaning. Wondering if there was a code, I tried various combinations of letter counts and phonetics.

I also conducted physical tests, heating letters slightly to see if they were written with lemon juice or something. Of course, nothing.

“Oh, already time?”

It was 9 PM. An hour left until Reid’s homework deadline. I had work to do before checking his work.

[ Notification. Evening preparation time.]

The mansion’s first rule for the Countess was: “The Countess must always be beautiful.”

Knowing the Guest’s taboo made the purpose clear.

‘They want me to seduce the Guest physically.’

In the middle of the dress room, clothes were laid out. I worried they’d make me wear something strange for evening preparation, but it was a modest, proper chemise dress.

[‘The Word Spirit Building the World’ says it repaired the dress using a bit of divine power.]

[‘The Scales That Judge the Soul’ regrets the lowered combat power.]

Wishing to focus more on defense, I put on a shawl and stepped out.

The night sky, thick with clouds, let no light through the window. Walking through the dark corridor by the flickering candlelight felt like experiencing a horror story.

Luckily, I wasn’t scared since I was a ninth-rank sacred scripture user who could exorcise ghosts with one hit.

When the owl’s cry stopped, I halted. I lightly knocked on the only wooden door on the third floor with a gap leaking light.

Knock knock.

As if sensing my presence earlier, the door opened immediately. Handsome light spilled into the dark corridor.

“Hello, Ai. Good evening.”

His rolled-up shirt sleeves made him look sturdy. Apparently, he had been working on paintings until just a moment ago.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

[‘The Scales That Judge the Soul’ is excited, wondering what will happen in the bedroom at this late hour.]

As I entered, I heard the door click shut behind me. I flinched momentarily.

“Did you close the door?”

“Should I leave it open?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Maybe because of the Scales’ excitement, I was self-conscious for no reason.

“Then I’ll check your homework, Guest.”

“You’re making me nervous, Countess.”

With a completely relaxed voice, Reid smiled and led me to the canvas on the easel.

And thus, Reid’s painting skill was revealed...

“Wow!”

[‘The Scales That Judge the Soul’ is very pleased with your beautiful romance fantasy style two-shot.]

[‘The Inspector of Forbidden Revelations’ admires the decent painting skill.]

[‘The Word Spirit Building the World’ nods, saying the artistic sensibility seems to match his age.]

In the oil painting, I wore a deep green dress and Reid was in black formalwear, perfectly captured. But due to backlighting and shadow, Reid’s hair color and length were ambiguous.

Depending on perspective, it looked silver or black, long or short.

Anyway, I liked it.

“So this is mine now?”

Like someone who found the world’s greatest treasure, I covered the canvas with my body as if to protect it from being taken. Reid just chuckled deeply.

Then I remembered. The Countess was supposed to reward the Guest upon completing the request.

Since this was the genre it was, I expected something not very decent, but I steeled myself.

‘If possible...! If possible, I’ll do it...!’

I really wanted that painting.

Hoping Reid would want a reasonable reward, I folded my hands neatly on my chest. Then I looked at him with as pitiful and earnest an expression as I could manage.

“What do you want as a reward? What should I do?”

[‘The Cynical Balancer of Order’ freaks out, saying not to do creepy stuff that doesn’t suit you.]

[‘The Scales That Judge the Soul’ shouts excitedly, hoping for effects in another direction.]

“Reid?”

When I asked, tilting my head, Reid came back to his senses after a brief daze.

“Ah, that should be decided by the Countess.”

More precisely, it was the dungeon’s compulsion that decided, not me.

[ The Guest successfully completed your request. It is recommended you serve as a bathing attendant as payment.]

“......What?”

I froze.

‘No way, the Countess is supposed to serve as a bath attendant for some random man right away?!’