Chapter 2
Despite the bright spring weather, the mansion somehow felt bleak. Ivy crept up the blue-gray walls, and a dull green roof—just as gloomy as the vines—covered the house.
How am I supposed to escape from here?
The novel never specified the exact date when the original owner of this body—Vivi—first encountered Kidd.
I think she survived about a week.
But whether it was exactly a week or a little longer, I couldn’t be sure.
All the novel said was that “Vivi died the moment she met him.” That alone was terrifying.
If I notice that bastard first and run away without ever making eye contact… would that be okay?
The carriage gradually slowed. My fingertips and toes had long gone cold. As I silently crumpled the hem of my wedding dress, a gentle voice spoke from beside me.
“…Lady Jezline—no, I mean… Madam.”
“…Yes?”
We had just been married, so I was no longer Lady Jezline but Madam MacCurt—yet Seniel seemed reluctant to accept it.
I turned to him with unease, only to see his eyes trembling as well. The two of us faced each other with the same anxious gaze.
“I’m terribly sorry to say this on the very day of our wedding, but I won’t be able to stay here tonight. I need to go to a temple in another region. It will probably take a week before I can return.”
“R-Really? Th-thank you—no, I mean, that’s not—”
My genuine relief slipped out before I could stop it. Startled, I shook my head and hurried to compose my expression.
“Oh dear, aren’t you extremely busy? You should hurry and go—this really isn’t the time to stay!”
…Hmm. That probably failed.
My overly enthusiastic reaction made Seniel flinch. A faint look of confusion crossed his face.
Still, I couldn’t help but be glad. Going to another temple meant that at least I wouldn’t die today.
Yeah. No matter how cruel an author is, they wouldn’t kill off an extra on her wedding night.
He stared at me blankly for a moment, then lowered his gaze again. Just as the novel described—timid and introverted.
“…Thank you for understanding. The butler will show you around the mansion. I’m sorry I can’t stay by your side.”
“Not at all! You can’t keep a busy person tied down for long!”
Was I showing too much joy? But I had no emotional leeway to act convincingly. I wanted nothing more than to run straight out of this mansion—but I had no way to survive on my own if I fled now, so I endured it.
As if sensing that I was about to send him off immediately, Seniel added,
“Before I leave, may I give you a few requests? Please promise me you’ll follow them.”
“Huh? Yes.”
A firmness I hadn’t seen before entered Seniel’s gentle eyes.
“After nine o’clock at night, do not wander outside your room. Even if you hear strange noises, don’t come out.”
I was going to do that anyway.
Hearing him say it only strengthened my resolve to hide in my room without moving an inch.
“The butler will probably explain, but the servants do not stay overnight in the mansion—they all leave after work. So you won’t be able to call for them at night. Please don’t look for servants then. It may sound strange, but…”
His voice trailed off.
A normal person would’ve pressed him for details. I, however, nodded vigorously in agreement.
“No, I understand. It’s to observe the Time of Silence, right?”
The Time of Silence was a temple rule requiring solemnity after 9 p.m.
But the real reason Seniel warned me not to go out at night obviously wasn’t to observe some sacred quiet.
It was because Kidd roamed around at night—and he didn’t want me to run into him by sheer bad luck.
“…Yes. To observe the Time of Silence.”
Seniel’s red eyes wavered slightly. At his answer, I narrowed my eyes.
He really can’t lie.
The carriage came to a stop.
I waved with a smile at Seniel, whose face was clouded with guilt and exhaustion. Through Vivi’s memories, I knew that waving was considered improper etiquette in this world—but I didn’t have the mental capacity to care.
“You must be busy, so please go. I’ll see you in a week.”
Though it’d be better if we didn’t see each other even then.
Knock, knock.
The carriage door opened from outside. I stepped down without looking back.
No matter how kind Seniel was, when all was said and done, he was still the man who would eventually kill me. I didn’t want to spend even one more second with him.
Entering the mansion in my cumbersome wedding dress, I saw the servants lined up to welcome me.
At the very front stood a middle-aged man with white hair—likely the butler Seniel had mentioned.
“Welcome to the MacCurt estate, Madam. I am Hubern, the butler who will be serving you from now on.”
“Welcome, Madam.”
As the butler bowed, the servants behind him followed suit.
For the size of the mansion, there aren’t many people.
Seniel had said the servants didn’t live on the premises, and it seemed he’d also kept their numbers deliberately low—to prevent any unforeseen incidents.
I acknowledged their greetings half-heartedly and quickly scanned the interior. What mattered to me right now wasn’t courtesy—it was the mansion’s layout.
The interior was unified in dark reddish-brown tones, and the furniture matched. With little visual distinction, it would be difficult to dash out without a lamp once night fell.
A luxurious chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling illuminated the space, but it would be useless if I ended up in a nighttime chase.
Behind the chandelier stood an arched partition wall, and beyond it, a wide hall with no visible entrance.
On either side of the partition were human-height candle stands placed symmetrically. At the far end stood staircases leading upward—two of them, one on each side. I wasn’t sure whether they’d help or hinder an escape.
“I’d like the mansion tour after I’ve been shown my room. Walking around dressed like this has exhausted me.”
“Of course. Please follow me, Madam.”
The butler bowed deeply and turned around slowly. I followed behind Hubern, taking in the mansion as we walked.
Large and small windows let in plenty of sunlight, yet perhaps due to my bias, the place still felt gloomy and oppressive.
A maid gently lifted the hem of my dress to make walking easier. Normally, this would be the job of a personal maid—but I didn’t have one.
More precisely, I did have one, but I hadn’t brought her.
Seniel had asked me not to bring my maid.
Probably because of housing issues—and to keep her from catching Kidd’s attention.
I couldn’t tell whether that was good or bad. Was it fortunate that there were fewer eyes watching me? Or was I doomed because there was no one to help me?
When Hubern opened the door, the massive door reaching all the way to the ceiling slid open smoothly, without a sound.
“This will be the room where you’ll be staying, Madam. Do you like it?”
Like it…? Whew—let me breathe first.
Climbing nonstop up to the third floor had left me gasping for air. This body was far too fragile.
Catching my breath, I looked around the room. It was spacious and elegant.
But I didn’t like it.
Not because of decorations, feng shui, bed placement, or imaginary ley lines.
First priority: escape.
Second priority: escape.
This room was terrible for running away.
If things went wrong, I might have to jump out the window—but the third floor was an awkward height. Too high to jump safely, too low to guarantee survival.
With this weak body that struggled just to climb stairs, I’d definitely break something.
“Is there no vacant room on the first floor?”
At my words, the faint smile on Hubern’s face faltered slightly.
Perhaps he’d offered me the best room, and I was just a childish mistress making more work for him—or so I speculated.
“Regrettably, the master has instructed that the rooms on the first floor are not to be opened. As for the second floor, moving there would also require the master’s permission. Shall I go and ask him?”
At the word master, my face involuntarily twisted.
Was that in the original story too?
I was about to stubbornly insist on a first-floor room, but stopped myself.
The second floor didn’t seem completely off-limits—but if the master said no, I didn’t want to cause trouble.
I quickly stopped Hubern, who looked ready to leave.
If he went to Seniel, he might end up encountering Kidd.
Let’s not do anything that might provoke him.
I was also afraid that if I moved rooms on my own, I might discover a corpse waiting there.
“Then I’ll just use this room.”
“Thank you for your understanding. Allow me to introduce the maid who will attend you. This is Jane.”
Jane bowed, her long brown hair tied back and cascading over her shoulders. Fine wrinkles around her brown eyes made her seem older than me.
“After you change clothes, I’ll guide you through the mansion. However, we servants only work until 8 p.m., so please call for me before then.”
I glanced at the clock. It had just passed 6 p.m.
Less than two hours remained before they left.
There wouldn’t be enough time to remove my makeup, change clothes, and receive a full tour. I beckoned to the butler, who was about to withdraw.
“I have a few questions. What time do you start work? And how many servants are there?”
“Work begins at 6 a.m., and there are twenty servants in total.”
Twenty. It felt like both more and fewer than I’d expected.
If I thought of them as people who might notice my escape, that was a lot.
But judging by their expressions, they don’t look like they’d stop me.
Since this was a marriage ordained by divine revelation, I’d expected them to be excited—but the servants I’d greeted earlier only smiled politely. They didn’t seem particularly interested in me.
If I had to guess their thoughts, it was probably: I want to go home.
I could probably say I’m going out and just run away. They wouldn’t even notice.
Besides, they didn’t know that Seniel was the infamous Kidd—so they wouldn’t think I had any reason to flee, nor would they be on guard.
Rubbing my tired eyes, I waved Hubern away.
“That’s all. You may go.”
“Yes. Please rest well, Madam.”
