“Jeokhwa is a particularly historic family among the five clans. From the old civilization before the burning ten days and the founding day, their lineage has never once been severed. This mansion is also older than any other structure owned by the other families…”
“Ah, yes…”
In the dark hallway, gaslights flickered at regular intervals, casting a soft glow. It created an illusion as if I were walking through a dreamlike maze.
However, regrettably, there was no time to enjoy the dreamy scenery. The steward’s mouth kept going without a break, pulling me back to reality.
Thanks to this, I had to cram Jeokhwa’s long history into my brain almost forcefully. He himself mentioned he only joined two years ago, yet he seemed to have a tremendous sense of pride.
Or maybe there’s a guide for attending guests or something.
Seeing him mumble on with a tone like a recorded voice makes that theory even more convincing.
“Eh?”
I was exhausted from listening and had started to gaze at the surroundings instead.
As he said, the sculptures and artworks lined up at regular intervals in the hallway looked at least ten times older than I was.
During this time, I stepped into an area surrounded by elegantly decorated frames lined up in sequence.
Each one was well-dressed and gazing solemnly forward, as if it were a place exhibiting photos of Jeokhwa’s past members.
But while passing by, one photo suddenly caught my eye.
I paused for a moment to stare at the photo.
It depicted a young man and woman in their late teens, shoulder to shoulder on a grassy field, both beaming with wide smiles that made you feel warm just looking at them.
However, there was another reason that drew my gaze to this photo.
The woman in the picture looked unmistakably like Minha.
Moreover, the man beside her could almost be seen as a short-haired version of Minha, as their facial features were strikingly similar.
But no matter how much I thought about it, I had never heard of her having a brother around the same age.
Furthermore, it was hung on the far left, but the photo was quite faded, with a yellowish tint.
No matter how you looked at it, it seemed to be a photo taken at least twenty or thirty years ago, and it would be absurd for Minha to have maintained the same appearance since then.
I struggled momentarily, but ultimately, I couldn’t suppress my curiosity. No matter how much it might be someone else’s family matters, especially from a prestigious family, I just had to know.
If I really had to, I could just take a scolding and be done with it, right?
“…The 11th ancestor had the unique ability to foresee the futures of businessmen and politicians. Even though it was before the founding day and there wasn’t even the concept of wizards back then, looking back, Jeokhwa’s glory already started from that time…”
“Um, excuse me, steward?”
“Yes, guest. Is there anything uncomfortable?”
When I quietly called him, he immediately stopped and turned around to approach me again.
I carefully pointed at the photo of the two men and women and asked the steward.
“Uh, may I know who those people in the photo are?”
“Oh, that’s the current head of the family and his younger sibling. It was taken just before their coming-of-age ceremony when they were young.”
Fortunately, he replied as if it was no big deal, so I presumed it was not rude to ask.
The current head must be Minha’s father, and the younger sibling would be her aunt.
It seems that her stunning beauty originates from her father.
“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“No, I’m fine now.”
I thought it was enough since my curiosity was satisfied, so I shook my head and followed him toward the guest room.
However, the sticky feeling I sensed upon seeing the photo still lingered in my mind.
I quickly recalled the reason.
I was thinking about Minha’s mother, whom I had encountered earlier.
She too possessed striking beauty for her age, but no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t see any of her features in Minha.
If we had met in a different place, I might have just presumed she was a stranger with no blood relation at all.
Instead, it felt more like the aunt who had passed away had reincarnated and looked just like her.
Could it be that the blood from the paternal side is just too strong…?
“We’ve arrived, guest. You can go in now.”
Lost in thought, I suddenly realized I had reached the front of my guest room.
For a moment, I considered the possibility that I might be treated poorly. After all, Minha’s mother had been quite cold toward me earlier.
But it seemed that was an unnecessary worry.
This guest room was far more splendid and luxurious than any place I had seen so far.
And before leaving, he added an extra explanation.
“If you need anything, please press the call bell next to the bed. Also, I recommend you try to avoid going outside the mansion if possible.”
“…Why?”
I had no intention of snooping around, but Minha had just said I could roam freely elsewhere if it wasn’t the main house where her parents were staying.
And while Minha said that, the steward was definitely beside her.
I was curious as to why he contradicted what the owner said.
“This area has a high density of particles in the air, so the dwelling of spirits is also very high. Because of that, they sometimes get into fights and bounce into the physical realm. This can cause phenomena like lights or hallucinations in the air.”
He continued to explain earnestly, as if to clarify my doubts.
“Of course, those of us who lack magical abilities wouldn’t understand, but for wizard guests, it’s quite common to be startled by it. Some even claim to see will-o’-the-wisps. Additionally, sometimes lesser monsters escape from hunting grounds. In any case, it’s best to be cautious.”
“I understand if that’s the case…”
I nodded at his words. Although it felt a bit like excessive concern, it seemed like a reasonable worry from the servant’s standpoint.
However, that didn’t mean I necessarily paid attention. After all, Minha had said it was fine, and most importantly, I felt I would need to go for a walk at least once.
Being overwhelmed by the suffocating atmosphere of the prestigious family and the unusually extravagant, ceremonial space felt quite stifling.
Moreover, according to Minha, the spirits were said to be afraid of me, so there shouldn’t be any significant danger. A lesser monster was hardly worth mentioning.
“Then, please take a rest.”
The steward bowed slightly and returned down the hallway he had come from. His figure flickered with the darkness and gaslights, gradually becoming blurry.
I, too, was about to enter the guest room, but I was momentarily halted by a peculiar scent flowing in from the direction he had just left.
It felt slightly pungent and a bit unpleasant.
It didn’t seem entirely unfamiliar, which made me think it was a scent I had smelled somewhere before. However, I couldn’t completely identify it.
It gently brushed past with the breeze, and perhaps because I had been in a closed space with Minha, my sense of smell wasn’t in great shape.
I was still dizzy from the potent, sweet aftertaste she had left lingering.
I stood for a moment, contemplating, but ultimately couldn’t find a sharp answer and stepped inside the guest room.
Surely, the steward, being a so-called servant of a prestigious family, couldn’t have not washed properly, right…?
*
After unpacking and changing into something comfortable, I didn’t go straight to bed. A guest was expected to visit later that night.
I turned on the lamp and started writing a letter to my sisters at the desk beside the bed when I heard a soft knock-knock at the door.
Glancing at the grandfather clock on the wall, I noticed it was nearly midnight.
As I approached the door and pulled the handle, familiar sight of a certain female student greeted me on the other side.
“Hurry up and open it! What are you doing? What if someone sees…”
Minha dashed into the room like a squirrel, retorting immediately.
“I opened it the moment you knocked. And if you were worried about being seen, wouldn’t I have been better off going instead of you? Was it necessary for you to come here?”
“My room is in the main house, so there’s heavy security. You saw it earlier, right? My mom is strict. If you get caught entering the main house, you could really be in trouble. And if I show myself outside, I can just cover it up by saying I went for a walk…”
Naturally, it must be a metaphor, right?
But hearing the word “mom” made me automatically recall the memory of that photo I saw earlier.
I glanced at the girl who had ventured out at night.
Her hair seemed to shine as if she had applied oil on it, and her cheeks were slightly rosy as if she had just washed up.
The night’s darkness accentuated her well-defined features, making her look like a finely crafted statue.
Overall, her beauty was unrealistically breathtaking, yet… I still couldn’t see a single trace of similarity to the woman referred to as her mother.
In fact, she looked remarkably like the aunt from that photo I had seen earlier.
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