Chapter 10

Being together in the manor’s sunroom was to follow Dr. Sutton’s advice. After being allowed to leave his bed, upon hearing it would be good to get regular sunlight, Clayton had been personally bringing his frail master to the sunroom during hours when it was filled and tinted with yellow sunshine.

The sunroom, with one entire side made of glass, had luxuriously smooth yellow tiles laid on the floor and walls painted in bright colors. Being a place that stood apart from the manor’s predominantly heavy and solemn atmosphere, giving it an exotic feeling, Ian didn’t particularly dislike sunbathing time.

Except for the awkwardness it caused Ian, who maintained Eastern etiquette, having the young master lying on the sofa while the old butler stood beside him. Since no one else entered while the two were here, being alone together with the kindly old butler who explained things well like a teacher, Ian thought he might get some clues and brought up the topic.

The nanny’s disappearance that he’d heard about from Ash was somewhat eerie yet exciting. It felt like finally solving the manor’s mysteries.

“Sally… I suppose you mean Miss Sally Stoner, who was the young master’s nanny.”

Clayton, who usually gave answers to any question almost immediately, only opened his mouth after several seconds had passed for this question. Seeing the troubled expression thick on the dignified old man’s face, Ian lay quietly on the sofa, holding his breath as he waited for Clayton’s next words.

“Ahem, though it’s difficult to speak honestly to the young master about this, I think it would be good for you to know, sir…”

At the voice lower than usual and the beginning that differed from his usually simple and clear manner, Ian’s dry hands became clammy with sweat. His expression was like an old man telling a scary story.

Ian felt both anxious and impatient about hearing a story regarding this strange manor’s victim. Ian sat up on the sofa and carefully asked Clayton, who was drawing things out.

“What happened to that person?”

At Ian’s urging, the deep-set eyes characteristic of elderly people slowly closed then opened. During that time, all sorts of assumptions were pouring through Ian’s mind. Ian’s anxious brown eyes reached beyond the window where light poured in. The outside, which looked rather stark to the point of being desolate, came into view.

It was fortunate there wasn’t a garden where dark red roses bloomed profusely at the manor. He would have definitely discovered a corpse in there. Though Ian didn’t play horror games very often, he knew there were certain clichés about where disappeared people’s bodies were found in such manors.

From what he’d heard servants saying in passing before, there was a basement with stone-finished walls under the manor—perhaps a body had been found there? Or the attic? Wait, before that—was there even an attic in the manor?

“That young lady was… ahem, well… a very lovely girl.”

After saying that and clearing his throat several times, words finally came from those thin lips.

“It seems she was secretly involved with a young stable hand who worked at the manor…”

“…?”

At those words, Ian blinked.

“Oh… I see.”

Looking at Ian, who wore a dumbfounded expression, Clayton calmly laid out the circumstances. The teenage nanny and stable hand had one day suddenly eloped with only minimal belongings. Fortunately, since nothing had disappeared from the manor on the day the two vanished, they’d decided to let it pass without question.

“Officially, romance between servants working at the manor is prohibited… and as it turned out, they had their own circumstances.”

Clayton rarely showed a warm expression as if recalling something. However, that expression appeared briefly then quickly disappeared like a small amount of water absorbed by dry ground.

With an expression similar to usual, Clayton said:

“A few days after they disappeared, we received a letter from them. An apology for their sudden disappearance and news that, well… there was something to celebrate between them. They said they’d settled in a quiet village in the east. Though they didn’t say much, we thought they’d need money, so Mrs. Gauner and I discussed it and sent their remaining wages.”

It was an unexpectedly heartwarming story. Though it was certainly fortunate that no one had been victimized, Ian felt somewhat deflated and lay back down on the sofa.

The old butler, watching him with a gentle smile, said:

“You can understand why we couldn’t speak honestly to the young master about this, can’t you? Though he was very young, the young master was fond of that young lady. But… it seems you were expecting a different story, sir. I apologize for not meeting your expectations.”

Ian covered the bright light before his eyes with his arm to create shade and sighed as he murmured:

“Then, the warning about not wandering around at night…”

At those words, Clayton’s face stiffened briefly then smoothed as if nothing had happened. Yellow eyes looked down at Ian’s crown. His well-dried, straw-like hair glinted like blonde in the sunlight.

Looking down at his young master, who couldn’t see him because his eyes were covered, with different eyes than usual, he asked in his usual voice:

“Did the young master tell you that as well?”

“Yes, he seemed to believe it absolutely.”

By the time he said that, Ian was wondering if he’d said something unnecessary. It felt uncomfortable to be checking and reporting on every word of a ten-year-old child. Nevertheless, Clayton standing above his head answered rationally and faithfully.

“Well… it’s not that there aren’t those who target such manors to steal valuables, so it would be better not to wander around at night when possible. You might unnecessarily encounter trouble. Rather, the manor staff sometimes mistake the young master’s presence when he’s alone for a ghost. Some have told me they saw something during the day. When I’d go check, it was usually the young master. I don’t know well about the young master’s words, but since the young master is young, he might see things in an exaggerated or distorted way.”

Listening to Clayton’s words, Ian sighed. Then what about ‘Ian Hale’? Was it just delusions from being isolated and drinking alcohol, with the child’s imagination coincidentally overlapping? It occurred to him that when he’d spoken to the manor staff about strange things happening in the dead of night, they’d all shown puzzled reactions.

And suddenly, perhaps because no one was around, Ian remembered something he’d wanted to ask for a while.

“How long have you been at this manor, Clayton?”

“We have served since the Walton family took root here. Thanks to being graciously accepted back after wandering the world in my youthful folly, I was able to follow in my father’s footsteps.”

Youthful folly. Perhaps due to his own youthful arrogance, Ian couldn’t picture Clayton’s young days when he wandered the world. In fact, he thought he could believe that the previous statement was a joke and Clayton had been born exactly as he was now. Just then, he remembered another topic he’d been reluctant to ask about.

“Then, when did Ash’s father start…?”

At that question, the old butler, who seemed to choose his words in a completely different silence than when asked about the nanny, spoke slowly in a grave, low voice:

“The previous master was a kind and gentle person. The mistress had similar temperament, and the two got along well. Until the mistress was expecting the young master, both were happy every day waiting for the young master, but after the mistress passed away giving birth to the young master, the previous master remained constantly melancholy. And from a certain day…”

Clayton, who had briefly moistened his dry lips, continued:

“It started with auditory hallucinations. He would turn the manor upside down every night, saying he heard strange sounds. He’d run through dark corridors too. As he gradually became gaunt like that, he suddenly collapsed with seizures and took to bed, and a strange skin disease began tormenting the previous master as well. From a certain point, perhaps it was fortunate that his consciousness became unclear. Then maybe…”

Suddenly the image of a withered body with a rotting smell glowing with an eerie, indescribably frightening blue light came to mind. Goosebumps rose on one arm.

Clayton’s words trailed off as if he’d noticed something in the middle of speaking. Ian listened carefully.

“……”

“…Perhaps the young master said such things because he misunderstood the previous family head screaming at night due to his illness.”

Though Clayton’s words made sense, compared to Ian Hale’s memories from the dream, they still didn’t quite fit together. Ian Hale had definitely said there was something in the manor.

‘Was it just an alcoholic seeing things that weren’t there?’

Since he couldn’t very well talk about Ian Hale’s memories, Ian lowered the arm that had been blocking the light and sat up in frustration. And he saw Clayton kneeling on one knee right in front of him.

“Since you’ve asked about various things today, I also have something I’d like to say. Would you listen?”

“…Yes, of course.”

Facing Clayton’s serious expression as he looked at him, Ian felt somewhat flustered. He tensed, wondering if Clayton had noticed something strange about his condition.

Then, white-gloved hands carefully approached and grasped Ian’s hands resting on his knees. And the words that came from Clayton’s mouth were completely unexpected.

“Thank you for not dismissing this aged body and taking me in, master.”

At the old man’s words while kneeling, even if only on one knee, Ian felt somehow embarrassed and hurriedly said:

“No, I’m barely managing to play master thanks to you, Clayton. Please get up.”

At those words, the old man pulled his lips into a stern expression.

“You have a tendency to look after me excessively, master. And you speak respectfully to everyone in the manor except young master Ash, finding them all difficult.”

“Well, no…”

As someone raised in a completely different world still dominated by Confucian concepts, Ian could only worry about elderly Clayton’s knees. Moreover, sweat beaded on his back at the pointed comment about his inability to properly imitate an ordinary noble.

“I’d like you to rely on me more. That’s the reason for my existence.”

Embarrassed by the way Clayton grasped his hand almost worshipfully and pressed it to his forehead, Ian gently extracted his hand, grabbed Clayton’s arm, and stood up while helping him rise.

“I understand, so please get up. I do ask you whenever I’m curious about something…”

As expected, Clayton rose with a grunt, relying on Ian’s hand. The old man’s body was quite heavy, making Ian’s body sway briefly. Clayton carefully separated himself from Ian’s hands, straightened his body again, and said:

“It must be time for dinner preparations to be finished now. Let’s go.”

The room had turned orange and colorful before they knew it. As Ian was about to follow Clayton, who had turned and begun walking first, he suddenly turned toward the window at a certain feeling.

He heard the familiar sound of fluttering wings flying away.