A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 118: The Mansion of Shadows (2)
Late in the evening on the day two uninvited guests arrived at the Ringaarden Count’s mansion.
“Uuugh...”
Normally, this would’ve been the time to wind down after the day’s duties, but Sasha wasn’t able to rest. She was anxiously pacing back and forth in front of a certain room.
“...I hear nothing, nothing at all.”
Once again, she had her ears tightly covered, occasionally glancing sideways at the door.
Why was Sasha acting so strangely again today? The reason was, in truth, quite simple.
“Master, I’ve gathered the ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) eligible candidates!”
“...Hmm, and the criteria?”
“They all have younger brothers in their family!”
Shortly after the early dinner—advanced at the request of the supposed “secret guest,” the Crown Prince—Whitney, through Parsha, had discreetly summoned a few of the mansion’s maids.
“Y-Young Master... Why did you call for us?”
“Aha... Nothing much, really.”
One of the maids raised her hand and asked nervously. Whitney, smiling in a way that sent chills down their spines, slowly looked them over.
Most of them, aside from Sasha, had only been hired recently. Naturally, they weren’t used to situations like this.
“Hii...”
“Uuuugh...”
So even before Whitney said anything, they were already terrified.
“You just need to go into that room... and play with His Highness for a bit.”
And when those words finally came out of Whitney’s mouth, every one of their already pale faces instantly turned to stone.
“Y-Young Master?”
“...Pardon?”
“I-I have... a fiancé I’m promised to!”
Despite everyone staying silent with their heads bowed, one maid—who had earlier raised her hand—spoke up desperately.
“S-So I... I can’t possibly do something like this... please...”
“And?”
The moment Whitney tilted his head and said that, her mouth snapped shut.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Gone was his usual cheerful tone—his face was completely serious. And few could keep speaking after seeing Whitney wear that expression.
“Ugh...”
Especially not someone like her, who had parents’ debts to repay, siblings to care for, and needed money to build a future with her fiancé.
“......”
Of course, the same went for the other maids who’d been summoned.
After all, anyone desperate enough to apply as a maid in the Ringaarden mansion—known for its endless stream of terrifying rumors—likely had a sad backstory of their own.
“If you accept my request, I’ll raise your wages by 20 percent.”
Perhaps targeting that very weakness, Whitney now wore a sly, devilish grin as he whispered sweetly into their ears.
“In return, while His Highness is staying at this mansion, you’ll each be assigned to personally tend to him.”
“......”
“Oh, and of course, all of this is confidential. Not only are you forbidden from mentioning His Highness’s presence, but you must never speak of what happens inside.”
His expression remained scary, but his voice was temptingly sweet.
“You know the pay here is already double that of a typical noble household, right? Add 20 percent to that... it’s a lot of money.”
Still, the maids stood frozen in place.
Fear of what might happen behind those doors—and more than anything, Whitney’s evil smile—was enough to keep them from making a decision.
“Hmm... I’m also considering granting a bonus vacation to those who accept.”
At those words, everyone’s eyes began to flicker.
“Surely, each of you has someone you love dearly in your family?”
“Ah...”
“Hii...”
Whitney might have been talking about the benefits of paid vacation, but to the gathered maids, the implication was a little different.
“...Once this is over, you’ll get a month to rest in your family’s arms.”
“......”
“Still not interested? If so, feel free to say so.”
Realizing all at once that their families were essentially being used as leverage, the maids began to lower their heads, expressions darkened.
“...I’ll do it.”
“Me too...”
“Same here...”
And so, one by one, they began to raise their hands with half-resigned voices, falling into Whitney’s clutches.
‘Ugh... he never gave me any vacation... That was a lie...’
Among them, Sasha alone trembled as she blankly remembered how she’d fallen for the same scam in the past.
“Oh, right, Sasha, you’re here too.”
“...!”
“Hmm, I suppose we’ll have to exclude you from this one.”
Whitney, suddenly noticing Sasha’s flinch, spoke as if he’d just realized she was there. Sasha quickly straightened up, eyes wide.
“Sasha, please stay in front of the door and keep watch. If anyone tries to enter, turn them away.”
“Ah... Yes!”
“See? Sasha always listens so well.”
The maids looked on with slightly conflicted expressions.
Was it because they were relieved that their master had at least some shred of decency left?
Or maybe they were just envious of Sasha for being spared the upcoming horror.
“Well then... Shall we begin?”
Of course, all of that was pointless now.
“Operation: Entertain the Crown Prince. I’ll be counting on your performance.”
Regardless of how they felt, the fact remained—they had to step through the guest room door that Whitney had now flung open with a bright, cheerful smile.
“Nothing... I hear nothing...”
And that... was why, several hours later, Sasha was still standing in front of the door, ears plugged, pacing in circles.
“Nothing... huh?”
Time had passed. Tired of walking, Sasha now sat against the wall, sulking—when suddenly, her eyes widened.
—Creeeak...
The door, sealed shut for hours, began to open. One by one, the maids began to step out.
“Everyone...! Ah.”
Just as she was about to greet them—partly out of loneliness, partly from the creeping fear of nightfall—Sasha waved...
...and then froze.
“......”
The maids emerging from the Crown Prince’s room were completely and utterly spent. Not a single one had a spark left in her eyes. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
“W-What... happened in there...”
Seeing their devastated state, Sasha couldn’t help but tremble and ask the one question she absolutely should not have.
“...It’s a secret.”
“...Haaah.”
“You’re... lucky, Sasha.”
The instant that dark-toned voice answered, Sasha’s trembling intensified even further.
“Sasha, really... we’re okay. Nothing weird happened.”
Kneeling slightly to match Sasha’s level, one of the maids tried to smile as if comforting a younger sister, whispering in a quiet voice.
“...We played hide-and-seek for a whole hour. Inside the room.”
“...We played some card game called ‘Catch the Thief.’ The game didn’t end until someone caught the Prince holding the Joker.”
“We had a pillow fight. I didn’t know pillows could be such terrifying weapons.”
“We played tug-of-war against His Highness... My calluses all tore.”
As the others behind her joined in, each wore an awkward smile, offering up their bizarre stories one after another—but to Sasha’s eyes, it all looked unbearably pitiful.
‘They’re all... trying to reassure me...’
Even Sasha, who usually paid little attention to rumors, had heard that the First Prince was a notorious maniac.
And having grown up around plenty of dark happenings before coming to the Count’s estate, she could easily guess what had really happened just by the bruises on their arms and legs and their utterly drained expressions.
“You lot!!! I had so much fun today!!!”
“...!?”
And any remaining doubts were shattered by the reaction of the maids the moment the Prince poked his head out of the room and shouted.
“Let’s have just as much fun tomorrow evening!!!”
“...!”
“So everyone—make sure you each come up with a fun new game!!!”
The instant the Prince withdrew his head again, the maids’ expressions turned downright tragic.
“N-Noooo...”
“I-I can’t take this anymore...”
“That wasn’t fun at all... It hurt...”
“...I want to see my mom...”
And yet, since Sasha hadn’t experienced it firsthand, all she could do was watch in mute horror as the others nearly burst into tears.
***
“Haah...”
How much time had passed?
“Are they really going to be alright...?”
Sasha, who had been too worried to go back into the servant lounge, had been aimlessly wandering the garden. At last, she sighed and made her way back toward the mansion.
‘...The weather’s gotten chilly lately.’
By now, complete darkness had fallen over the Ringaarden estate, and a cold, ghostly atmosphere filled the air.
‘Still... this mansion wouldn’t have ghosts or anything, right...?’
Few remembered anymore that the Ringaarden family was a prestigious white magic house. But Sasha hadn’t forgotten, and so she could walk around even at night.
‘...Not that ghosts are the problem here.’
Really, in a mansion where rumors said the master commanded actual demons, worrying about ghosts felt a bit pointless.
“Sasha! Sasha!!!”
“...Eek!”
Even so, Sasha—whose heart was already no bigger than a bean—let out a dazed scream as a voice suddenly called her name from behind.
“W-What is it? Whywhywhywhy are you calling me?”
“U-Um... a weird order just got sent out to all the maids...”
Trembling, Sasha turned around and blinked as she saw that all the new maids had come out of the lounge and were now standing in front of her.
“What kind of order?”
“W-We’re not sure either, but...”
They looked at her like she was their last hope and held out the directive they’d received from above.
“A-All staff ordered to gather in the basement by 2 a.m.... That’s strange, isn’t it?”
“...W-What’s strange about it?”
Taking the order, Sasha recognized Whitney’s handwriting—but tilted her head in even greater confusion at the new maids’ reactions.
“I-It’s just... our mansion doesn’t have a basement, right?”
Despite her pale face, one of the new maids tried to smile as she answered nervously.
“T-The safety manual—Section 13-1—says if anyone talks about a basement, we’re supposed to immediately deny it.”
“M-Me too! I-I thought the basement was just a creepy rumor or something. Haha...”
Watching the others force out awkward smiles and agree, Sasha stared blankly for a moment.
Then, her expression darkened, and she began to whisper as she walked ahead.
“...Everyone, follow me.”
The new maids hesitated, their faces puzzled, but slowly began trailing behind.
“We’re going to the office.”
“...Huh?”
And then, Sasha revealed a terrifying truth.
“There’s a secret passage in there that leads to the basement.”
A moment later, the expressions that appeared on the new maids’ faces...
...were the very definition of pure, unfiltered terror.
