Chapter 12: Ramblings

‘Go back?’

Remembering the bizarre sound from beyond the door after she had left the room, Rosie felt a deep-seated resistance to this option.

However, it wasn’t safe outside the room either.

The bewitching voice that seemed to come from the depths of her soul when she was climbing the ladder was not to be underestimated.

The entire castle was fraught with peril.
The slightest misstep would lead to a point of no return.

Rosie considered for a moment.

With the warning on the parchment scroll, since it was equally dangerous inside and outside the room, she could only choose the lesser of two evils.

“In that case, good luck to you, Miss Carter.”

While she was thinking, the others had already started to move.

Hermann Rhys gave Hannah a not-so-standard knight’s salute, then turned his back to the group, waved his hand, and left the room in a swaggering manner.

Dewitt Nair first expressed his blessings for the baron’s daughter, then nodded slightly.

“Then I shall take my leave as well.”

Following his departure, Bev Hardy and Jesse Holmes also took their leave one after the other.

Hannah Carter smiled at Rosie, then turned her head to look at her bodyguard and instructed, “Mr. Sandek, please take care of Rosie for me and see her safely back to her room.”

Dennis Sandek nodded without any unnecessary words.

Rosie was a little touched and also a little guilty at this moment.

After all, she was not the real Rosie Moulton and couldn’t accept this kindness with a clear conscience.

‘Should I leave the gun or the dagger with Hannah for self-defense?’

‘But, I have to go back to the room soon, there are too many variables.’
‘One more tool is one more chance at survival.’

She hesitated for just a moment, and missed the opportunity to speak.

“Let’s go, Miss Moulton.”

Dennis’s voice sounded in her ear.
As she was the last to leave the room, Rosie glanced back.

Hannah was standing by the table, one hand on her lower abdomen, the other waving slightly at her.

“See you tomorrow, Rosie.”

The journey back to the underground corridor was much smoother than expected.
When they climbed down the ladder, the candles held in the mouths of the lion statues had been replaced with new ones at some unknown point, quietly burning with orange flames.

Because Hannah, the social butterfly, was gone, and Donahue Bobby was still feeling awkward after making the choice to “abandon” them when Dewitt had stated his position, he didn’t speak a word the entire way.

The three of them walked in silence to the crossroads where they had met.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave first.”

Donahue pointed to the corner on the right, and after speaking, he didn’t look at the reactions of the remaining two, but turned and left in a hurry.

“You should go back too, Mr. Sandek. It’s just a short walk to my room from here. You don’t need to see me off.”

Rosie spoke first, worried that he would insist on taking her back to her room because of Hannah’s instructions.

She had a dagger and a handgun on her.
With someone watching from the side, she felt somewhat restricted.

Dennis Sandek nodded slightly.

“Alright, Miss Moulton.”

Perhaps because his own young lady had asked him to take care of her, the bodyguard’s tone and attitude were not as stiff and cold as when they first met, but much more respectful.

After bidding farewell to the bodyguard, Rosie quickly walked back to her room.
Standing at the door, she first lit the candles on the three-headed candelabrum.
Then, she rolled up the cuff of her left sleeve, revealing half of her smooth, delicate arm and the leather dagger sheath pressed against her fine skin.

She pursed her lips, exhaled, and calmed her heart, which was thundering like a steam engine, while feeling the cold touch of the dagger’s hilt.

‘If only I could parry and follow up with martial arts like in a game when I encounter an enemy.’

‘Leon, help me out here!¹’

Rosie made a small complaint in her heart, then, steeled herself, gritted her teeth, and pulled the door open from the outside.

The moment the door opened, she propped it with her foot while simultaneously lunging sideways into the room with the candelabrum.

Her right hand, holding the dagger, was held protectively in front of her.

The cold metal blade cut through the air, leaving behind a silent, murderous sound.
Rosie’s movements were too fast.

The three-headed candelabrum dragged a tail of orange flame.

In the flickering light, her face was unclear, only a pair of misty-blue eyes could be seen, reflecting the burning flames of the candelabrum, tinged with a bloodthirsty color.

Silence, soundlessness.

A sense of empty ringing and disorientation echoed in her ears due to the immense pressure.

Rosie did not relax her control over her body.

She cautiously walked into the room.
Hearing the sound of the door closing behind her, her heart rose to her throat.

There was definitely another “person” in the room.

Before she left, the rustling sound of rummaging was still plucking at her nerves.
The unknown was what was terrifying.
Compared to her current situation, Rosie would rather face that eyeless woman again.

At least she could see and touch her.

Glancing around, the room’s furnishings were just as she had left them: the half-height cabinet, the magnificent bed, and the tightly closed curtains.

Rosie’s eyes were half-lowered.

Without making any unnecessary movements, she walked quickly to the bed.
Without taking off her boots, she sat upright on the bed, blew out the candles, and then neatly turned over and lay flat on her back.
Of course, she did not let go of the dagger.

First, she would do as the parchment scroll said, and then see if she could pass the night peacefully and wait for the bell to toll.
Rosie hoped on one hand that the contents of the parchment were true, and on the other hand, she hoped that this so-called salvation ritual was just a scam.

‘Hannah, sigh.’

With a complex mood, the girl on the bed closed her eyes.

Time was stretched to an extraordinary length by the silent environment.
Rosie didn’t know how long she had been lying there.

In this high-pressure mental state, let alone falling asleep peacefully, she couldn’t even relax for a moment.

She could only run through scenarios in her mind over and over again, figuring out how she should respond if an accident occurred.

“Creeak—”

In the empty and silent room, such a sound was no different from a thunderclap on a clear day.

‘Someone opened the door and came in?!’
Rosie instantly tightened her grip on the dagger.

Just as she was about to open her eyes to check the situation at the door, a sentence flashed in her mind.

“Before the bell tolls, no matter what sound is heard or what is encountered, you must not open your eyes.”

Her jawline tensed.

She fought the urge to get up, closed her eyes, and said nothing, pretending she hadn’t heard the sound of the door opening.

“Tap, tap, tap.”

Each footstep in her ear stepped on Rosie’s heart, growing heavier and heavier, even making it a little hard for her to breathe.

After a brief silence, the room was filled with the sound of hushed conversations.
People, many people.

The conversation was so intricate and detailed that it felt like being at a banquet.
However, this language was something Rosie could not understand.

It belonged neither to Lin Yu’s previous life’s language, nor to Rosie Moulton’s scope of knowledge.

Wave after wave of meaningless whispers poured into her brain from both ears.
Her thoughts grew murkier, her consciousness more blurred.

Rosie was about to go mad, driven mad by the “conversation”!

This could not continue.

Otherwise, in the next second, neither Lin Yu nor Rosie Moulton would exist anymore!

Just as Rosie made up her mind, intending to open her eyes and fight to the death, DONG—!

A long, drawn-out toll of a bell rang in her ear.

TL Notes:
¹This is a reference to Leon S. Kennedy from the Resident Evil series, known for his survival skills and combat prowess. The character is jokingly calling for his help.