Chapter 01
Whooo! Beep. Beep, beep!
Clang, clang-clang.
A train rattled along the tracks, trailing thick black smoke like a tail.
“Oh my. Maybe because we’re on a bridge, it’s shaking so badly.”
An elderly gentleman chuckled, adjusting his disheveled hat, but Ordelfia, sitting across from him, did not respond.
She only gathered the hem of her dress slightly closer and turned her head to the side.
Although it looked like she was muttering to herself, the gentleman didn’t seem offended. He opened his newspaper, and seeing that he wasn’t paying attention to her, Ordelfia let out a quiet sigh of relief.
She didn’t want to be asked where a young lady was going alone—she would have had no good answer.
No… that wasn’t true. She could say it boldly. That her mother was trying to sell her off in the name of marriage to a man she had never even met, to pay off a debt, and she couldn’t stand it, so she ran away.
〈Do you think a monster like you can leave home and live well anywhere?〉
Her mother’s piercing voice still rang in her ears. Ordelfia gripped the handle of her bag until her nails turned white.
Yes. She couldn’t possibly marry a man she didn’t want to meet while listening to that.
She had done the right thing.
Though she had only enough money for the extra train fare and barely a single meal, and no spare clothes to change into, it didn’t matter.
〈What? You’re inheriting that terrifying woman’s hotel? You? Absolutely not. You can’t go there! You know what happened to your father when he went there! No, this is… no. Your father just left home. He abandoned us!〉
She had inherited a hotel from a grandmother with whom she had almost no contact. Back then, her mother had thrown a tantrum, and the matter had been postponed and forgotten. But now, the story of an unwanted marriage had moved forward without her consent, and she couldn’t tolerate it any longer.
〈If I leave, then you can have the marriage, Mother. After all, your partner has disappeared, hasn’t he?〉
〈Where do you think you’re going?〉
〈To the hotel. The hotel I inherited from my grandmother.〉
〈What? What are you saying? Hotel? N-no… you!〉
〈Yes. That’s right. The Hilgrace Hotel.〉
〈No! Your father went there and never came back!〉
〈Father? My father went to that hotel?〉
The father who had been her only source of comfort and unconditional love had disappeared one day. She had searched endlessly, finding no clues, until her mother, drunk and loose-lipped, had revealed a tiny fragment of information.
〈Listen carefully. Never go there. And if you do, don’t interact with any strangers there! Especially strange men!〉
〈That’s not something you, who got scammed into marriage by a stranger, should be saying.〉
With that, she left the mansion.
While Ordelfia lingered in the past, the gentleman across from her spoke.
“Would you like to go to the dining car for tea?”
“No, I’m tired.”
“Hm. I see.”
He glanced at her, then went back to his newspaper.
She would have preferred he leave… but no, being with a stranger was better than being completely alone right now.
Yes. If she were alone…
She focused on her destination before her thoughts could wander.
Hilgrace Hotel.
It was the only place where she might find a clue to her father’s whereabouts.
Monster.
A dreadful being whose emotions were uncontrollably shared with others.
She had been unaware of her cursed ability until her father vanished. He had raised her personally, without leaving the child of a deceased mother in anyone else’s care. Only after he disappeared did she discover her power—and also realize that he had been the only one who never saw her as a monster.
Thus, she could never give up even a tiny scrap of anything related to her father.
〈My treasure. For you, there’s nothing your father can’t do.〉
After that voice and the hand that stroked her head faded with her father’s disappearance, Ordelfia became a “monster” to everyone.
To others… and to herself.
Because any contact with someone else meant sharing emotions, she avoided others desperately, and her normal emotional framework had long since broken.
“Hm, hm-hm.”
A sudden cough made Ordelfia look up. Golden hair cascading in waves, eyes the vivid green of new leaves, skin milky and flawless.
Anyone would turn to look at such a beauty, though her expressionless face made her seem like she wore a mask.
The gentleman spoke amicably, despite her obvious desire to be left alone. Perhaps he felt it polite to make small talk while sharing the train car.
“Where are you headed?”
“Hilgrace Hotel.”
“Ah, that quiet hotel. I know it. I’ve stayed there once myself.”
“I see.”
Ordelfia’s flat reply didn’t deter him, and he went on about the hotel.
“It’s a nice place. Perfect for enjoying the scenery. The staff are friendly. A perfect hotel for a relaxing stay. You chose well.”
Hearing only good things reassured Ordelfia, though her face showed nothing.
Beep!
The elderly gentleman, who had been recounting pleasant memories of Hilgrace Hotel, noticed the train slowing, black smoke billowing, and tidied his attire.
“I’ll get off here. It’s been a quiet companionship. Ha. I hope you reach the hotel safely.”
“Yes. Goodbye.”
Despite her curt reply, he politely left, and Ordelfia was alone.
Clang, clang.
The train moved again, but no one else remained in her car. She grabbed her stifling hat and opened her bag.
Hilgrace Hotel Rulebook.
She had found it while searching for hotel documents.
Pulling out the small, notebook-like book, she muttered as she flipped through it.
“Why is this so long? And the content’s strange too.”
Though she had inherited the hotel, she knew nothing about running it, and expected operational know-how toward the back of the rulebook.
Finding nothing, she pressed her brows together and closed the book.
“It doesn’t have what I need.”
Beep!
At that moment, the train’s horn sounded and it began to slow.
“The time passed quickly.”
She put the rulebook back in her bag and soon forgot about it.
“Ha, ha… huff huff.”
Ordelfia panted heavily.
She had safely arrived at the hotel after getting off the train.
The Hilgrace Hotel, perched on a low hill, was more modest than she had imagined. Despite its age, it was clean and not rundown, which was reassuring.
Passing through a surprisingly well-kept garden toward the lobby entrance, she was suddenly caught in something she could never have expected.
Waaah! Waaahhh!
Ordelfia raised trembling hands to her ears, eyes wide, exhaling sharply, thinking over and over: What’s happening?
Just minutes ago, the weather had been fair, sunlight bright, and she had been resolving to start anew.
Now, a piercing alarm blared, and red lights flashed before her eyes.
Waaah!
The fire alarm sounded as if right next to her ears, vibrating through her whole body, unavoidable even if she tried.
Shivering at the shrill, grating sound, Ordelfia tried desperately not to close her eyes while catching her breath.
What on earth is happening?
No matter how she tried to recall, she couldn’t understand how she had gotten into this situation.
Her ears felt blocked and muffled, and her eyes ached from being unable to blink.
Something.
Something beyond human perception was approaching.
Even though it simply moved along its path, the moment she sensed its presence, her mind began to fray.
Waaaaaah!
