~Chapter 32~
Ruby? What’s wrong?”
I stopped walking, and Damien called out to me.
But I couldn’t take my eyes off the door, which was engraved with the image of a baby with its eyes closed.
‘I swear I heard something.’
It seemed like I had heard a strange noise from beyond the closed door.
It sounded like someone was whispering.
However, no matter how much I strained my ears, everything around me was deathly silent.
“Ruby?”
“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”
It seemed I had just imagined it.
“Is something bothering you?”
“No. I think I must have misheard something.”
And so, the day passed without any further incident.
A few days later, I visited the doll room again with Damien.
“Today, I’ll stay a little longer.”
“How long?”
Damien checked his golden pocket watch and answered.
“About 10 minutes should be enough.”
I thought we’d stay a little longer than we did that day.
When we opened the door with the baby-eyed symbol, hundreds of dolls were visible, just as expected.
All were neatly displayed, either sleeping or half-lidded as if drowsy.
“These dolls are already bound to you, right?”
“Yes. So, I can feel their energy to some extent. I can even track their positions.”
Damien scanned the dolls that lined the three walls of the room and added.
“Though, they’ve never left this room, so there’s no reason to worry.”
“They’re very obedient.”
“Still, we need to be careful. They are curses, after all.”
Across from the door, there was a stylish fireplace, along with a small table and chairs. It almost looked like it was set up for children to have a tea party.
Below them, toys that children might love—such as a train, a boat, and a music box—were scattered around.
“We should tidy up a bit.”
“I’ll help.”
I stood the overturned train back on its tracks, pressed the button, and it began moving along with a chugging sound.
Meanwhile, Damien wiped the dust off the plates on the table and tucked the chairs back inside.
“If these dolls can’t move, how do they play with toys?”
“They can hardly play. They just enjoy being arranged like this, so I leave them as they are.”
Finally, Damien lit a match and tossed it into the fireplace.
Soon, the fire caught on the logs, and warmth began to spread through the room.
I smiled as I watched the dolls.
“I guess they like the warm fireplace too.”
“Yes. I make sure to keep the fire just enough so it doesn’t cause any danger.”
Looking at them, the dolls really did remind me of children.
Many children would play tea party games, eating snacks and playing with toys, all while chatting near a warm fireplace.
“There’s a picture book too.”
“Yes, they like it when I bring it to them.”
“I see.”
When I turned my head, I noticed the gaze of the countless dolls stacked on one side of the room.
Since Damien and I had made noise, all of the dolls seemed to have woken up, their sparkling eyes fixed on us.
“Huh? Are they all awake?”
“Yes, I think our noise woke them.”
Damien pulled a watch from his sleeve and checked the time.
“It’s been exactly 10 minutes. Let’s head out.”
Damien took my hand and walked toward the door.
He turned the doorknob, opened the door, and ushered me out into the hallway.
He followed me out and closed the door behind us.
Just then…
“Huh?”
I definitely saw it.
The pink-dressed girl doll sitting against the left wall had raised her right arm.
It looked as if she was waving goodbye.
“Damien, wait a second.”
“Yes?”
Just before Damien could lock the door with the key, I suddenly swung it open again.
But the room inside was completely silent.
Everything was as it had been before.
“Huh…”
The pink-dressed doll was sitting with her arms neatly placed on her knees, exactly as she had been when we left the room earlier.
‘Did I missee something?’
I had clearly seen her raise her right arm and look at me.
It was strange.
No matter how much they were cursed, Damien had said these dolls could only blink their eyes, not move.
“Ruby? Is something wrong?”
“Ah, no.”
I shook my head and closed the door again.
Damien inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it to lock the door tightly.
“Did you sense something odd? If there’s anything wrong, you need to say it right away.”
“Um… Actually, before you closed the door, I saw something strange.”
I told Damien about what I had just seen.
The pink-dressed doll had raised her right arm while looking at me just before we left.
Damien, who had been listening seriously, gave a seemingly solemn expression.
“…I see. Alright, let’s leave the room for now.”
Damien took my hand and quickly led me down the hallway.
He took me straight to the study and brought me to my room.
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
He returned about 30 minutes later.
“I thought the dolls had become a bit dangerous, so I took some precautionary measures.”
After hearing what I said, Damien must have decided that the dolls weren’t as safe as before.
So, he went to handle it alone and take precautions.
“Are you alright? What if it got dangerous while you were handling it by yourself? I could’ve come with you, or even brought the butler…”
“It’s fine. If it had gotten dangerous, I could’ve fought the other curses.”
Damien reassured me and gave me an update on his plans.
“The fifth orb has brightened considerably, so it doesn’t seem like we need to take risks anymore. We shouldn’t interact with the cursed dolls from here on out.”
It was disappointing that I wouldn’t be able to see those pretty dolls again, but I didn’t oppose Damien’s decision.
Given the changes we’d observed, there could be unpredictable situations ahead.
“Yes, then I’ll either look for another curse or try to increase the orb’s brightness through further contact with you.”
“Yes.”
With a faint smile, Damien squeezed my hand.
“I’ll help you actively.”
A week had passed since I stopped interacting with the cursed dolls.
Recently, I spent my time either talking with the twins or going about my day while holding Damien’s hand.
Sometimes, I even listened to new bride ghost John’s relationship advice about ‘Kate,’ the female ghost haunting the third floor, who had developed feelings for him.
However, since I didn’t know when “that dark-hearted fellow” would start getting involved, I always had Damien with me during these counseling sessions.
‘What should I draw today?’
After having lunch, I was thinking about a drawing topic as I headed to my room, when suddenly I heard a strange sound behind me.
“Huh?”
I turned around to find a pink teddy bear rolling down the hallway.
‘Did it fall?’
I looked around the area where the teddy bear had landed and noticed a display cabinet at about chest height.
Only a particular part of the cabinet was free of dust.
It was almost as if it had been the teddy bear’s spot.
“I’ll put it back.”
The teddy bear was incredibly soft to the touch.
It felt like touching a cloud made of cotton fluff, and it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
“Oh, its cheek’s a bit dirty.”
Probably from rolling on the floor, the teddy bear’s cheek had a stain on it.
I quickly grabbed my white handkerchief and gently wiped the teddy bear’s cheek, and the stain vanished in an instant.
I also noticed the pink ribbon around the bear’s neck was slightly crooked, so I fixed it and tied it properly.
“Hmm, it’s pretty.”
Just as I was smiling contently and about to place the teddy bear back on the cabinet…
“I’m pretty, right?”
The teddy bear spoke.
It was no longer just a teddy bear.
“I’m pretty, right?”
The voice came from the pink-dressed girl doll who had waved at me in the doll room.
