Chapter 15
If I had known that, of course I wouldn’t have acted suspiciously in front of Yeniel in the first place.
I quickly went over my past actions in my head, but I couldn’t figure out what exactly had seemed so suspicious.
‘I need to pull myself together.’
If I got suspected even more, it would be troublesome. Trying too hard to explain myself could just raise my suspicion gauge further. I had to act perfectly like April.
The others hurried in through the open door.
“Lock it right now! Don’t let them in!” Yeniel shouted.
Max, who was the last to come in after the crown prince, fumbled to close the door.
Bang! Bam! Bam!
Something pounded on the door madly from outside, but for now we were safe.
“Fortunately… they can’t get in. But we’ll keep watch—there’s no telling when the door will break.”
Even Sian looked rattled by the cultists.
Room 203 looked like any ordinary mansion room—with carpet, sofa, and furniture.
The only oddity was a coffin in the center of the room. It didn’t blend in with the aristocratic décor at all.
“Why would there be a coffin where the bed should be? Bad omen…” Max glared at it.
I stared intently into the coffin.
“W-what are you doing, Lady April? Why are you looking at that?”
“There might be treasure! Hmm, but I don’t see any.”
In truth, I wasn’t sure. My brother had played more of the second floor, so my memory was fuzzy.
‘There was something here. A doll, maybe… and a key somewhere…’
The crown prince turned to Yeniel.
“Lady Yeniel. That ancient phrase you read on the ceiling earlier—what was it again?”
“‘Between many rooms lies a key. Find the key,’ Your Highness.”
“That may be our starting point. Between many rooms… is it a metaphor? To me, it sounds literal.”
Yeniel pondered before replying.
“I interpret it literally as well, though the meaning isn’t clear. For now, it’s best to search Room 203.”
So the four of us—Yeniel, Sian, Max, and I—searched the room.
The crown prince rested, his neck badly bruised and purple from the spider bite.
But despite searching the bed and furniture, we found no key or clue.
I even thought about revealing the existence of my master key so we could all look together. But that would definitely not be April-like behavior.
Calm down.
I took a deep breath.
‘I must act the part. They can’t know I’m not April. Only Yeniel suspects me so far… but if she spreads doubt, my suspicion gauge could skyrocket to 50%, and I’ll become a potential execution target.’
“Lady April, do you have something to say?”
Apparently, I’d been staring at Yeniel too hard.
“Oh no! I was just admiring how smart and beautiful Lady Yeniel is.”
I giggled on purpose.
And confirmed that simply staring wouldn’t raise suspicion.
[Yeniel’s favorability has increased.]
No one develops affection for someone they suspect… so her true intentions were still a mystery.
Then came a faint sound—scritch, scritch.
Like paper brushing against fabric. It lasted only seconds, but it was clearly from inside the room.
“D-didn’t you hear something strange just now?” Max flinched nervously.
“A sound?” Yeniel’s expression stiffened.
“Inside the room? Outside?”
“I-I don’t know, maybe inside? Does it matter?”
It mattered a lot. A sound inside meant enemies both outside and within.
Thud! Thud!
The cultists pounded on the door again, the wood trembling.
We were trapped. Even Sian and the crown prince looked tense.
But thankfully, the sound wasn’t from a monster.
“April knows.”
I raised my hand with a smile, though inwardly worried my suspicion might rise.
“That was the sound of paper.”
I chirped brightly.
“April always wears velvet dresses to music class—like a swan, you see! And when I place sheet music on my lap, it makes that same sound.”
“So you mean… paper rubbing against velvet fabric?” Sian summarized.
[Yeniel’s suspicion eased slightly.]
Suspicion -2% (Total: 10%)
‘Still, even a small drop is better than nothing.’
“What nonsense! Velvet and paper, really…” Max scoffed—then suddenly widened his eyes.
“…Velvet? Wait. Wasn’t the inside of that creepy coffin lined with velvet?”
He rushed over, peered inside, and cried out.
“There’s a note inside the coffin, Your Highness!”
For once, Max was useful.
“Well done, Max. Everyone, look at this.”
The crown prince lifted the old paper.
<Bestow eternal rest.>
“Lady Yeniel. The phrase outside—repeat it, and let’s compare.”
“‘Between many rooms lies a key. Find the key.’ It was written above the great door, so it must be a clue for opening it.”
Sian added:
“That large door had no keyhole—it was sealed. So maybe the ‘key’ isn’t literal, but a condition. If combined: ‘Bestow eternal rest, and the hallway door will open.’”
Click—!
As if in response, a locking mechanism shifted somewhere.
‘Right. The second floor was basically an escape-room map.’
And the sound had come from beneath the coffin.
Looking closely, I saw the velvet fabric at the bottom was oddly raised.
‘There’s something here.’
I lifted it—revealing a faint glimmer.
“Your Highness! There’s something else inside!” Max exclaimed, rushing forward.
But I grabbed it first—
A bundle of keys.
‘Got it.’
Max tried to steal the credit, but I quickly handed it to the crown prince.
“Here, Your Highness. April found a shiny treasure, and since you’re my friend, I want you to have it.”
I smiled sweetly, eyes crinkling.
Then I turned innocently toward the flustered Max.
“Oh my, Sir Max. Why are you just standing there? Are you looking for shinies too?”
