The Uninvited Guest Of The Haunted Mansion (14)

The sobbing was faint, so faint that, at first, Serenity thought it was nothing more than the rustle of her own skirts. But the further she walked, the clearer it grew.

Noticing the dissonance, she halted and strained her ears. The sound was close. Too close.

It was coming from… inside the bookshelf.

“…Inside?”

Her face tightened.

The darkness here was so absolute that the shelves themselves no longer looked like shelves but like the concrete walls of a prison.

‘Is it really coming from in there?’

She held her breath.

Sob. Hic.

It hurts… it huuurts.

‘So that’s it.’

The crying wasn’t coming from the aisle but from behind the books themselves.

Serenity pressed her hands to the shelf. The musty stench of aged paper and damp wood stung her nose, and the sobbing sharpened.

Was there space inside the shelves? If so, the maid could be trapped there. But…

Her throat tightened.

To reach the maid, she would have to pull out the books. And in this pitch-dark library, if even one slipped, it could mean death.

‘There’s no guarantee it’s safe to touch these books.’

The danger of the library wasn’t only the librarian. Serenity’s memory supplied another rule.

17-1. The library is the cradle of knowledge, and each book is an individual possessing abundant life force. When dealing with books, you must show proper courtesy and respect. Some do not wish to reveal their truths, while others delight in dragging outsiders into their realms.

17-2. The religion section holds volumes on the state religion and its doctrines, but forbidden books are hidden there as well. If you find a book that contradicts doctrine, never open it. From the moment you touch it, you will be tormented by an irresistible urge to read. Never turn more than one page. Return it deep into the shelf at once. If you’ve turned two pages or more… there is no other way. Good luck.

Serenity’s stomach dropped.

‘So it’s random.’

If she could see the covers, she could at least tell which section she’d stumbled into. But here, in this black void, every book looked the same.

This wasn’t Minesweeper.

Still, aside from religion, most sections were survivable.

Clinging to that shred of comfort, Serenity traced the edge of the shelf until she found the engraved classification number. Her fingers scraped across the marking.

‘Please, not religion.’

It read: Philosophy.

A quiet sigh slipped from her lips.

Not ideal, but better than theology. As long as she didn’t drop or open a book, there was no immediate danger.

Bracing herself, Serenity returned to the spot where the sobbing had sounded loudest. Perhaps sensing her approach, the sound grew stronger.

‘As long as it stays quiet…’

One by one, she began sliding books from the shelf, careful not to let them fall. Each felt faintly alive beneath her fingertips, shivering at her touch. She set them silently on the floor, cleared a space—

And the muffled sobbing broke free, clearer than ever.

There, wedged deep inside, was a book lying crosswise. Even in the pitch black, she knew this one was different.

First, it trembled violently.

Second, a scrap of cloth jutted from between its covers.

Serenity eased it out. Her heart sank.

It wasn’t a scrap. It was the hem of a Primdellrose maid’s uniform.

The book shook again.

Young miss?

Serenity froze.

That voice. It was unmistakably the apprentice maid. She sounded terrified, but what made Serenity’s blood run cold wasn’t her voice. It was the sight of something else wedged in the gap: a bluish, cloth-like fragment of skin fluttering faintly.

‘That’s… skin.’

She barely had time to recoil before the trembling voice spoke again, directly into her ear.

Are you the young miss? There’s a smell! A smell!

Of course. The laundry maid’s deputy would notice her by scent.

Serenity whispered, “What happened?”

You see, it was there*… *it shouldn’t have been there!

The book hiccupped, trembling harder. Piece by piece, the story spilled out: she had entered the library by mistake, wandered lost, found a book lying open on the floor. When she failed to answer its question, the book had swallowed her whole.

Serenity’s mind flashed back to the rule.

“Some books like to bring beings from the outside world into their own realms.”

Dragged in without warning.

An ordinary human would have been torn apart instantly. The only reason this maid had survived was because her body was made of cloth.

‘What do I do now…?’

She couldn’t take books out without the librarian’s permission. If she tried, she’d be killed. But if she returned empty-handed, the laundry maid would trample her to death.

She had to separate the girl from the book. But to tear the shelf apart risked alerting the librarian.

‘I should have stayed with the Duke after all.’

Regret hit her sharp and bitter.

Then,

The book’s black cover rippled. Glowing red letters bloomed across its surface.

Serenity stiffened.

[Those who seek truth, open the book.]

Her breath caught.

The apprentice maid’s sobbing ceased instantly. The book pulsed in her hands, trembling with anticipation. Serenity understood instinctively: these glowing letters were its life force… the very consciousness of the book that had taken the maid hostage.

Every book was alive. This one wanted to play.

And it wanted to play with her.

‘How fitting. The Philosophy section would demand “truth” right from the start.’

Serenity steadied her voice, lowering it politely.

“Hello, philosopher. Could I have back the little one you swallowed?”

The silence that followed was oppressive.

Then, the red letters shifted.

[Open the book.]

It didn’t understand her words.

Right, this was what it meant to deal with an Anomalous being. Unlike Blake, who acted with an unnervingly human logic, this one could only parrot its own demands.

If she wanted anything from it, she would have to obey.

She recalled the maid’s broken words. The book had asked her a question… one she couldn’t answer. Fail again, and Serenity would meet the same fate.

The best strategy would be to ask the girl what question she had been given, but she was in no state to speak.

That left only one choice.

Serenity drew in a shallow breath. Her hands trembled as she pressed her fingers to the cover.

Then, slowly, she opened the book.