C85: Secret room

While Arnold was walking toward the church, inside the mansion, a white bonnet peeked into the room.

“Pardon, Ari?”

“Ah, Eri!”

Arriet lay on the bed, her dark hair spread loosely over the pillow. Her eyes looked haggard and unfocused. The exhaustion weighed on her small frame.

Inside the shared mind, Isa was busy using another bird to fly over Arnold’s location, following Izzy’s orders, all while juggling the discomfort radiating through Arriet’s body.

The girl’s “debuff day” was in full effect, and every sensation felt irritating.

Noticing Erin step inside, Isa took control.

Arriet pushed herself upright slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her knees bent, legs tucked to one side in a demure side-sitting posture, one hand bracing the mattress for balance.

“Eri, what is it?”

“Uh, mi— Ari, have you gotten better?”

Erin stepped closer, holding a white plate with a ceramic mug placed at its center.

Inside the mug was a thick, viscous liquid, almost gelatinous in consistency. It looked like a cross between porridge and custard, smooth and glossy.

Its color was a creamy, opaque off-white, tinged beige, resembling overcooked rice pudding. Steam curled lazily upward, fragrant and warm, carrying a sweet, floral aroma that filled the room.

“Hehe. Isa… Ari is better now,” Arriet smiled.

She accepted the mug with both hands, tilting her head slightly as she examined it.

“What is this?”

Erin answered gently, a nostalgic smile gracing her lips.

"It’s called salop, a fine drink to start a day with good health.”

Erin hesitated, cheeks coloring slightly.

“Master Arnold brought it back with that… uh, belt…” She looked away briefly, flustered. “He also brought back salop flour, so I made it.”

Arriet raised the mug and took a careful sip, barely touching it with her upper lip. The flavor was creamy and sweet, with a delicate floral undertone that lingered on her tongue.

Her eyes widened brightly.

“It’s sweet!" she exclaimed excitedly, while continuing to sip a little of the hot drink.

Afterward, she looked up at Erin, excitement bubbling through her fatigue. “Eri, Eri, what is this salop!"

Erin smiled and explained.

“It’s a kind of traditional drink, Ari. I’ve heard it’s made from the dried, powdered tubers of wild orchids.”

Her gaze softened as memory overtook her.

"When I was a child, I would now and then steal a sip from my father's cup. Though it cost but a single coppy, we could not often afford such a luxury."

Erin snapped out of her nostalgia and looked down, only to see Arriet silently licking the warm drink from her lips. She chuckled.

“But lately, it’s become harder to find. Vendors who sold it when I was young are gone from my hometown now. That’s why I was surprised to see it here.”

She sighed.

"I believe it is because tea and coffee have taken its place—"

“What did you say?” A piercing, heavy voice cut through her sentence.

“P-pardon?” Erin startled, as she snapped back to her senses.

She looked down in surprise.

Arriet was no longer smiling.

The black-haired girl held the mug in her hand mid-motion, slowly sliding off the bed to stand.

Her posture straightened unnaturally, the childish softness vanishing in an instant.

“What did you say?”

Her green eyes widened, empty of warmth, fixed on Erin.

“Uhh–”

The notion of a little girl suddenly changing to act so mature was so jarring to her.

“Ah.” Erin stammered, she instinctively stepped back.

“I… uh, the salop has been—”

“Not that.” Arriet’s usual bubbly aura had evaporated completely.

Erin’s hands began to tremble.

“What did you say?”

Arriet gripped the mug in her hand so tightly Erin thought it might shatter.

“Begging… the, I…I think it is becse tea and coffee have–” she stammered, barely forming the right words together.

“C…?” Erin watched as the little girl's face got darker.

Arriet moved forward one step.

Erin jolted back.

“Par--pardon?”

“Did you just say… COFFEE!”

“Y-yes?”

“Where is it?”

“P-Pardon?”

“WHERE IS THE COFFEE!”

“...!”

Erin took another step back. “C-COFFEE! I–it’s only sold in big cities and towns! I–I don’t think misse can find it here…” Erin’s words stammering out in a rush.

“FUCK!”

“!”

Arriet roared, the sudden vulgarity and volume making Erin flinch hard.

“P… Pardon?” Erin clasped her hands together, shaking.

Why was Arriet suddenly using such a strange and vulgar word? She didn’t understand.

“...”

“...”

“...”

Silence emanated from the surrounding area. Arriet gripped her hands tightly.

After a while. Arriet’s shoulders slumping.

She looked up, her green eyes gazing toward Erin.

“Why are you here?”

Arriet put the mug down on the bedside table. The little girl bent over and held her stomach, her voice now laced with anger, pain, and… a bit of dejection?

“Ah… yes.”

Erin steadied herself, forcing calm back into her voice. She reminded herself, no matter how strange this felt, the girl before her was physically weaker than she was.

“Ar—Miss Marion, there is, uh, there is something in the dining room. I believe you ought to see it for yourself"

—

‘Izzy!’

‘Sorry.’

Inside their mindscape, Izzy apologized immediately for the sudden outburst.

It was a bad habit, one she hoped her young mind did not pick up.

‘I’ll buy you candy later.’

Arnold, Izzy’s vessel, was still outside.

She had him crouch next to a tree nearby, watching a line of ants as they carried crumbs back to their nest.

It was a weird activity, but it was far better than making him stand still for a whole hour without doing anything. Watching ants, at least, gave a more or less reasonable vibe for a loiterer.

‘Yes!’ Isa shouted brightly in their shared mind.

At the moment, Izzy had switched to control Arriet. Isa had gone fully into spectator mode, her curiosity piqued by whatever Erin was so eager to show them.

As they walked through the corridor, Erin stole glances at Arriet from time to time, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her dress.

“Why?”

“Nothing! Miss!” Erin straightened herself and continued walking.

Arriet followed her into the spacious dining room. The room was grand, its high ceiling adorned with ornate cornices carved in flowing patterns.

Tall windows lined one wall, draped in heavy curtains, and a long mahogany table dominated the center.

Izzy had already checked the room earlier using her main body’s Field Vision. Nothing unusual had stood out to her.

Erin stopped before the grand carved stone mantelpiece that dominated the wall. It was lavishly decorated with scrollwork and floral ornamentation, its height rising taller than Arriet herself.

“Here it is, A— Miss Marion.”

Arriet gave her a strange look.

Her gaze drifted upward to the empty black-and-gold frame mounted above the mantelpiece.

It was empty, as expected. If she guessed correctly, then this place must have been one of Isidora’s portrait placements.

Two tall silver candelabras flanked the empty frame, their candles lit, casting warm light across the wall.

Nothing seemed out of place.

Except…

‘Why is it here?’

On the mantelpiece sat the gray-haired doll.

Its porcelain head was tilted slightly to the side, its long lashes lowered as though in permanent contemplation. The doll’s delicate hands rested on its lap, and its glassy navy eyes gazed downward with an unnerving vacancy.

Arriet pointed at the doll.

“Why is it here?”

Erin blinked.

“Uh? I don’t know.”

‘What?’

Erin continued.

"As I was cleaning this room, a sudden thought struck me: why would anyone place an empty frame here?" She indicated the frame. "It seemed rather pointless to leave it standing. And so I thought to take it down and store it away, lest it come to harm..."

Erin stopped abruptly. She hid her mouth with her hand and gasped, before continuing in a rush.

“I–I mean, I wished to store it somewhere, only not the attic!"

Arriet nodded.

‘She probably thought of the portrait, my main body, from yesterday.’

“But…” Erin stepped closer to the mantelpiece. She placed both hands on the stone ledge and, with a light hop, lifted one leg up. With another practiced movement, she hoisted herself onto the mantelpiece and sat there with surprising ease.

“!”Arriet’s eyes widened.

She almost clapped, then stopped herself halfway, forcing her expression back into cool composure.

‘This girl… she is doing this in a dress? So bold?’

“You seem quite used to this,” Arriet commented.

“Ah, yes.” Erin smiled.

"I was once a climbing girl. Heehee."

“Climbing girl?” Arriet cocked her head. Climbing was a profession? She did not know that.

Erin looked down at her with a complicated expression

"A climbing girl is one who climbs chimneys to clear soot, Miss Marion. They are called chimney‑sweeps."

“?” That was really a job? So dangerous? Arriet knitted her brows.

"I would often follow my father. He would remain at the top, whilst I tied a rope about my waist and climbed the narrow flues to scrape away the soot."

As she spoke, she slowly stood up on the mantelpiece, her hand reaching for the frame.

“Wait, that’s dangerous!” Arriet instinctively stepped forward to hold her steady, but stopped short. A sudden pain from the cramps in her stomach stopped her from moving too abruptly.

‘Ugh.’ How did Isa deal with this? This was so annoying. Izzy thought in her mind.

Erin only smiled reassuringly, placing one hand against the side of the frame to keep her balance.

"We had no male heir, and so in my childhood the only work I could do to aid my family was to clean chimneys."

She shook her head lightly, brushing away the weight of the memory.

"At any rate. As you may see,” Erin said, lifting her hand and pointing toward the frame.

"There is no hollow space behind it, as though the blank canvas were fixed directly to the wall itself."

Arriet nodded, her gaze lingering on the black-and-gold border. Up close, the craftsmanship was too exquisite for something meant to remain empty. The frame sat flush against the stone, without the slightest gap, as though it had never been intended to be removed.

Erin carefully lowered herself from standing to a half-crouch and reached for the left candelabra, gripping its cold silver stem.

“I found the doll somehow stuck on this candelabra,” she explained. “I feared it might catch fire, so I tried to bring it down, and—”

She twisted the candelabra to the right.

“!”

The wall trembled.

Even on the ground, Arriet could feel a little tremor through the floorboards.

Her eyes flew upward as the picture frame shuddered, then slid sideways with a grinding sound, revealing a narrow rectangular recess hidden behind it.

“W–what?”

‘A secret space!’

Her Field Vision had not detected it at all, likely because there had been no gap for her perception to slip through.

Erin looked down at her, her expression conflicted, then extended her hand.

“Miss, if you please.”

Arriet swallowed and nodded. She reached up, grasping Erin’s hand. With the blonde girl’s help, she climbed onto the mantelpiece carefully.

She could have used her main body’s Field Vision and Psychokinesis to inspect the space safely from afar. But that was a hassle, she did not want Erin to find out, so she decided to directly check it herself.

The interior was dark, but that was no impediment for Arriet, who had Field Vision. With a brief focus, she could figure out what was in there.

It was a narrow, rectangular cavity built into the wall between the dining room and the adjoining chamber. The space was just large enough to fit a person crawling inside.

Erin, broader and taller, would never manage it, which was why she remained seated on the mantelpiece outside.

Erin could not get in, so she remained seated on the mantelpiece outside.

“Have you checked what is inside?”

“I have not, Miss Marion. I came to you the moment I found it.”

Arriet nodded. “Good.”

To prevent any panic, it was best that Erin did not see this.

‘Smart… or should I say, she has a good sense for avoiding trouble?’

Arriet shook her head and focused.

Inside the compartment, arranged with care, were five small blue vials, identical to the ones from Benjamin's. Beside them lay a pale finger bone, placed atop a piece of parchment.

Arriet picked up the parchment and examined it.

On its surface was a rough sketch of a crab-like creature with a single horn protruding from its shell. Beneath the drawing was a number written plainly.

23.

She frowned and flipped the parchment over.

The back was filled with hurried scribbles written in the Alan language.

‘Hmm.’

Inside the shared mind, Izzy’s logic immediately began reconstructing the fragmented phrasing, while Isa supplied the missing vocabulary she had memorized earlier that day.

Piece by piece, the meaning assembled itself.

“Ingredient to awaken Isidora: Five vials of pure Yi essence, one hundred human children’s bones, one [###]’s finger bone, and—”

Her breath hitched. A cold current trickled through her spine as the meaning became clear.

“A Yi vessel, Lady Amelia.”

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.