Resetting Lady

Before Carynne’s expression could start to crumple, the housekeeper quickly added one more thing, as a sort of excuse.

“More than anyone else, I believe you know why, Miss.”

“…Right.”

Of course, Carynne knew the reality of the situation better than the housekeeper. Compared to investigating one maid’s disappearance, it was much more of an important matter to keep Prince Lewis’ stay in this residence comfortable.

Even within one day here in the capital, there were several cases of women like Donna disappearing. Very few of them would even come back as corpses. It’s that kind of world.

Tak.

Carynne went back into her room, at the annex that Countess Elva had provided.

Even if it was just a separate building, it was quite a luxurious place to stay in, given that it had been provided by the count’s family. This place wasn’t so bad.

She thought of Donna. Her room was just a short distance away from Carynne’s room.

She then set off towards the place she had never entered before.

The maids staying at that maid’s room had changed from time to time. It was Nancy who stayed there most of the time. Sometimes it was Sera. It’s the first time that Donna had lived in it.

It was only a bit of a whim, but Carynne sometimes thought about slitting Donna’s throat one day. She’s thought about this sometimes after she had strangled Nancy.

Carynne did not like the constant stream of confusion she was being subjected to. She had intended to work hard in this life—to kill, and kill and then kill some more. She wanted to test how far she’d be able to go while avoiding Raymond’s eyes. That had been Carynne’s purpose.

“But Dullan messed it up with that stupid wager that’s not even funny.”

The purpose she had set for herself in this life had all gone to bust because of Dullan. Carynne’s entertainment had, in the end, become nothing more than a waste of time. Even if it was something as exciting as murder.

The end that Carynne had wished for—it was worth less than her own true death.

Dullan had put a halt to Carynne’s next murder attempt, but by now, Carynne was less and less inclined to keep up this wager.

This was because Raymond’s love had eventually turned out to be the same as before, unchanged. It would have been more interesting if he tried to kill Carynne, but his unchanged love was raising her doubts once again.

She shook her head.

Right now, rather than Raymond or Dullan, Carynne was more curious about Donna. Just as Nancy’s death had shown something new to Carynne, what new things would she be able to see with Donna’s?

Usually, the maids should stay at the main mansion, however Carynne’s maids always followed her to where she was. Nancy was considered as Carynne’s physician, so how about Donna?

Creeeak.

“Would it be so fun if it turns out that Donna’s actually behind the serial murders?”

She opened the door.

And she was disappointed.

Donna’s room was no different.

Carynne stared at the small bed, the small window, the small closet and the small desk—this room was just like any other servant’s room. Just that. A room like this could be seen even in the Hare manor. An exceedingly typical room.

Ordinary maidservants usually shared rooms together, but Donna was a little different. Since she was a guest’s servant, she had a room to herself like this. It was a bit of a lonely room.

“But it’s still better than Sir Raymond’s room.”

She looked around Donna’s temporary room. It was different from Raymond’s, which was always organized in a way that made it possible for him to leave right away.

Here, there was make-up, clothes and flowers.

Carynne walked towards the window.

“Hydrangeas, huh.”

She tilted her head to the side as she looked at the flowers. There were too many in her own room anyway, so if anyone asked to take some, then by all means, she’d give away a lot.

Donna had put a bouquet in a glass bottle. Did she buy it with her own money? On the one hand, Carynne thought that Donna spent her money on something so useless, but then she noticed something—the flowers were still fresh.

“With the flowers still being fresh like this, isn’t this proof that it hasn’t been long since she left?”

But wasn’t that already obvious?

Donna was still here a few days ago. At the bottom of the water bottle—it was too shabby to call a vase—there was still some water. But Carynne couldn’t infer anything more from that fact.

“Her desk, I guess?”

It was a small desk. There was another rough-looking cup there, but it was empty. Carynne supposed that there was actually no need for Donna to have had two of them.

“No diary, as expected…”

She tried to see if Donna had a diary, or anything similar to it, but very few people kept diaries, unless they were children. Diaries were a great way to get to know someone’s innermost thoughts, but very few adults diligently jotted down their daily experiences because they were busy.

Carynne herself didn’t keep a diary. And she wasn’t even all that busy, too.

“…There’s no use for me since it’ll be erased anyway. It’s not because I’m lazy.”

Mother must have thought the same. Ah, I won’t complain about that anymore in the future, Mother.

Carynne nervously pulled back her hair, which was covering her face, as she apologized to her mother.

“This is a bit cheap…”

She turned towards the make-up lined up on one shelf. Now that she thought about it, Nancy always put on red lipstick—she said that rouge was essential to make her dark skin stand out. Carynne made a note to herself that she should buy some later at the capital for Nancy.

“Of course, in the next life.”

She smiled at the thought of Nancy, choking underneath her. In her final moments, Nancy’s face had been a bit messy.

Carynne looked into her own reflection in a small mirror. Then, she frowned at herself, at her face that was untouched by a maid.

Donna wasn’t here, so she’d have to borrow another maid later.

Soon, she turned around and headed towards Donna’s bed.

“In the end… I dunno.”

Carynne flopped down on the bed. The frame was narrow and the thin mattress was hard. Lying back down on that cheap bed, which was sure to inflict back pain on anyone who lay on top of it, she stared up at the ceiling.

I’m already well aware.

Is it fun?

I think it’s fun.

People, disappearing.

That’s something that has never happened before.

Anything other than the norm is a good thing. Any type of change is fun.

Right?

“Ow.”

Carynne changed the way she was laying on the bed, rubbing her sore back. Regardless of how anyone would say that this was a mere cheap bed, this was just too much.

No, it seemed like there was something lying beneath.

This reminded her of an old tale. Once upon a time, there was a princess who could not endure the inconvenience brought upon her by a tiny little pea that was lying beneath the twelve thick mattresses that she was laying on—complete with even duck feather duvets over those mattresses.

But what Carynne was lying down over wasn’t a pea, and Donna’s bed was definitely not that thick. This was a maid’s bed after all.

It was something much bigger than a pea…

Like a box.

Something of this size couldn’t possibly have been put here by mistake. Anyone would grimace and sit up immediately because of a thing of that size laying underneath them. And even if they couldn’t see it, they’d definitely notice it right away after lying down once.

She got up. There’s something on the floor underneath the bed. So, she would take it out.

Carynne grabbed the bed over its fabric. It was a little heavy, but not to the point that she couldn’t lift it alone. The dusty bedframe started creaking, but that was of no concern to her. Something important was down there.

“…Oh my.”

There lay a treasure chest beneath.

Carynne pulled it out, her eyes twinkling.

“A treasure chest?”

It was literally a chest that looked like a treasure chest. As it was wrapped in purple silk, Carynne wrenched away the cover.

Such a thing stood out like a sore thumb inside a maid’s room.

When the cloth was relentlessly pulled away, she then saw a light brown wooden box.

If she opened it now, what would come out of it?

Carynne calmed her rising exhilaration, a smile tugging up on the corners of her lips.

Donna’s money? A secret diary? No, probably not. If it’s something like those things, Donna would have taken them with her when she disappeared.

Carynne was now expecting that it was related to herself.

If Nancy was someone who had messed with Carynne’s memories, then maybe Donna was also connected to Carynne in a similar way?

“Or what if it’s actually, boooom! A bomb…”