“Ilya Vexwood?” Noctis murmured to himself.

  It was a name he had never encountered before coming to the mansion. He was certain he had memorized every important figure related to the Vexwood family. Frowning, he picked up his pen and began writing down the names he knew.

  Ian Vexwood — Master of the mansion

  Celina Vexwood — Wife of Ian, died in a car accident

  Cassian Vexwood — Father of Ian Vexwood, died of illness

  Adeline Vexwood — Mother of Ian Vexwood, died of a heart attack

  There was no one named Ilya Vexwood—at least, not as far as he could remember. Ian Vexwood had no siblings, and none of his cousins carried the Vexwood surname.

  And yet, the ring he had found was far too small to belong to an adult woman.

  He paused, thinking.

  Then his mind drifted back to the basement—the giggling, the light footsteps, the faint sound of a child. His breath hitched as something clicked into place. He hurriedly opened the diary and flipped to the seventh and final entry. He still didn’t fully understand it, but he knew now that everything was connected.

  Girl — Third floor

  A girl suddenly appearing near the garden without grass

  The giggling and footsteps of a child in the basement

  A ring belonging to a child named Ilya Vexwood

  All Noctis could conclude was this: the child the previous gardener had encountered was named Ilya, and she was somehow tied to the locked room on the third floor.

  Questions flooded his mind. With no clear answers, he decided to seek out the one person in the mansion he felt—however slightly—close to.

  “Hey! Silas, how are you doing?” Noctis greeted.

  “Nothing,” Silas replied flatly. “Just some gardener’s work that you’re mostly skipping.”

  “Is that so? Haha…” Noctis laughed nervously.

  Silas glanced at him. “So? Why are you here? Need another tour of the mansion?”

  “No. This time, I wanted to ask a few questions—if you’re willing to answer.”

  Silas paused. Then he turned toward him, his eyes locking onto Noctis’s face with unsettling focus before he spoke.

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  “Sure,” he said calmly. “But only if I know the answer… or if I’m allowed to.”

  “You’re allowed to?” Noctis frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I-I see. Then… my first question. Why does the master of this mansion stay in his office all day?” Noctis asked.

  “He probably has a lot of work,” Silas replied.

  So this is how you’re going to answer, huh? Noctis thought. Fine. Let’s continue.

  “Alright. Second question, then. Are there other Vexwood family members living in this mansion?”

  Silas suddenly stopped, as if frozen in place. Slowly, he stepped closer to Noctis before answering.

  “Maybe,” he said. “Who knows who’s still living in this mansion anymore?”

  Noctis swallowed. “Then… have you seen a little girl playing around here?”

  “A girl?” Silas tilted his head. “Oh, the one who dies today?” He shrugged. “Not really. Unless she comes out of her room.”

  “W-What?” Noctis stammered, his voice trembling. “What do you mean she dies today? What are you talking about?”

  Silas turned fully toward him and stared—far longer than necessary. Then he smiled.

  It was too wide. Too uncanny. Inhuman.

  And it was directed entirely at Noctis.

  “Do you… wish to know more?” Silas asked, his voice slipping between tones, never settling long enough to sound human. “Do you?”

  Noctis flinched. He had seen this kind of behavior before—once, with the head maid. Forcing himself to stay calm, he shook his head.

  “N-No… I-It’s fine.”

  In an instant, Silas’s smile vanished. His expression returned to normal, as though nothing strange had occurred.

  “I see,” he said casually. “See you later, then.”

  And with that, he walked away.

  Noctis remained where he stood, motionless, his mind struggling to process what had just happened.

  What was that expression?

  What did he mean by “the one who dies today”?

  Who’s stopping him from answering my questions?

  Why did he smile like that?

  Then something snapped.

  Wait… why did he ask if I needed another tour of the mansion?

  He spoke as if he already knew me.

  Time had already looped twice.

  None of the servants remembered him.

  But Silas did.

  How?

  He isn’t supposed to know who I am.

  Unease creeping in, Noctis decided to return to his room. As he walked down the corridors, he passed multiple clocks without paying them any attention.

  He had stopped checking them.

  They had already agreed on a lie.

  Once inside his room, he immediately opened the diary and began organizing his thoughts.

  Silas said there was a girl in this mansion, but she never leaves her room.

  The diary mentions a locked room on the third floor.

  He said she was supposed to die today—but why?

  Her name must be Ilya Vexwood.

  Was she the child I heard in the basement?

  And most importantly… who is Silas?

  After thinking for a long time, Noctis reached two conclusions.

  First: Silas was not like the other servants. He wasn’t trapped in time. He remembered. He knew far more than he let on—and most importantly, he was not on Noctis’s side.

  Second: Ilya Vexwood was somehow connected to his escape. Yet he knew almost nothing about her. The only person who did refused to answer—and she was locked away on the third floor.

  Noctis exhaled slowly.

  He needed access to the third floor.

  And the terrace.

  Lost in thought, he suddenly muttered—

  “Wait… isn’t there a library in this mansion?”