“What happened here?”
Before waiting long, Louis visited the mansion. Simone nodded and motioned for him to come into the room.
“The door to the mansion must have been closed. How did you get in?”
“Just when I thought it was strange that no one was there to open the door, the Grand Duke himself opened it. Is there a problem?"
“The majority of the mansion’s occupants suddenly disappeared.”
Louis looked around Simone's empty room and sat down on a chair with an expression of confusion.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know. Now that Wren is here, we should find the cause together.”
“Is it a curse?”
“That’s fine too...”
Louis looked at her as if asking for some kind of answer, but it was also very embarrassing for Simone.
How on earth could something like this happen? She just woke up like usual and all the employees were gone.
“There were no warning signs. I just woke up and they were gone. That’s it.”
“That can’t be possible.”
“So I looked for guidance, but there was no relevant guidance. The Grand Duke suspected that it might be a newly created curse or a strange phenomenon brought in from outside this time.”
Louis was lost in thought. Many of the employees disappeared without a trace overnight.
“...Running away is-”
“The Grand Duke decided to look into it. If that many people had run away in one night, they would have been very noticeable and they wouldn’t have been able to get far.”
“Simone, what do you think of this? Is it a flight or a curse?”
Simone shook her head again.
“I don’t know. I’ll take a look around the mansion and then decide.”
There is no noticeable strangeness or shape to call it a strange phenomenon, and there is no explanation to call it a non-strange phenomenon.
In addition, she had to find out what the difference was between the servants who had disappeared and the ones who remained, and it seemed like it would be possible to think only if she asked the remaining servants if they had any warning signs.
"All right."
Louise nodded.
“I guess it was a good idea for me to come.”
Then he smiled brightly.
“Should I come to work every day without being called? Just in case something like this happens.”
“Yes. Just come when I call you.”
Even if she says this, he'll still come almost every day, whining.
Simone answered firmly and stood up.
“Let’s take a look. I will meet all the remaining employees.”
“I will follow.”
Louis stood next to Simone. The two came out of the room and started exploring all parts of the mansion.
The number of employees was already small, but most of the employees had disappeared and the remaining employees were busy running around taking care of other employees' work, so it was not easy to meet them.
“First of all, there’s nothing strange about the mansion itself.”
“That’s right. There are no visible strange phenomena like the previous curses.”
Only the employees disappeared. When she looked around the underground dormitory, their luggage was still there, but the people were gone.
It's similar to when Anna disappeared before, but is there anything different from then?
The majority of employees are missing, and the other employees are desperately trying to pretend not to know this and are just as embarrassed as Simone.
In the beginning, when the disguised rat incident happened, it was because of the servants' reactions that they realized that Anna's disappearance was due to a curse, but now there are significantly fewer servants who will react to the phenomenon.
Louis said while looking around.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with the mansion. Let’s look for the remaining employees.”
Simone nodded and walked away.
First, let's leave behind the attendants who will run around like their feet are on fire, and go to Jace's room where there will definitely be someone there.
***
Simone, who arrived at Jace's room, glanced at Jace, who seemed to be less sly and then headed to Florier.
“Are you here?”
“Yes. How is the Young Master's condition?”
“He's getting better. They said he might regain consciousness soon.”
Florier looked at Simone quietly.
“You stopped by here and sent mana to the magic stone, right? Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
Simone smiled at the Grand Duchess and said.
“Grand Duchess, I am sorry, but I would like to speak with a healer for a moment. Would it be okay?"
“Is it because all the servants disappeared? That’s right.”
Florier winked at the healer, and the healer silently got up and followed Simone.
Simone led him out into the hallway.
“I’m sorry, Simone, but I’m still worried about leaving the Prince without a healer. Could you hurry and send me back?”
“Yes, I will just ask you a question and send you right back. Do you know that the workers have disappeared?”
"Yes."
The healer answered with a more gloomy expression.
“Do you know why the servants disappeared?”
“I don’t know. I also get flustered when I go to work and no one is there..."
As expected, the healers, like Simone, the Grand Duke, and Anna, had no idea of the reason for the situation.
“Isn’t there anything you can point out? What kind of conversation did the employees have among themselves before they disappeared?”
The healer shook his head again.
“I’m sorry, but there isn’t any. No matter who comes in, the Young Master servant works quietly in his room as if nothing is there.”
Naturally, employees should kill their presence and work silently when they are with their employer's family.
Even though Jace was unconscious, the residents of this mansion had been following the rules.
"Ha."
Simone sighed deeply and stroked her hair.
This one is really difficult. There is no clue whatsoever.
“Then do you know if any of the servants are still there?”
The healer, who was at a loss and didn't know what to do because he didn't know anything, opened his eyes.
“I know that. Today, the remaining employees took turns helping me.”
The healer confidently listed the names of the servants he had seen today.
Claire, the cowardly servant who was originally in charge of Jace's room, Lise, who was in charge of the Duke of Illeston's room, Anna, and several other young servants.
And the youngest in the kitchen who prepared the healer's food, and the apprentice knight who ran out in a panic to open the door for the healer when he arrived at the mansion.
A total of ten employees remained.
"Hmm...”
Simone was lost in thought. Claire, who had helped her during the Portrait of a Lady incident, and Lise, the young maid who had been scolded by the chamberlain for trying to find Anna, who had disappeared without following the instructions during the previous disguised rat incident.
Anna, Claire, Lise, and the other remaining servants are all young servants who are considered the youngest among the servants.
Not only that, but the youngest in the kitchen who is always scolded by the chef, and the apprentice escort who hasn't even been assigned a job yet are also very young people.
Does the young age of those who remain have something to do with this situation?
“I’m sorry, Simone.”
Simone suddenly came to her senses at the low sound of the healer's voice.
“Can I go in now? It’s time to check on Jace’s condition.”
“...Yes, go in. Thank you.”
After greeting Simone, the healer went straight back to Jace's room, and Simone sighed in despair.
She knew that the remaining people had one thing in common: they were young, but in the end, she couldn't find a clue to what was going on.
Simone then walked around the mansion once more with Louis, and time passed and it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon.
When Simone returned, her room was still empty.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
Louis cleared his throat and spoke carefully to Simone.
“But, Simone.”
"Yes."
“Aren’t you eating?”
“...”
Simone glanced at him as if asking him if he was saying something absurd in this situation. Then she suddenly realized that it was already long past lunchtime.
Although Simone may not know anything, it is a time when Louis, who has come a long way without knowing anything, maybe hungry.
“Oh, right. I decided to skip lunch today.”
Just looking at Anna, she said that this morning she helped the youngest chef grill meat in the kitchen, which was not her responsibility.
All ten employees, including the chef and the escort, are probably working busily, going back and forth between each other's parts.
How crazy can it be for young people who already have so much to learn to move around without anyone to give them directions?
No one else knows, but to ease Anna's workload a little, Simone decided to skip meals.
Simone stared at Louis.
Then Louis shrugged his shoulders.
“Then I’m fine with it. I was just wondering if you were hungry.”
"Hmm."
Originally, she had planned to search the mansion all day.
She plans to keep Louis by her side until the situation is resolved, just in case, so she'll have to at least make sure he eats, even if it's annoying.
Anyway, as of now, it seems like there won't be any more clues to come out of the mansion.
“Then shall we go out for a moment?”
“Yes? Outside? Outside the mansion?”
"Yes. Let’s go out and eat.”
Simone decided to take him out of the mansion to refresh her mind and to hear Louis' story.
***
Simone then walked around the mansion once more with Louis, and time passed and it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon.
When Simone returned, her room was still empty.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
Louis cleared his throat and spoke carefully to Simone.
“But, Simone.”
"Yes."
“Aren’t you eating?”
“...”
Simone glanced at him as if asking him if he was saying something absurd in this situation. Then she suddenly realized that it was already long past lunchtime.
Although Simone may not know anything, it is a time when Louis, who has come a long way without knowing anything, maybe hungry.
“Oh, right. I decided to skip lunch today.”
Just looking at Anna, she said that this morning she helped the youngest chef grill meat in the kitchen, which was not her responsibility.
All ten employees, including the chef and the escort, are probably working busily, going back and forth between each other's parts.
How crazy can it be for young people who already have so much to learn to move around without anyone to give them directions?
No one else knows, but to ease Anna's workload a little, Simone decided to skip meals.
Simone stared at Louis.
Then Louis shrugged his shoulders.
“Then I’m fine with it. I was just wondering if you were hungry.”
"Hmm."
Originally, she had planned to search the mansion all day.
She plans to keep Louis by her side until the situation is resolved, just in case, so she'll have to at least make sure he eats, even if it's annoying.
Anyway, as of now, it seems like there won't be any more clues to come out of the mansion.
“Then shall we go out for a moment?”
“Yes? Outside? Outside the mansion?”
"Yes. Let’s go out and eat.”
Simone decided to take him out of the mansion to refresh her mind and to hear Louis' story.
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