Chapter 18

As soon as Catherine stepped out of Richelle’s room, pretending to be calm and composed, her legs gave out, and she collapsed on the spot. Her legs were still trembling. Worried that someone might see her, she forced herself to gather her emotions and stood up. With unsteady legs, she barely managed to climb the stairs to the upper floor. Once she reached her bedroom, she immediately locked the door behind her.

Her hands were shaking. She could still vividly feel the sensation of Marina’s cheek against her palm.

In hindsight, it wasn’t something that warranted a slap. Yet, Catherine had raised her hand because of the subtle differences in the servants’ behavior when Henry was present and when he wasn’t. When Henry was around, the maids treated Catherine with utmost respect, but when she wandered the castle alone, they wouldn’t even bother to greet her properly. For lowly servants to dare ignore the lady of the castle, it meant someone was influencing them from behind.

The only person who could command the servants not to greet her was Marina. Catherine had thought the previous warning would suffice, but with Richelle’s arrival, Marina had resumed her dismissive attitude toward her.

The fact that Marina had tattled to Richelle about their previous encounters showed just how little she regarded Catherine. That was why Catherine had slapped Marina’s cheek—to send a clear warning. She wanted to make it clear that the person Marina should serve was not Richelle but her. It was a message to not focus on the immediate present but to think about the distant future. While Richelle’s presence might be reassuring for now, Catherine hoped Marina would consider what would happen after Richelle eventually left the castle.

“Did it hurt…?”

Catherine murmured to herself as she stared down at her palm. She could still see the startled look in Marina’s eyes as she gazed back at her in shock.

If Richelle hadn’t orchestrated such an extreme situation, Catherine wouldn’t have struck Marina.

She thought of her grandfather, who used to slap her cheek whenever she upset him, even slightly. After enduring countless slaps, Catherine had vowed never to become someone who hit others like her grandfather. Yet, she had done the exact same thing.

Feeling as though she had become no different from her grandfather, Catherine felt deeply unsettled. She clenched and unclenched her fingers as she waited for the redness in her palm to fade.

“You’re… so beautiful.”

Suddenly, a strange voice spoke from behind her. Catherine froze in place. This bedroom was a space where no one but Henry and herself could enter without permission. Henry had left for the capital, and Marina was downstairs. That meant Catherine should have been alone in this room.

Slowly, Catherine turned her head toward the direction of the voice. Her gaze landed on the bed tucked in the farthest corner of the bedroom. White curtains were drawn around it.

Holding her breath, Catherine sharpened her senses.

“…Did I mishear?”

She stood still, listening carefully, but no other sound reached her ears. Letting out a sigh of relief, Catherine relaxed her tense body. The incident with Richelle earlier in the day had already left her half-exhausted. The earrings dangling near her neck suddenly felt bothersome. The corset tightly cinching her waist felt suffocating. All she wanted was to strip off everything burdensome and lie comfortably on the bed to rest.

Normally, she would call a maid to help her undress, but the thought of Marina possibly entering the room stopped her. Catherine stared at the handbell for a moment before shaking her head.

“I’ll do it myself.”

She had never taken off her dress on her own before, but she had no other choice. Catherine reached behind her back and tugged at the ribbon. As the strings loosened and the waist of her dress slackened, she could finally breathe. Closing her eyes, Catherine took a deep breath. There were still many strings to undo before she could completely remove her dress. She slipped her hand inside the dress to find the strings that secured her corset.

“You’re… beautiful. So beautiful. I like it.”

It was an unmistakably male voice.

This time, she hadn’t misheard. Catherine paused, her hand still gripping the corset strings, and lifted her head. The voice that had brushed past her ears earlier had returned.

“So… lovely. Beautiful.”

The voice seemed to be drawing closer, sending a chill down her spine from her head to her back.

When faced with extreme fear, the mind often goes blank. Catherine felt her thoughts scatter, unable to even think of running away. 

Who was it? And how had they gotten here?

Then came silence again. After leaving behind words of admiration, the man fell quiet once more.

Her body trembled uncontrollably. Catherine withdrew her hand from her dress and clutched the front of it tightly. At least she hadn’t fully undressed—she had almost exposed herself to a stranger while changing clothes.

If she left the bedroom, she could call for help from the guards stationed at the bottom of the stairs. But would she make it to the stairs safely if she opened the door and ran out? As she calculated her options, the unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke again, this time right behind her ear. She could feel the man’s rough breath brushing against her shoulder, indicating just how close he was.

“Who… beautiful… who.”

Judging by how close the voice had gotten, it seemed unlikely that she could escape the bedroom safely. In that case…

Catherine bit her lip anxiously. Standing still, she darted her eyes around the room, searching for something that could help her. The only object within reach was the handbell. If she grabbed it and shook it forcefully, someone outside might hear the sound and come into the bedroom. That was her best option for now. Catherine reached out her hand.

“Kyaaaa!”

As if sensing her intention to grab the handbell, the person behind her reached out and touched her body. Overwhelmed by terror, Catherine finally let out a scream. She tried to evade the hand groping at her, but in doing so, she stepped on her skirt and fell forward.

As she fell, she pulled the tablecloth from the bedside table, causing a vase and the handbell to crash to the floor. The handbell rolled across the floor with a loud clatter.

“Noisy… too noisy.”

The man’s voice, heavy with irritation, sank as if he disliked either her scream or the sound of the bell. Lying on the floor, Catherine trembled violently.

Finally, she turned her head to face the owner of the voice. The moment she saw him, she collapsed completely onto the floor.

The man grinning behind her was missing half his face. What remained of his face was so mangled that it was horrifying to look at. The stump of his arm, where a hand should have been, waved awkwardly in her direction. He was more of a monster than a man, and the sight of him made Catherine shut her eyes tightly.

Hearing Catherine’s scream, Alto rushed up the stairs. Before leaving for the capital with Greg, Henry had entrusted Alto with looking after Catherine. Assuming nothing serious would happen within the castle, Alto had been resting downstairs, but the sudden scream made his heart drop.

“Madame! What’s going on?!”

He burst into the room, nearly breaking the door with his large frame. The first thing he saw was Catherine lying motionless on the floor. Worried that she might have been attacked, Alto quickly scanned the bedroom. However, aside from Catherine, there was no one else in the room.

The guards, who had followed Alto into the bedroom, began searching the area. The overturned table, the shattered vase, and the trembling Catherine made it clear to Alto that something unusual had occurred.

Since Alto had entered the room immediately after hearing the scream, if someone else had been there, they wouldn’t have had time to escape.

“Search for anything suspicious.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The guards began inspecting every corner of the room.

Alto lifted Catherine off the floor. Her complexion was deathly pale.

“Are you all right, Madame?”

Catherine nodded weakly, trembling all over. Deciding that she needed to be taken out of the room first, Alto helped her to her feet.

“What happened?”

“A… a monster…”

Catherine was shaking so much that she could barely speak.

“A monster?”

“There was a monster… a monster.”

The grotesque creature she had seen earlier came to mind, and her knees buckled at the memory of its disfigured face and bulging eyes staring at her.

At that moment, one of the guards, who had been inspecting the bathroom, called out to Alto in a loud voice.

“There’s something in here!”

All the guards rushed into the bathroom. Catherine covered her face with her hands.

The guards dragged someone out of the bathroom. The person had their head lowered and their arms covering their face, making it impossible to identify them. Alto handed Catherine to another guard and approached the figure.

“No… no. Scary… no.”

The man’s speech was slurred, as if his tongue was damaged. Hearing the voice, Alto tilted his head in confusion.

“Wiggins?”

When Alto called his name, the man lifted his head.

“A-Alto… A-Alto…”

“Wiggins!”

The person who had hidden in the bedroom and frightened Catherine turned out to be none other than Henry’s half-brother. Burned as a child, he had lost one hand and half his face—Richelle’s son.

Wiggins Leonard.

Unable to leave her abnormal son alone, Richelle had brought Wiggins to the castle. Without informing Henry, she had only told Marina, which had led to this incident.

“Wiggins…?”

Catherine looked at Alto and the man’s grotesque face in confusion. The man, who had been trembling in fear and hiding his face just moments ago, was now smiling brightly like a child upon seeing Alto.

“Madame, this is Wiggins Leonard, the half-brother of the Lord.”