My Ruin to You - Chapter 45

Just like Roseline, the council member who squanders their salary had left their seat. No, perhaps the council member had been assigned a different role. Whenever Roseline so much as lifted her hips from the chair, they would crane their neck and ask, “Your Eminence, where are you going?”—it felt less like a council member and more like a watchdog. That very council member leaving their seat, even mentioning it would take a while, was highly suspicious. But whether it was the council member’s test or the Marquis’s, I was prepared to face it. Just not in the way they hoped.

Professor, I’m sorry. I think I’ll end up being a disgraceful student.

Suddenly, the face of the professor who had recommended me for this position came to mind, and I felt a pang of guilt. But there seemed to be some connection between the empty clinic, the unknown underground, and the Marquis.

Screeeech.

As I opened the warehouse door, the rusty hinges creaked and let out a scream, as if warning me not to enter. Roseline cautiously stepped inside, scanning the darkness. Just as she moved her foot toward the narrow staircase leading underground—

“Were you that curious about the basement?”

The Marquis, who had appeared without a sound, approached with a benevolent smile. She whipped around, calming her startled heart, but the realization that the hinges hadn’t made a noise sent a chill down her spine. In other words, the Marquis hadn’t entered through the door—he had been hidden in the warehouse’s darkness all along.

“You were here the whole time?”

“Precisely, I was in the basement. I came up briefly to retrieve something, and just then, I heard your footsteps. I thought I’d give you a little surprise.”

How good must his eyesight be to find something without even a light?

The thought crossed her mind, but an apology took priority.

“I’m sorry. You told me not to pay attention to the basement, and I was rude.”

“I’ve heard about your inquisitiveness, so I knew a day like this would come. But it’s just as well. Had I not been here, you would’ve only seen the locked door and turned back. Come along.”

Only then did the Marquis light a lantern. The flickering light cast his benevolent face, just like the day they first met. Roseline followed as he led the way. Descending the creaky stairs, a rusted iron door came into view.

The Marquis pulled it open with practiced ease, and through the gap, the pungent, metallic scent of animals rushed out.

“……Huh?”

The sight that unfolded was different from what she had vaguely imagined. The suspicions of a mad Marquis conducting human experiments or imprisoning patients seemed laughable now—the basement was peaceful. A single bird and a few small animals, each in their own cages, were clearly well cared for. Almost eerily so.

“I heard you also have a fondness for beasts. As do I. It’s not easy to turn away from sick and suffering creatures.”

“Ah, yes.”

Roseline responded with a bitter smile as she glanced around the basement. She had no idea what kind of baseless rumors were circulating about her. Is locking sick and suffering animals in basement cages really the right thing to do? The doubt lingered, but the animals in the cages didn’t appear particularly ill, only deepening her confusion. Just then, a low, guttural growl echoed through the space. It came from a cage draped in black cloth.

“A vampire bat. Since it’s nocturnal, I covered it with cloth.”

The Marquis calmly explained, stepping in front of Roseline as she moved closer. Even if she dismissed the suspicion that the basement would be darker than night without the lantern, the unnatural magical energy radiating from the bat unsettled her. Vampire bats weren’t magical creatures. So why—?

“Is there more you’d like to see?”

It was a polite but clear dismissal. Roseline stole one last glance at the black cloth before slowly shaking her head.

“No.”

“Let’s head back up, then.”

The Marquis, his sharp eyes half-lidded, gestured toward the door, and Roseline left the basement, an inexplicable sense of foreboding trailing behind her. As the heavy iron door closed, she mechanically thanked him for the tour and apologized for her rudeness.

“Do be wary of suspicion.”

“…Pardon?”

“Suspicion comes with its own responsibilities, but you are not powerless. So if you find yourself doubting, it may be wise to flee—as far as possible.”

The lantern’s flickering light danced in the Marquis’s eyes as he offered this cryptic advice.