The Beast of the Albard Mansion - Chapter 15

“Desi, you can put me down now. Go play by yourself.”

I was ready to go back to my room, hoping Desi would run far away, no longer chained or living in the damp dungeon. But Desi didn’t let go. He held me close and walked around energetically, sniffing the air.

“I want some meat.”

Desi headed to the stable. He set me down there and went inside alone. I stood outside, anxious and unsure. Why did he go to the stable? What was he doing inside? I couldn’t contain my worry and curiosity. The horses’ cries grew louder. The night deepened, and the wind turned cold. The crescent moon hung in the sky, its light scattered above. The rustling leaves startled me, making me look back repeatedly. Pressing my pounding heart, I took a step into the stable.

And then, I saw it.

A horse lay on its side, its eyes empty and lifeless. Blood soaked the straw, and the horse’s legs twitched. Desi had his head buried in the horse’s bloody body.

I almost screamed but covered my mouth. I turned and ran. I don’t know how I made it back to my room. I shut the door and dashed to my bed, pulling the blanket over my head.

My room was silent. It felt like what I had just seen was a hallucination. Only the sound of my labored breathing filled the air.

But the image of the dead horse lingered in my mind. Desi killed the horse. And he was eating it. What had happened?

I passed out, as if fainting.

***

I had a nightmare. I dreamed of Desi with his gleaming yellow eyes, devouring everything. Freed, Desi took revenge on those who had oppressed him. Blood was everywhere, and lives were extinguished. Desi smiled, reveling in his victory over death.

“Ugh!”

I woke up from the nightmare to see a familiar face.

“My lady, you overslept. Didn’t you go to bed early last night? Did you stay up late reading again?”

Ellie woke me up. Seeing Ellie’s usual smiling face brought a sigh of relief. I clung to her waist, sniffling.

“W-What’s wrong, my lady?”

“Huuuhp— I, I had a scary dream.”

“Oh dear, you’re still so young.”

Ellie patted my back rhythmically, her embrace filled with the comforting scent of sunlight.

Once I calmed down, I realized the situation. I had given Desi the key, he had escaped, and he had killed a horse. I rubbed my goosebump-covered arms.

“Ellie, nothing happened today, right?”

Had Desi run far away? Would I never see him again?

I had wished for Desi to escape this dreadful place when I gave him the key. At the same time, I worried I would miss him.

But it was strange. Even after witnessing Desi’s brutal act, I wasn’t angry at him. I didn’t feel sorry for the dead horse. Instead, I was worried about Desi’s escape. I was shocked by my own feelings.

“Don’t even mention it. A horse in the stable died.”

“A horse?”

I gulped. The fact that last night wasn’t a dream dawned on me.

“It was horribly killed by some kind of wild beast. Oh, my lady, I shouldn’t be telling you this. It’s not something you need to know.”

“I’m curious. Tell me. So, what happened?”

“What do you think? That lazy bum Hawk is now locked in the dungeon. He couldn’t protect the horse. Probably out gambling again at night. Tsk, tsk.”

“……”

I wanted to ask, “What about Desi?” I hesitated for a while before speaking.

“But… there’s someone else in the dungeon.”

“Oh, that beast?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“That beast is chained up. No need to worry about it. And Hawk is probably in another cell.”

“Chained up?”

“Yes. It’s dangerous, so it’s always chained up when there’s no one to watch it.”

“Wait, so it’s still chained up? Even today?”

“Yes, yes. Of course. Oh, don’t worry about such things and just eat your breakfast. Whether that beast is chained or not is none of your concern. I can’t believe you’re still thinking about it.”

In a daze, I ate the soup Ellie gave me.

Had Desi not escaped? Why? No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find an answer. By noon, Father and Mother had returned, and when they heard about the expensive horse’s death, they were furious.

Hawk was expelled from the mansion that very day. It was fortunate he wasn’t beaten. But it wasn’t just Hawk who got into trouble. The servants and guards who neglected their duties also faced consequences.

With the news of an unknown beast in the area, security at the mansion tightened. But no matter how tight the security, the deaths of horses didn’t stop.

And it wasn’t just the mansion’s horses. In a month, more than ten livestock belonging to the villagers were killed, and one drunkard also died. When a person was killed in the village, the mansion was in an uproar. The manner in which the animals and the person were killed was identical.

Deep, claw-like marks covered the bodies, as if slashed by sharp blades. However, it seemed the person wasn’t eaten, as the body was intact, just torn apart like hunted livestock.

A resident living near the murder scene claimed to have heard someone scream “Mother!!” that night.

Desi has his key now. He can unchain himself and leave whenever he wants. He’s stronger and fully healed.

Yet, Desi still remained in the mansion’s dungeon, breathing soundly as if nothing had happened. Quietly.