TTRIA 58

Once a month, on the day of the full moon, an event is held at Gray’s mansion. It was usually a charity event for the vagrants of Collie, but this time was different. The grandly opened garden was to be filled not with vagrants, but with well-dressed guests. They were all invited to introduce <Vybrook>’s new perfume, and they were the kind of people one would rarely have the chance to meet.

The mansion had been bustling for a week before the full moon. Amidst the people moving back and forth, Jeff stood still, alone. On the surface, he was a ‘servant’ of the Gray family, but he was not among the personnel helping with the event preparations. Rather, he was closer to a ‘guest.’ The dear friend of the young master’s cherished younger brother, and a victim of an unfortunate incident.

Therefore, Jeff was confined in the mansion like a well-preserved ornament, merely watching the diligently moving toy soldiers.

Jeff stared blankly at the servants moving in an orderly fashion even without a supervisor. They hadn’t hired a new butler, yet they acted like machines moving according to some unseen command. No one spoke the butler’s name. Nevertheless, the mansion operated without a single hitch. They were preparing for the mansion’s event without any change, just like in the past when the butler had existed.

“Sir.”

Jeff, who had been staring into the void, turned his head at the gentle pull on his sleeve. Mila held his sleeve and led him away. Following the faint pull, they arrived at the prodigies’ classroom. After confirming Jeff was inside, Mila immediately locked the door. Click. With the sound of the lock turning, Mila looked up at Jeff. Jeff bent down to meet the child’s eyes.

“Why?”

“…Will you be at the mansion tomorrow?”

Jeff blinked for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes. It’s the day of the full moon.”

“You are not needed as a teacher tomorrow.”

Mila’s voice was low and cautious. Jeff raised one corner of his lips slightly.

“I still have to be here.”

Because I am trapped.

Only a smile remained in place of the words he swallowed. Mila stared at Jeff’s face for a long time, then lowered his head.

“Then I hope you will stay in your room.”

“Why?”

“Because that is the only way I can protect you, sir.”

Mila’s face was calm. But Jeff did not miss the vibration beneath that thin exterior. The small fingertips were trembling faintly. Jeff, who had been quietly mulling over Mila’s words, opened his mouth.

“Is something dangerous going to happen tomorrow?”

“……”

Mila raised his head and looked at Jeff. Getting his answer from that expression, Jeff nodded lightly.

“I don’t know what, but it seems something is going to happen.”

“You should run away now, sir.”

A ripple crossed Mila’s face. The desperation in his voice was conveyed clearly.

“I am not interested in you anymore, sir. I just want you to live on as yourself.”

Jeff looked at Mila for a while without a word. Silently meeting the wavering gaze, he carefully opened his mouth.

“That’s the best way you can express it, isn’t it?”

Mila, who had been staring blankly at the smile that tinged his words, pressed his lips together firmly.

“Thank you, Mila.”

Jeff smiled briefly and patted the boy’s head. Mila, who had been leaning quietly into the touch, suddenly grabbed Jeff’s hand. Biting his lip, Mila looked up.

“Sir.”

In a very small and faint voice.

“Daniel is alive.”

The boy said.

The sound of the door closing echoed through the room, and silence fell. Jeff locked the door and slumped down right where he stood.

“…Daniel is alive?”

The words he mumbled to himself scattered into the air. It was a ridiculous story. He had confirmed the body buried in the grave, and had even felt the cold, embalmed skin. So how could he be alive? He asked himself again and again, finding the words impossible to accept, but Mila’s lips did not open again.

Mila was not a child who spoke meaningless words. He definitely knew something. That must be why he had warned him.

“…The scenting event.”

To be careful of the scenting event that would be held tomorrow. To stay in his room, just like this. That was a clear warning. A warning that something dangerous would happen outside the room. A question lingered in his mind. Something dangerous at a scenting event to showcase a perfume. No matter how he racked his brain, he could not conjure an associated image.

But one thing was certain: this full moon was clearly different from the previous charity events. This was not an event for vagrants, but for <Vybrook>. A time led by Wayne Gray himself, where the fragrance he created would be the main feature. The fact that it was related to none other than ‘perfume’ made Jeff uneasy.

Fragrance. Because I know how it works here.

Wayne Gray, the perfumer who leads <Vybrook> as the young master, creates only one kind of perfume. The form of a beautifully crafted glass bottle. The fragrance filled the bottle that was meant to hold only a single being.

Cecil.

At the scenting event, ‘Cecil’ would surely be revealed. Then what about the real ‘Cecil’? Under the influence of the full moon, his essence would be revealed and his scent would deepen, making him no different from the star of the scenting event. What would happen to him tomorrow? Anxiety washed over him as he thought about how Cecil would be used at the end of all these events proceeding under Wayne’s hand.

Damn it. Jeff, who had roughly wiped his face, got to his feet. His urgent steps took him out of the mansion and straight into the forest. A sense so ingrained in his body that he could find his way even with his eyes closed. The place he reached without a single moment of hesitation was exactly as it was in his memory.

Breathing harshly, Jeff opened the door to the annex and climbed the stairs. And then.

“……”

Today, as always, an unchanging scene unfolded before his eyes. The empty space of the second floor. He stood there alone, his gaze turning to search for an unseen figure. But the only one present there was Jeff.

After he had returned to the mansion, all traces of Cecil had disappeared from the annex he revisited. The books on the packed shelves. The scattered sheet music and the violin. Nothing was left. Only a desolate space and a cool silence existed.

It was once no different from a refuge, but the space whose guardian had disappeared was now nothing but ruins.

Leaving the annex, Jeff crossed the forest with slow steps. Unlike when he came, the way back felt long. By the time he barely reached his room, his whole body felt heavy.

The moment he leaned against the doorway to catch his breath, feeling exhausted. Jeff realized that the air in the room had subtly changed. His gaze naturally sought out the thing that was out of place. Soon, something on the desk caught his eye. It was a box.

A box wrapped in smooth, black satin. A blue ribbon crossing it immediately captured his attention. The blue light, whose hue changed subtly every time it caught the light, seemed to contain the wings of a butterfly. And the faint fragrance wafting from it.

Jeff approached slowly, his eyes fixed on the box. As he got closer, the fragrance spreading in the air grew stronger, and his heart pounded wildly. Stopping in front of the desk, Jeff reached out his hand. When he pulled the smooth-textured ribbon, it came undone with a single motion and scattered softly onto the table.

Inside the box lay a meticulously folded formal suit. The smooth and delicate fabric of the clothes shone faintly, and on top of it was a black mask. The simple half-mask was similar to the one he had seen in the underground theater. Realizing what it meant, Jeff felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

With a terribly trembling hand, Jeff lifted the card placed in the box. A deep blue surface, the same color as the ribbon. In the center, letters imbued with fragrance were engraved.

<Vybrook>

No. 9 Cecil

“……”

It was the moment he faced his anxiety made real.

Jeff rushed out of the mansion. His heart was pounding as if it would burst, and he couldn’t stop despite the suffocating pain in his lungs. He reached the entrance of the labyrinth, breathing heavily. He placed his sweat-soaked hands on his knees and caught his breath for a moment. Even then, his senses were focused solely on the ground beneath his feet.

He immediately knelt and placed his hands on the ground. The cold, rough texture of the stone floor brushed against his fingertips. But it didn’t matter. He didn’t care at all that his palms were being scraped by the dirt or that his knees were getting stained with muddy water. For a long time, Jeff just crawled on the ground, repeating the motion of sweeping away the dirt.

“It was definitely around here. I definitely came out from here, so why…”

His memory was distorted and his mind was hazy like fog. A sense of urgency washed over him. Biting his lip, Jeff shot up from his spot. He couldn’t find it like this. Jeff began to stomp on the ground hard with the sole of his shoe. A series of dull thuds rang out. Then, for a moment, the sound changed.

It was the sound of something echoing in an empty space.

“…Here it is.”

His heart pounded. Jeff knelt again and fumbled for a crack in the floor with his fingertips. The place from his memory seemed to unfold faintly before his eyes. But at that moment, he felt a breeze brush past him from behind. And a subtle fragrance tickled his nose.

Jeff instinctively tried to turn, but a strong pressure on his neck was a step ahead.

“Ghk…!”

He couldn’t breathe from the sudden pressure. He struggled to breathe, but the scent seeping from the cloth covering his nose and mouth penetrated his lungs. The moment he recognized the cold, unpleasant smell, all the strength drained from his body. His vision blurred. As soon as the hand pressing on his neck was gone, his knees buckled helplessly. His body collapsed.

Damn it, even in his hazy state of mind, Jeff grit his teeth and lifted his head. Beyond his blurry vision, the darkness slowly parted to reveal a face. In that instant, his heart skipped a beat.

“You… how…?”

It was the butler. The old man, who had certainly stopped breathing, was there. The faint smile on the old man’s face was strangely chilling. Jeff’s eyes shook violently. His mind went blank at the unbelievable reality. But there was no time to be surprised. All strength left his body. The sensation of sinking like a heavy iron lump pressed down on Jeff.

Damn it. His eyelids fell with the curse he muttered inwardly.

And finally, darkness swallowed him whole.

What in the world happened?

Jeff opened his eyes and clutched his dizzy head. A terrible headache pierced his mind, pressing down on his forehead without mercy. His mind was foggy as if filled with mist, and his heart was beating irregularly.

“Damn it, my head….”

He frowned, suppressing the churning in his stomach. It was a different sensation than usual. His whole body felt heavy. It was as if a part of his senses was blocked. Jeff, trying to ignore the strangely pervasive sense of unease, looked around. It was the teacher’s room, and outside, heavy rain was relentlessly lashing against the glass of the terrace.

Jeff immediately checked the clock. The time was 6:45 in the evening. Not only had a day passed, but the entire daytime had vanished.

Jeff recalled the events of last night. The face that emerged from his blurry vision was undoubtedly the mansion’s butler. The being he had killed with his own hands had reappeared. Alive.

“How in the world…. Was he not dead?”

Jeff shook his head and clutched his confused mind. Mila’s words echoed in his ears again.

“Daniel is alive.”

Then is Daniel really alive too? That body, buried in the ground? It was completely incomprehensible. But he could no longer dismiss it as ‘impossible’.

“Damn it.”

Jeff, who let out a rough breath, walked over to the side table and poured some water. He took a sip, but his stomach still wouldn’t settle. Just as he was about to pour water into the empty glass again. He suddenly noticed something strange. An unpleasant residual feeling crept up his entire body. Jeff slowly lowered his head.

“……”

Formal wear.

He was wearing a formal suit. It was the one he had seen in the black box. The exquisite and luxurious fabric was wrapped around his skin. And then Jeff felt another sense of incongruity.

“I can’t… smell anything.”

Whether from his clothes or the room, he couldn’t sense even the familiar scents that should have been there. The dullness of his senses that he had felt upon waking was exactly this. Jeff, unable to suppress his confusion, took a breath. His sense of smell was still numb. As if it were paralyzed.

“What in the world is this….”

Jeff immediately left the room. The hallway was crowded with busy servants. The final preparations for the scenting event were in full swing. The clock in the hallway pointed to 7:00 in the evening. There were just under two hours left until the <Vybrook> scenting event. Just then, a servant approached Jeff.

“Sir, entry to the banquet hall will be possible from 8 o’clock.”

“…I don’t think I am a guest.”

When he answered through gritted teeth, the servant gave him a puzzled look and said.

“Mr. Lowell, you are indeed a guest invited to the scenting event. The master himself delivered the card and the formal wear. The formal wear you are currently wearing, that is.”

That damn Wayne Gray. Jeff, who had swallowed a curse, roughly ran his fingers through his hair. He then turned to the servant and asked.

“Where is the butler?”

The servant answered nonchalantly.

“He is preparing for the banquet.”

“…He is preparing for the banquet, you say?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

For a moment, a hollow laugh escaped him.

“So, you’re telling me he is inside this mansion?”

“Yes, he is. Is there a problem?”

The servant’s brow furrowed slightly. He looked as if he could not understand Jeff’s attitude at all. That reaction was a sufficient answer. Jeff could be sure. The old man he had seen last night, the butler he thought was dead, was really alive. That he was still moving within this mansion, under Wayne’s command.

A heavy pressure welled up from deep within his chest. Jeff swallowed and asked the servant.

“…Where are Mila and Benjamin?”

“The prodigies are being looked after by the master.”

“I need to see the master.”

The servant shook his head firmly.

“No one may see the master until the scenting event begins. These are the master’s instructions, so I ask for your understanding, Mr. Lowell.”

Jeff returned to his room and slammed the door shut. Leaning back against it as if he were falling, he let out a ragged breath. Staring at his terribly trembling hands, Jeff roughly wiped his face. His body, having lost its will, sank to the floor as if collapsing. The pounding of his heart thundered, blocking his ears.

“He was alive….”

He wasn’t dead. He was alive. The complex emotions brought on by that unbelievable fact consumed Jeff. Despair and confusion, and a faint sense of relief. All of these tangled together, making a mess of his mind. Jeff took a rough breath and clenched his fists. Then, he slowly turned his head and stared at the box on the desk. The smooth black box. And the end of the scattered ribbon was trembling lightly.

“……”

Staggering to his feet, Jeff approached the box. Jeff, who had been staring at the black mask and card inside, reached out his hand.

The time was now 8 o’clock. The path leading to the stairs was filled with people, all wearing black masks. Their splendid attire and concealed faces formed a bizarre contrast. Despite being dressed similarly to them, Jeff, feeling a sense of alienation, walked quietly.

When he climbed the stairs and reached the third-floor banquet hall, the scene that entered Jeff’s view was unexpected.

The banquet hall, which he thought would boast extreme splendor, was filled with soft lighting and understated decorations. Bright light was suppressed, and shadows secretly enveloped the space. Everything seemed to be intentionally placed, achieving a perfect balance. The designed simplicity created an eerie silence, instilling a chilling tension.

The light flowing down from the chandelier was faint, as if it would disappear at any moment even in the darkness, and the thick carpet swallowed all sound. Jeff felt as if his own existence was fading with every step he took.

The lights hanging from the ceiling also emitted a light that was not excessive, gently enveloping the entire space. The light created subtle shadows, seeping into the flowers that decorated the walls. They were all of a gloomy blue color.

“……”

Could such a color be produced naturally? As if possessed, Jeff approached and touched a petal. It was an extremely delicately made artificial flower. An artificial flower so exquisitely crafted that it looked like a real one.

Why use artificial flowers instead of real ones? The Gray mansion could surely procure beautiful fresh flowers. As he thought this, Jeff suddenly realized.

Scent.

It was to prevent the natural fragrance emitted by fresh flowers from interfering with the scent of the perfume. Only then did Jeff notice other distinct features. The refreshments prepared in the banquet hall boasted very beautiful forms, but they were of a type with limited smell.

This space, thoroughly devoid of vitality, was a stage for only one fragrance.

“……”

For some reason, he got goosebumps.

He felt as if he were standing in the middle of an elaborately manipulated set. A fake space, devoid of the warmth of life. This place was less like reality and more like a doll’s house assembled according to someone’s intention. And Jeff, situated within it, felt like a toy being manipulated by the owner’s hand.

The masked people were naturally blending into the flow of the banquet. Some were dancing with elegant steps, others were whispering while tilting glasses of transparent champagne. The expressions hidden behind the masks and their overly smooth movements. And the sound of laughter. To Jeff, everything that made up the banquet hall felt like a scene from a well-scripted play.

But what bothered him more was the constant gaze he felt. It was a strange sensation that he couldn’t explain. It felt as if someone was blatantly staring at him, but when he turned his head, they would blend into the masked crowd, leaving no trace. An unpleasant chill ran down his spine.

Jeff held his breath and moved to a corner of the banquet hall. The gaze continued to follow him, and the sensation, unseen yet distinctly felt, tightened around his heart.

Just then, Jeff, who was passing by a mirror in the banquet hall, stopped. In the mirror caught at the edge of his vision, the gazes of the black-masked crowd were all directed at him. His heart sank. Jeff hastily turned his head to check the banquet hall. However, as if to say the image in the mirror was a delusion, people were each enjoying their own situations.

“Damn it…!”

His nerves were stretched too thin. Jeff quickly hid behind a pillar in the banquet hall. The cool surface of the marble was felt behind his back. He tried to force himself to calm his ragged breath as he slid down, but his wildly beating heart showed no signs of calming down. It felt as if something was getting closer and closer.

Jeff checked the knife hidden in his clothes. As the cold touch of the metal reached his palm, his mind began to calm down little by little.

How much time had passed like that? At some point, the banquet hall was consumed by a subtle and strange silence. Like a candle flame flickering in the wind, the atmosphere became even more chilling and bizarre. Just then, a low voice spread out gently.

“To all of you who have come a long way for this night, thank you once again.”

Jeff slowly rose to his feet. Stepping out of the darkness behind the pillar, he stared at the center of the banquet hall. What caught his eye was a man who, amidst everyone else whose faces were covered by masks, was the only one with his face revealed.

Black hair, cold, shining blue eyes. It was the beautiful master praised by all as an angel, Wayne Gray. He stood there, bathed in all the spotlights as if he were the lead actor in a play.

“Tonight is a very special night. Because a newly unveiled perfume is waiting for you.”

As a faint smile brushed Wayne’s lips, the banquet hall sank into a silence where one couldn’t even swallow a breath. An aide who was beside him took a step forward, holding a silver tray. Wayne, picking up the glass bottle placed on it, smiled smoothly. A beautiful glass bottle in the shape of a butterfly that had landed. The liquid inside it swirled gently, emitting an enchanting golden light.

“Cecil. The sense of the soul, and the key that awakens desire.”

Wayne whispered, carefully stroking the glass bottle. His voice sounded not merely like words, but like music brushing past the ears.

“This fragrance is not a simple chemical compound. It is art, and it is a soul. Tonight, through this fragrance, you will come face to face with your most intimate essence.”

His blue gaze slowly swept across the banquet hall. The people hidden behind the masks nodded their heads as if mesmerized by Wayne’s every word.

“Now then, please experience it for yourselves. What story Cecil will tell you.”

As Wayne gestured, masked servants appeared holding silver trays. On the trays, small glass bottles were neatly arranged. The servants moved around the banquet hall, handing out the bottles one by one. It was a scent for sampling. A small perfume bottle, allowing everyone to fully experience the scent of Cecil, was being distributed to all.

Jeff was no exception. A servant handed him a small bottle from the silver tray. Jeff unconsciously swallowed his breath and looked down at the liquid swirling inside the bottle.

And at that moment, low and strange moans erupted from all corners of the banquet hall.