TTRIA 7

“……”

Jeff himself could not understand why he acted that way at that moment. He had certainly felt a fear as if he would die at any moment, and he had not even had the strength to move, yet before he knew it, he was running after the retreating dog. He had a strong premonition that he must not lose it.

Because once again, he had smelled ‘that scent’.

It felt as if the answer would be at the end of where that thing reached. Whether it was about the ‘scent’, or about the family head or the child. Yes, whatever it was.

But no matter how hard he tried, he could not catch up to the beast’s speed. Jeff, who had fallen down wretchedly, gasped for breath. A terrible pain was felt in the soles of his feet. His slippers had come off at some point, and he was barefoot. The skin, scraped on a stone while he was running frantically, was torn and bleeding.

“Hah, heok….”

His whole body felt heavy, as if it were being crushed. It felt as if he would faint right away if he closed his eyes. The desire to just let go of all the strength in his body surged, but Jeff ultimately forced himself up. He walked after the disappeared dog, but he could not tell if he was going the right way. His exhausted body could not trace the scent as it usually did. He just walked looking straight ahead, and at some point, even the pain became numb.

When he suddenly raised his head, he saw the main building of the mansion. He did not even know how he had returned. All he could think of right now was the desire to lay his body down on the bed.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was a pain that throbbed throughout his body.

Waking up, he found the bedsheets were a mess with dirt and plant juice. The state of the clothes he was wearing was even worse. Through the tears here and there, the blood from the wounds scratched by the dog’s claws had hardened, and the soles of his feet were completely mangled. His muscles cried out in pain as if he had been collectively lynched.

It was a relief that the bathroom was close. After washing off the dirt and hardened scabs that clung to his entire body, he felt much more comfortable. However, he was contemplating what to do as he could not just leave the wounds as they were, when a servant visited.

“Good morning, Mr. Lowell. Did you have a peaceful night?”

The young man, who had entered the room with a somewhat flushed expression, seemed quite flustered after checking the state of the bedding, but he skillfully composed his expression. As it was a situation difficult to explain away, Jeff chose to confess honestly.

“I have soiled the bedding unintentionally. I am sorry. And if possible, could you bring me some dressing supplies?”

“Ah, no, not at all. The bedding can just be washed, but… are you hurt somewhere?”

“Yes, well. A little.”

The servant’s gaze went to his messed-up bare feet. He asked in a cautious tone.

“Did something happen last night?”

“Ah….”

Jeff, scratching the tip of his chin, opened his mouth with a sigh.

“I was wandering around the forest at night.”

“The forest?”

“Yes. Actually, lately… I’ve developed symptoms of sleepwalking. I was on the fence about it, but it became certain today. I woke up in the middle of the forest at dawn. The wounds on the soles of my feet are also from wandering the forest barefoot.”

“No, how did you get sleepwalking….”

The servant seemed utterly flustered. He would never even imagine that the cause of the sleepwalking was the scent in the box. The reason I deliberately did not mention that fact was because I needed to leave it as an excuse for later. Jeff, who put on a bitter smile as if he were in a difficult situation, cautiously added.

“I plan to speak about the details to the agent. I will tell him directly, so could you please keep it a secret for a moment? I ask this of you.”

“The agent… ah! Come to think of it, there is something I must deliver, Mr. Lowell. The family head will be arriving at the mansion soon.”

At those words, Jeff’s eyes wavered.

“The family head?”

“Yes. The mansion is in a bit of a commotion because he is returning so suddenly. The children also need to prepare to meet the family head, so I was here to inform you that today’s class has been canceled. Please understand that I am only delivering this now due to the chaotic situation.”

“Not at all. It’s because of me. More importantly, you said the family head is coming soon….”

“Yes. A formal occasion to greet him will be arranged. It would probably be good to speak directly to the family head about the sleepwalking, rather than the agent. As you will also need to report on the educational progress so far, I think it would be good to start preparing. As for the wounds…. I will send up the resident doctor in the mansion right away.”

“Ah, yes. I will do that. Thank you.”

After the servant left, the doctor came to visit not long after. Whether he had been given a heads-up beforehand, he did not ask about the wounds. However, he had a peculiar look in his eyes as he examined the scratches on the upper body, which was because of the burn scar hidden under the fabric. The doctor, despite looking like he was dying of curiosity, finished the treatment without saying a word in the end.

Afterward, he had a simple meal in his room and wrote up the education report. Thanks to having organized it from time to time, he was able to finish it with relative ease.

The news of the master’s sudden return made the once quiet mansion bustling. Beyond the wide-open balcony, the sounds of gardeners moving busily could be heard. The situation right outside the door was no different.

On the other hand, Jeff sat with his chin propped on his hand at the desk, retracing the past few days. They had been sensitive days, with a sense of incongruity hidden within the luxurious life. With each passing day, the questions grew.

It started with the scent in the box sent by the mansion. Its identity and intention.

The second was the body odor from the talented children. Why did they smell of ‘his’ and Hugo’s scent?

The third was the presence of the family head, who was thought to be away from the mansion, and the missing vagrant child. Why was Wayne Gray hiding in the mansion’s annex with the missing child? Why was the mansion keeping silent about it? And….

“…Why does the dog also have that scent?”

If all the servants of the mansion had that scent, he would not have been so suspicious. He would have thought it was recommended for use as a scent representing <Vebreuk>, no, Gray.

But even in that case, a question arises. Because that scent was one created by the previous generation, and the current family head had said he does not produce it. If it is Wayne Gray who leads <Vebreuk>, isn’t it obvious that he would color the mansion with a scent he created, not the scent of his predecessor?

If so, why does that scent come from an unspecified number of people? What is the reason it also comes from children who do not wear perfume and a dog?

Suddenly, Jeff looked at the paperweight that occupied one side of the desk. A small form trapped within transparent crystal. The delicately preserved wings of a butterfly glittered faintly as they caught the light. Come to think of it, the young man also had that scent, albeit faintly. How was he able to have the scent of the previous generation?

“……”

His gaze, which had been fixed on the paperweight, slowly moved. Jeff, looking at the desk drawer, bent his upper body and stretched out his arm. He took out and opened a small notebook that was in the bottommost compartment. A small piece of paper tucked inside made a rustling sound as it revealed itself. Following the sentence that had now become familiar to his eyes, Jeff murmured in a low voice.

“On the night the full moon rises, the shadow will be revealed….”

「On the night the full moon rises, the shadow will be revealed. Let the one with questions chase the shadow. The truth will be revealed.」

“Mr. Lowell?”

“Ah….”

Jeff, who had been looking at the family head’s portrait, slowly turned his head. The servant who had been guiding him was giving a troubled smile.

“The family head is waiting.”

“Yes. I’m going now.”

Knock, knock. When the servant standing in front of the drawing-room door knocked, a voice of permission was heard from inside. It was a low tone, heavy yet soft, like refined velvet.

So this was his voice, the master of the portrait. A strange impression arose, as if it suited him and yet did not. Soon, the well-oiled door opened smoothly. The brilliant sunlight of Coley poured down towards Jeff.

“Ah, we finally meet.”

The man sitting in the Chesterfield chair was smiling elegantly.

“I am Wayne Gray. I have been looking forward to meeting you.”

The man who had gracefully risen, Wayne Gray, extended his hand. As Mila had said, his hand was very white and smooth. It was a beautiful hand.

“The same goes for me, family head. My name is Jeff Lowell.”

However, contrary to his appearance, the hand he clasped was large and firm. Wayne Gray, giving a light squeeze and shaking his hand, offered a chair and said.

“If possible, I would like you to just call me Wayne, rather than the stiff title of family head. A friend of Hugo’s is no different from a friend of mine.”

The sight of Wayne Gray with his hands clasped over his elegantly crossed knees was like a masterpiece painting. Jet-black hair softly framed his white forehead, and his blue eyes, through which light passed, were brilliant. Jeff understood the butler’s words as he had looked at the portrait, yet for some reason, the intense beauty he had felt from the portrait was not conveyed.

“How could I possibly do that?”

Jeff replied with a faint smile.

“Of course, I have no intention of forcing you if you do not wish it. But I would like to call you Jeff, not Mr. Lowell. In fact, perhaps because Hugo always called you that, it feels so familiar that I cannot believe this is our first meeting.”

“If the family head wishes, you may call me comfortably.”

“Then will you also call me Wayne?”

“If the day comes when calling the family head’s name is not seen as disrespectful.”

A poor orphan university student could not just casually call the name of the family head who had hired him. Unless Jeff attained a position equal to Gray’s, he would probably never call Wayne’s name in his lifetime. This was more of an attitude to avoid unnecessary friction than a gesture of politeness. However, Wayne Gray smiled affably and said gently.

“When I am the one giving permission, who would call you disrespectful? At least within this mansion, such a thing will not happen, so please don’t feel burdened and accept it.”

“Ah….”

He spoke as if he were pleading. His expression was so pathetic that refusing felt sinful. In the end, Jeff reluctantly nodded his head.

“I understand, Mr. Wayne.”

“Yes, Jeff. I’m glad my courtship was successful.”

Courtship, he says. Even if they are not related by blood, are brothers still brothers? Hugo’s image faintly brushed past him from Wayne Gray. Jeff clicked his tongue inwardly. The Wayne he actually met was a different man than he had expected. When he saw him at dawn, he had thought he had a cold and intimidating impression, but the person in front of him was as gentle as the sunlight.

“By the way, Jeff, how did you get hurt?”

Jeff, who had been taking a sip of the tea the servant had brought, stopped his movement. He had covered his wounds with his shoes and clothes, and had not even shown any sign of pain, walking as usual. And yet, the fact that he knew about the existence of the wounds, could it be that the voice at dawn was indeed Wayne Gray’s? Or did the servant give him a heads-up beforehand?

Click. Jeff, carefully placing the teacup down, looked at Wayne.

“How did you know? As you can see, I’ve hidden them away completely.”

“Jeff, I cannot not know.”

Wayne, who had narrowed his eyes, tapped the tip of his own nose.

“Because I smelled it.”

“…Smelled it.”

It was not that he did not understand Wayne’s words. Rather, he thinks it is a very natural thing. Since he is a perfumer with an excellent sense of smell, he would have been able to easily detect things like the smell of wounds and medicine. But is that all?

Isn’t he just using the smell as a pretext to pretend he doesn’t know about what happened last night? Since he was hiding the fact that he was at the mansion, isn’t it his intention to pretend not to know, even though he knows I trespassed into the annex?

But for that to be the case, he had not directly confronted Wayne Gray last night. He had only heard a voice, and he could not be certain that it was Wayne’s. The sound carried on the wind was very faint, so it was difficult to compare it with his current voice.

…Was the voice last night really not Wayne Gray’s? Is that why he is so confidently asking about the wounds like this?

Jeff fixed his gaze, which had been lowered towards his neatly groomed fingernails. Amidst the complex tangle of thoughts, awareness suddenly came. The fact that this hand is the hand that makes <Vebreuk>. Then, yet another new question raised its head. About why he had no scent on him at all right now.

“Jeff? What’s wrong? Are your wounds perhaps hurting?”

At the voice tinged with concern, Jeff slowly raised his gaze.

“They do sting a little. They are wounds from this morning, so they haven’t healed yet.”

“What on earth happened at dawn?”

Wayne had a face that knew nothing. Jeff, hesitantly moving his lips as if he were in a difficult situation, slowly began to speak.

“Well… when I opened my eyes, I was standing in the middle of the forest.”

“You woke up in the middle of the forest?”

Wayne, leaning his upper body forward, shined his eyes with an interested look.

“Yes. I have no memory of leaving my room, but when I opened my eyes, it was the forest. I was confused, but I thought I had to get out of the forest first. So I just walked aimlessly. Then I encountered a dog… it was a very large black dog.”

Upon mentioning the ‘dog’, a strange light flickered in Wayne’s eyes. He stroked the tip of his chin and let out a silent breath.

“So you met Ego.”

“Ego?”

Jeff asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“Is that the dog’s name?”

“That’s right, Jeff. Ego, that’s its name. It listens well to its master’s words, but it is merciless towards strangers. Because it’s a hunting dog. But….”

Wayne, lowering his lush eyelashes, seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. Soon, he opened his mouth in a rather low tone.

“Seeing that you don’t have a single bite mark anywhere, it’s clear that he stopped it.”

Wayne’s pupils looked as if they were piercing through Jeff.

“Otherwise, Jeff would not be here.”

“…Who is ‘he’?”

Jeff’s voice unconsciously lowered.

“He is a servant I care for very much.”

Wayne slowly pushed the teacup up with his fingertips.

“He lives with Ego in the annex located in the forest. It seems he probably found you and stopped Ego.”

“A servant… you say.”

“Yes, Jeff. But he is no ordinary servant.”

Wayne added with a faint smile.

“He is a being I care for and love very much, no different from my muse.”

“……”

Muse. The meaning contained in that short word was great. Although he had put on the cover of ‘servant’, the reality must be that he is a precious being, so much so that he was given the entire beautiful annex. If so, then it is highly likely that the owner of the voice he heard last night was not Wayne Gray.

One question was solved. But another question still remained. Why was the family head heading to the annex with the child at that dawn hour?

Two speculations immediately came to Jeff’s mind.

First, that Wayne Gray and that servant might have a relationship beyond that of a simple artist and muse. Could that be why they lived in the annex while deceiving outsiders?

Second, that the vagrant child who was with Wayne might be related to the servant. Considering the child’s age, the parents’ ages can also be roughly inferred. No matter how late a child he was, it would be difficult for someone of the old man’s age I saw in Coley to have a child of that size.

But the voice from last night was on the younger side. If the servant of the annex is the child’s biological father, I can understand a little why Wayne took the child to the annex. Perhaps they had already formed a family unit. Of course, all of this is still just speculation.

“……”

Should I say it? That I saw you with the child at dawn. What kind of reaction would Wayne Gray show, I wonder. Would he be displeased, or would he feign ignorance and play dumb? What is certain is that from the moment I utter that question, I will become a person of interest. It would be better to refrain from direct mention until I get an answer about the scent.

“I see. I feel I should express my gratitude to him, would it be possible to meet him in person?”

But this much should be fine. It is an attitude befitting one shown to a lifesaver. Meeting the servant would be an opportunity to compare his face with the child’s. If he refuses, the scale balanced in my heart will tip to one side. Due to the weight named ‘suspicion’.

“I’m sorry, Jeff.”

At that moment, Wayne, who had been looking at Jeff while slowly blinking his eyes, answered.

“He is a person who has difficulty interacting with others, so a meeting would be difficult.”

It was a soft yet definitive refusal.

“I will convey your gratitude on your behalf.”

“……”

So he can’t be shown easily, is that it? No matter how much he cares for him, on the surface, he is just a ‘servant’. Is the act of severing a meeting while considering his personal circumstances a simple case of overprotection, or a guard to hide a secret inner story? Jeff became curious.

“I see. It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped. Then please pass it on well.”

“I will, Jeff.”

Wayne nodded his head lightly. But at that moment, his expression suddenly changed.

“But there is one thing we need to address.”

Ah, what was bound to come has come. Jeff, who realized this instinctively, nodded his head with an innocent expression.

“Yes, please speak.”

“A moment ago, you said you woke up in the middle of the forest. I think you also have a vague idea of what that situation means.”

Jeff swallowed a short breath. Wayne, who was smiling quietly, asked in a low voice.

“Jeff, are you by any chance suffering from sleepwalking?”

Jeff nodded his head.

“Yes.”

“Since when have you been suffering from it?”

When he closed his mouth as if hesitating, Wayne, who was watching him fixedly, smiled benevolently and uttered.

“It’s okay, Jeff. Tell me honestly. I have no intention of sending you back for something like this. I’m just confirming, that’s all.”

Jeff, who was about to say it was since he smelled the scent you made at the mansion, paused. There was something he had to confirm before that.

“I know this is rude, but before I answer, there is one thing I would like to ask.”

Wayne’s eyebrows rose faintly.

“Alright. Go ahead.”

“I have been receiving a box every night since I came to the mansion. Inside it, there is a handkerchief scented with aroma oil. Did the family head happen to know about this as well?”

Wayne nodded his head without hesitation.

“Of course. Because I was the one who ordered it.”

“In that case, is there a particular reason for gifting that scent?”

“That scent?”

Wayne tilted his head slightly and asked back.

“What kind of scent was the one Jeff received?”

“…Was it not you who specified and sent it?”

“It’s true that I ordered the gifting of aroma scents to the guests of the mansion. But I don’t specify each and every scent.”

Jeff took in a subtle breath.

“Are there various types of scents?”

At those words, Wayne Gray burst into laughter.