Eleonora’s mansion was nothing different from when she left. The mansions of aristocrats and middle-class citizens, which are particularly magnificent and humongous in size, were distinguished from ordinary mansions, not only in its exterior but also on the inside.
There was no sign of a person’s shadow within the mansion, but it was only natural. The first thing Noah did after grasping her situation in the body of Eleonora was dismiss all the servants in the mansion.
Besides, the total number of people that were hired didn’t exceed ten. Eleonora wasn’t a woman who relied on her own hand to do the work; she was a witch who lived by the power of magic and machinery.
So, of course, the mansion was a carefully engineered machine itself. It was simply a witch’s fortress, with all kinds of traps, defense walls, and attack magic built into every corner of the house. No other houses compared to the witch’s abode.
As Noah passed the outdoor corridor in front of the mansion and stood at the door, the antennas attached on the door stretched out and stopped inches from her nose. It was an automatic opening and closing device that recognized faces, only opening doors to people authorized by Eleonora.
Click. A photo was taken.
The spring installed on the door interlocked with each other and began to turn. The doorplate swung around and gradually stopped. Bold letters floated on the doorplate one after another.
Eleonora Asil, Master. It indicated the owner of the house. The antennas swiped Kyle and Muell’s faces consecutively, recognizing their identities.
UNKNOWN
The machine worked perfectly even after two years of inactivity. In particular, it was impressive that it was able to detect Muell’s mana and display the sign ‘unable to confirm’ in bold, red letters.
“You are an unwelcome guest, Sir.”
“…About five years ago, I was forced to take a picture here.”
Noah laughed and rummaged through Eleonora’s manual notebook to stop the switchgear. Soon, the door of the mansion opened wide. Kyle then said, “Then, Miss Noah. You’ve had a hard time today, so take a good rest…”
“What?” Noah looked back at him in wonder.
“I’ll be here early in the morning to pick up Mu tomorrow. Keep your doors shut.”
Noah grabbed Kyle by the arm as he was about to take a step back. “Where are you going?”
“Yes?”
“Are you in a hurry?”
“…That’s not it.” Kyle mumbled.
Well, there it is. She dragged Kyle inside without further delay, who was easily carried along without much force. “You’ve come all the way here, why are you leaving already? Have dinner.”
“…It’s not that you want me to serve dinner?”
“I’m not that shameless. But of course, I’d appreciate it if you could.”
Kyle laughed and stopped walking. “Miss Noah, it’s time you shouldn’t be letting men into your own house…”
“Just for an hour.” Noah had no idea on what Kyle was implying, but this time, she wanted to be a little stubborn. She strained her arm, clutching the sleeve of his uniform. “I don’t have to eat dinner. I’ll go to bed soon.”
“…..”
“I’ll wash up as fast as I can, and I’ll fall asleep in ten minutes. Can’t you just stay an hour… No, thirty minutes?”
It didn’t matter if Kyle thought she was immature. Noah was in dire need of Kyle Leonard at the moment. There was only one person in this world, although he was a nagging investigator, who gave her a sense of security. But it was more of an instinct than a romantic feeling.
No matter how much the chains on her neck restrained her, if only Muell and Noah were left, she didn’t know when the dragon’s inhumanity would arouse within her again. Besides, Kyle was the only man in their world who knew Park Noah.
Kyle stared at her face for a moment and eventually nodded, sighing. Then, he checked his wristwatch and muttered strictly. “I’ll be here until eight, then. I’ll give you thirty minutes to unpack, thirty minutes to wash and change.”
“…You don’t have to attack my limbs.”
Kyle often displayed a harsh and indifferent facade, instructing Noah, but it was also he himself who would do the chores.
Noah clicked her tongue and hurled him inside, quickly closing the door. The interior of the mansion was dark, but at the same time, as the sound of her shoes clacking against the marble floor echoed throughout the mansion, all equipment, driven by mana, began to turn, recognizing that the owner of the house, though only the shell, had returned.
The bulbs on the chandeliers draped over the ceiling of the central hall lighted up one by one, and thick curtains hanging over the windows spread wide on both sides. The idle clock struck seven o’clock sharp.
Noah had already set foot in the strange and mysterious mansion two years ago. At that time, the place was huge, empty, and unfamiliar. Not only that, it was a ‘dead’ space.
When Eleonora’s dead body lay in the middle of the mansion, the cold, desolate space came to life as soon as her eyes opened, with Noah within. How surprised she was to see a mansion that moved by itself as if it had a will.
A mansion that shared the life and death of its owner, isn’t it eerie?
That was why Noah abandoned what was supposed to be her comfort place, fleeing to Sorrent as soon as she came back to life.
Noah dragged Kyle across the hall to the second floor lest Kyle would change his mind.