Chapter 111
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: The Baron's Letter
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I asked Gary, who was trimming venison beside me, to step out for a moment. After confirming he had left, I asked Vanilla.
“Number 10 Haigue Street. You said it was a mansion you owned, Miss Ruskin.”
“…I don't know what this is about, but yes. As I told you before, it's a mansion I inherited from my father.”
Behind me, I heard Knox ask in surprise, “What? The mansion from the Westmore urban legend was owned by Ruskin?” I ignored him and asked Vanilla my second question.
“Then what about Number 61 Notium Street…?”
“Huh? Miss Sinclair, how do you know that address?”
Vanilla asked back, her face genuinely surprised.
At this point, I couldn't help but be suspicious. Could Baron Ruskin be the final mastermind behind this whole situation? Or perhaps the pink-haired man who supposedly scammed the baron out of his real estate was the real culprit.
In any case, the important thing now was that we were one step closer to the source of the virus outbreak. We had to know the exact path of its spread to stop it.
Without that knowledge, even finding a cure would be like pouring water into a leaky pot.
‘And I'm curious. What kind of fucked-up bastard did something this crazy?’
Just then, Knox spoke up.
“The mansion at Number 10 Haigue Street in Westmore is the setting of a famous urban legend.”
Ethan, who had followed me in and was observing the situation, added to the explanation.
“Number 61 Notium Street is where that damn monster first appeared. And you're saying both of these mansions belong to Lady Ruskin?”
All our eyes turned to Vanilla. A heavy silence fell. Vanilla answered as if she truly had no idea what was going on.
“I swear, I truly don't know anything about this.”
“Lady Ruskin might not have known, but the baron surely did,” Ethan said.
I added to his words.
“But if Miss Ruskin truly knows nothing, I can imagine how unfair this situation must feel. That's why we need confirmation, or proof, that you have nothing to do with this.”
Having been similarly misunderstood by Knox and Ethan before, Vanilla's current situation didn't feel like someone else's problem. So I tried my best not to pressure her, carefully observing her expression.
This must have been how Ethan felt when he was interrogating me.
Vanilla pressed her lips together.
“What is all this?”
Just then, Victor, the chef, came into the kitchen to prepare a meal, saw us, and asked what was going on.
Come to think of it, Victor was good-natured and friendly with everyone in Happy House. I remembered that even though Vanilla was prickly and quiet, she seemed to get along with Victor without reservation.
It wasn't something we needed to hide from Victor, so I nodded at Knox. After Knox briefly explained the situation to Victor, he turned to Vanilla with a puzzled look.
“Lady Ruskin. In that case, shouldn't you just show them the letter Baron Ruskin left behind?”
A letter?
Vanilla sighed and nodded as if to say she understood.
“Let's go inside and talk.”
The conversation seemed like it would be a long one, so it was better to sit down.
Getting a ten-person table for the banquet hall had been an excellent choice. I'd bought it so I could sit alone at the head of the table and play queen whenever I was bored. Who would have thought it would end up being perfectly filled?
Vanilla sat at the head of the table. In her hand was the letter from Baron Ruskin, which she had retrieved from her room.
Ethan, the only one not sitting in a chair but perched rebelliously on the table next to me, took the letter from her. Soon, he began to read it aloud.
[Vanilla, by the time you read this letter, I may no longer be in this world. I am sorry for leaving you behind.]
“Haa…”
Vanilla let out a sigh. Ethan glanced at her before continuing to read the letter.
[You must be curious why I left you so many mansions. You will find out when ‘that event’ occurs. Until then, you must protect the BN1 mansion in Brunel, no matter what.]
Ethan paused and looked at me. I knew why he was looking at me. The BN1 mansion in Brunel…
“It's the postal code for Happy House. The BN1 mansion.”
Vanilla answered, her face a mask of resignation.
Happy House is a mansion in a small country village, so it's identified by its postal code rather than a street number or name.
“I was so angry at my father for leaving me nothing but debt that I never even opened the letter. I only read it after the world became like this… In the letter he left as his will, he told me not to sell this mansion.”
Only then did I understand why Vanilla hadn't mentioned the letter. If I were in her shoes, I would have blamed myself and wouldn't have wanted to speak a word of it either.
“Of course, I'm not saying this to ask for the mansion back.”
I had a rebuttal for what Vanilla said next. I smiled brightly at her and said.
“Of course not. I paid a fair price for it, after all.”
In the original story, Vanilla only lasted half a year before abandoning Happy House. But I will definitely survive here for two years.
Vanilla didn't look flustered at all, just smiled naturally. As if she knew that's what I would say.
“That was out of line. I apologize.”
I felt a little sorry for her, but life is a battle where the one with more information gets to own more. Regardless of my knowledge of the original story, if she had read the letter a little sooner, she wouldn't have sold the mansion to me. She had a whole year to read it, after all.
“May I continue reading?”
Ethan, who had been listening to our conversation, asked. I nodded at him.
[The Brunel BN1 mansion is the main one. Just remember that. That mansion is the main one, and the key.]
Happy House is the main one, and the key.
Could this be related to the underground passage? One of the tunnels definitely led to the Brunel police station.
1 is Brunel, 3 is the spring, 6 is Haigue, 8 is Notium.>
What if these are paths leading to those locations?
Number 1, Brunel. I hadn't seen the number written in chalk, but it was the closest passage.
‘It makes sense.’
Seeing as Number 8 was Notium, it meant there were at least eight paths.
Just then, Ethan continued reading the letter.
[Find the Segraves. You will need help. The spring must be reclaimed. I cannot ignore the risk of this letter being discovered. I will end my words here.]
Segrave.
‘The Segraves are mentioned here?’
As I've said before, the Segrave family is only known through legends; they aren't believed to be a real family. The family known as heroes, or guardians, who protect the world from evil.
At Ethan's words, a stir went through the banquet hall. Everyone seemed flustered, murmuring to the person next to them.
Ethan paid them no mind and continued reading.
[I once believed that if I could change the world, even by selling a piece of my conscience, my poverty would disappear. I thought that if only that happened, my family could live happily. But I learned that a corrupt energy does not simply vanish because you hide it.
My daughter, happiness is not something you can create by force. It comes to you naturally. Just one of your smiles made me feel as happy as if I had the whole world. It was then I realized. What I was doing was not creating happiness, but erasing it.
My daughter. When you later learn the whole truth, could you say just one thing to your father? Thank you for having courage. Tell me that your father made a noble choice. Even if the whole world curses me, with just those words from you, I can close my eyes in peace.
Though I have not done much for you in my life, my daughter, please know this one thing. My love for you is second to none, not even to the great tycoon, Chairman Sinclair.
I love you, my daughter Vanilla.
From your father, who will live forever in your heart.]
By the time the letter was finished, Vanilla, who always seemed so cold and aloof, was silently shedding tears.
Amy and Emma, along with Gary and Victor who had been secretly listening to our conversation from the kitchen entrance, were also wiping away tears.
Did I not cry?
I don't know. I was just envious of Vanilla. At least she had a final letter from her father. I had nothing.
More than anything, why was ‘Chairman Sinclair’ mentioned here? To single out my father like that… It makes it seem like Baron Ruskin and my father knew each other.
“Miss Ruskin, did Baron Ruskin and my father know each other?”
“No. I also don't know why Chairman Sinclair's name is in there.”
Vanilla shook her head at my question. Or perhaps he mentioned him simply because the Sinclair family was famous. In my past life, people often used analogies like, ‘If I were Bill Gates, I would have done this or that.’
“Now. I understand that everyone is sad, but we have a lot to discuss regarding this letter.”
Knox spoke up. I quickly scanned the banquet hall. Harrison hadn't returned from the village yet.
‘I'll have to explain it to him later.’
Knox slowly rose from his seat and walked over to Ethan. He snatched the letter from Ethan's hand and waved it as he spoke.
“It seems Baron Ruskin definitely knew something about this infectious virus, doesn't it? And now it's been proven that Lady Ruskin knew nothing.”
“There's also the fact that this mansion might be related to the virus.”
Ethan retorted. I agreed with them as well.
“Baron Ruskin, who seemed to know something about the infectious virus, told his daughter to protect this mansion at all costs. He said this mansion is the main one, and the key. Doesn't that mean this place is safe?”
“Correct. Piecing together the contents of the letter, that would be the implication. Still, it's too early to be certain.”
Knox replied. At that, everyone fell silent, lost in their own thoughts. Then, they all started glancing at me.
And I knew what those glances meant. Because I was the owner of this mansion.
Even though he said it was too early to be certain, it seemed the title of ‘safe mansion’ had already taken root in their minds.
Of course, I'm not worried about someone taking this mansion from me. I'm not that careless, and there's no one here who would do such a thing.
‘And there's no one here who can beat me in a fight.’
As I was lost in thought, Knox, who was looking at the letter, got to the heart of the matter.
“This letter doesn't resolve all our questions. There was no mention of the monster that appeared in a mansion owned by Lady Ruskin.”
Agreeing with Knox, Ethan made a suggestion.
“To resolve this nagging and uncomfortable question, it seems we have no choice but to visit Number 61 Notium Street and Number 10 Haigue Street ourselves.”