‘Do I really have to drink this?’ Illus gripped the teacup with both hands and squeezed her eyes shut.
Eliana sat directly opposite, staring at her. Although Illus couldn’t see the demon’s expression, she knew Eliana took a perverse pleasure in seeing her in such a state.
Taking a deep breath, Illus decided to risk everything. Drinking this tea was certain death!
She planned to let her wrist tremble and drop the cup to the floor. While shattering it would likely infuriate the demon, it was better than dying right here and now.
Just as the girl gathered her breath to smash the cup, a knock sounded at the door again.
‘Who is it this time?!’ The two women turned their heads simultaneously. Eliana’s expression soured visibly, but hope flared in Illus’s heart.
She prayed silently that whoever it was would break this suffocating deadlock!
“Miss…”
The butler’s voice echoed from behind the door.
Before Eliana could react, Illus called out with visible excitement.
“I’m here, Butler. Did you need something?”
“Miss, the Madam is looking for you. I came to inform you.”
“I see. I’ll be there right away.”
The girl nodded, a wave of relief washing over her. She was saved, at least for the moment.
She started to stand up, but Eliana reached out and caught the hem of her dress.
“Miss, why not finish the tea before you go?”
“I’m sorry, Eliana. Let’s save it for another time.”
Eliana’s face appeared calm, but her teeth bit into her lower lip hard enough to leave a mark.
She heard Illus’s words and forced a smile, acting magnanimous.
“If the Madam is looking for you, then it can’t be helped. I’ll brew another cup for you next time.”
“I should head out as well. Let’s walk together, Miss.”
Eliana stood up, and a sudden wave of cold air swept toward Illus.
‘This demon is definitely angry!’ Illus couldn’t help but shiver.
As they pushed open the room door, they found that the butler had already left, likely busy with other matters. Most of the other maids were preparing to rest around this time.
The hallway was deserted.
Eliana walked in front, carrying the tray, while Illus followed behind her.
As they reached the top of the stairs, the weight of several days of nightmares combined with the emotional rollercoaster of the evening made Illus’s head spin. She felt as though she might collapse at any moment.
She tried to speed up to grab the railing of the second floor, but she had vastly overestimated her strength. The dizziness intensified, and she stumbled. Losing her balance, she pitched forward.
Eliana turned her head at the sound, but it was too late. Illus crashed directly into her.
“Ah—!”
A short, sharp cry rang out at the stairwell.
The tray flew from Eliana’s hands. The teacup and teapot traced arcs through the air before colliding with the steps, shattering with a sound like hailstones hitting glass.
The brown tea splashed across the light-colored wooden steps, quickly spreading into a dark stain.
Eliana herself was propelled forward by the sudden impact. She lunged for the railing, but her fingertips only grazed the smooth wood. She lost her balance and tumbled down the steep staircase.
Illus fell onto her knees at the top of the stairs. A sharp pain shot through her elbows as they struck the hardwood floor, but she didn’t care.
She stared with wide eyes as the woman who had just been so elegant and composed—the one who held her life and death in her hands—rolled down like a broken puppet.
Eliana’s skirts fluttered wildly as she tumbled. Her long black hair fanned out, creating a stark contrast against the pale steps. Her body hit the wood with a series of dull *thuds*, and each impact made Illus’s heart seize.
Finally, after a string of bone-chilling sounds, Eliana stopped on the landing of the stairs. She lay motionless, face down. One hand was twisted beneath her body, while the other arm was sprawled out limply. Her messy black hair veiled her face, with a few strands soaking into the tea spreading nearby.
The hallway fell into a deathly silence. Only the faint, distant sounds of The Mansion echoed, making the silence in the stairwell even more terrifying.
Illus clamped her hands over her mouth to stifle the scream building in her throat. Her heart hammered so hard it felt like it would shatter her ribs.
Her legs were too weak to stand. She had to use her arms to crawl bit by bit toward the edge of the stairs to look down.
‘Is Eliana… dead?’
The thought made her entire body turn cold.
‘Did I just… kill her with my own hands?’ Even if the other woman was a demon, a terrifying entity that wanted her dead.
Illus’s fingers gripped the railing tightly, the cold wood unable to stop her trembling. She edged down the stairs one step at a time, feeling as if she were walking on the edge of a blade.
Her first instinct was to call for help, but the sound was stuck in her throat.
To save her, or not to save her?
The question tore through Illus’s mind. This might be a gift from heaven, a chance to rid herself of this threat forever.
If she simply turned away and pretended she knew nothing, the shadow that haunted her nights would vanish without a sound.
Everyone was resting; no one would ever know what happened in this stairwell.
Right then, the body before her twitched slightly.
It was an infinitesimal movement—a single finger pinned beneath her seemed to curl.
Illus’s breath hitched. ‘Eliana… she’s not dead!’
Then, she saw Eliana’s shoulders begin to rise and fall rhythmically, accompanied by a suppressed, pained gasp for air.
She was alive! And she was regaining consciousness!
A feeling of intense conflict, far greater than before, surged within the girl. The demon was currently severely injured. If… if she just picked up the dinner knife scattered on the floor and struck once, then the demon that had plagued her for so long would disappear forever!
‘But… but…’
In the past, Illus had fantasized about ending Eliana herself. Every time she was tormented, she would grit her teeth in hatred.
But fantasy was just fantasy. When faced with the reality, a girl who had never even killed a chicken lacked the courage to pick up the blade.
Illus’s eyes locked onto the silver dinner knife on the floor. Her breathing became as ragged as if she had just finished a long-distance run.
Her fingertips turned white from the force of her grip on the railing. Blood thundered in her ears.
‘Can I really do it? If Eliana survives, she’ll definitely seek revenge with her vindictive nature!’
At that moment, Eliana’s fingers twitched again. A muffled groan escaped her throat as she struggled to wake.
‘I can’t wait any longer!’
A roar filled her head, and her body moved faster than her mind. Illus gritted her teeth, her trembling fingers snatching up the cold handle of the dinner knife. The metal dug into her palm, but she didn’t care.
This was her chance. Her only chance. If she seized it, she would never have to worry about her life again! She just had to kill her now!
Her beautiful deep blue eyes were shot through with blood vessels. She gripped the knife with both hands…
*Pant— pant—*
“Miss…?”
“—Haah!”