Chapter 5: Compensation for the Fright?

As the sun sank into the earth, the moon revealed itself.

A door inside the castle was pushed open.

Carola walked out, stretching her limbs.

When Carola arrived at the room where Phyllis was staying, she looked at the bed.

"Oh? What is this? My lover, Phyllis~"

Looking at Phyllis, who was buried under the covers and shivering, Carola's red eyes flashed with a subtle, fleeting smile.

She walked to the bedside and reached out to toy with the tip of Phyllis’s tail, which was poking out from under the blanket with its fur puffed up.

"Meow... That, that door outside..."

The bundle of blankets wiggled, and a voice trembling with lingering fear drifted out.

"Oh?" Carola sounded amused. "Outside the door? You mean the door at the end of the hallway? You pushed it open?"

"Mm... meow..."

Phyllis cautiously peeked out with half her face, her azure eyes looking like frightened glass beads in the dim light.

"I... I was just curious... about where the wind was coming from... and then, and then..." Phyllis’s voice grew smaller and smaller, filled with dread. "The garden... such a scary garden, meow..."

"The garden..."

Carola realized what had happened, a mischievous smile curling her lips.

"You saw my 'little cuties'?"

Phyllis nodded frantically, her cat ears flapping up and down along with the movement. "So many... so many bones... and they were moving! They... they! Meow-aaaaah!"

Phyllis thought back to that eerie, skin-crawling scene.

Under the midday sun, within a vibrant garden, the ground had been covered with skeletons, some whole and some broken.

What was even more terrifying was that these skeletons were actually moving!

They were silently and meticulously performing the work of gardeners.

When Phyllis had entered the garden, she saw those skeletons turn as one to look at her.

In that moment, Phyllis had frozen in her tracks.

For someone who had grown up in a peaceful world and had at most seen the undead in games or movies, the impact of this scene was far too advanced.

"Hahaha~"

Carola let out a light laugh, which sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

"They are very well-behaved. It's just... well, they might get a bit... excited when it comes to living creatures. Usually, they just help me look after the garden—though there isn't much there that needs special care anyway."

Carola leaned down and used her slender fingers to tilt Phyllis’s chin up, forcing her to look up fully.

"Did I scare you? How truly adorable~" Carola rubbed her thumb over the non-existent tear tracks beneath Phyllis’s eyes. "However, since you have the strength to explore everywhere, it seems you’ve recovered quite well."

Phyllis’s body stiffened as she realized her "weak and pitiful" act might have lost its effectiveness.

"I... I was just curious..." she tried to make an excuse. "Besides, you said the castle was my home too..."

"That's right." Carola stood up straight, her tone casual. "You can continue to familiarize yourself with this place. As long as you don't run outside the castle grounds or go into the basement, the rest is... up to you."

Carola gave Phyllis a meaningful look.

"Of course, if you accidentally trigger some mechanism, or get dragged into a conversation by some animated portrait, or... get turned into flower fertilizer by the bones in the garden..."

With every word Carola spoke, Phyllis’s cat ears flattened further back, until they were almost pressed against her scalp.

"...then you can only blame yourself for being too careless, right, my lover?"

Phyllis: "......"

[This isn't a home! This is clearly a haunted house-themed death maze! Lover? More like a potential suicide-pact partner!]

Despite the frantic complaints in her heart, on the surface, Phyllis could only purse her lips and give a small, subtle nod.

"That's more like it!" Carola nodded. "Well then, as compensation for the fright, and also as our first 'date' as lovers... follow me."

Carola turned and walked toward the door, her black leather boots making no sound on the carpet.

Phyllis hesitated for a moment but eventually threw off the covers and followed barefoot.

[Carola is shorter than me!]

Following behind Carola, Phyllis silently compared their heights.

Carola did not take Phyllis to the main hall, nor did she take the hallways Phyllis had explored during the day. Instead, she led her up a winding stone staircase.

The stairs were narrow, and there were no braziers on the walls. The only illumination came from a crystal lamp in Carola’s hand that emitted a ghostly blue light.

The further up they went, the fresher Phyllis felt the air become. She could even hear a faint... sound of water?

[Could it be... a water dungeon??]

With such thoughts, Phyllis saw a stained-glass door appear at the end of the stairs.

Carola pushed the door open.

Moonlight poured in like spilled mercury, instantly flooding the space.

Phyllis squinted her eyes, and after adjusting to the change in light, she couldn't help but let out a small gasp of wonder.

"So... so amazing, meow~"

This was a rooftop terrace of the castle.

The terrace was quite large, paved with smooth stone slabs, and had a low stone railing around the edge.

The most striking feature was in the center of the terrace: a small but exceptionally exquisite circular pool was rippling under the moonlight.

The pool water was crystal clear, revealing the colorful pebbles lined at the bottom.

The sound of water was coming from a stone beast head statue holding a bright pearl in its mouth, from which water gurgled out.

Moreover, white mist was currently floating above the pool.

[It's actually a bath??]

This was the first time Phyllis had seen a bath since arriving in this finished world.

Sniff... sniff...

In the air filled with moist steam, Phyllis smelled a... faint floral fragrance.

Phyllis followed the scent and discovered that in a corner of the terrace, a small patch of deep blue, bell-shaped flowers was growing stubbornly, blooming quietly in the moonlight.

"This is 'Moonlight Lily of the Valley.' It's a great material for making high-grade tranquilizing potions!" Carola walked to the edge of the pool, sat down, and lightly trailed her fingers across the surface of the water. "However, I prefer watching them grow like this."

She turned her head, the moonlight outlining her delicate profile and fair neck. Her red pupils looked like two rubies in the night. She just sat there quietly looking at Phyllis, with a bit less sharpness and a bit more serenity.

[So... so cool~]

Phyllis suddenly felt her heart pounding with excitement, but she quickly suppressed it.

"Sit."

Carola patted the spot beside her.

Phyllis walked over hesitantly and sat down, leaving a bit of distance between them.

Her unshod feet felt a bit uncomfortable on the cold stone slabs, making her subconsciously curl her toes.

"Were you scared? By what you saw today."

Carola looked at Phyllis and asked in a flat tone.

"I was..." Phyllis admitted honestly, her tail curling up. "Those bones... are they yours..."

"...A portion of them are." Carola did not deny it. "The castle needs hands to maintain it. Undead servants and golems save me trouble, and they are quiet."

"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, they won't hurt you. And once you become the true mistress of this place, they will all be your subordinates as well."

Carola added.

"I... I need time."

Phyllis once again resorted to her delaying tactics.

"But there should be some fun during the waiting process, shouldn't there?"

Carola’s fingers rose from the pool, several water droplets clinging to her fingertips, which she then lightly flicked toward Phyllis’s forehead.

"Wu! Meow~"

The cold sensation made Phyllis flinch.

"Try to get to know me, Phyllis."

Carola’s voice carried a hint of enchantment.

Phyllis looked up, staring at Carola with some confusion.

[Get to know you? What do you mean? Wait, why are you taking off your clothes???]