TLAM CH 05

Episode 5: Mansion Rules for New Servants (Part 3)
“Why is this happening to me?!”

The mustached shopkeeper was Peter.

After the terrifying experience at the tavern last night, he even had nightmares.

Meanwhile, Hans, the coachman who had driven the supposed demon to the mansion, was now bedridden.
He said he had seen a bloody heart rolling on the floor of his carriage—
which later turned out to be a rotten cherry tomato, but by then the rumor had already spread among the villagers.

“You know that couple who ran away recently? They went to the beach and were never found. Could they have been cursed by the devil?”

“Oh no, remember Mr. Holiday’s wife also disappeared at the beach? Must be the devil too!”

“Even Hesne’s cow gave birth earlier than expected. Animals sense evil—you know that!”

The “outsider with red eyes” who arrived on the day the devil supposedly takes walks brought along strange happenings and rumors.

The villagers were now extremely cautious and decided to avoid the red-eyed woman at all costs.

“What should we do if we see her?”

“Pretend you don’t know her!”

“But what if she talks to me? What if she kills me if I ignore her?”

“Then… maybe just answer politely and carefully?”

No one could agree.
Eventually, Peter had no choice but to open his store like normal, though he was exhausted and had a headache from his nightmares.

So when he dozed off at the counter for a short nap—

The demon entered the shop!

He opened his eyes and saw a woman with red eyes and long black hair.

She was asking for:
a knife, sickle, axe, large sack…

“Is she going to chop me up with that sickle?!”

He was too terrified to move.

And then—

Smack!

She made a strange gesture, hitting her own wrist.

To Peter, it looked like a threat:

“Do it right, or else I’ll cut you.”

That was it. Peter gave up.

“I’m sorry, mighty demon. I didn’t recognize your greatness. Please forgive me. Let me be your servant… I mean, let me serve you!”

He forced his frozen arms to move and handed her everything she asked for.

Then, with his head bowed deeply, he offered his loyalty.

“I’ll just take what I need.”

But the “demon” politely refused and left.

“I… I survived?!”

Peter raised his arms and cried out in joy.

Meanwhile, at the mansion on the hill—

“So it’s not just ugly, but filled with cheap ghost stories too, huh?”

Rubia, the village lord, looked at the mansion with disgust.

Vines covered the outer walls. The front gate was rusty. The garden beyond it was a mess of weeds.

The outside walls looked fine, but who knew what the inside was like?

“I need to get rid of this place fast.”

Not only was it ugly, but it had a dark history. The Caplet Duke had sacrificed his family to a demon. This mansion needed to be torn down—for the peace of the village!

She reminded herself that she was doing this for the public good, not just money.

Just then—

“Um…”

A small, quiet voice like soap bubbles reached her ears.

“Gray? Don’t whisper like a scared kitten.”

“…That wasn’t me. I didn’t say anything.”

Wait—if it wasn’t him, then who?

They both looked toward the source of the sound.

A young woman stood there, with long black hair and red eyes—like a crow in human form.

Rubia immediately thought:

This can’t be Alfred Caplet… that’s a man’s name!

“Are you… a guest?”

But before Rubia could say more, the woman smiled.

Flinch.

Rubia didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt uneasy. Her body tensed up just from that smile.

I can’t let her get the upper hand!

Rubia squared her shoulders and stepped forward with a confident hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Rubia, the lord of this village—responsible for its safety and finances.”

She made her title sound grand to show authority.

Gray sighed quietly at the dramatics, but Rubia ignored him.
This was about establishing dominance.

She studied the woman’s reaction.

See this? I’m the one in charge here. Impressed yet?

But instead of reacting, the woman just covered her mouth…

And giggled.

Rubia froze.

Did… did she just ignore my handshake?!

This kind of rude behavior made Rubia, already short-tempered, furious.

“Excuse me!”

She dropped her polite act.

“You clearly aren’t Alfred Caplet. Everything must follow rules. Maybe the town office let you register the mansion on his behalf, but I won’t accept it without proof!”

She raised her voice—
But the woman calmly handed over a letter.

Rubia read it.

It clearly stated that Sasha Gardnis had legal authority to act as Alfred Caplet’s representative.

“I brought it with me…”

“Oh! That’s… good!”

Flustered, Rubia yelled louder to hide her embarrassment and handed the letter back.

The woman smiled again behind the paper.

Rubia shivered.

Why is she smiling… now of all times? Shouldn’t she be angry or afraid?

Instead, she was calmly laughing.

Rubia suddenly remembered what the town staff had told her:

“My Lady, that woman is a demon. Be careful.”

Rubia’s mind started to break apart like scattered bones.

“G-Gray!”

She passed the problem to her assistant.

“You explain.”

Gray looked troubled, but he was a loyal assistant.

He pulled out some prepared documents.

“In two weeks, there will be a property inspection.”

He adjusted his glasses coolly.

“If the mansion is deemed an ‘eyesore,’ it will be demolished. Even if it has an owner, the law allows for this under the Property Aesthetics Act.”

Normally, inspections only happened once every 10 years.
But Rubia had secretly arranged for it to happen sooner.

“Since we haven’t met the actual owner, I’m informing you as the representative. Please review these documents.”

Gray extended the papers toward Sasha.

But then—

A chilling cold ran through his fingertips.

W-What is this cold?!

Even Gray, usually calm and composed, felt like his body was freezing.

Is it true? Is she really… a demon?

His heart, which never beat fast, was now racing.

She might not be human…

Fear gripped his entire body.
He wanted to run, but Sasha was calmly reading the documents.

Unable to look at her, Gray turned to glance at the mansion.

The gray stones of the outer wall, the cream-colored window frames, and the dark gray roof gave the mansion a classic beauty.

It’s kind of… artistic. A shame to destroy it.

Just then—

Rustle.

A shadow moved behind the curtain of a second-floor window.

“?!”

He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but the figure had vanished into the darkness.

“Um…”

“AHH!”

At that moment, Sasha called out to him—and Gray screamed.

“What’s going on?!”

Rubia shouted, also startled.

“N-Nothing! Just please read the documents. Remember: in two weeks, there will be an inspection. If the mansion is still an eyesore, it will be demolished. Demolished!”

Now Gray, too, was talking fast—just like Rubia had earlier.

Then, grabbing Rubia, he quickly dragged her away down the hill.

Behind them, the cream-colored curtains swayed softly in the breeze—as if waving goodbye.