Surviving in the Cursed Mansion

Chapter 13: The Princess Who Missed Half of Her Life

“Whoa…!”

Startled, Asche flinched. Out of nowhere, a ribbon-tied gift box fell from midair.

To make matters stranger, a photograph of Maid B’s scorched face slipped out of a leather pouch on its own.

[The shoddy photo transforms into a hunting dog’s memory.]

As soon as the message appeared, the palm-sized photograph began to expand, spreading out like a carpet across the floor.

The photo itself also underwent a transformation. The images of the maid and the hunting dog vanished entirely, leaving only a depiction of the garden’s scenery.

“What is this, Butler?”

“Are you curious?”

“Obviously.”

The butler’s gaze scanned the empty air. He seemed to be interpreting something invisible to Asche.

Growing impatient, Asche pressed him further.

“So, what is it?”

“If you’re truly curious, why don’t you confirm it for yourself?”

With a nudge, the butler pushed Asche toward the photo on the floor.

“Ah… AAAAAHHH?!”

Thrown off balance by the sudden shove, Asche instinctively stepped into the scene depicted in the photograph.

And that’s when her shock set in.

Instead of landing on solid ground, her foot slipped through, as if she had misstepped into a lake.

“Butler! You traitorrrr!”

Asche’s figure grew more distant, her elegant visage swallowed by the garden’s scenery. Her loud cries echoed briefly before fading completely.

The now silent lounge held only the butler, who stood quietly, awaiting Asche’s return.

“This is troublesome.”

The butler recalled the time he had been chased by the hunting dog.

He had vividly remembered his encounter with an unknown entity during his escape, with Maid A’s dress draped over his shoulder.

“…This is truly troublesome.”

***

“Ugh…!”

Asche regained consciousness. The first thing she did was curse the butler as much as she could in her mind.

“That wretched butler! What does he think he’s doing to his mistress?!”

Although she couldn’t strike him physically, she resolved to give him a thorough scolding. As she tried to survey her surroundings, she froze.

“My body… it’s not responding?”

That wasn’t the only oddity.

Her perspective felt unusually low, and faint light filtered into a cramped, shadowy space.

Rustle, rustle.

She heard movement approaching from outside. Instinctively, her body acted on its own, rising immediately.

Whoosh!

She moved toward the light, her body operating automatically.

“Woof!”

What came from her mouth was not a scream but the barking of a beast. The sound utterly erased her dignity as a human.

It dawned on her then.

The darkness she had been in moments earlier was a kennel, and now, she stood outside in the garden.

If only that was the end of it.

What was most unbearable for Asche was the growing synchronization between her emotions and the hunting dog’s.

“Huff, huff… Woof!”

Her tail wagged like a whirlwind. She stood on her hind legs, flailing her front paws as if to perform tricks.

Her uncontrollable body barked joyfully, yearning for affection.

“Woof!”

The hunting dog’s thoughts pierced into her mind.

Oh, this feels good! Insanely good.

***

Pant! Pant!

The unleashed hunting dog pranced in front of a maid’s hemline, full of restless energy.

It stood on its hind legs, trying to grab her hands, or leapt up to lick her lips.

For Asche, who had been born and raised as a noble princess, every moment was a series of mortifying disgraces.

“You little rascal, Hayley. You’re going to scare people acting like this! Bad girl, bad!”

The maid extended her palm to calm her, but the hunting dog—Hayley—deliberately nudged her head against it.

“Are you petting me? Pet me! I love Belle’s hands!”

“I love Belle’s hands”—No, wait…! Why do I love them?!

Asche shuddered at the shared emotions.

After a moment of self-loathing, she realized that Hayley had just called the maid “Belle.”

“So, this person… is Maid B?”

Yet, her face was obscured. Her features were in place but blurred, like a hazy memory.

How infuriating that even seeing a maid’s face properly was such a challenge.

While Asche was venting her frustration internally, an intruder emerged from beyond the hedge maze.

Asche could feel Hayley’s discontent toward the newcomer.

“Grrr… Woof, woof!”

“Hayley! Don’t bark at people!”

“Whimper…”

It was heartbreaking.

Everything Hayley did was for Belle, yet she was reprimanded and left feeling dejected.

She didn’t like that person—she really, really didn’t.

And yet, Belle smiled at them just as she did with everyone else.

“How are you adjusting to the mansion?”

“…”

“Looks like you’re managing just fine!”

Belle jumped to conclusions with her usual carefree attitude.

Her maddeningly easygoing nature was part of what made her so lovable—both as a friend and a mistress.

“You’re part of the family now, so you should at least introduce yourself.”

Belle knelt to Hayley’s level and gently patted her head.

“Say hello. This is Hayley, our mansion’s adorable darling. She’s female, so don’t go making any rude assumptions.”

“…”

“Woof! Woof woof!”

Their chemistry was absurdly incompatible.

Belle sighed, clearly overwhelmed by the antics of these two troublemakers.

“Why is Hayley acting like this today? What am I supposed to do…”

After a moment’s thought, she clapped her hands.

“Hayley, sit!”

“Whimper?”

Feeling an ominous premonition, Hayley backed away. But Belle, with gleaming eyes, patted her thigh firmly.

The pressure was unbearable, forcing Hayley to sit reluctantly.

“Good girl, good girl… Let’s see you sit properly!”

“Whine, whimper…”

Belle smiled in satisfaction, rummaging through her pocket.

“I was planning to give this to you later, but I guess I have no choice.”

She proudly presented a fine blue scarf made of luxurious fabric.

“How about we dress you up?”

“…”

Hayley shook her head vehemently, wordlessly rejecting the offer.

Shameless! How dare you refuse Belle’s gift!

But thank goodness you did!

“…Are you shy around a dog?”

Belle chuckled, clearly baffled, and eventually shrugged it off.

“Well, I suppose it’s fine. After all, I’m her favorite.”

Humming a little tune, Belle tied the scarf around Hayley’s neck.

While everything Belle did was wonderful, her singing was dreadful. So dreadful that Hayley’s wagging tail froze.

Thankfully, the ordeal ended quickly.

“Wow, so pretty!”

“Woof!”

Thank you!

A leash would’ve been nice, but this scarf is even better.

It’s blue, soft, and beautiful. It feels like clouds from a clear sky are wrapped around my neck.

“Huff, huff…”

“Ahaha, Hayley! That tickles!”

Overjoyed, Hayley licked Belle’s cheek repeatedly.

She felt pure happiness.

She never wanted to lose this gift. Never wanted to take it off. The happiness Belle had given her was precious.

“Woof, woof!”

Belle, I’ll protect you.

When you find a fitting mate and have puppies, I’ll protect you.

When you grow old and your puppies are all grown, I’ll still protect you.

Because you gave me this wonderful gift!

“Oh my, isn’t she cute? Don’t you think so? Go ahead and pet her; Hayley doesn’t bite.”

“…”

I’ll Bite!

Not even for Belle would I allow this!

“Grrr…”

I shifted my weight back and bared my fangs. The person flinched and stepped back.

Just as they should.

But unjustly, a thunderous rebuke followed.

“You naughty dog, Hayley!”

“Whimper…”

I deliberately sprawled flat and peeked upward apologetically.

This trick of playing submissive was something I had only recently learned.

“Ugh…”

Sure enough, Belle hesitated, her hand trembling as her face filled with anguish.

“Ahhh, you’re too cute! I can’t bring myself to scold you…! Instead, I’ll punish you with lots of belly rubs!”

Fwip fwip fwip!

Belle flipped me onto my back with ease, and I decided to go along with her playful antics.

“You little rascal, you rascal…!”

“Huff, huff… Huff…”

Belle’s hands were divine. The hands of a god! Specifically, the god of teasing.

Every time she rubbed my belly or smoothed my fur, my soul felt like it was ascending to the heavens.

‘Ahh… Ohhh…’

The problem, though, was that Asche shared every sensation and emotion Hayley experienced.

‘Th-this… feels good… No, no it doesn’t! Aaahh…!’

What was this? Seriously, what was this?

Did dogs live for this kind of thing? Was this why they were so friendly toward humans?

“Ahaha… I feel so bad. I brought you here, but it seems like I’m pushing you away…”

“Woof?!”

Hayley reacted immediately to Belle’s apology.

Why? Why did Belle look so upset?

I don’t like it. Belle shouldn’t like it either.

Belle knows.

She even heard it for herself.

I don’t fully understand human speech, but somehow, I know.

Because…

[That person came here to kill Belle!]

‘…What did you say?’

Asche’s pleasure-dazed consciousness snapped into sharp clarity.

Desperately, she tried to turn her head to see the person Belle was speaking to.

But it was impossible.

Hayley didn’t even want to glance at them, as if the sight of their face was intolerable. Her gaze remained fixed on Belle and the scenery around her.

‘Damn it…! Just how horrible does someone have to be for even a dog to refuse to look at them?!’

This was a critical moment.

Instinct and intuition didn’t matter. Her accumulated knowledge and experience told her all she needed to know.

The person standing behind Belle would undoubtedly be the one at the center of all these events.

Whatever destruction or collapse lay ahead, its root would be something small—an initial crack spreading until it broke the dam.

‘You… useless hunting dog!’

Regrettably, Hayley never turned her eyes toward the person behind Belle.

The world began to blur.

Light and sound faded as darkness enveloped everything. Asche felt her consciousness waver, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

“Ugh…”

When she opened her eyes again, the light of the world had returned.

For some reason, the ceiling felt unusually close.

“Uh… huh?”

Groggily, she reached out her hand, only to find it wasn’t the ceiling but the butler’s palm.

It seemed he had shaded her from the chandelier’s glare. But for Asche, none of that mattered. She had one clear objective.

Her learned instincts took over, and she pulled the butler’s hand toward her. 

Then, she placed it on top of her head and began rubbing against it gently.

“Hehe…”

…

…

[Indestructible Object.]

…The system message appeared approximately five seconds later.