"So, about Grandpappy…" I begin.
"Yes?" Isak says as he leads me to my room for the whole year.
I glance behind my shoulder in case his presence may be near. "Who is this Beatrice woman he keeps mentioning? As his butler, you should know, right?"
For once, he takes time to deliver his response.
"You know, Mie, curiosity once drove a cat over a ledge," Isak warns.
"And it also expanded humanity's knowledge," I reply. "Can't you tell me, Isak? Grandpappy didn't even answer my question. He just avoided it."
"If Milord won't talk about it, what makes you think I will?" Isak points out. "I am loyal to my master. If he wishes not to inform you, then you must respect that. You are just a child after all. Children shouldn't meddle in their elders' affairs."
"We're the same age, smartass," I grumble.
'You are just a child.'
I despise those words.
"And we're hardly children anymore." I add, sighing. "But fine; if you won't tell me, I won't press any further."
For now, at least.
Isak turns the corridor, and I follow suit. We venture through another long hallway that's empty except for the scarce furniture of a brown, glass cabinet and a few potted plants. Just at the end of the hall are a flight of stairs leading up to the third floor. But as we begin our ascent, my eyes catch notice of a bookshelf behind the stairs. From afar, it's just any other case of books. However, what intrigues me is the small handle that awkwardly protrudes out beside an unfitted, green book, revealing a hidden door disguised behind its facade of novels.
Before Isak moves any further, I tug on his sleeve.
"What's that?" I point at the secret entrance. "There's a door."
"It's a bookshelf, Mie."
"Don't play games with me, Isak." I frown. "Look, there's a handle. And I'm sure you know this place inside and out. There's definitely a secret door there."
Isak sighs as if he were a preschool teacher with an inquisitive child. "No, you're imagining things," he replies, continuing his climb up the stairs. "Why would there be a door behind a staircase?"
"And you think a bookshelf makes more sense?"
Isak stops abruptly as we reach the third floor, and his body slowly turns to face me. His jaw tightens with annoyance and… warning.
"Even if there was a secret door there, you shouldn't be exploring places where you're not invited in," he says with a cold voice. "Listen, Mie, I know that you and Milord are not very well acquainted with one another. So, I shall summarize his personality briefly. Milord hates it when people touch his belongings. Especially since he despises when objects travel to places where they do not belong. Do you understand?"
The atmosphere around us chills, and I can feel the warning embedded in his words.
The mystery of Grandpappy, the Beatrice woman, the villagers, and the secret door is literally driving me insane.
Without a moment's notice, I have been forced to live in the countryside and adjust to its lifestyle thanks to my parents' bidding. And because of that, here I am encountering a mysterious grandfather with too many secrets to keep and his loyal butler who speaks in tongues that only makes the fire of my curiosity burn brighter.
It hurts my head that I can't know the answers to my questions. Nor unlock the secrets the people of Epsersein so heavily guard.
But curiosity drives me, and I have no way of taming it. I will get those answers somehow. I will unlock those secrets no matter what.
Why am I so adamant? Because I'm intrigued.
And this will be the only action I will ever get living in this dull, small countryside anyway.
Or so I thought…