After being told that her meeting room was on the 5th floor, Alicia wasn't too surprised. She, who had been practicing walking in a dress, was sure that there would be no problem when she had to climb the stairs.
While following Belle, who was walking in front of her, Alicia tried not to leave her behind. She had a little trouble keeping up with Belle, who was walking fast because she had to tread carefully. But she was helped by her bare feet and made her move faster to keep up with Belle's steps.
Thanks to her efforts, Alicia could get to the stairs without the slightest problem with her dress.
They climbed the stairs to the highest floor of the palace. "Whoa, the ballroom and pillars look small from here." From up there, Alicia was amazed at the difference in size when she saw the vast hall and the huge pillars that she had previously seen up close.
When she reached the 5th floor, she could immediately notice that something was off from the highest floor of the mysterious palace. Up there is not as luxurious as the floor below.
"Eh, why is there a place like this in this luxurious Palace?" Alicia muttered in disbelief at what she saw. The lavish decorations were also not visible along the hallway. The 5th floor was an abandoned part of the palace.
As Alicia walked, she noticed that the walls were crumbling and cracking. Not only that, but the floor was also broken, and some of the pieces scattered along the road hit Alicia's bare feet.
'Ooww... Lots of ceramic shards. It looks like a building about to be torn down!' Alicia really slowed her down because she had to choose a path so the ceramic shards wouldn't hurt her legs. Luckily their destination wasn't far from the stairs, and she didn't have to agonize much longer.
From a distance, Alicia could see that Rufus was waiting in front of the shabby double door with an anxious expression.
Alicia was a little worried and wondered which room they were taking her to. If it was Young Master's room, it should be more luxurious than the treatment room or her room. But she didn't see that at all from the Young Master's room entrance. Alicia began to hesitate and wonder if she was framed?
"Belle, you are almost late bringing Miss Alicia!" Rufus' anxiety immediately broke when he saw Belle and Alicia arrive.
"There was a bit of trouble earlier with Miss Alicia." Smiling at Rufus, she explained the reason for their delay.
'The problem is actually with you, because it doesn't explain clearly and only gives difficult puzzles.' Behind Belle, she was a little annoyed at making herself an escape from her fault.
After hearing Belle's excuse, Rufus walked over and approached Alicia. "Miss Alicia, I have a message for you. If the person you are going to meet is Young Master, he is the one who saved you. You will definitely be a little scared when you see Young Master for the first time, but I hope you can fight that feeling and don't become quiet girl."
Alicia didn't know why Rufus gave her the Young Master's terrible impression. But after learning that the Young Master was the one who had saved her, Alicia was sure that she would not be affected by that fear. She instead wanted to thank him and asked him for help again.
She believed that because, for sure, the person who had saved her must have been nice and helpful.
"I understand." Although there were doubts due to being influenced by Rufus' words, Alicia still believed in her hopes and nodded.
"Then please come in." Rufus and Belle immediately stepped aside to make way for Alicia.
'Eh? S-so I'm alone?!' Inwardly Alicia screamed. She was shocked after realizing that she had to enter the Young Master's room alone. She thought that one of them would accompany her to meet the Young Master.
Since Alicia had already answered Rufus' question clearly, she couldn't back down. She had to fight her fear that slowly started to emerge due to meeting an important figure from the palace, plus she didn't know the Young Master at all.
Even though her legs felt heavy, she decided to slowly walk towards the front of the double door that looked like the door of an old building. She glanced at the faces of Rufus and Belle for a moment, who looked down as if they were inviting her to enter their master's room.
Just as she was about to grab the handle of the door, her confidence immediately plummeted when she felt a strange aura rising from between the doors.
'What black aura is that?' Even though it was faint, Alicia could clearly see the strange aura creeping out. Seeing that immediately sent chills all over Alicia's body.