The director gave me a special permit to stay in a smaller room in the mansion. It was in the back of the manor house, which seemed to me quite isolated and I felt insecure. We have set the month of May to solve the whole mystery. I went to the manor house on foot, as it is close to my place of residence. I entered the courtyard, where no one was seen at this time. Early on Tuesday morning, the workers had not yet arrived from other places than usual. I went up a long external staircase located in the courtyard, which leads from both sides to the main entrance. I knocked on the large wooden door and stood motionless for a moment. A strange sense of insecurity seized me. The door they opened slowly, and a middle-aged guide in casual clothes appeared in front of me.
"Good morning," she said, shaking my hand."
"Good morning to you too," I replied, squeezing her hand.
"So you're here, as we agreed with the director. He called me last night to take you through the mansion at least so briefly, and then I have to accommodate you. It won't take long, I think the most important room for you will be a visitor, where the Count and all the other representatives of the monarchy received important but also quite ordinary visits."
"Yes, you are right, this is the most important room in the whole matter."
"My name is Diana and I'll take you through the mansion so that you have at least a rough idea of what it looks like here. Your room is at the back of the manor house, so that no one will disturb you during the day with work noise, but also debates between employees and shouts from workers."
We walked slowly through one room after another. In each, all the equipment was preserved as if the monarchy still ruled and this manor house was inhabited by the Count family. I just smirked involuntarily and began to look slowly to see from which side the servants would appear. Ancient furniture, large paintings on the walls, framed in gold rough frames, a large fireplace, porcelain in display cases…
"You know, Diana, we have agreed with the director that I will be accommodated here until the delusion that everyone fears, does not disappear from the scene. But the limit of the whole investigation is the end of May. I will work at night and sleep more during the day. I hope I can solve this as soon as possible. After all, it's a case that puts a strain on the staff and it puts a strain on me."
Diana nodded at everything I said.
"Of course I understand. This is an agreement between you, and I also hope that it will be resolved as soon as possible. Here, we'll enter your room in a moment."
We walked down a narrow corridor that seemed rather depressing to me. We were already in the back of the manor and it was dark in the corridors. We stopped in front of a large wooden door decorated with various ornaments from the time of Hungary. Flowers, the emblem of the Sztáray family. Diana turned a larger metal key in the lock and the door swung open. We entered a smaller room. In the middle stood a wooden desk, and on the left side of the window was a bed with carved patterns on the front, but also on the bottom. Heavy curtains gave the room an official character. It looked like a study for one person. A small sink with running water and on the right I almost didn't notice the door, behind which hid a ceramic toilet from ancient times.
"Well, Branko, this will be your refuge during your stay in this mansion. We don't have exact information about who stayed here in this room and what they were working on. It's obviously a smaller office. We know nothing more. Tailor-made for you."
I sat down at a table with many brochures, blank papers and various magazines concerning the period of Hungary and the rulers of that time…
"Then I will live here until the whole matter is resolved. During the day I have time off, I can go to the city and I can also sleep. Such is the agreement. Thank you for bringing me here, I won't burden you anymore. I'm on the phone with your director. I think everything is as it should be."
Diana smiled and left the room. I was left alone and just looked around. It crossed my mind: no one knows who lived here in those old days and what he worked on here. It's a really weird feeling. Somewhere in the distance I heard a door slam and a short time later someone turned on the radio. It wasn't very loud, it wouldn't disturb me in anything. I thought it was definitely the workers' radio, and I'm going to go over it to check it out. In the meantime, I made a few more phone calls and prepared blank papers on the table. I have to write down the whole course of this event, although nothing would happen. That's why I arranged all the papers and brochures on the table so that it was clear. I sat in a chair for a moment, looking at an old painting that painted part of the local Laborec River. After a while, I left the room and walked around the manor. I had permission from the director. All rooms were very interesting. Indeed, one is as impressed as if nobles still lived here. Many paintings on the walls are of great value and are part of the exhibition. The representatives of the Sztáray dynasty really have a very powerful power. Counts and counts, their descendants, perhaps some relative of this family. I went out of the large hall to the front of the mansion and met workers there who were just preparing paints for painting the walls.
"Hello, you've had a lot of work to do since this morning."
It takes a long time for us, as we no longer work at night, especially because of what is happening here. Are you the writer who came here to solve the nightmare?"
These words seemed so strange to me, but I immediately responded to the question.
"Yes, It's me. I can't promise anything, but I will try to stop it as soon as possible and to make life in the mansion the same as before. I'm going to town now, I still have some business to resolve."
" So we were happy to keep your hands on this case,"they told me.