Chapter 2

“Hm?” He glanced at the corpse, surprise flickering across his features. He placed a hand over his chest, bowing slightly. “My apologies, esteemed guests, for allowing such filth to offend your eyes.”

He clapped his hands. Two pale-faced Maids emerged from a side passage, their human faces devoid of emotion. Without a word, they unfurled a body bag, efficiently collecting the mangled remains and scrubbing the blood from the floor. In moments, they were gone, carrying the bag away as if it were routine.

“My deepest regrets,” the Butler continued. “We take pride in keeping the Castle spotless. Such ... oversights are rare.”

Ethan’s brow furrowed. Something was off. At first, he’d thought the Butler’s outburst was a loss of control, perhaps tinged with remorse. But now, it seemed he had no memory of the killing—or even of his own introduction. His repeated greeting, his shock at the “filth,” suggested his mind reset, erasing the violence.

“But ... but...” A woman with wavy hair, Lily Summers, stammered, her voice trembling. “That man—you killed—”

“No, don’t be ridiculous,” Ethan cut in, his tone sharp but calculated. “Why pick a fight? The Butler didn’t mean any harm.”

Lily blinked, confused, sensing the tension but not the reason. She glanced at the Butler, whose horizontal pupils were tinged red, his mouth twitching as if on the verge of another breakdown. Terrified, she crouched, covering her mouth, tears streaming silently. She knew she’d narrowly escaped death.

Ethan had no time to comfort her. His mind was racing. The tall man had clearly triggered some rule, some taboo that unleashed the Butler’s wrath—a rule the Butler himself seemed unaware of, his memory wiped clean after the act. Lily’s careless words had nearly rekindled that trigger, risking another rampage. The Butler’s brief lapse into madness confirmed Ethan’s theory, though his quick intervention had prevented disaster.