Nightmare Game
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 27
Ethan didn’t head straight back to his room. Instead, he made his way toward the staff quarters on the first floor.
He remembered Albert mentioning the day before that he’d seen all the spare keys for the castle in Butler’s room.
With Butler busy handling arrangements in the main hall right now, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get hold of those keys without drawing attention.
Ethan didn’t expect Bella’s diary to reveal everything on its own. He’d already checked every unlocked area, so the only places left were the master and mistress’s bedrooms.
Without a doubt, those rooms likely held crucial clues.
As he passed the kitchen, Ethan glanced inside cautiously. Once he confirmed the chef wasn’t around, he approached the knife rack and slipped a slim fruit knife into his pocket.
The kitchen had plenty of knives, so no one would probably notice if one small fruit knife went missing.
He continued to the innermost staff room and quickly located Butler’s quarters.
Seeing no one nearby, Ethan eased the door open. His eyes immediately landed on a set of keys hanging on the wall.
There were three in total: two labeled for the master and mistress, and the last one unmarked.
Ethan pulled out a bar of soap he’d grabbed from the bathroom during his morning routine. He removed the keys and pressed them carefully into the soap, leaving clear impressions of all three before putting them back.
He wouldn’t dare take the keys outright. If his hunch was right, Butler was responsible for managing them, and if he noticed any missing, it could lead to serious trouble.
With no signs of anyone returning yet, Ethan decided to poke around Butler’s room a bit longer.
The space was simple, with hardly any personal items, so the search wrapped up quickly.
Undeterred, Ethan moved on to the attached bathroom.
The moment he stepped inside, his gaze locked onto a poster.
It hung right above the sink, impossible to miss.
Ethan found it odd; he’d never seen a poster in a bathroom before.
Stepping closer, he realized it looked more like a photograph than a poster.
Strangely enough, the background matched the bathroom exactly, with the same white tiles. The image showed a man.
His expression was pale and vacant. He wore a black suit and white gloves, almost identical to Butler’s usual attire.
Ethan didn’t sense any danger from the photo. He reached out and lightly touched it.
His palm met a cool, smooth surface. If he wasn’t mistaken, this was a mirror underneath.
Covering a mirror with a photo?
Ethan pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up as an idea formed.
He tucked the thought away for now, considering how to use it later.
After finishing his search, Ethan headed back upstairs alone.
When he opened the door to room 201, a strong aroma of alcohol hit him.
The scent was unmistakable: it matched the red wine served at their first-night banquet.
Ethan’s face darkened, a sinking feeling rising in his chest along with a sense of foreboding.
He stepped inside slowly and spotted a half-empty glass of wine on the table.
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