A Monodrama for Carolyn August - Chapter 29

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 29.
After finishing dinner, Caroline sat in her room with a serious expression.
[There are inexplicable events unfolding within this Mansion. Because they are quite unusual, you should be able to notice them.]
It was the System’s first directive to Caroline.
‘And this must be referring to Aiden, who immerses himself in his Character Role and performs without even realizing it.’
Or perhaps Toby, denied existence in this Mansion and casting no reflection in mirrors.
And Caroline had to discover how this ‘inexplicable phenomenon’ was connected to Aiden’s death.
‘An excessive immersion in Acting caused him to slip into Character Role performances at unpredictable moments. To the point where he wouldn’t even remember.’
And Aiden was aware of his own deteriorating condition.
That’s why he was retiring, putting his life in order.
“That’s not it, is it, System?”
She asked the empty air, but no answer came back.
‘Is there something more I need to find out?’
Caroline waited for a moment in case a System window might appear, but again, silence.
“Hmm.”
Finally, she rose from her seat.
She pulled the Box that the servant had left earlier over to the desk and opened its lid.
“Oh.”
It was filled with all manner of odds and ends.
Hansel and Gretel, The Little Mermaid, The Adventures of Ruslan, Delia and Toby—
dusty fairy tale books, worn lamp frames, various jewels that seemed to have served as ornaments.
‘I could have sworn the bag moved earlier.’
Yet as Caroline picked up each item one by one, no signal came.
One by one, as she pulled out the useless objects from the Box to the floor, what remained in it seemed to dwindle rapidly.
The moment Caroline frowned and shook her head in frustration—
‘Huh?’
A rather familiar object revealed itself.
The Peppermint Candy Dispenser from Oyster Man—the one that had even been made into merchandise.
A small green dispenser, maybe holding just ten candies, with a slide-out tube in front that would click and release a peppermint when pressed.
It looked old, but the candies had never been eaten, so it felt heavy when she lifted it.
‘!’
The bag trembled and shifted.
‘Can I use this when I meet Aiden later, when he’s performing as Friedman?’
It might be necessary for matching his rhythm, as the System had suggested.
With that thought, Caroline pressed the tube with a click and popped a peppermint into her mouth.
Then she pressed the bag and placed the Peppermint Candy Dispenser next to the Red Thread.
“There’s just so much junk in this Mansion. No wonder Aiden wanted to clear it all out.”
Caroline nodded and began gathering the items from the floor back into the Box.
Somehow, despite removing just one thing, the Box seemed fatter than before, and the lid wouldn’t close.
“What?”
Exasperated, Caroline shook the Box back and forth, trying to force the space to accommodate everything.
In the process, she discovered a rod jutting through the Box’s edge—she wasn’t sure when it had come loose.
“What is this now?”
The volume inside must have been larger than what was showing.
She tried to pull it free, but it wouldn’t budge, so she had no choice but to overturn the Box again.
Only after dumping the other contents onto the floor did it finally reveal itself: a hand bell.
A small one, the sort a child might use.
The moment she touched the rusted thing—so out of place in this elegant Mansion—the bag trembled once more.
‘!’
[Michelle Belota Dearbell’s Old Bell]
And a window materialized before her eyes.
[A bell that Michelle Belota Dearbell once used to summon servants.]
[After Midnight, when a servant begins ascending the stairs on the floor where the Player is located, the bell rings—but only the Player will hear it. However, you must remove the bell from your bag and place it in the space where the Player is located to hear the sound. (3 uses)]
Caroline read the golden text carefully.
It seemed designed to help her move more freely through the Mansion after Midnight. Once the bell rang three times, it would no longer be usable.
Caroline placed it in her bag as well, then shook the Box thoroughly to confirm she hadn’t missed anything. No more items triggered the bag’s response.
With the bell removed, the lid closed snugly. As Caroline looked down at the Box, she thought the four picture books might be useful, so she pulled them out and arranged them on the bookshelf above her desk.
‘All right, then…….’
All that remained was to wait for Midnight.
* * *
“Sleep well, Caroline.”
“Yes, see you tomorrow!”
She’d answered brightly enough, but Caroline had no intention of sleeping.
Soft slippers to muffle her footsteps.
A small lamp she could extinguish quickly. Everything was ready.
Just past midnight, Caroline eased open her door and slipped into the hallway.
Her purpose tonight was crystal clear.
To reach Michelle Belota Dearbell’s locked room and discover what lay within.
Through it, she might uncover why Toby feared that room so deeply—and find the truth about Aiden that she’d been unable to grasp.
Up the stairs, across the Central Hall, until she stood before the 3rd Floor West Room.
Caroline pressed her bag and withdrew Michelle Belota Dearbell’s Old Bell, then pulled out a key and unlocked the door.
The space revealed was familiar, yet wondrous all the same.
A dead woman’s room, yet somehow maintained—the lamps burned as if the space still lived, and beneath their glow stood ornate shelves and display cases.
Opposite the door, a shelf held photographs of Aiden in gilded frames.
Baby Aiden, Aiden as a child actor on stage, Aiden performing the role of Friedman, Aiden accepting awards—all captured in frames of brilliance.
It spoke volumes of Michelle’s pride in her son.
And beside the door stood an enormous cabinet.
“Wow, this is…”
Admiration escaped her lips unbidden.
‘She loved him even more than I do.’
Caroline had believed herself Aiden’s greatest fan, but it seemed the number one spot belonged to someone else.
She stepped closer, peering through the dark-tinted glass—and found the cabinet crammed entirely with awards.
Best Actor of the Year, Best Young Actor of the Year, Best Newcomer—the shelves gleamed with accolades.
Plaques from production companies and trophies won through audience polls shone brilliantly among them.
‘These are all awards Aiden won?’
She’d memorized the count of his accolades, yet there seemed to be more than she remembered.
“Huh?”
Narrowing her eyes, Caroline confirmed her instinct—she wasn’t mistaken.
Among the acting awards sat something distinctly unusual in form.
Atop a black box perched a sleek female sculpture.
‘What is that?’
Dust had accumulated enough to obscure the inscription, but the trophy looked to be from at least thirty years ago.

And beside it, a procession of similar sculptures bearing similar dates lined the cabinet.
‘Ballet, ballet, corps member…’
Pressing her face nearly against the glass to read, Caroline finally made out
that all the names inscribed were the same: Michelle Belota Dearbell.
‘Aiden’s mother’s awards.’
“But why the name Dearbell?”
Michelle Belota Dearbell had borne Aiden at a young age.
Thirty years ago, even with the closest trophies she could find, she’d been underage for all of them.
Which meant the surname Dearbell that followed Aiden’s name hadn’t come from his father.
‘He took his mother’s name.’
It struck her like a blow to the head.
Whatever the circumstances, she’d been his fan for years without ever hearing mention of his father—that detail returned to her now.
‘I suppose that’s possible.’
Caroline nodded to herself and hurried past the display.
Prying into his private life left her unsettled.
“Oh.”
Turning her attention elsewhere, she spotted things she recognized.
A dark bookcase lined with original novels like and , plus scripts, interviews, director’s notes, and behind-the-scenes materials—packed tightly together.
It resembled Caroline’s own personal library closely, yet held works she’d never seen, early performances by Aiden that she’d only known about by name.
‘I feel outmatched.’
Information about Aiden she didn’t possess.
An actor’s mother was an unbeatable rival.
As that thought crossed her mind and she moved deeper into the spacious room, Caroline spotted something that didn’t belong.
A long rod, tapering toward the end, made of wood that was supple and easy to grip—definitely not a fireplace poker.
Caroline’s mind had stalled for a moment before the word finally arrived.
‘A cane?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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