A Monodrama for Carolyn August - Chapter 33

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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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Episode 33.
“I’ve been here for several days already. I’ve never been to a place like this before, so it’s been a bit difficult to adjust.”
The words that came from Jane’s mouth differed from what Carolyn truly felt, yet the context was similar enough that no Triangle appeared.
But everything contained within them belonged to Carolyn’s story.
Adjusting to life at the Manor was hard.
The relentless barrage of Missions and Quests wore on her too.
“There’s no one to have a real conversation with, and people are all busy with their own work before they disappear.”
Carolyn’s only anchors were the letters that came from Anna and the presence of Aiden.
These were things she’d been feeling all along, so of course they found their way into words.
But somehow, speaking them aloud to Will made them feel all the more real.
‘I’m lonely in this place.’
“I had no idea the detective felt that way. You must have had a hard time.”
Just as he did on stage, Will leaned forward naturally and patted Carolyn’s shoulder.
It was the kind of touch that spoke of old friends.
Like Jane in the play, Carolyn showed a hint of surprise but didn’t pull away.
‘This is nice.’
Even if it was false, it felt like she was receiving comfort from Aiden.
“Actually, I thought you seemed to be managing perfectly well here at the Manor.”
Aiden withdrew his hand and continued speaking.
Carolyn sipped from her half-empty cup and looked at him.
‘A shame.’
The comfort lasted only a moment.
Now it was time to return to the play.
“Why?”
“Your popularity aboard the Cruise is quite considerable. As Abel mentioned, some of it is due to your appearance, but the cases you’ve solved are no ordinary matters.”
Will said this with a wink.
Playful, cheerful, and naturally blessed with abundant goodwill—he exuded confidence.
‘Who would believe that beneath that facade lies inferiority and rage toward the nobility.’
Through the silent clown Will, those emotions expressed themselves as murder.
Carolyn felt awe at how utterly different he was from this version.
“What I’ve done may be interesting to some, but I think people are also eager to see what else I can accomplish next.”
She wished she could simply admire him without needing to deliver lines.
Carolyn felt a pang at the fact that she wasn’t merely an audience member—she had to perform a role herself.
‘Perhaps it’s fortunate that I’ve watched the play so many times that I know all the lines like an actress.’
The scene Will had drawn her into was the part where the play’s structure shifted from exposition to rising action.
Because of the murder Will had committed, a noble had gone missing aboard the Cruise.
Surprisingly, very few people seemed concerned.
Since everyone had gathered for a party, they were already dismissing it as some prank or indiscretion on the noble’s part.
“Oh, what do you mean? Has someone misplaced something?”
Carolyn shook her head firmly, the way inflexible Jane would.
Unlike the cheerful and affected Will, she was candid and somewhat taciturn by nature.
“No, it’s the Viscount Montciel who’s gone missing.”
“Oh.”
In that instant, Will’s animated smile twisted.
“Are you suggesting the detective is also playing along with his games?”
“Games?”
As Jane pressed him, Will tightened his lips once more.
When Carolyn posed her plain question, Aiden’s mouth twitched at the corners, just as it had on stage.
“How could someone disappear aboard this Cruise? I understand he’s quite fond of entertainment, and I believe most people assume this is some performance he’s arranged.”
Carolyn regarded Will quietly.
It was a silence that existed within the actual play, but she held it slightly longer to summon the next line to memory.
‘The conversation’s growing lengthy. This is harder than I thought.’
When meeting Aiden in character, she didn’t have to recite only the script.
But when enacting the situation within the play like this, she had to match it as closely as possible.
“…Well, it could be someone’s plan under the guise of the party, couldn’t it?”
“Ha, the detective certainly sees things differently. I’ve been a prankster my whole life, after all.”
As Jane touched the heart of the matter gently, Will tried to end the conversation with laughter.
But rigid Jane was the type who had to finish what she wanted to say.
“Noble relationships are complex, after all. And you seem to know the Viscount quite well—you even know he enjoys entertainment.”
“I merely made assumptions because he seemed to enjoy my amusements, but now I see I should choose my words more carefully around the detective.”
Will shook his head as though embarrassed, clasping his hands behind his back.
“Now that I think of it, someone at tonight’s party asked me to help with a game. I should go check on that.”
Thus Will ended the longest conversation the two had shared, cutting it short at this point.
It was proof that even he sensed the danger of being discovered.
And the play moved on to the next scene.
“Feel free to stay as long as you’re comfortable, then leave whenever you’d like. Oh, and do be careful not to get bitten by Abel.”
The man had composed his expression completely, erasing all trace of what had just passed between them.
Perfect as Will, Aiden winked.
Then he made as if to pull open a nonexistent door and vanished from the room.
And so Carolyn was left alone.
In Will’s preparation space, arranged like a stage.
‘Thinking about it now….’
Carolyn recalled the Aiden she had encountered on that first night.
On the Third Floor, fresh from the shower, carrying a pleasant scent.
The man who had radiated such cheerfulness and playfulness—that must have been Aiden performing as Will.
‘Then was that Third Floor room designed as a cabin on the Cruise?’
But given that it had a bathroom and even a bed prepared, it seemed he hadn’t simply followed the stage backdrop.
‘Though it didn’t quite feel like Aiden’s actual room either….’
Now she wondered—where was Aiden’s real room?
The room where he slept and rested.
She tried to think, but couldn’t place it.
Carolyn resolved to ask him about it tomorrow, and decided to take a walk around this carefully constructed set room.
‘It’s really incredible.’
The layout was identical to an actual stage production.
Props, wallpaper, flooring—all genuinely similar.
It was a testament to how serious he was about his craft.
Then Carolyn spotted a small bookshelf.
“Wow, even this.”
The bookshelf wasn’t Will’s belongings—it was originally in the preparation room and played no real role in the play.
Yet he’d prepared even this.
Carolyn bent forward in admiration.
That was when it happened.
‘Hm?’
In the lower right of her field of vision.
The Bag that had been sitting still suddenly trembled.
‘!’
Carolyn froze in that exact posture, startled.
It meant one of two things.
Either there was something inside the Bag that could fit in it.
Or the Bag contained something she could use in this situation.
But all that was inside now was a bell, the Red Thread, and a tin of Peppermint Candy.
‘So there’s something here.’
What on earth could be hidden in this ordinary, seemingly meaningless bookshelf?
Carolyn ran her hand across the three-tiered bookshelf from top to bottom.
Poetry collections, novels, atlases, law books….
‘Just random books placed anywhere.’
Each one aged differently, covered in dust, their spines cracked and worn at her touch.
A soft, gentle sensation passing across her fingertips.
As Carolyn continued running her hand down to the second shelf,
‘!’
Something cold brushed against her palm.

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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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