A Monodrama for Carolyn August - Chapter 6

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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 6.
In an instant, every eye in the room fixed on Caroline.
“…….”
Caroline wasn’t the type to enjoy attention, so she felt a little embarrassed.
But she noticed that none of the guests seemed particularly surprised—and that irritated her all the more.
“I’d prefer if we could have more focused conversation about the work itself. Rather than throwing gossip-style questions at him.”
“For instance, what sort of questions? What stories do you think Caroline might be willing to share?”
Aiden sipped his tea casually as he posed the question.
“As a fan, there’s plenty I’d want to ask. Actually, The Quiet Graduation is unusual in that Aiden starred in it but didn’t have a romantic counterpart, isn’t that right?”
Aiden nodded.
Remarkably, all the women’s pens lay resting on the table.
“Because I was playing a student role.”
“Of course it’s a student role, but James is a character who shows the process of a wounded delinquent meeting a new teacher and learning so much that he becomes an admirable person, isn’t he?”
Caroline watched as something flickered across the man’s dead-fish green eyes for just a moment.
“I think it’s because the kind of love James experiences isn’t romantic love—it’s love for people and society. James’s teacher, Robelianne, has a fiancée, and James has Robelianne, the townspeople, and even the audience as objects of his love.”
Caroline was so absorbed in what she was saying that she only noticed when Aiden had gone quiet.
He, who had been expressing understanding with occasional nods and soft sounds between words, was now simply watching her.
‘The actor would know best, and here I am running my mouth.’
She felt intensely embarrassed at her sudden verbosity—the mark of a devoted fan, pouring it all out the moment you crack open a conversation about something you love.
Caroline quietly closed her mouth and drew herself back.
“……That’s quite interesting.”
Aiden wore a faint, subtle smile now—different from before.
Whether he found it genuinely intriguing or was simply bewildered, she couldn’t tell.
“Does anyone else have questions about this?”
“You must have many precious memories with your mother. Have you arranged her belongings?”
“?”
Her blood pressure spiked instantly.
Caroline’s fists clenched at the casual way the question disregarded everything that had just been said, but she stopped herself as Aiden answered with composure.
‘I need to stop making a scene.’
She couldn’t fathom why Aiden tolerated these people, or what these machine-like creatures earnestly scribbling notes were really after.
Unable to understand any of it, Caroline decided to simply observe for the rest of the day.
* * *
Deciding to observe and actually accepting what she saw were two different things.
The moment tea time ended, Caroline spotted the servant who had guided her on her first day. She strode toward him and unleashed her questions.
“I wanted to ask you something about the guests.”
“Yes, Caroline. Please go ahead.”
“Were all the guests here invited?”
The servant answered mechanically.
“All five guests were indeed invited.”
Caroline was at a loss for words.
‘He said five again. Like Aiden, he forgot about me.’
These people weren’t innumerate—why did they keep doing this?
Caroline forced herself to accept it and move on.
“Are they all fans of Aiden’s like me? But how can they behave so rudely?”
The servant blinked, failing to grasp Caroline’s frustration.
“They’re prying into Aiden’s painful memories and private matters. Shouldn’t you as a servant try to stop them?”
“The guests may ask the master about anything they need.”
“That sort of question is necessary?”
“The guests may ask the master about anything they need.”
The same answer came back.
Caroline gave up on the conversation and fell silent. The servants in this place seemed remarkably closed-minded.
And.
‘My mind feels just as stuck.’
Caroline had indigestion again without fail—another uncomfortable meal had done it.
Spending time to let the food digest meant she’d soon need to start preparing for bed.
‘The rain’s coming down quite hard.’
After brushing her teeth and stepping out, she stood by the window.
What she’d thought was just a passing shower turned out to be rain that had been falling heavily for some time—and when she noticed something, she stiffened with a gasp.
‘That’s not Aiden, is it?’
The darkness and the downpour made it hard to see clearly; at first glance, she’d mistaken him for a ghost.
Caramel-blonde hair and a lean frame.
A man who looked like Aiden stood motionless in the darkness.
‘What’s he doing out there?’
He hadn’t rushed to shelter from the rain—he simply stood where he was, unmoving.
Caroline didn’t even check that midnight was approaching; she only registered where he was.
‘In front of the Maze. Among the thick trees of the Garden.’
And without so much as considering that she was in her nightclothes, she ran toward him.
In slippers, no less. She hadn’t even grabbed an umbrella for herself—only seized a light blanket to drape over Aiden before moving on pure instinct.
And so she reached the man who looked like he’d been dragged through a river.
“What are you doing out here? It’s pouring—you’re soaked through!”
She draped the blanket around him hurriedly.
As Caroline brushed back the wet hair that clung to his face, something unexpected made her flinch and step backward.
Aiden’s eyes, now visible, fixed on her with unmistakable hostility.
“Why…?”
And yet it was strange.
‘It’s not malice exactly—more like defiance?’
The moment Caroline opened her mouth to speak to him as one might soothe a child, a bell rang out.
Dong—
A great bell that she hadn’t even known existed inside the Mansion announced the hour of twelve.
“Oh!”
‘The House Rules!’
Fourth: After midnight, you must not leave your room. A Servant will make a final visit at midnight; please inform them then of anything you require. The dressing room and bathroom are within your quarters, and we will provide whatever you need, so you must not leave your room after midnight under any circumstances.
In that instant, Caroline realized what she had done.
She had broken the House Rules, and she had no idea what would happen if she were caught.
‘This is bad.’
But what could she do? Before her stood a man who looked moments away from catching a cold,
‘and even if I rush back upstairs now, it won’t solve anything. Won’t I run into the Servants?’
Caroline made her decision: put out the most urgent fire first. Tend to her charge.
“Come inside for now.”
She spoke carefully, reaching out to tug his sleeve,
when—whack—
a sharp hand knocked hers away.
“Don’t touch me.”
His tone was biting.
Caroline’s eyes widened as she stepped back, staring at her charge.
‘Why is he acting like this?’
It made no sense.
He would know her face. He should be able to predict why she was here.
Bewildered, Caroline let her gaze drift downward,
and—
something unexpected caught her eye.
Aiden was wearing neither his nightclothes nor the outdoor clothes she’d seen him in before.
‘That’s… a school uniform?’
A carelessly loosened necktie, and a light blue striped shirt.
The moment Caroline grasped what figure this was supposed to represent and moved to demand an explanation,
“Who’s there?”
At the sound of an approaching voice, Caroline spun around urgently.
A Servant carrying a lantern was drawing near from a distance.
“Master?”
For reasons unknown, Aiden turned away from Caroline and walked toward the Servant.
“…I apologize, Master.”
He disappeared among the trees, and she heard the Servant discover him.
“But where did you get that blanket on your shoulders? Could it have been…?”
And in that moment, Caroline noticed the lantern light sweeping toward her.
“Who’s there?”
‘This is bad.’
Aiden had unintentionally shielded her and bought time, but Caroline had no idea what to do next.
If she was caught like this, would she be cast out of the Mansion?
‘No. That can’t happen. I have to think. What do I do?’

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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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