A Monodrama for Carolyn August - Chapter 67

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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 67.
It was a reckless thought.
She’d already lost one Heart, and losing two more would kill her—and this world too.
Caroline and everything in it.
Yet Caroline was brimming with confidence. A belief that she could pull this off seeped from some unknowable depth.
“So that I don’t lose my life, and complete the Mission safely.”
Without hesitation, Caroline pressed “No” on the words floating in the window.
She felt Aiden’s gaze follow the movement of her fingertip.
“…….”
Then she heard him whisper something in a low voice.
“Pardon?”
When Caroline asked for clarification, he shook his head and raised his voice.
“Understood. Then I’ll convey your next Mission to you now, Caroline.”
“All right.”
“You have Will’s Diary, don’t you, Caroline?”
“Oh, yes.”
Caroline opened her Bag and pulled out the book inside—bound in deep red velvet.
Aiden nodded and smiled.
“Good. But you won’t have found the Key to unlock it yet.”
“That’s right. I only have Aiden’s Diary Key.”
“Every Character Personality has a Diary—filled with notes and reflections from Aiden’s acting work during that Character Role. There’s a Key that can unlock each one. From your expression, I see you already know this.”
He spoke lightly, having observed her composed face.
“Oh, I heard about it this morning at breakfast.”
“I see. The daytime Aiden said he doesn’t know where any of them are. But the nighttime Aidens each know the locations of some.”
!
Caroline’s eyes widened, and she pulled herself closer to Aiden.
“First, each Character’s Diary is kept in their own Character’s stage set room. They’re tucked into bookshelves or on desks, so it shouldn’t be difficult for you to find them.”
“That’s a relief…….”
“I’d like to go with you and show you now, but I can’t. Unlike the Character Personalities, I cannot protect you from the servants.”
“I apologize for interrupting your performance, Master.”
She recalled the servant who had met Will and bowed formally before withdrawing.
He’d nearly killed her then, had almost strangled her.
From that, she’d learned that it was safe to be with Aiden while he was in Character mode—while he was performing.
But the 3 AM Aiden, an NPC, couldn’t help her.
“Then I shouldn’t let anyone see me with you?”
“Correct. The mere fact of you leaving your room after midnight could cost you a Heart.”
Caroline nodded.
“Still, since you can take the Diaries during the day whenever you like, that part won’t be difficult. The real problem is the Keys.”
“The Keys.”
“Only each Character Role knows where their Diary’s Key is hidden. It won’t be something you can find just by searching the Mansion. They might carry it on their person, or hide it away somewhere secure.”
“I see…….”
“In the worst case, each Character might not even know they’re carrying a Key.”
Aiden had no certain knowledge about this part.
“Then what should I do?”
Caroline swallowed hard.
The fact that the Characters might hide the Keys, carry them, or not know about them at all meant she couldn’t simply approach them and ask for it directly.
‘Then how am I supposed to get them?’
“You must pretend to be their scene partner, play along with their rhythm, and make them give you the Key themselves—or reveal where they keep it.”
Caroline’s mind felt as if it were spinning.
She’d played along with scene partners a few times now and knew how it worked.
But the crucial thing was that it wasn’t always the answer.
When she’d pretended to be Regina, hadn’t she almost been caught because the sympathy and compassion she felt had shown through?
‘If I’d lost a Heart then, it really would’ve been disastrous.’
“So while playing along, I need to guide them into giving me hints about the Key?”
“Precisely.”
“I shouldn’t ask them directly for the Key?”
“I can’t say for certain it would put you in danger. But they might not think of that object as a ‘Key’ at all.”
Caroline sighed.
The path forward wasn’t clear.
She’d have to spend time with them, be present with them, watch their actions, and respond flexibly.
“Aiden doesn’t know anything about the Key? You said you’d handle the cleanup.”
“I wished to investigate, but…….”
He lowered his gaze, his expression troubled.
“As I mentioned earlier, memories don’t connect between personalities—I can only recall where James has placed things when I’m living as James. And remarkably, the Character Personalities each hid their Keys in places only they know about before 3 o’clock. As if they were being mindful of me.”
“Ah…….”
Caroline nodded.
The man possessed six Personalities in total.
Even if she expressed regret to him, he was merely the Personality occupying the shortest window of time—from 3 a.m. until the morning when “Daytime Aiden” awakened.
‘It’s fine. I can do this.’
She could navigate around the obstacles ahead.
The things in her Bag would each lend their support.
Besides, Caroline wasn’t the sort to abandon Aiden to find a substitute—her enthusiasm for him ran too deep.
‘Now I understand why Aiden told me to quit the game earlier. He must have judged that the steps ahead could be dangerous.’
Remembering Friedman from before, his warning seemed justified.
But she had to see it through. Caroline clenched her fist.
“All right. I’ll do my best. And after I get the Key?”
“…….”
A brief silence fell.
“?”
Caroline tilted her head at the man lost in thought.
“……Once you’ve collected five pairs of Diaries and Keys—Aiden’s black Diary and its Key included—you’ll be able to advance to a new stage through them. Once you’ve gathered those, please come to me.”
Just as Caroline opened her mouth to thank him, she had to hastily cover her lips.
A yawn had escaped her without warning.
‘Oh!’
It was almost a miracle that someone so naturally inclined to wake early had managed to stay awake this long.
And yet, if she wanted to keep meeting Aiden at 3 a.m., she’d have to remain awake at this hour indefinitely.
“Shall we call it a night?”
Aiden smiled gently at Caroline and began clearing the tea table.
“I know 3 a.m. is exhausting for you to endure. Even for me, by the time I come to my senses at 3 o’clock and begin my tasks, the fatigue is overwhelming.”
“But we can only meet at this hour…….”
As Caroline spoke with a dejected quaver in her voice, Aiden’s gaze fixed on her for a long moment. Seeming to share her disappointment, he bit his lip in contemplation, then set down the tray and found a Beige Memo Paper on the desk, which he handed to her.
“The other Personalities won’t be able to find it, but there’s a place where you and I would think to look. Please slip it somewhere you could discover it while doing the cleanup.”
Caroline accepted the paper, which carried a subtle, delicate fragrance.
“All right.”
“There will be many days when we cannot meet. You’ll need your sleep, and there may be mornings when I struggle to encounter you at 3 a.m.”
But don’t forget, Caroline.
Aiden added tenderly.
“I exist here always to help you and keep you safe.”
His warm green eyes met her blue ones with a caress of a gaze.
‘How strange.’
A man she’d spent barely half an hour with. Someone who knew nothing about her, and someone she would see least of all in the days to come.
Yet merely holding his gaze seemed to fill her with courage.
“Yes, Aiden.”

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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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