The servant found herself in silence, with tiredness spreading throughout her body. She was seated at one of the tables right next to a closed window, trying to relax. Today had been a rather interesting day, with so many subjects to ponder.
But one stuck out from the rest: the experience of being a painting, and the sensation of death.
She could hardly believe everything had unfolded in a single day, one event following another so rapidly. Despite all she had learned about the world around her, it still felt insufficient.
With a heavy sigh, she wondered, "Lady Evelyn is a busy woman." Indeed, her mistress had left in a rush for an important matter, and the servant could hear the sound of running water behind the counter in the kitchen.
The store owner had taken it upon himself to wash the dishes, and at this moment, that sound had halted, signaling that he was finished with his chores.
Silvie stood up and composed herself, waiting patiently behind the counter, as the day wasn't over...
"I am in your care, Sir Daishi," Silvie said softly.
The store owner appeared in her view. He had just recently wiped his hands with a white towel, but Daishi, a man disinclined to waste time, immediately motioned for her to follow him to the back of the store, an area typically reserved for supplies.
Silvie obeyed and followed...
As they walked toward their destination, Silvie passed multiple rooms along the hallway. She walked past the bathroom and some vacant rooms, and she also saw Sir Daishi's room on the left, which was easy to tell as his name was written on the door: 'Daishi Osuna.'
"What an interesting name..." the servant murmured to herself.
Soon, they arrived at the storage room.
"Whoa..." She was fascinated by something so modest.
"Do be careful not to knock anything over," Daishi advised, and Silvie was mindful. Nevertheless, this space was oddly intriguing to her.
It was like any other storage room in every pastry shop, dimly lit and lined with old shelves.
The servant could smell flour and sugar, and saw stacked bags of both, along with jars of nuts and tins of cocoa.
There were also rolling pins and baking trays leaning against one corner, while glass jars of colorful sprinkles and candied fruits caught her eye.
"I wanna... Taste it!" she murmured to herself.
There were cabinets in the back, some holding containers of frosting and pre-made dough, and what seemed to be a safe for medicine in case of emergency.
She found it strange that something so important was kept here in the storage room...
However, the store owner guided her to one particular spot within the storage room. There, she saw an interesting object, a hatch in the ground.
"This is the way to the lab, Sir Daishi?" the servant asked curiously, as she could not imagine any other space in the building that could contain it.
"Correct." Sir Daishi had a silver key in his pocket. He used it to unlock the hatch, and with a quick click, it opened, revealing a set of spiral stairs descending into the darkness.
Yet, strangely enough, the store owner merely stood and glanced at the servant. With a faint smirk on his face, he said, "This is also where I store all those I've tortured."
The servant wasn't quite sure why the store owner would say that. She was indeed shocked, her eyes darting between the dark stairway and the man beside her.
For a moment, she didn't know what to do, or rather, she knew he wasn't serious. Still, she didn't mind entertaining the idea by pretending to be scared.
Daishi chuckled and smiled. "I'm joking," he said, noticing the mock fear in the servant's silver eyes.
Silvie exhaled in relief, her tense shoulders loosening as she forced an awkward smile. "That's not funny, sir," she muttered, keeping up the act, still a little shaken by how convincing his tone had sounded.
"I'm sorry. I saw an opportunity, and I had to do it," The man apologized.
"It's fine, Sir Daishi..." Silvie looked annoyed but decided to let it go.
"Anyway, let's keep going. You'll come across something really fascinating in a moment." The store owner began descending the stairs while gesturing for the servant to follow.
"I'm looking forward to it..." Silvie said. Choosing to place her trust in him, she trailed behind the man.
The spiral staircase seemed endless, each step echoing beneath her feet along with bits of dust and small debris. By the time they reached the bottom, perhaps thirty steps down, the scent of flour had long vanished from their nostrils. Instead, they were greeted by a basement with cold, damp walls.
There was a small ventilation shaft on the wall, covered by a metal grille, allowing air to circulate through the basement.
Some wooden cabinets hung on the walls. The store owner flicked a switch, turning on a light bulb above them. It was dusty, especially in the air, but one thing caused confusion.
"Sir Daishi, where is the laboratory? There is nothing here," she asked, as it was essentially just an empty basement.
Then a grim thought crossed her mind: was the store owner not joking when he said he used this place to torture victims?
"But that didn't make sense. There was no torture equipment here, and Sir Daishi's current demeanor remained relaxed and hadn't attempted anything of the sort!"
"Look below you... Silvie," Daishi ordered, and the servant obeyed, gazing down at her feet. She hadn't noticed it at first, but now, upon seeing it—
"I see a large painting... the entire floor serves as the canvas. Sir Daishi, this is an artwork of a laboratory," she said, her eyes widening in awe. Beneath her lay an intricate masterpiece, which appeared to be an old laboratory.
She could discern shelves, apparatuses, and furnishings arranged with precision, each placed to complement the very space of the basement itself.
To the servant, this could signify only one thing: she might soon bear witness to another of Lady Evelyn's scripts.
The store owner opened one of the cabinets mounted high upon the wall. He was tall enough to reach it with ease, a fact that caused the servant's eye to twitch slightly. "If only I were that tall," she murmured to herself.
Daishi retrieved an item that immediately drew Silvie's attention, a steel box. As he opened it, she stepped closer, her eyes widening in astonishment at its contents.
"Sir Daishi, does this mean that Lady Evelyn possesses the ability to confine an entire room within a canvas?" she inquired, her gaze fixed upon the man holding the steel box.
"Indeed," Daishi replied calmly. "And now, we are about to release it." He selected one of the pigments and lifted a silver-laden brush, allowing it to fill with the colors before holding it aloft, the ink gathering at its tip.
Ready to fall...
Chapter End...