Reiko stood at the top of the grand staircase, observing the main hall with an expression that wavered between professional horror and absolute resignation.
The scene unfolding before her looked like the aftermath of a lost battle.
Sleeping bodies were scattered everywhere—some draped across velvet divans, others sprawled directly on the marble floor, as if gravity itself had defeated them mid-activity.
The crystal chandeliers still hung intact, but everything else seemed to have been touched by some invisible, destructive force.
Beside her, Bell appeared far more animated, surveying the sleeping bodies with almost childlike curiosity, as though she were studying the results of a large-scale social experiment.
"This is going to be a nightmare to clean up, Reiko," Bell remarked, nudging a dark red stain with the tip of her foot where wine had soaked into an imported white rug.
"Look at that. That's wine from a three-year vintage. Dahlia is going to cry when she sees it."
"Please don't remind me," Reiko replied, rubbing her temples hard, as if she could squeeze the tension out of her skull.
"The maids were given strict instructions to keep certain areas under control and not participate in the excess. And yet I've already seen three of them passed out in the hallway—just as naked and drunk as the guests themselves. It's an unacceptable lack of discipline."
She descended the staircase slowly, taking in every detail of the devastation.
Crystal glasses lay overturned on marble tables, leaving dark stains that would probably never come out completely.
Food remnants were scattered everywhere: half-eaten fruit, crumbled cheese, pastries crushed under careless feet.
In one corner, she spotted what appeared to be a lone red high heel, completely abandoned, its partner nowhere to be found.
"How is it possible for a single night to cause this much damage?" Reiko muttered, more to herself than to Bell. "It's as if they were trying to destroy the mansion from the inside."
Bell followed her down, hopping lightly over sleeping bodies with effortless agility.
"Well, technically, that is what happened," Bell replied with a mischievous grin.
Reiko let out a long, deep sigh, trying to force her thoughts into some kind of coherent order.
She couldn't mobilize the cleaning staff while the mistress of the house was still missing somewhere in the mansion.
Dahlia was the sun around which all this chaos revolved, and until she was located and safely returned to her room, the mansion would remain stuck in a limbo of hangovers and disorder.
"Bell, I need you to get moving right now," Reiko said, turning to the succubus with an authoritative tone. "Try to find Marchioness Dahlia. Check the rooms in the east wing, the library… anywhere a drunk woman might decide is a good place to sleep. Sometimes she even stays outside if the wine is particularly good."
Bell nodded, but Reiko continued before she could interrupt.
"When you find her, take her straight to her private chambers. And listen carefully: for the sake of my sanity and your safety, I sincerely hope her room isn't occupied by strangers or trashed beyond recognition. That was the most important directive I gave before retiring last night. I specifically instructed the maids that her room was to remain untouched and locked."
Bell responded with a bright smile, clearly excited by the idea of playing detective in a mansion full of naked, disoriented women.
"Understood, boss!" Bell said cheerfully.
"I'm going to try to grab something quick to eat in the kitchen—assuming there's anything left that hasn't been trampled or contaminated," Reiko added, glancing toward the service wing with a mix of reluctance and resolve.
"After that, I'll go to my room to get my notebook. I need to start a detailed list of damages, missing supplies, staff members who are still capable of holding a broom without collapsing… and a plan of action to make this place habitable before noon."
"Before noon?" Bell exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. "Reiko, this is going to take days. Just look around."
"I know that perfectly well," Reiko replied with a calmness she didn't actually feel. "But we can't leave things like this all day. At the very least, the public areas need to be presentable. The rest can wait."
Bell whistled, impressed.
"You're a machine, Reiko. Seriously," she said before skipping off between the sleeping bodies. "Alright, I'll go look for the marchioness. Hopefully I won't find her somewhere too embarrassing."
"Wait," Reiko called before she disappeared completely. "Also make sure she has water and something for her hangover before you take her to her room. I don't want her waking up with a headache bad enough to put her in a foul mood."
"Got it!" Bell called back, darting away with agile little hops between sprawled limbs, dodging arms and legs with a grace Reiko deeply envied in her stressed state.
Reiko remained alone in the hall, watching as Bell vanished down one of the side corridors.
The silence that followed was almost deafening, broken only by the occasional snore and the sound of wind rattling against the windows.
For a brief moment, she wondered if it might be easier to simply burn the mansion down and start over—but dismissed the idea immediately as impractical.
First food, then the notebook, then the chaos, she told herself as she headed toward the kitchen.
As she walked, she passed several women who were beginning to stir—some groaning in pain, others blindly reaching for their clothes.
Reiko ignored them all, completely focused on her mission. She had no time for empathy; she had a schedule to keep.
Still, as she entered the service wing, her mind inevitably drifted back to the same question that had been tormenting her since she woke up.
Where the hell is Mara?