Chapter 49 - Wisteria Manor

Up ahead, there existed a massive iron gate at the center of the road. Strangely though, there were no fences connected to it which meant that anyone could have walked past if they so wished. Soon, a loud grinding noise echoed out and the iron gates swung open with the screech of rusted metal. The stagecoach rolled through only to lurch to a stop a few moments later.

Cecillia, having no other option, glanced out the window, her gaze drawn by the melancholic view outside. Before her eyes, at the end of a long sloping cobble road was a massive, lonely mansion, large enough to even be mistaken as a castle.

“After you my lady,” The butler said, opening the stagecoach’s door.

Cecillia nodded and hopped out, helped by the man’s hand. When she lightly stepped onto the road, she paused for a moment and turned to look back. Behind her, the city stretched endlessly into the horizon, its almost glowing expanse shimmering under the noonday sun. While to her right, just a couple hundred meters down the hill, gentle waves carried by the breeze crashed into the shoreline calmly.

For only a single person to own this kind of view… it was cathartic in a way. Yet even if the scenery was amazing and all, Cecillia couldn’t quite understand why they had stopped so far from the house. She didn’t take the butler as someone who enjoyed a nice view, but then again, there was nothing she could take him for in the first place…

“Come along now young mistress,” The butler urged, “Walking is good for your health.”

The man stepped forward, his back straightening and looking as professional as ever while Cecillia simply sighed.

The stagecoach rolled ahead of them, the horses trodding up the road as the wheels creaked against the cobblestone. Cecillia watched as the carriage veered to the right, taking a fork down in the road. And as her gaze was led into the near distance, she took in another grand structure that looked almost as luxurious as the mansion ahead. It was obvious that it wasn’t meant for humans to live in, yet to think that it was the mere stables, Cecillia couldn’t help but think it was a waste of space.

Although, she wasn’t able to show her disapproval as she glanced at Gloom and Dusk. Both horses seemed to notice her gaze and they turned back to give her a kindling bray. Cecillia smiled softly before a gust of wind tugged at her armless sleeves and the white blouse fluttered after her as she hurried to catch up with the butler. Soon, she settled beside him in his lofty gait that was somehow faster than most people could jog. She was mildly surprised to see that even with her 200 points of effective agility, it took her walking with brisk intention to keep up.

“Young Miss,” The butler glanced over at her, perhaps to make sure if she wasn’t falling behind. “I trust that the journey here was comfortable enough for you. It will not do to have you tired before meeting the madam.”

Cecillia turned her head slightly, her voice soft.. “...I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” The butler asked with a sly smile. “I don’t suppose that the hospital had given you anything to drink or eat once you had awakened.”

Cecillia fell silent and her eyes started to wander. The man was right, nothing had been offered to her when she had woken up, but then again… Her gaze hardened as she formed a glare at the butler. If he didn’t have to take her so early, wouldn’t the hospital have given her something to eat?

“I guess a little food would be nice,” Cecillia admitted quietly.

Just the sudden thought of it all made her painfully aware of the bottomless pit in her stomach. And for her throat, the dry scratchy feeling of being parched was way worse.

“Just a little?” The butler scoffed. “I don’t assume the Mistress would tolerate that sort of disrespect. Of course, nothing but the grandest of feasts would be made available towards the newly appointed Wisteria heir.”

“Grandest of feasts?” Cecillia frowned at the butler’s words. There was no doubt that a family that could own this kind of property would eat well. It was just that unless the information was already relayed, or that there was a team of professional chefs that constantly created meals. Then Cecillia didn’t quite see a grand feast happening. “Are there any other butlers other than you?”

“Nope,” The man grinned and pointed both thumbs at himself. “Just me.”

Cecillia sighed, trying to suppress her irritation as her stomach gave a loud and unhelpful growl. Instantly, her eyes skitterishly darted to the butler, but if he had heard the sound, he concealed it well. Even so, she glared at him when he started to whistle nonchalantly.

“...”

The mansion castle which had once loomed far into the distance now stood tall before her eyes. Its sheer size created a long shadow reaching across the swaying grass of the hill top and almost didn’t seem to belong. Cecillia squinted, studying the building again and noticed how the architecture was Victorian in nature, but with an additional touch of fantasia. Although, she wasn’t quite close enough to really know if it was made with either brick or wood. Shaking her head, Cecillia told herself that she would see soon enough.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flurry of motion that caught her eye. She turned her head upwards just in time to see a small flock of white feathered birds erupting out from a large tree before taking to the skies. Cecillia held her breath as their wings sliced through the winds while their caws and cries blended with the gentle crashing of the waves below. Just watching them, even for a fleeting moment did she feel a strange sense of longing.

“Is something the matter, my lady?” The butler asked. “Do you need anything?”

“I…” Cecillia’s gaze returned to the man. She was about to speak, but found that there were no words that would come to mind. “Sorry… it was nothing.”

He frowned, looking at the flock of birds circling the sky, but said nothing. Instead he started to fiddle with the cuff of his sleeve, but soon stopped when the girl continued to stare at his face.

In silence, they continued along the cobbled road with the only sounds being their echoing footsteps before they were drowned out by the breeze. The closer they got to the mansion though, the more Cecillia seemed to frown. Even her steps started to somewhat slow.

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‘What the hell?’

A decently tall stone wall, something that Cecillia didn’t notice earlier emerged into view and surrounded the property. At first glance, they seemed normal enough, but it was soon revealed that their condition was not good at all. The paint was dry and sunburnt while the walls themselves had deep fissures and cracks spider webbing across their surface. However, these were the parts that were still remaining, as for the rest, they had already crumbled into dust.

Cecillia didn’t think too much of it, but when they passed through into the perimeter her eyes narrowed slightly. Thick strands of ivy crept across the interior walls, threading into the cracks as if they wanted to escape. The grass on the inside of the walls were nothing like the sweeping greens on the hill outside. Instead, it was dull and brown, riddled with moldy leaves and strange, malformed flowers. Cecillia stared at the blooms, their color being a sickly purple that didn’t even gleam or anything.

The pair passed and Cecillia drew a short breath, not expecting anything great from the flowers. But when she caught a whiff of their stench, she wrinkled her nose and tried her best not to gag.

“Do you smell that?” Cecillia muttered under her breath, trying her best to ignore the fetid odor of rot.

“If you are referring to these,” The butler’s steps paused and he picked one of the flowers up. “They have their own very charm, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Sure,” Cecillia shot the man a withering glare.

“I agree that they aren’t the favorite of many,” The butler chuckled. “But the mistress likes to call them Wisteria Blooms.” He settled the flower within the grass and a hissing noise echoed out. “The gardens of this estate are cared for diligently by the Lady herself.”

“Wisteria… Blooms?” Cecillia echoed.

“Yes,” the butler nodded. “I’m sure if you would compliment them the Mistress would be delighted to hear that from you.”

“Right…”

Cecillia only smiled bitterly. She couldn’t share the sentiment and didn't understand why someone would name such a hideous thing with something so closely tied with their identity. Whether this Madam Wisteria was in her right mind or not, so far the woman had shown her good graces and Cecillia didn’t dare to voice her true thoughts.

They continued forward and Cecillia’s attention shifted to the mansion itself. No longer was it in the distance, but up close, just like the rest of the scenery within the stone walls, it was nothing like the magnificent view from the outskirts of the property. The roof could only be described as a mess of cracked and chipped tiles, with the majority of them being completely gone. Many of the windows were shattered, in both directions, in and out. And while some had the effort put in to be boarded up, the glass that remained wasn’t much to look at either. Their surfaces were smeared with grime so thick that it wouldn’t even be appropriate to call it a window in the first place.

Cecillia frowned and turned to the butler who somehow was already looking at her. Her pupils recoiled slightly, but she held his piercing gaze. She wanted to ask why, why would someone with such a desirable plot of land neglect to put in the effort to even fix up the place. Rather… it wasn’t even about the effort. To whoever had this amount of wealth in the first place, a worker's salary would be nothing more than a fraction of mere pennies.

As if reading her mind, the butler’s lips curled upwards into a cheerful smile.

“Oh don’t worry about the house. We’re currently in the middle of renovating, please don’t have any worry, it’ll all be fine soon.”

It would be a lie to say if Cecillia didn’t doubt his words. The damage to the building and land surrounding the house wasn’t something that could’ve occurred in a month, much less a year. It was obvious that the last time the building had been serviced was at least a decade ago, and probably more.

Regardless, Cecillia sighed and continued to follow the man. But she didn’t quite notice that her guard had unconsciously been raised until she suddenly saw her feet disappearing from her view. The atmosphere itself was eerie, but the strangest thing was the fog that seemingly seemed to form from nothing. It clung close to the ground, daring not to raise higher than a foot, but it wrapped around the leafless trees and even coiled their trunks as if trying to snuff out their lives. Yet that wasn’t even the worst part. What Cecillia considered to be borderline sinister was the fact that she constantly felt like it was about to rain. A quick glance upwards showed that no dark clouds hung anywhere, just the sun and his fleet of white clouds.

Cecillia shivered and recalled the man’s words.

After all, you are to become the daughter of the Wisteria household. With the privileges that come with such a title, many would kill to be in your position.

So far, there had been none of these such privileges.

‘More like kill to get out…’

Although, now that she was here it was already too late. Any thoughts of escape were cut short when the pair reached the less than grand stone steps leading up to the entrance. The double doors were tall and Cecillia had to crane her neck quite a bit backwards to even see the top. But their condition wasn’t at all impressive when put up against its size.

The butler ascended the stairs first, basically gliding across the steps as his shoes barely tapped against the stone. He grabbed the handles and Cecillia even thought that he would rip the doors off their crooked hinges before somehow they slid open with a creaking groan.

“Welcome, my lady, to your new home.”

The butler bowed slightly and a rush of wind blew past eerily. Cecillia wordlessly stared at the man before following up the stairs. He nodded and gestured for her to enter, but she paused just a step inside before her eyes swept across the dim interior.

The entrance hall was large, but quiet… almost too quiet. Above her head there was a once elegant chandelier that was now riddled with dust and cobwebs. Cecillia even swore that she saw the eight eyes of a spider trailing across her skin. The only source of light in the room was the faint light filtering through the shattered windows, casting fractured patches of light across the empty space. Cecillia glanced behind her at the butler, but her eyes widened when she didn’t find him there.

“This way, if you please,” The butler announced, causing Cecillia to spin towards the voice. Somehow, he had vanished from her observation and appeared next to a grand set of stairs to her left.

“The mistress awaits.”

The man led her up the spiraling staircase with both their footsteps silent beneath the plush crimson carpet. Cecillia’s gaze wandered as they passed the first floor, then the second where she caught sight of her reflection in a gilded mirror that somehow wasn’t shattered. Her blue eyes curiously stared back at her, but seeing that her sleeves hung loosely down her sides made her turn away. Previously, it hadn’t felt all that real, but just seeing herself with bandages wrapped across her body—

“Young Mistress, we have arrived. Please prepare your greetings.”

Cecillia’s eyes slowly raised. She hadn’t realized that they had passed the third floor and were already on the fourth. A large door stood before her, with its edges glowing with the warm golden light of a flame.

The butler gave her a smile, then, with a firm push, he opened the doors and stepped inside. Cecillia swallowed and stepped through, half expecting to be killed on the spot. But when death didn’t come, she opened her eyes to a room filled with light from a cozy hearth and the aroma of dried herbs.

There, seated in a large reclined chair was a woman that held no presence at all.

‘Wisteria,’ Cecillia murmured.

At her voice, the woman turned to glance at her with something more or less than a smile plastered onto her lips. Although, when their eyes met, Cecillia couldn’t help but raise a brow.

“Cecillia, how nice it is to finally meet you.”