CHAPTER 5
Kael let out a slow breath, frustration simmering beneath the surface. He needed to know what exactly was happening.
Leaving Dr. Flamel to finish his work, he stepped out of the room and found the maid who had first discovered the woman. She stood near the hall, still looking shaken.
"Alice." He called, and she quickly approached him. "Tell me exactly what you saw." He demanded. His voice was calm but firm.
The maid swallowed hard. "I—I was doing my usual rounds in the garden when I heard something. Like a noise near the pool. At first, I thought it was an animal, but then I saw her." She hesitated, recalling the moment. "She was standing there, swaying like she was about to fall. Her outfit looked strange, and she looked hurt. When I shrieked, she seemed startled. Like she didn't know that I was there too. So, I ran and called the others."
"Did you see anyone else? Any signs of how she got in?"
The maid quickly shook her head. "No, sir. Nothing. It was like she just…appeared there."
That didn't make sense at all. No security alarms had gone off. No gates had been broken. So how did she get inside?
Turning on his heel, he sought out Butler Jones. The older man was already waiting for him near the staircase, as if anticipating his questions.
"Jones, any security footage? Anything out of the ordinary?"
The butler's expression was unreadable. "That's the strange part, sir. There's no record of her entering the estate. None of the security cameras picked up any movement near the walls or gates."
Kael's frown deepened. "You're saying she just materialized out of nowhere?"
"The camera only caught her figure in the garden. And we have no cameras deeper into the garden."
He exhaled sharply. About to ask why they don't have it back there. But it was useless to question it further. He better address it instead. "Tomorrow, I want every damn place in the estate to have cameras installed. In every corner, Jones. Tell Vince about it."
"Yes, sir."
He was rubbing his temple. Everything was out of the blue.
Before he could dwell on it further, Dr. Flamel stepped out of the room.
"She's stable." The doctor announced. "But she should be cleaned up before applying treatment. The dried blood and dirt need to be washed off to avoid any infections."
Kael gave a stiff nod. That was the least they could do before kicking her out.
"Have the maids handle it." He ordered. "Once she's clean and treated, I want to be informed the moment she wakes up."
For now, all he could do was wait.
The doctor left after that, and Kael was in the living room. Checking his tablet for the news. As always, he was in the headlines again. Fans still couldn't get over his breakup with Kalista. She was the showbiz queen, and he was the king.
He shut it off; he didn't want to worsen his mood. He checked at the time. His mind turned back to the woman upstairs. He couldn't settle with just waiting. There had to be something.
"Alice!" He called. The maid came running to his side from out the door. He didn't wait for her to say anything. "Go back to where you found her. Search the entire area if she dropped something. A jewelry, a pouch, anything that belonged to her. Bring a guard with you to see any trace."
The maid nodded quickly before hurrying off.
It was almost 10:00 in the evening, but everyone in the mansion was still on their feet for any orders until their boss would call it a night.
He remained waiting on his seat and opened his tablet again to review his schedules for the following days, distracting himself. But his mind kept wandering in the current event.
His mind was racing. If she was just a crazy fan, she would've had something—a phone, an ID, a damn wallet. No normal people would roam around with nothing.
Unless…
His head tilted back to the grand stairs and up the second floor, where the woman was having her beauty rest in one of the rooms there.
Unless she really was someone from somewhere else.
No. It was complete ridiculousness. There had to be an explanation for this.
Butler Jones joined him, and he let the old man have a coffee with him. They were both silent while waiting for Alice to come back and if a maid he assigned upstairs would bring him news.
Minutes later, the maid returned, breathless. "Sir, we searched everywhere. There's nothing. No footprints—I mean, it was a grass area back there so we couldn't trace anything. No signs of anyone else. Just the garden, the pool, and her."
"But she was entirely wet when we carried her, sir." The security man spoke.
"She couldn't be from the pool. The water was calm when I came, and there were no wet traces on the sides."
"But we decided to check for other possibilities." There was a slight tremble in his voice, and he looked at the maid beside him, nudging her elbow.
Alice nudged him back and widened her eyes at the guy. The two seemed horrified to share the idea.
"Spit it out." Kael uttered impatiently.
"W-we saw the well's rope had been all pulled down, sir." Ted blurted out in a shaky voice. "And the grass was damp in that area. There was also water dripping at the stone edge."
Kael carefully returned his coffee to the small table. His mind almost wanted to crack from what he heard. He looked at the two persons in front of him back and forth.
"So, you think that she came out of that well?"
"But she doesn't seem to be a ghost, sir." Ted said quickly. "She had body weight when we carried her. Though she looked like a real knight from the last era."
"What if she's a trapped spirit and possessed that woman?" Alice countered.
Great. Excellent. Now he wouldn't just think of a delusional stalker. He should also consider calling an exorcist or a psychic to cleanse his place.
First, Diandra from the script. Now, Sadako from the well. Perfect.
Then he burst out laughing from another theory that popped in his mind. But it seemed to be the most convincing among the former ideas.
The three looked at their boss, who seemed to have lost his mind. They understood him anyway. It was also a puzzle for them how the woman got inside.
Kael stopped laughing and ran a hand through his hair. "I have a better theory." He turned serious all of a sudden, and the three straightened their posture. "Someone in this mansion could have brought that woman to my estate and dumped her body in that well. Now, do all of you have anyone in mind who the suspect is?"
Butler Jones, who was sitting on the sofa, had his mouth shut as Alice and Ted remained silent. The three of them were thinking of the same name. But no one dared to speak it.
It was no other than their boss. Kaelous Ravenel.
So, they better keep quiet as they exchanged glances with one another.