The Butler Who Resides in the Castle of Curses

Part 2- Gabriel's Four Seasons

I woke up on a large leather couch perfectly placed in front of the fireplace, and thick warm linen covered my body.

As I slowly started to regain consciousness, I looked around to discover I was inside what looked like a castle.

The castle I had seen earlier.

Suddenly, the sound of a violin caught my attention.

I got up and followed the sound, the volume steadily getting louder the closer I got.

When I finally reached the area it was coming from, I was in front of what looked like a ballroom.

I walked inside, the door already open, and found a man standing in the center, playing the violin.

He was tall and dressed in what looked like a black suit and a white apron covering his bottom half.

I looked over and noticed the piano was playing by itself.

What the hell...

The man stopped playing the violin, and the piano came to a halt.

He set down the instrument and stood straight, brushing off his suit jacket.

What is this guy- Who is this guy?

I shouted causing him to pause, and he smirked.

"Who are you? Where am I!?"

He turned to face me, a smile plastered on his face.

"Welcome, my lady, to the Castle of Curses."

An appalled expression found its way onto my features.

He chuckled, fixing his sleeves and adjusting his tie.

"I am Gabriel, the butler."

*A butler? As far as I'm concerned, nobody else was here. Does he live alone?*

"No, my lady, I do not live alone."

*Huh?? Did he just read my mind???*

He chuckled again.

"No, my lady, I did not."

HUH???

"T-then how do you know what I'm saying in my head?!"

He smiled, closing his eyes.

A sudden strong gust of air blew threw the room, yet there were no windows open.

The room turned pitch black and I questioned how the room illuminated before, even though there was no source of light.

Then, behind me, the door slammed shut with a thunderous clap.

Then, one by one, around the room, the candle lights hung on the walls lit up with an abnormally orange flame.

When the room was finally lit, it was full of... people?

A maid, a cook, a musician, a carpenter, a mason, a falconer, a gardener, and a scullion.

"Meet the household staff, my lady."

H-how did they get in here?

"They are the ones who can read your mind because they can go through you."

*Go through me?*

"Yes, my lady, they're ghosts."

He spoke calmly, putting on one of his gloves.

"They tell me what you say when they read your mind."

My eye twitched slightly and a scream was brewing in my throat.