The entire passage was dark but the luminescent stones at the walls allowed them to at least see a little.

Still, he was going closely behind the Sera who seemed to navigate through the dark without problem.

Thanks to that, he doesn’t fear suddenly tripping over some unknown obstacle that he wouldn’t otherwise see.

What he didn’t know though, was that Sera became visibly nervous with him going so close behind her, slowing her breath.

While she didn’t turn to look at him she knew exactly how far or close he was from behind.

The feeling of his dependency on her in this dark place was uncomfortable for her, who was always insulted as incompetent.

Failure was a regular thing in her life and so it was no wonder why she feared to mess up.

The more so when the young man could be her future boss.

This made her stifled.

Slowly both of them trod the passage in silence.

Thankfully the young man broke the silence with a question.

“What about Feliria? Won’t she be angry that we left just like that?”

Without turning around Sera shrugged.

“She can’t go to the place we are going to anyway, so it doesn’t matter if she knows or not. If she wants to find us then she will track us the moment we will step out of that place. She knows my scent. Yours may be too already.”

He felt a little weird that the beautiful girl would remember his smell. But he surmised that instead of thinking about her as a young woman he should think of her as a dog. At least until her cycle won’t pass.

“And you can enter that place?”

“I guide the potential Housekeeper so I get a pass during this time.”

“Hmm.”

During this conversation, he realized that this place has many rules. But those rules are quite flexible. They can actually change based on the circumstances.

‘Good to know.’

He contemplated this for a moment.

But then he let it go. He can think about it later. Instead, he wanted to ask a question that he had in his mind for some time.

“Why is it that there is a shortage of male clothes? Why just men? I mean, the ratio of men and women I saw was quite big but still… There are surely other men other than sir Araaz, right?”

This was bothering him since he realized they didn’t give him anything to wear.

It was as if the entire place was devoid of clothes for males.

‘It isn’t just that there is no other man, right? That would be ridiculous.’

Thinking this he could only imagine how hard his life here would turn out.

Fortunately, Sera didn’t fulfill his bad premonition and gave him another explanation.

“As you said this place has a much bigger ratio of women than men. This has its reason but that is not important now. What I want to say is that because of that, women's clothes have a higher chance of gaining sentience here. Because of that the matriarchal society arose in their Dressing Room. The man’s clothing isn’t allowed to leave the male Dressing Room without permission.”

“...”

‘What the heck did I just hear?’

Matriarchal Society in the Dressing Room…

At this moment Sera was glad she was before him as her face turned awkward again.

“What about others? How come they have their clothes then?”

But still, Araaz was walking with clothes just fine so could he!

“Others had their own clothes before the matriarchal dressing society came or just took something to wear by force. Of course, some of them created themselves something to wear. Just like you.”

After she explained this the passage once again fell into silence.

‘Just like me, huh?’

Thinking about the ‘thing’ that looks like the cloak just now he didn’t know what to think about it.

When he saw it for the first time it was fabric of unmeasurable length and width.

Yet now it fit him as if it was tailored for him.

Sera, herself didn’t look like she knew it wasn’t just some kind of fabric previously.

Shaking off the unease he looked around.

The passage was quite narrow and the entire place was ice cold.

Its walls echoed with faint memories of its covert past showing just how much this place was old and decrepit.

Only the luminescent stones shined a light here yet it was more eerie than anything else.

The light was ghostly pale and didn’t give off the warmth that fire gives.

A few minutes later Sera finally stopped walking.

*Thud*

Unfortunately, as he didn’t see properly he didn’t stop in time and bumped into her.

“Oops, sorry.”

He quickly held her before she or her head could fall to the ground.

“N-no, it is fine. I should have told you.”

She sighed in relief that she didn’t fall again and took a deep breath.

The wall in front of her was knocked in the same manner as the one at the beginning and soon the passage opened up leading to different parts of the house.

In front of the entrance, the iron armor guarded the place but as soon as it completely opened the armor made the way for them.

The place they entered was another corridor but this one seemed to be cleaner than the others.

Looking around the young man realized that many of the decorations were on their places and the place was mostly untouched as if the time didn’t weather this place at all.

On the walls were hanging all kinds of paintings and portraits.

On the other hand, the ground was littered with small pillars and stools holding all kinds of busts, vases, and other antiques.

“This is the corridor leading to the master bedroom. Most of the tenants cannot enter this area. Or they don’t dare to.”

As she said this she pointed at the double doors which could be seen from a distance.

“That is our destination, sir.”

The doors she was pointing at could be described with just one word.

Majestic.

Standing majestically before him were grand double doors, masterfully crafted from rich, aged wood, their robust structure reinforced with plates of sturdy metal. Intricately carved designs danced over the wooden surface, showcasing the impeccable craftsmanship of times past. The doors shimmered with opulent adornments of both silver and gold gilding, their lavish patterns playing in the ambient light.

Among the myriad of designs, mystical scribbles pulsated softly, a clear testament to some kind of spiritual or arcane magic imbued within them.

These markings, seemingly erratic at first glance, were a mesmerizing tapestry of ancient symbols and archaic runes.

The door's focal point was an impressive knob, a harmonious blend of gold and silver, ornately designed with countless patterns, each more intricate than the last. The entire assembly spoke of grandeur, mystery, and a rich tapestry of stories waiting to be unveiled.

“Wow.”

“Amazing, right? Even after seeing it a few times already, the sight never became old.”

Even Sera sighed in amazement at the splendid doors in front of them. And they didn’t even enter yet!

“How come this place is so different from any other place in this house?!”

He couldn’t believe that this was still the same building.

“This is one of the few places that managed to preserve its majesty over many generations of Housekeepers. It was even grander in the past but the series of bad, incompetent, or straight-up crazy Housekeepers made it hard to keep its splendor.”

Sera explained with a strained smile. She was witness to many deeds of the Housekeepers and hoped that the future wouldn’t repeat itself.

“So the other places were as grand as this?”

If that was the case then he couldn’t even imagine how low this place has gotten itself.

“Yes. It was really amazing to live here back then.”

She smiled as she reminisced about those old times.

“Now it is up to you. If the house gives you consent or not, I cannot interfere.”

With a side-step, she made the way for him to get to the doors.

He went to her and put the kitten in her arms.

“Take care of her for me for a bit.”

“Sur-”

But the moment he put her in her arms the kitten woke up and hissed at her.

Right after she jumped from her arms on the ground with elegance and sat there watching the surroundings.

“Whatever, just don’t let her close.”

With a sigh, he turned his attention to the entrance of the master bedroom.

When the time finally came he felt a little nervous. The atmosphere was utterly different in this place giving him a sense of ceremony.

Slowly, he neared towards the doors hulking in front of him, the only noise in the area being his footsteps.

He nodded to Sera and with a determined expression he reached for the knob.

With this, he will find out if the stay in this place will be utter hell or if he will get at least one completely safe place where he can rest!

*Crack*

As if an electrical current passed through his arm he yelped and wanted to put his hand away.

But he couldn’t. His arm wouldn’t butch.

The entire scene rippled around him. It reminded him of a lake being disrupted by thrown stones. The fabric of space and reality warped and all kinds of attacks on his senses overwhelmed him.

Weird laughter of probably feminine origin sounded up in his ears creeping him out.

But the scent of aged wood and books calmed down his taut nerves making his emotions feel contradictory.

He felt a slightly bittersweet, sour feeling in his mouth and had a feeling of being surrounded by the softest pillows lulling him to sleep.

His eyes suffered the most as he had to look at the place morphing and changing colors looking like a place where even junkies would feel too tripped to be in.

His head started to be more and more dizzy as the electrical current finally stopped.

‘What the heck..’

He turned his head to Sera wanting some kind of advice but then he noticed she wasn’t there. Kitty was also nowhere to be found.

Most of the things that he saw just a while ago weren’t there showing just an empty room.

“Ugh…”

Suddenly a whisper entered his ears.

“Do you think you can become a Housekeeper? Despite not being chosen as a candidate? Weak, untalented, and boring~ Even the cat was more interesting thank you. Why do you think I should let you enter the place where my heart resides? Do you think you are worthy? Just get here and get consent?”

The arrogant and all-mighty voice in his ears was mocking him.

For a moment he thought someone was beside him talking to him but when turned around nobody was there.

“Who are you?!”

And so he asked with alarm in his voice.

“Hehe, you can’t even guess who I am with so many hints~ You are even stupid~ hahaha”

With a laugh, the entire place started to shake.

Trying to hold his balance he put his feet farther apart.

‘Fuck, you can’t be serious…’

“Tsk. I just hope that you can’t speak. You were a pain in the ass even before you spoke to me, brat.”

Trying to plead to her would just result in suffering a humiliation and even after that, getting the room wouldn’t be a certainty.

When he heard her trying to make him beg he already stopped to covet the room.

“Hah?! B-brat? How dare you?! The human whose lifespan is so short calls me a brat? You are even more foolish than I thought. And here I thought I would give you the room if you were at least polite with me! Hmph!”

He just rolled his eyes at these words.

‘As if I will believe you.’

“Nah. Don’t want it anymore. Keep it for yourself. Goodbye.”

With that, he turned around and tried to leave.

Unfortunately no matter how much he walked his distance from the doors didn’t grow. He couldn’t move his hand from the knob.

“Y-you! Do you think you will become a Housekeeper without this room?!”

‘She sounds pissed. So much for my first rule.’

He thought of her as ‘her’ since her voice was feminine but since she was house it would make sense to call her ‘it’.

“I was already told that you do not need the room to become the Housekeeper. Moreover it isn’t completely on you to make someone a Housekeeper. With your behavior, it would simply be a waste of my time.”

“You know that I can turn your life here into hell, right?”

He turned back to the doors. He didn’t know where to look so he just looked in that direction.

“Look here. You kidnapped me once, almost killed me once and you are mocking my entire being. If you do not want a new owner then fine. Kitty won’t become the owner since I chose her as my pet. I will get out of the house and build a new one outside. Who knows if other tenants will also leave for a new, clean house instead of an old, filthy one which is also bratty and petty?!”

“...”

Silence.

That was until everything started to shake once again.

It was as if time had reminded itself and the entire corridor returned to its original state.

It looked as if nothing happened.

Soon the click resounded as the knob turned itself and the doors opened with force.

That threw him off the ground for a moment.

Though he fell on his butt right afterward.

But before he could complain he noticed a gleam of silver and gold in the door flying right at him.

He widened his eyes and wanted to dodge but it was too late.

“Wait?!”

*Thud*

Something hit his forehead with so much force that he almost lost consciousness.

“Auuu!”

And so without getting up, he rolled on the ground trying to ease the pain.

“S-sir! What happened?”

Sera who was standing aside yelped in surprise as she watched this happening in front of her eyes.

“Ugh… I gained consent…”

In one hand he held his forehead and kneaded it a little whilst in the second one he held a key.

The small key with very complicated shape and patterns adorning. It was made from silver and gold and had the same patterns and scribbles as the doors.

It was obviously a key for them.

He sighed.

‘Okay, now I need to find a way to soothe her later.’

He didn’t try to provoke her like this without any thinking.

While not getting a room doesn’t make it completely hopeless it would still be harder.

So when hearing her condescending voice he knew that he was in deep shit.

Trying to reason with a bratty kid? That’s unrealistic? He couldn’t reason with his professors let alone talking house!

Instead, he tried reverse psychology at the cost of pissing it and breaking the rule he had just set up.

He tried to goad with his words and it worked.

‘But at what cost?’

Now the house must be ten times more pissed than before. He thought he was a goner when everything started to shake.

But after looking around he saw this corridor being completely untouched.

He guessed that since this place wasn’t destroyed for so long then even the house can’t throw its tantrums here. After all, half of the reason why everything is so thrashed in the house is because of its shaking and warping.

Instead, it used just some kind of illusion on the weak-minded human who can’t defend himself.

That meant that even if his plan failed she wouldn’t be able to do anything to him.

He would have Sera calm the damn thing down and start at the bottom.

Fortunately, his words made the house feel annoyed that he even considered building a different house despite her still standing.

‘Maybe I have made her self-conscious?’

“Really? That’s good news. But what about that injury?”

Sera’s words entered his mind as he realized she was standing above him looking with worry.

“It is just a bump. It will disappear in a few days.”

He shook off the pain and tried to stand up.

But he didn’t have only pain in the forehead. His coccyx hurt a lot too since he fell badly on it.

That made his posture a little weird.

“Are you sure you are all right?”

“Yes.”

When he said that he turned towards the doors he saw part of its inner interior. And he was excited.

At least something went well for him.

“That’s excellent, sir! Not many could gain consent so soon despite not being candidates and didn’t have to force themselves in. Although it probably wasn’t so painful either…”

She looked genuinely impressed by this.

Seeing her expression made him feel even better.

“Let’s go then. I need to settle in.”

“Eh? I apologize but I cannot enter the room.”

She could only refuse as that wasn’t the place tenants could enter.

He turned towards her.

“Now that the room belongs to me, I can just grant you permission, can’t I?”

“Well that’s true but-”

‘Nooooooo! You can’t! Be satisfied that I even gave the key so magnanimously despite your vulgar foolishness! Nobody else can enter the room!’

“Ugh..”

His knees buckled as the sharp shout reverberated in his ears.

“What’s the matter, sir?!”

Sera who saw him writhing in pain again asked in panic.

“Sigh… You can’t enter the room. The house doesn’t approve.”

“Meow.”

The kitty was sitting still the entire time and announced her existence as she came towards him and was being toady.

“Sigh… Can the kitty enter with me as the resident? She was your original candidate, wasn’t she?”

‘Haagh… She can. But she is the only one. Else I will kick you out of me!’

Everything turned into silence as she stopped to talk to him in his mind.

“Is there really not some way?”

Nobody answered his question.

This time the voice completely disappeared.

‘Or she is just ignoring me. So petty.’

He clicked his tongue in annoyance at this sulking house. Then he picked up the kitty and turned to Sera with an apologetic expression.

“Sorry.”

“Oh no no. I don’t mind. Well, if this is all then I will return to the living room. I need to start cleaning that mess there. Goodbye”

She forced a smile as she turned around.

“Hey don’t act as if I left this place already. I just have myself a room. I will see you there once I finish my things.”

At this, she smiled more. But this time it seemed more genuine in his opinion as she disappeared in the hidden passage.

But seeing this made him open his eyes wide.

‘I forgot to ask her to teach me the password for that passage! Shit!’