Elena slipped quietly from her bed.
The faint light she had seen near the archive wing was gone, but her heart was still racing.
She glanced toward the sleeping servants around her.
No one had noticed.
Carefully, she pulled on a sweater over her nightdress and stepped into the corridor.
The mansion was silent.
Only the distant ticking of a clock echoed through the halls.
Elena moved cautiously.
Every creak of the floorboards sounded too loud.
As she approached the archive wing, the air seemed colder than the rest of the mansion.
The same uneasy feeling returned.
The feeling that someone was watching.
She slowed her pace.
Ahead, a faint glow appeared beneath a doorway.
Not the archive room.
The small office beside it.
Elena frowned.
That office was rarely used.
Who would be there at this hour?
She moved closer.
The door was slightly open.
Just enough to see inside.
A shadowy figure stood beside an old cabinet.
The person wore dark clothing and gloves.
Their face was hidden beneath a hood.
Elena held her breath.
The stranger carefully searched through stacks of old files.
Paper rustled softly.
Drawers opened and closed.
The person was looking for something.
Suddenly—
A floorboard creaked beneath Elena's foot.
The sound shattered the silence.
The hooded figure froze.
For one terrifying second, neither moved.
Then the stranger turned.
Fast.
Elena caught only a glimpse of pale skin before the figure rushed toward the back door.
"No—wait!"
Elena pushed the door open.
But the stranger was already gone.
She ran after them.
The back corridor was empty.
Nothing.
No footsteps.
No movement.
As if the person had vanished into thin air.
Elena stopped, breathing hard.
Then she noticed something lying on the floor.
A small object.
Dropped during the escape.
She picked it up.
A silver key.
Old and slightly tarnished.
There was a number engraved on it.
17.
Elena stared at it.
A key to what?
Before she could think further, another sound reached her ears.
Footsteps.
Approaching.
Quickly.
She slipped into the office and closed the door halfway.
A moment later, someone entered the corridor.
Elena peeked through the narrow opening.
Her eyes widened.
It was Adrian.
He looked around carefully.
His expression was tense.
Focused.
Not the calm mask he usually wore.
His gaze swept the hallway before stopping near the spot where the stranger had disappeared.
For several moments, he remained motionless.
Then he quietly muttered,
"Too late."
Elena's breath caught.
Too late for what?
Adrian turned and walked toward the archive room.
To Elena's surprise, he removed a key from his pocket.
A key she had never seen before.
The heavy lock clicked open.
The archive room door slowly swung inward.
Elena stared in shock.
Only a handful of people were supposed to have access.
Why did Adrian have a key?
He stepped inside and disappeared.
The door remained slightly open.
Elena hesitated.
Every instinct told her to leave.
To return to bed.
To forget everything she had seen.
But the photograph beneath her pillow.
The hidden records.
Vanessa's secret.
Madam Vivian's fear.
None of it would leave her alone.
Taking a deep breath, Elena crept forward.
The archive room was dark.
Only a single lamp burned inside.
Rows upon rows of shelves stretched into the shadows.
Boxes.
Folders.
Old records.
Decades of secrets.
At the far end of the room stood Adrian.
His back faced her.
He was looking at something on a table.
Elena stepped closer.
Quietly.
Carefully.
Then she saw it.
Spread across the table were several photographs.
One of them showed a young woman.
The same woman from the torn picture.
Another photograph showed a little girl standing beside her.
The girl's face was partially obscured.
But something about her seemed familiar.
Very familiar.
Adrian picked up the photograph.
His fingers tightened around its edges.
For the first time since Elena had met him, sadness appeared in his eyes.
Deep sadness.
Almost grief.
Then he spoke softly.
Not realizing someone was listening.
"It should never have happened."
Elena froze.
What should never have happened?
Suddenly—
A loud crash echoed somewhere deeper inside the archive room.
Both Elena and Adrian turned sharply.
The sound had come from the back section.
A section hidden behind towering shelves.
Someone else was inside.
And judging by the noise...
they had just been discovered. 😳The crash echoed through the archive room.
Adrian reacted instantly.
He moved toward the sound without hesitation.
Elena followed several steps behind, her pulse racing.
Together, they rounded a row of towering shelves.
A stack of old boxes had fallen onto the floor.
Dust filled the air.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then Elena noticed a narrow gap between two shelves.
Someone had squeezed through.
Recently.
The dust-covered floor revealed fresh footprints leading deeper into the archives.
Adrian's expression darkened.
"Stay here."
Elena ignored him and stepped forward.
The footprints ended at a small wooden door hidden behind the shelves.
Neither of them had noticed it before.
The door looked ancient.
Almost forgotten.
A rusty metal plaque hung beside it.
Most of the writing had faded, but one word remained visible.
Records.
Elena's fingers tightened around the silver key marked with the number seventeen.
A strange feeling washed over her.
Almost as if the key belonged here.
Adrian noticed it immediately.
His eyes locked onto the key.
For the first time, genuine shock appeared on his face.
"Where did you get that?"
Before Elena could answer, a faint sound came from behind the hidden door.
A soft scrape.
Then a whisper.
So quiet it was almost impossible to hear.
Both of them froze.
Someone was on the other side.
Waiting.
Listening.
And judging by the sudden silence that followed, they knew Adrian and Elena were there.