“Butler, no! It’s not what you’re thinking!”
I exclaimed, grabbing ahold of him, who had already gotten quite far from the office.
“…”
He didn’t respond again.
Come on, man, say something!
The butler’s expression was subtle as he looked at me. Although I couldn’t read the exact meaning of his expression, I somehow felt that he was rebuking me.
It was like I was some trash that was peeping at other people and then pretending not to know anything. No! I’m not that kind of trash!
“Butler, it’s not like that. The Duke was unconscious…”
“…”
“He’s unconscious, so I made him lie down on the sofa. We were close, but…”
Ugh. The more I speak, the more I feel like trash. Shut up, Laura Haien!
I raised my right hand and slapped my cheek. The impact sent a tingle straight to my head. The butler grabbed my wrist, surprised.
“Butler, please listen. It’s a huge misunderstanding.”
I quickly pulled my hand away, regaining my composure. Then, I explained in detail everything that had happened between the Duke and me.
“…That’s what happened.”
“Is that so?”
The butler responded. Somehow, he seemed a bit disappointed.
Sigh… No… It’s just my imagination, right?
“Yes. I’ll go back to my room then. And please let the Duke know that I’ll be coming to work a bit later…”
After exhaling deeply, I delivered the message to the butler and walked back to my room, feeling flustered. I was exhausted because of today’s commotion.
This is why I shouldn’t be so rash! Why did I have to be so nosy?!
• • • • • • •
When I arrived at work, the Duke was sitting upright, focused on his tasks. With a sharp impression and an indifferent expression, he looked quite handsome. However, at the same time, I recalled his fragile appearance when saw the ghost and fainted.
‘How dare he pretend to be calm…’
I muttered inwardly as I pulled out the fancy chair and sat down. Then, I pulled the art philosophy book I had placed on the edge of the desk closer to me.
Where was I…
“Why does your face look like that?”
At that moment, the Duke suddenly asked. I gently touched my right cheek. It felt a bit warm.
I slapped myself quite hard yesterday. My cheek was probably slightly swollen from the impact. Although I hadn’t noticed it when I looked in the mirror this morning.
The Duke seems to have a good eye for detail.
Anyway, I wanted to say, “This is all your fault, you jerk!” but I just smiled and brushed it off, saying, “There was a little incident.” What good would it do to tell the truth…?
Evening came and as time passed and it turned to night, a guest arrived at the office. He was wearing a long white cape with multiple X-shaped marks on it.
Those were symbols of the temple. He seemed to be a high priest or something similar.
“Hello, Your Grace.”
Approaching me confidently, he greeted me.
Huh? Towards me?
“This is His Grace.”
The butler who followed behind him pointed to the Duke with both hands. The high priest seemed startled. I was flustered, too. After a moment’s hesitation, he turned and walked up to the real Duke.
“Hello, Your Grace.”
He bowed his head in greeting to the Duke. It seemed like the earlier mistake had been brushed off. In the meantime, I quickly grasped the situation. It was likely due to the extravagant desk and chair I was sitting at.
See, Your Grace? If you give me a desk and chair like this, others will think I’m the Duke, won’t they?!
No matter how much it’s known that the Duke is a man, this level of lavishness can cause momentary confusion!
“Thank you for coming.”
“May I inquire about your well-being?”
The two of them conversed casually by my side. Even the Duke seemed to treat the high priest’s earlier mistake as nothing. Or maybe he found it bothersome.
“As I’m sure you’ve heard, there are spirits that reside here.”
“Yes. It’s my duty to deal with them.”
The two of them exchanged words in a serious atmosphere. I was a bit dumbfounded.
But wait? Dealing with spirits? Unofficially, some clergy members were known to be capable of exorcism. Perhaps that was the case with him too.
The Duke had called an exorcist due to his fainting incident in the middle of the night.
‘He’s an exorcist.’
Of course, I had never actually witnessed clergy members performing exorcisms, so I didn’t know the process they followed. However, I thought it might be helpful for Theo’s ascension.
“Please show me the place in question.”
“Sure.”
The Duke rose from his seat in response to the high priest’s words. Then, they both left the study. There was no direct invitation for me to follow, but I discreetly trailed after them.
As we reached the Madam’s room, the Duke presented the scorched closet to the high priest. Inside it, Theo was still huddled.
Thankfully, his body had returned to its usual color. However, he was now observing the people standing in front of him like a lost puppy.
The high priest reached into the closet and spoke.
“I can definitely sense a spirit, but it’s a bit murky.”
“Can you handle it?”
“Of course. Let’s start right away.”
The Duke nodded in response.
“However, it would be best for all of you to leave. While I work, please do not enter this room. It could be dangerous if you do.”
With that, he laid a black bag on the floor.
The Duke, the butler, and I were thus dismissed from the Madam’s room. The three of us leaned against the corridor wall, facing the direction of the door.
Soon, from within the room, the high priest’s voice murmured what sounded like incantations in an unknown language.
“Ughhhhhh!”
It wasn’t long before a scream resembling Theo’s young voice was heard amidst the high priest’s incantation.
I jumped in surprise, almost rushing into the room when the Duke grabbed me. When I turned to him, he too appeared quite astonished, narrowing his eyes in confusion.
Only the butler, who couldn’t hear anything, was gazing at us as if wondering what was happening.
“Theo! Theo!”
Suddenly, the blonde girl appeared and darted into the Madam’s room. Shortly after, I heard the sound of objects falling noisily. Nervously, I stared at the closed door, holding my breath.
A brief silence followed. Then suddenly, there was a loud bang, accompanied by the sound of something snapping. Simultaneously, the door creaked and swung open.
What? What’s going on?
I hesitantly approached the door. Through the crack, I saw the high priest sitting on the floor. He seemed to be staring at something in shock. His gaze was fixed in the direction where the closet was placed.
“What’s happening?”
“What is it?”
“What’s that sound?”
The commotion drew a crowd of people from the mansion, but the butler stood in their way.
“The closet that caught fire yesterday had just fallen. Please leave.”
He added the appropriate words to send the people away. Amidst the chaos, the Duke entered the Madam’s room, and I followed him somewhat recklessly. Seeing us enter, the blonde girl blocked the closet and looked at us with teary eyes.
“Sister! Brother! That person is strange! He sprinkled something on Theo. After he did that, Theo was in a lot of pain. And he hit him too! I told him not to hit him!”
Listening to the child’s words, I looked back at the cowering priest. He stirred and opened his mouth.
“What is this? What’s in here?”
“What?”
“I’ve never encountered such a powerful spirit like this one.”
The spirit he referred to was probably the blonde girl. I, too, had never seen such a powerful ghost here before. The earlier explosion was undoubtedly caused by her.
“Ouch, it hurts. Please stop.”
At that moment, Theo’s young voice cried out. I looked back at the closet. Theo was still huddled inside, his large green eyes filled with thick tears.
“Please don’t hit me. It hurts too much.”
It was the first time I heard Theo speak in such long sentences, but it was in the form of sobbing. It didn’t feel good to hear that even though he was a ghost.
“I think it’s best to call someone skilled from the Central Temple.”
“Just a moment.”
I stood in front of the high priest, blocking his way.
The exorcism being performed in the temple seemed quite different from what I had anticipated. According to the girl’s words, the high priest had sprinkled something on Theo and hit him.
Such actions couldn’t possibly help an ascension of the spirit. It could potentially break the spirit itself apart, but not help it ascend.
Furthermore, Theo hadn’t even become a malevolent spirit yet. Wasn’t that method a bit too much?
Eventually, after a major decision, I stepped forward and addressed the high priest.
“I can do it.”
Both the Duke and the high priest turned their gaze toward me simultaneously, their expressions inquiring. I bit my lip for a moment, then looked at them one by one.
“I have a better way.”
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