“Why are you acting like such a fool? Why?!”
“I’m sorry,” the child replied with a trembling voice.
“Don’t eat anything recklessly again! Never!”
“Okay…”
Theo nodded vigorously. The woman scowled and then turned away from the child. She lay down on the bed and refused to meet his gaze any longer.
Theo quietly sobbed and crawled into the wardrobe. He closed the door and huddled deep inside. As he did, he felt something bump against his stomach.
It was the wooden lion he had placed in his pocket. He reached for it and stroked it with his fingertips. The surface of the wood was smooth and warm. After fiddling with it for a while, he put it back in his pocket.
Theo opened his eyes to a searing heat. His entire body was drenched in sweat and each inhalation scratched his throat. Something felt off. He squinted through the crack between the doors to see what was happening outside.
Bang—
At that moment, his mother’s face came into view. She seemed to be trying to open the wardrobe door, but it wouldn’t budge more than an inch or so.
Bang. Bang. Bang!
She grabbed the doorknob and shook it vigorously, but despite her efforts, the door wouldn’t open. Frustrated, she reached inside the wardrobe.
“Theo! Sweetie!”
She called for the child as she reached inside, but Theo moved away from her hand and into the corner.
“Sweetie, come out quickly! You have to come out!”
She shouted, but Theo only crouched further into the corner, not obeying her words.
‘It’s hot. Why is it so hot? Why is Mommy angry? Why is she shouting?’
Suddenly, his eyes stung. Overwhelmed by the burning sensation, Theo shed tears and tightly closed his eyes.
‘It’s hot… so hot…’
His consciousness faded as he fell into a deep slumber, clutching the wooden lion in his arms.
It’s hot… so hot… Huh?!
I snapped awake as the sensation of falling gripped my body. My face was leaning against something warm and soft.
Raising my head, I found myself looking directly into the Duke’s face. The Duke was staring down at me with a puzzled expression.
What the hell?
I couldn’t quite get my bearings. I turned my head and looked around. It appeared that I had fallen by the wardrobe and was sitting on the floor, with the Duke having caught me in this position.
Oh my gosh!
I jerked back in surprise. It seemed like I was leaning on the Duke’s chest a moment ago.
Feeling embarrassed, I tried to stand up, but my left wrist was pulled and I sat back down. The Duke’s grip on my wrist tightened.
“Are you crying?”
“Uh…”
It wasn’t until I heard his words that I realized I’d been crying. My emotions must have merged with Theo’s while I was experiencing his memories. I wiped my face with my right hand and looked down at my wrist which the Duke was still holding.
“Excuse me, Your Grace.”
“…”
The Duke hesitated for a moment before releasing his grip on my wrist. Rubbing my numb wrist, I turned to the high priest who was standing nearby. He also wore a bewildered expression.
“Perhaps, did you release my possession, Your Grace?”
The high priest was keeping his distance, and the fact that it was the Duke who was holding me suggested this.
“Did I…?”
But the Duke seemed to be asking me instead.
The priest answered.
“Yes, Your Grace. It was you who did it.”
He explained that while in the middle of the possession, I suddenly began to cry. The Duke grabbed my wrist and pulled me, releasing me from the spell.
“It seems that Your Grace possesses divine powers.”
The high priest continued.
“It’s an extremely subtle power, to the point where I couldn’t sense it, but it’s definitely there. However, not everyone with divine power can touch souls. It appears that Your Grace has that ability.”
Ah, I see.
That must be why he was able to push away the errant spirit inside me.
The Duke asked, looking at me.
“…What… You went to such lengths, so did you find that better way you mentioned?”
“Somewhat.”
“Even if you found a better way, please don’t do that again.”
The high priest interjected and then turned towards the direction of the wardrobe. I followed his gaze and could see Theo sitting in the closet, his knees pulled to his chest. The priest extended his hand towards the direction of the child.
“The oppressive energy has dissipated. But even if it’s not an evil spirit, spirits covet a living body. It could be dangerous, so please don’t use this method again.”
“…”
“Please answer.”
“…Yes.”
Even though I gave an affirmative response, the high priest sighed as if it wasn’t satisfactory. He then advised us to call him again if it became too difficult to help the spirit ascend. While the high priest returned to the temple, I went to the office with the Duke.
“Did you find out who the young master the child mentioned is?” The Duke asked me.
“From the child’s memories, it seems that he is the illegitimate son of a fairly wealthy noble family. It’s just my guess, but the young master the child mentioned is likely his legitimate older brother. They both have light brown hair and green eyes. Oh, and the child’s father also has the same hair and eye color.”
“…”
“When their house caught fire, Theo got trapped and died.”
“…”
He didn’t respond so I looked at him questioningly. After a brief silence, the Duke slowly spoke.
“I think I know the family.”
• • • • • • •
I disembarked from the carriage with the Duke’s assistance. Having never received assistance like this before, I felt quite awkward. Having held his hand out to me, I lightly placed my hand on his palm. He then lightly squeezed my hand as he pulled me closer.
Outside the carriage stood a grand mansion. The Marquis of Carsen was a distant relative of Covozhalden. Until a few years ago, the two families had frequent contact. This was because the Marquis’ legitimate son and the Duke were of the same age. Apparently, they grew up together as childhood friends.
“It’s been so long. How many years has it been since we last met?”
Upon entering the mansion, a lady greeted us. After that, the middle-aged man standing behind her stepped forward.
“You’re always so busy, but it’s nice that you made time to come and visit us.”
I glanced briefly at the man. Brown hair, green eyes, and a cold demeanor. He looked a bit older compared to Theo’s memories, but there was no doubt that he was the man who had given the child a plate of cookies.
“But who’s this young lady?”
“My aide.”
“Really? Did you bring your aide along just like that? Are you sure you’re not here to introduce her?”
The lady laughed as she spoke.
“She came with me due to business reasons.”
The Duke replied calmly.
“Is that so? It’s a pleasure to meet you, young lady.”
“Hello, madam. I’m Laura Haien.”
I quickly curtsied and greeted her in return.
“Veniat is probably practicing. Will you go and see him?”
“Yes. I’ll go and see him.”
The Duke replied to her words and then turned to me.
“You should come along.”
“Yes.”
I followed him as we exited the mansion. He walked along a long path through the mansion’s garden, and I trailed behind him. After walking for a while, we reached a large open space adorned as a training ground. There, a young man was practicing with a sword.
I felt a sense of familiarity; this place was the same as the one I had seen in Theo’s memories. And if my guess was correct, that person over there was undoubtedly the young master Theo had mentioned.
The Duke walked closer to him and when the young man noticed us, he happily waved.
“Elize! It’s been a while.”
Huh? Elize? Who? Could it be the Duke? Is the Duke’s name really Elize Covozhalden?
Unconsciously, I turned to look at the Duke. He seemed to be suppressing his anger, biting his lower lip once before speaking again.
“Ugh… I told you not to call me that.”
“Sorry, Elias. What brings you here? You usually don’t come first.”
Ah… Elias. That explains it.
Elize was a name typically given to women. While Elias was a name that could also be given to a woman, it wasn’t as common as Elize.
They seem quite close, calling each other by their names.
If you pronounce Elias in the Crenticean language, it becomes Elize. But who would do that, especially when they’re not even Crentian commoners?
“But who is this young lady, and why did you bring her? Could it be that you’re getting married?”
“She’s my aide.”
“You’re marrying your aide?”
“…No.”
“Aha. And here I thought I’d lost another fiancé. Hello, Miss. I’m Veniat Carsen.”
He extended one arm forward and performed a courteous greeting. While doing so, he didn’t bow but met my eyes directly. Smiling faintly, his green eyes were half-hidden behind his eyelids.
“Stop talking nonsense.”
The Duke blocked him with one arm. Grabbing Veniat’s shoulder, he spoke again.
“I have something to discuss with you. Can you spare some time?”
“Alright, but I need to freshen up a bit. Do you want to wait in the parlor or come to my room?”
“I’ll be in the parlor.”
“Alright~”
After a brief conversation, the Duke turned around and headed back to the mansion. As I turned to follow him, I met the eyes of the Young Marquis.
(T/N: ‘Young Marquis’ here refers to Veniat since he’s the heir to the Marquisate.)
“Miss, I’ll see you later.”
He waved vigorously. I nodded politely in response and continued to follow the Duke towards the mansion.
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