“Ah, yes. Hello.”
I grabbed the hem of my skirt and curtsied to greet him.
“Let’s go over there and talk.”
The Duke pushed the papers to one side and rose from his seat. The Young Marquis followed his lead, moving toward the table. I slowly followed him.
“I thought of meeting the child as Lady Haien suggested.”
The first one to speak was the Young Marquis.
It was fortunate. He had come here to meet Theo.
“If there is such a thing as reincarnation, it doesn’t seem right to leave him as he is. In the next life, I hope to meet him again.”
“…Yes. You thought well.”
The Duke intervened in the conversation and replied with a composed voice. I also nodded in agreement. Since the Young Marquis had made such a significant decision, all that was left were minor issues.
“Young Marquis, Theo’s spirit will only appear after sunset, so you might have to wait a bit.”
“Then I’ll wait. I came on vacation anyway, so I have all the time today. I should prepare myself mentally.”
The Young Marquis shrugged his shoulders and turned to look at the Duke.
“I’ll go to my room and rest. The room I used to stay in is still available, right?”
“Yes.”
With a casual farewell of ‘Let’s talk later,’ he left the office. Watching his departing figure, I felt relieved.
After he left, the Duke returned to his desk and began working again. I also took my seat at my throne-like desk. But as always, there was nothing for me to do.
I was officially an aide but I could only work if the Duke gave me something to do, whether it was work or not…
As his proxy, I found myself engaging in conversation with the little blond child who had been lounging in a corner of the office.
“Sister, who’s the guy that was sitting in Theo’s seat earlier?”
While lying down, the child wriggled and asked me.
“Theo’s older brother.”
“The young master? Did he come to see Theo?”
“Yeah.”
“Theo really wanted to meet him. This is great!”
“Is that so?”
I replied to the child and walked over to the bookshelf, starting to browse through the books. Suddenly, I had a thought and turned back to the child.
“But will it be okay for you if Theo isn’t here anymore? I mean, if you can’t meet him again.”
“About ascending? I know. A friend told me that he can’t keep staying here. So, it can’t be helped.”
Friend…? Was she referring to the Duke’s mother?
I glanced at the Duke. He seemed absorbed in his work, apparently not listening to our conversation. After confirming that he was engrossed in his documents, I turned my gaze back to the child. The child was also looking at me with wide eyes.
“Come here.”
“Okay!”
The child ran over and stood in front of me. Slowly, I raised my hand and placed it above the child’s head. But then, my hand seemed to pass straight through the child’s yellow hair.
“Eek!”
Startled, the child jerked back and I made a startled sound.
Right. This child was a spirit, and I was afraid of ghosts! I had tried to pat a ghost!
Wait, didn’t something like this happen before? Ah! A forgetful creature called a human was repeating the same mistake!
“…What… What are you doing?”
A flustered voice from the Duke came. It seemed that my shout had drawn his attention. I quickly withdrew my hand from the child’s head. Then, I turned to face him and replied with a teary voice.
“I… I forgot…”
No matter how accustomed I tried to become to ghosts…
“…Stop there and work…”
The Duke spoke again as he looked at his documents. Can you believe this guy? You have to give me work so I can work, you know?
I turned away from him with a disdainful look. At that moment, a chilling sensation suddenly enveloped me. When I looked back at the Duke, I saw black smoke rising from behind him. It seemed the sun was setting, and it was finally time for the spirits to appear.
“Duke, I think Theo has appeared.”
“…I see.”
He replied as he got up from his seat. I hurriedly took the lead, and the Duke followed behind.
Upon arriving at the Madam’s room, we found Theo still crouched inside the wardrobe. He looked even paler than yesterday but stared at us with fiery red eyes. However, his pupils were pitch-black, not reflecting anything. His appearance was incredibly sad and eerie.
“Theo, your older brother, whom you talked about, has come to see you. He’s here to see you.”
The child’s eyes widened, and his bright red complexion gradually faded.
“He’s in his room now. Do you want to go?”
“Yes.”
The child replied as he descended from the closet.
“I’ll lead the way. Follow me.”
This time, the Duke took the lead. We headed to the room where Veniat was resting.
When we reached the room, the Duke knocked on the door with a clenched fist. However, there was no immediate response. Without waiting, he pushed open the door.
The room was pitch black, and a cold breeze seemed to touch our skin.
“Young Marquis?”
I stuck close behind the Duke and called out to him. Still, he didn’t respond. We stepped further into the room and turned on the lights.
“Are you here?”
What met our eyes were an empty bed, an empty table, and an empty sofa. It seemed he had left the room for a moment.
“…He’s not here?”
I muttered absentmindedly, then suddenly looked at Theo. The child’s body was rapidly turning redder, and hot air surrounded him.
“Theo?!”
Why is this happening all of a sudden? Why now, at this moment? He’s about to meet the Young Marquis!
Of course, I knew that if Theo couldn’t fulfill his wish in this world, he would eventually become a malevolent spirit. But why did it have to happen right now, right when his brother was so close?
Where on earth are you, Young Marquis? Your younger brother is right here!
The child’s once-red skin began to melt away like candle wax. I tried to do something to stop the child’s transformation, but as soon as I approached him, flames ignited the hem of my dress.
“Ah!”
The fire started at the hem and soon reached my upper thighs. I jerked back and stumbled, the heat burning my flesh. The Duke stepped between me and Theo, quickly covering my legs with his coat.
Luckily, the flames extinguished themselves quickly. My legs stung a bit, but I didn’t seem to be seriously injured.
“Are you okay?”
The Duke urgently grasped my shoulders and asked. At that moment, the black smoke on his back spread widely, creating a thick wall around him, as if trying to protect him.
As Theo hesitantly approached, flames erupted around him. But it was quickly extinguished, sucked quickly into the wall of smoke.
What’s going on? Could that ghost be the Duke’s guardian spirit or something?
I pondered while staring at the smoke curling about in small streams.
“Get a hold of yourself!”
The Duke shook me vigorously and shouted. I snapped back to reality and looked up at him. His face was so close our breaths were touching.
“I’m fine, Your Grace.”
As I replied, he raised an eyebrow. I could tell he was a little upset.
“I’m really okay…”
I added in a small, mewling voice. He let out a small, quiet sigh and let go of my shoulders. Then, he turned towards Theo, and I did the same.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose. I didn’t…”
Theo spoke in a tearful voice. His body was melting, turning from red to almost black. Smoke was pouring out of his eyes.
“…This is strange…”
Slowly, sparks like lightning began to burst around the child’s body as he opened his mouth. The Duke quickly stepped in between me and Theo. The black smoke once again formed a thick wall around him.
Peeking around the Duke’s shoulders, I observed Theo, who looked precarious. He was struggling to stand up despite his melting form. His appearance resembled a trembling flame.
I’m scared…
I thought as I tightly held onto the Duke’s arms. However, the child was becoming a malevolent spirit at this very moment. I couldn’t just stand here trembling.
“Theo, snap out of it! Your brother is nearby, so let’s look for him together, okay?”
For a moment, the flames diminished slightly but I didn’t know if he was reacting to my words. I just hoped that he would return to normal.
“…”
Theo began to move his lips as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Then, the flames, which had momentarily subsided, grew larger again. Small sparks fell from the child’s body to the floor. They disappeared quickly, but I had a strong feeling that if this continued, a fire would really ignite.
“Theo!”
At that moment, a blonde girl passed through the wall and rushed over. The sound of her running feet echoed, and she immediately hugged Theo tightly.
“Theo, don’t be in pain!”
Simultaneously, the flames disappeared. The smoke that had been coming out of the child’s eyes dissipated into the air and his skin returned to its original color. I felt relieved, but also somewhat perplexed.
Oh… I must have been wrong…
I gazed at Theo in bewilderment.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
Theo nodded in response to the girl’s words.
“Let’s go see your brother, the one you talked about.”
“…Yeah.”
As the children spoke, the Duke turned away from me. Then, he blocked the path of the approaching children.
“Wait, don’t come any closer.”
I don’t know where this cowardly man got the courage to talk to a ghost. Regardless, he narrowed his eyes and placed me behind him.
“Brother, Theo’s not on fire anymore…”
“…”
“But it’s true…”
The girl hesitated and looked at the Duke carefully as if asking for permission.
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