“Sister. Sister.”
At that moment, a guest came to my room. This time, it was the blonde little ghost. I initially tried to ignore the child, but soon changed my mind and got up. Since I couldn’t sleep anyway, I thought I’d find out what was going on.
I immediately opened the door and saw the child standing there, looking up at me.
“Sister, Theo’s acting weird.”
“What’s going on?”
“I think he’s sick.”
“Is that so?”
“He made a mess in my friend’s room, too.”
“What? What do you mean?”
I stupidly asked in response. Why was the story about the Madam’s room coming up here?
“My friend’s room got really messed up.”
The child repeated and answered.
“I think that’s why brother is angry.”
“Is your brother in your friend’s room right now?”
“Yes.”
“…Let’s go to that room together.”
I said to the child as I stepped out of the room. The child nodded and immediately walked ahead of me.
We walked along the familiar path and arrived at the Madam’s room. The door was wide open, perhaps due to the commotion from the fire or an attempt to ventilate the room.
Inside, I saw the Duke standing within my line of sight. He was staring at something with a blank expression. Behind him, a black smoky ghost swayed gently.
“Your Grace?”
I cautiously called him and entered the room. The scent of burning dry wood tickled my nose. I frowned, having a bad feeling about this.
He continued to stare straight ahead as if he hadn’t sensed my presence. Somehow feeling odd, I turned my head in the direction he was looking.
At the end of my gaze hung a charred closet. The wardrobe’s doors were wide open, revealing a young boy inside.
It was Theo. He was sitting on his knees, his entire body bright red. He huddled up like a young kitten trying to protect itself.
A shiver ran down my spine. I was certain. Theo was the cause of today’s commotion. He had caused the fire.
It was astonishing that he could have such a direct impact on this world. This couldn’t be attributed to the usual mischievous ghost behavior. Yes. I didn’t want to believe it, but it seemed this child was in the process of becoming a malevolent spirit.
Oh no. Goodness me. I haven’t even resigned yet…
I felt a sense of despair. Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, Theo had only burned one closet today. But who knows if he will completely become a malevolent spirit someday and burn down this entire mansion?
“Look at that, Your Grace. Remember what I said?”
With a trembling voice, I stood close to the Duke. And then, as if in response to my voice, Theo slowly began to turn his head towards me.
I wanted to run away, but my feet wouldn’t move. My body seemed to have stiffened. With no other choice, I tightly grasped the end of the Duke’s sleeve and observed Theo’s condition.
Very slowly and sluggishly, Theo raised his head and met my gaze. No, can that even be called eyes?
There were only two black holes where Theo’s eyes should have been. From within them, a gray smoke, much like cigarette smoke, continuously rose. I felt like I was going to pass out.
“Theo, why are you like this? Are you feeling much worse today?”
The blonde little girl rushed up to him and asked. Theo didn’t answer but turned his face towards the girl.
“Y-Y-Your Grace, would you please come outside with me for a moment?”
I said, pulling on the Duke’s sleeve.
Thud—
At that moment, I heard a heavy thud. Simultaneously, I lost hold of the Duke’s sleeve.
No way. It couldn’t be, right? I hope not…
I slowly turned around to look. But contrary to my expectations, the Duke was nowhere to be seen. With a feeling close to tears, this time I lowered my head.
Oh… This… beep! (strong profanity)
I can’t believe he just did that…
“Hey. How dare you faint?! Are you the only one scared?! I’m scared too! I want to faint, too!”
I grabbed the fallen Duke and shook him vigorously, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of getting up. Then, the black smoky ghost that had been clinging to him seemed to be examining his face and moved around. Oh my goodness. I became even more frightened.
“Sister, is brother sleeping?”
Then, the girl asked loudly. I glanced in the direction where the children were. They were staring at us fixedly. And within Theo’s eyes, the gray smoke was still thickly rising.
“Um, um, he’s sleeping. I’ll move him so that he can sleep comfortably. You stay with Theo. Comfort him.”
“Okay!”
As soon as I heard the girl’s response, I pulled the Duke away and stepped out of the room. The black smoky ghost that had always been by the Duke’s side also followed along.
‘Now what should I do?’
I thought after laying the Duke down on the corridor floor. I felt like I had to ask for help from the butler, but I couldn’t just leave the Duke behind to go find help.
I felt even more hesitant after seeing Theo, who was on the verge of becoming a malevolent spirit. What if another malevolent spirit appeared and did something to him?
Let’s think about it. Ghosts usually only linger in familiar places, so there’s a high chance they won’t appear in a place where ghosts have never appeared before. Then, it would be a good idea to put the Duke there!
But there was a problem. I couldn’t possibly keep track of all the comings and goings of ghosts in this mansion.
‘In my room, there’s not a single ghost… But I can’t bring him into my room either, can I?’
Yeah. That didn’t seem right.
‘I guess it’s better to take him to the Duke’s office!’
That sounds good. I nodded in agreement. The office should be a safe place.
Assuming the black smoky ghost that usually clung to the Duke, the blonde girl and Theo are still in the madam’s room. Also, no other ghosts had ever appeared in the office.
The headless ghost was barely at the doorstep! So, the current office could be considered a safe zone where no ghost enters!
I slung one of the Duke’s arms over my shoulder. Then, with some effort, I lifted myself. The Duke was quite tall, so his knees dragged on the floor. But what could I do? I had to move him somehow.
Thankfully, I had decent strength. However, even so, moving an adult man wasn’t easy. So, I lifted my feet slowly, panting.
“Should I just abandon him?”
For a moment, I had that impulse. He was so heavy. Damn it. Even if the Duke were to be attacked by malevolent spirits, what do I care? Is that my problem?
While internally grumbling about that, suddenly the black smoky ghost split into two strands and came towards me. I was taken aback and held my breath for a moment.
It immediately formed two rod-like shapes and settled in a position that wouldn’t obstruct my view. I was too confused and wide-eyed, just staring at it. Then, the two rods started swaying to a 3/4 beat. It almost seemed like they were cheering.
What is this? A cheerleading baton? Are you cheering? Is this ghost telling me to stay strong and move the Duke?
In the end, with encouragement from the ghost, I managed to reach the office. Then, I practically threw the Duke onto the couch. But while holding onto his shoulders, his long legs dropped down from the couch. Unbelievable… I sighed and stretched my legs to support his legs that were hanging below the couch.
‘Ugh, it’s heavy. Of course, it’s obvious, but this is different from carrying Lucia and Lottie on my shoulders.’
The process of moving him was so strenuous that despite the breathlessness and the cold season, sweat was dripping down. I was on the verge of letting out a few more curses, but I managed to hold them back with great effort.
Thud.
At that moment, I heard the sound of the office door opening. The butler came in and was walking toward us. I lifted my head, and he also spotted us and froze for a moment.
This was the perfect timing. Now, I could leave the Duke with him and return to my room.
“Butler.”
“…”
I called, but for some reason, he didn’t respond. He seemed somewhat bewildered and then turned away.
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
The butler quickly left the room.
“What?”
I muttered in confusion. What’s wrong with him? My brain was buffering and I couldn’t easily process the situation. For a moment, I stared at the door through which the butler had exited. And then it dawned on me.
“What?!”
At the same time, the black smoky ghost split into an exclamation mark shape and swiftly disappeared.
What?! What in the world is this ghost talking about?!
I was stuck to the Duke’s body from head to toe. And to make matters worse, I was in pajamas and sweating profusely. All of this on the couch!
It seemed like a huge misunderstanding. I quickly ran after the butler. Help? It’s a misunderstanding! I’ve been misunderstood!
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