The Ghost Mistress Of The Duchy

Ellie, who had been nodding her head unconsciously, widened her eyes in shock.

 

She knew what the servants were talking about, but still…

 

‘Isn’t this too fast?’

 

Just yesterday, they said it would take at least three days, so there were only about two days left. So it wasn’t that strange that he was back now.

 

She understood, but…

 

‘No matter how much I wanted to see him yesterday, that-‘

 

I need to be mentally prepared!

 

Ellie, who had been imagining kicking Rutus’s butt, but didn’t have the courage to see him yet, grabbed her own head and pulled it hard.

 

Her long, flowing hair reached down to her chest, so it was easy to grip.

 

-Where in the world is there someone who actually comes when you say so… and so quickly…

 

She was muttering to herself, forgetting that there was a child nearby.

 

Ellie turned her head, barely holding onto her flying mind, at the sound of a voice along with a curious look.

 

“…Daddy?”

 

“Um, yeah…”

 

“H-here…?”

 

As Marie’s head nodded slowly, the child’s mouth opened gradually. Just like Ellie, his face was filled with surprise and confusion, as if to ask if what he heard was true.

 

Thump.

 

The warm, soft bread that had been clutched in his tiny hands until a moment ago rolled onto the floor.

 

The child, who had been shaking his eyes a moment ago, opened his mouth as if he had completely forgotten that he was hungry just a few seconds ago.

 

“Then can I… can I see daddy?”

 

“……”

 

“Will he come to see me…?”

 

Marie was at a loss for words at the question thrown at her in a small voice. Ellie was exactly the same.

 

Can he see Rutus?

 

…Well.

 

I couldn’t be sure because I had a four-year gap in my memory, so I didn’t know the whole story. But…

 

“……”

 

If I hadn’t been staring at her without blinking, I wouldn’t have noticed the despair that flashed across Marie’s face in a split second.

 

Oh, he won’t come.

 

Marie, whose face was mixed with sadness and regret to the point where it couldn’t be described in words, changed her expression surprisingly quickly.

 

Fortunately, the child was too busy playing with his hands, his head bowed, to notice the whole thing. However, he just added quickly to the silence that was longer than he thought.

 

“Ah… no. I didn’t really want to see daddy!”

 

“……”

 

“I was just curious because I’ve never seen him properly. It’s really okay.”

 

“……”

 

“They say war is so dangerous. Is my father hurt? Are all ten of his fingers and toes okay?”

 

“…Yes. I haven’t heard that he’s been injured.”

 

“Oh, then that’s good.”

 

The child, who nodded with a sullen expression, picked up his spoon.

 

TL/N: I’M NOT CRYING…YOU ARE?

 

But Ellie didn’t take his word for it.

 

Marie was probably not much different from me.

 

No wonder, both of them had noticed the anticipation that the child couldn’t hide in his eyes.

 

* * *

 

Four days have passed.

 

Contrary to expectations, Rutus did not come to find the child, whether it was unfortunate or fortunate. The worry I had felt after hearing the news from Marie seemed unfounded.

 

The mansion, which had been in a state of disarray both inside and out in preparation for the master’s return just a few days ago, was now eerily quiet.

 

This was especially true of the annex where the child was staying.

 

“If you water the flowers, the fairies will come to greet you~”

 

-…….

 

“Oh, it’s cool! Feel good and dance lightly!”

 

Ellie sat on a chair next to him and watched the child watering the flowers. The child was humming some kind of song, leaning his arms on the table and resting his chin on them.

 

It was impressive to see him swinging his legs back and forth under the chair, seemingly in a good mood.

 

Soft sunlight streaming in through the large window. The clear and cheerful sky, as if in response. Cute chirping of birds, just enough to make you feel good.

 

In any way you looked at it, it was a quiet and peaceful moment.

 

But…….

 

-hmm…….

 

Ellie, who was looking at the child with affectionate eyes, let out a small sigh and said.

 

-Adi.

 

“Yes, Lia, what’s it?”

 

-Are you not going out today either?

 

“Um…I want to stay in my room.”

 

-……But it’s been four nights already. You’re not even going on your daily walks, and you’re not reading Adi’s favorite books.

 

“But the flowers are better than that right now…”

 

“What if they wither while I’m out?”

 

Ellie sighed deeply as the child fixed his gaze on the flowerpot again.

 

Something was definitely wrong here.

 

‘At first I thought it was just because he liked flowers.’

 

But even so, isn’t it a bit too much?

 

I thought it might be because he was in a good mood for a day or two, but I couldn’t help but worry as it became three days and then four.

 

A four-year-old who hasn’t taken a step outside his room in four days and only takes care of flowers.

 

Apart from his insane concentration, the fact that he was pouring all his time into the flowerpot except for meal and sleep times was a major problem.

 

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have just kept my mouth shut.’

 

She had brought up the topic of bringing potted plants into the room for no reason.

 

Ellie, who had vowed to take her child out of the room today at all costs, gently coaxed him with a soft voice.

 

-Why don’t we just go around the mansion once? While we’re at it, we can go to Marie and get some candy.

 

“But you can only eat one of those a day. Eating too much honey will make your stomach melt.”

 

-……Huh?

 

“If you eat too much candy, your tongue will hurt. Marie said if it goes down to your stomach, it might melt away…”

 

Ellie, who had been feeling a sense of duty about this, couldn’t help but let out a dumbfounded laugh at the unexpected reply.

 

As she blinked her eyes in confusion, a scene suddenly flashed through her mind.

 

[Ah, young lady, do you remember that time?]

 

[Yes?]

 

[Don’t you remember when we were little and you, the master, and I were caught sneaking out and eating Luneva candy in the middle of the night?]

 

[……Oh, yeah, I do.]

 

[My mother said we were in big trouble and that our stomachs would melt if we ate that much. We were all in tears.]

 

[……Yeah.]

 

At the time, we thought it was true and were so scared that we cried our eyes out.

 

We even hugged each other and said goodbye, thanking each other for everything, and even wrote a will saying that we would die together.

 

‘I guess it said that we were transferring ownership of the treasure in the box under the bed to our mothers.’

 

The treasure was just some pretty buttons and chocolates we had saved to eat later, but still.

 

Then the nanny came in with a small bottle and spoon and said it was an antidote and that she would give it to us if we promised not to sneak snacks anymore. In the end, the nanny got our promise and fed us each a spoonful of the liquid in the bottle.

 

We later learned that the liquid was actually a ‘Strong Potion to Prevent Cavities’ that my father had developed.

 

[I just suddenly thought of that yesterday and asked her why she lied.]

 

[Why?]

 

[Well, she said she scared us on purpose because we were eating so much sweet stuff like baby bears dipping their paws in a honey jar, and it couldn’t be good for our health.]

 

[…….]

 

[I heard that the Count and Countess agreed too.]

 

[……Could you please tell the head chef that I’m going to eat only desserts for the next week?]

 

Ellie thought.

 

‘Marie…… I guess you really milked that memory for all its worth.’

 

Seeing the child believing Marie’s words as if they were the absolute truth, Ellie’s head nodded involuntarily.

 

Why do you even have to resemble me like this?

 

Ellie, who had been staring intently at the child, opened her mouth.

 

-One should be fine if Adi brushes his teeth diligently. But it’s not good for your body to eat too much, so it’s better to exercise self-control.

 

“Self-control?”

 

-Uh… refrain, no… um. You should hold back even if you want to eat more.

 

“Gasp.”

 

“So, one more won’t hurt?” the child asked. Ellie nodded coolly.

 

-Of course.

 

Considering the future ahead, using treats as a bribe wasn’t the best long-term solution, but I couldn’t leave the child confined in the room forever, so this was the best for now.

 

The child, who had been rolling his eyes, slowly got up from his seat. Then, with a somewhat serious expression, he opened his mouth.

 

“… I’ll go.”

 

Afraid of what might come out of the child’s mouth next, Ellie quickly led the small figure out of the room.

 

It was a quick movement in case he changed his mind.

 

-……

 

“……?”

 

-…Should we leave that down?”

 

Ellie spoke softly to the child who was trying to walk out with a flowerpot tucked under his arm.

 

The small mouth that was about to retort wavered a few times at Ellie’s firm attitude.

 

“But this is!”

 

-Yeah?

 

“This, this is…!”

 

-…

 

“……”

 

In the end, unable to find the right words, the tiny mouth closed shut like a clam.

 

Watching the child walk over and put the flowerpot back on the desk with a sullen expression, Ellie nodded slightly.

 

He looked a little sulky, but I didn’t want to get into a fight with a four-year-old!

 

…Still, I couldn’t just let him stare at the flowerpot even outside the room.

 

Ellie thought, feeling not too bad about her achievement despite the compromise with her conscience.

 

‘Right now, maybe even Rutus would kneel down and apologize while fasting until Adi forgives him.’

 

She didn’t actually intend to have him do that, but still.

 

‘Anyway, there are two days left until his birthday, so let’s just hold out until then.’

 

Who knows, maybe after one birthday party, he’ll be less attached to the flowerpot.

 

It was a fact that she had discovered after secretly following Marie, who seemed to be planning something behind the child’s back over the past few days.

 

It seemed that she was in the middle of planning the cake design, with the party magic tools neatly arranged in one corner of the room and even a memo of the cake design.

 

The meaning of this was clear.

 

‘But how did she get the magic tools?’

 

…Have prices changed a lot in the last four years?

 

* * * *

 

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