Chapter 21
When you leave the inner city, there are a few buildings between the inner and outer walls, and in Velias, these buildings and the land are collectively known as the outer city.
There’s not much to see in a northern castle, especially in Velias, where the land is so barren that there are no pretty flowers, and the buildings are all dull coloured to catch as much sunlight as possible.
Fortunately for the two of them, it wasn’t the sights that mattered right now, it was the time they spent together.
Selene wandered out of the inner courtyard, walking as fast as she could, until she came upon a large building.
“What kind of building is this?”
“It’s used for occasional guests and banquets, but it’s empty now.”
Nodding slightly, she stealthily turned her steps in the direction of the banqueting hall.
He liked to pretend he didn’t know, to pretend he couldn’t beat her, to follow her lead. This lightweight woman, who could be lifted in one hand, had a tenuous grip on him.
He liked the strange sensation of being pulled by such a small force.
***
Selene entered the ballroom building for two reasons.
One was purely curious about the size of the room and its interior, and wanted to see it with her own eyes.
The second was… When she was told that the building was empty, her feet took her there.
The idea of checking out the ballroom and, if she was lucky enough to be in the right mood, maybe even getting a kiss crossed her mind.
Upon entering the first floor, she was greeted by a spacious, open room. The entire interior is painted in a cream colour, emphasising the elegant atmosphere. The pillars of the main hall, which towered above the rest, were a rich gold colour, carved with floral and thorny designs, giving the ballroom an air of opulence and elegance.
The balcony windows were also embossed in the same golden colour. As Selene took in these details, she thought the interior was serene.
Passing between the large and small chandeliers, she ascended the wide staircase in the centre of the room to the second floor, which was also decorated in a classical manner.
And the third floor. Here, the nobility never came upstairs, and the few knights who came along to escort guests used the space. At least the rooms had furniture and paintings, but the unadorned corridors were somehow…
Selene gripped Barath’s arm a little tighter as they walked through the dark grey stone corridors.
Their footsteps echoed eerily in the deserted building. The corridor seemed to go on forever, with no end in sight.
“It’s quiet.”
The corridor was dark and uninviting, even though the sun had not yet fully set.
Her comment made sense. At this time of night, only the kitchens and rehearsal halls are noisy, and with no banquets or guests, who would be in the ballroom building?
He nodded and started to head up to the fourth floor when Selene tugged on his arm, suddenly pressing herself against Barath’s left arm.
“Didn’t you hear something just now?”
She asked, her voice shaking slightly as she looked around.
Barath assured her. There was no sound.
He thought she must have misheard, but he spoke nonchalantly.
“You must have heard of Nephthys.”
Selene’s body stiffened at the words. She’d thought she’d misheard, and she’d expected the answer to be that she’d heard nothing.
“Well, what was that?”
Barath gave her the answer she really didn’t want to hear.
“It’s the ghost of a woman who lives on the fourth floor of this building.”
Goosebumps creeped up her spine and she clung to Barath’s arm even tighter, and he felt both embarrassed and pleased by the warmth.
Selene tugged on his arm, hugging him close.
“Why do we have to talk about this now?”
The stern Grand Duke Barath Velias said, clamping down on the corners of his mouth that threatened to gape open.
“What do you mean, the story?”
“The ghost story.”
She certainly seemed to be afraid of ghosts, clinging to his arm, wary of her surroundings even as she spoke disgruntledly.
Barath looked down at Selene as if he had discovered a curious little animal.
“It didn’t bother me much, I didn’t realise there were people in the world who were afraid of ghosts.”
Selene’s eyes scanned the area, and something caught her eye.
A puff of smoke appeared to take the form of a human figure, and it seemed to rise to the fourth floor.
Frightened, she clung even tighter to Barath, rolling her feet even though they were already pressed together. It was almost as if she was trying desperately to push him with her body against his immobility.
It was an unexpected advantage for Barath.
He had never met anyone who was afraid of ghosts. He sees people who are afraid of him.
But this woman was afraid of ghosts.
He reached out to her shoulder with an expression he didn’t understand.
He was surprised to feel her shoulder against his hand, and even more surprised that she didn’t shy away from him, but instead leaned in close as if it had worked out just fine.
Her voice was dishevelled, as if she might break down at any moment.
“Get out of here, uh, come on.”
Hearing that almost-crying voice made me feel a little sadistic, but at the same time, it was so cute and so pathetic that he knew he had to stop playing.
Selene’s constant coiling caused a strange stiffness to spread from Barath’s fingertips to his entire body.
It was so good to see this pretty girl, her eyes crinkling and sobbing, clinging to him as if she were afraid of ghosts, that he thought he might faint.
Selene was on the verge of fainting.
If you ask her what the scariest thing in the world is, ghosts are at the top of the list.
When you asked her if she still believed in ghosts in today’s world, she was able to say very clearly yes.
Why she was so scared was a mystery to her, even to herself, since she had never seen one or had scissors pressed against her.
She reminded herself that anything could be here. A fantasy world where there could be not only ghosts but also pigs that walk on two legs, pterodactyls that people could ride, and fire-breathing dragons.
And then, right in front of her eyes, a puff of smoke in the form of a ghost?
Terrified, Selene hypnotised herself that she must be mistaken. She felt his hand on her shoulder, urging him to leave.
Part of her wanted to run, but she didn’t have the courage to go through that terrifying corridor alone.
While she was scared and anxious to get out, Barath was nonchalant, as if none of this had anything to do with her.
How could he be like this?
How could he be so indifferent even if he didn’t care?
She felt like tears were coming to her eyes at his attitude. Just as he was wrinkling his nose, Selene’s body flashed up.
Barath watched the curious little creature and clicked his tongue to himself as he saw the corners of her eyes moisten and redden around her nose and eyebrows.
The way her eyes drooped and her face pouted was adorable, and he wanted to watch her a little longer, but she was going to cry. He also realized that he shouldn’t have walked away as he was starting to shiver.
He bent down and wrapped his left arm around her thigh, and soon her knees were bent, and he was walking with his right hand on the small of her back as she naturally rested on his arm.
As expected, she soon began to cry. She hugged his neck, sobbed in his ear, and soon broke down into sobs.
The smell of sugar on her breath, her chin against the nape of his neck. Her body pressed against mine. Her waist against his hand, her arms around him.
He wanted to sit her on his lap right now and kiss her tear-stained face.
Now, he could barely walk in his right mind.
She thought he wanted to cry, too, and did something drastic for his benefit.
All she could do was tighten his grip on the hand supporting her back and slow his pace a little so that she could stay a little closer.
As they slowly descended to the ground floor, Selene seemed to have fallen asleep.
Her breath was sweet as she slumped against his shoulder.
He savoured the feel of her hair tickling his neck as he slowly counted down the minutes.
The walk to the inner sanctum grew slower and slower.
Thinking of Selene, even as he held her, Barath smiled again.
He laughed again as he remembered her, her face stained with fear, her eyes fervently searching for him as if he could save her.
And then.
Are witches afraid of ghosts?
He thought witches were usually haunted.
In fact, Nephthys, who lives on the fourth floor of the ballroom wing, was a ghost of a witch who lived in the castle.
Barath thought he had more clues to find the real Selene. Witches who were not haunted, but rather feared, would be few and far between.
And if the real Selene’s soul hadn’t been destroyed, as was likely, it would be trapped somewhere in this witch’s original body.
It was also possible, Barath decided, that the body containing the real Selene was already dead.
The witch he knew didn’t leave things to chance.
Still, there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, for this little witch seemed nothing like the witch he knew.
Could this seemingly weak-minded, innocent witch be the real Selene, the one who had left her to clean up after herself?
He doesn’t know. He doesn’t think so.
He would have done just that.
He would pick up where she left off.
The shackles on her ankles wouldn’t allow her to disappear from Selene’s body, but he had to be extra sure.
He can’t help it.
And if he doesn’t see any evidence that the real Selene’s soul is completely gone, he doesn’t think he will ever be able to get rid of this small uneasiness.
***
A few moments later, the gates opened and a carriage drove in.
The sound didn’t bother Barath much.
He doesn’t know why the men who work for him are so diligent, they’re on the move all day and night.
He patted Selene’s back, who stirred at the sound of the carriage, and laughed again. This is happiness, he thought.
Then the carriage passed through the gates and began to slow down, stopping beside Barath.
He paused and stared, wondering if he had any urgent business, and then the carriage door opened and a gorgeous woman stepped out.
Her face was precious, even by pretence.
A woman of such natural beauty and ability that she could be both arrogant and bold.
This was Cynthia Rengranz, Empress of the Great Empire of Rengranz, wielding power at the feet of the Emperor, and the greatest witch of all time.
Cynthia greeted him with an expression of nonchalance that resembled Barath.
“It’s been a long time, brother.”
Barath replied with the same expression.
“…It’s been a long time. Sister.”
His one and only blood relative. She was his sister.
