Milena let out a quiet sigh as she watched the trembling young maid, who appeared as though she might be struck.
Why is she so terrified? Is it just because of the rumors about me being a villain? Milena spoke softly, trying to reassure the maid.
“There’s no need to shake like that. I didn’t mean to scold you.”
Whether they called Lariette “young lady” or “Princess Dowager,” it didn’t matter to Milena. She was simply curious. The maid seemed to think Milena cared about her rank.
“Shall we continue the conversation? So, where did you see the ghost of Lariette?”
“There were sightings inside the mansion, and even outside in the garden.”
“When did this start?”
“It must have been about three months ago.”
“Are you sure it was Lariette?”
“Inside the mansion, there are many portraits of the Princess Dowager, so no one was confused. A translucent figure floats around, and everyone says it’s the Princess Dowager, which sends chills down their spine. They’ve all been switching night shifts to avoid it.”
The maid shuddered, even as she spoke, brushing her arms as if to ward off the chills. Seeing Milena’s expression, the maid closed her mouth and bowed her head cautiously. It felt as though speaking further was not advisable.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“Pardon?”
The maid raised her head with wide eyes at Milena’s thanks. The rumors she had heard portrayed Milena as a violent, ruthless villain who would lash out over the smallest things, using foul language as a matter of course.
She had thought Milena would be similar to the count, but now, after meeting her, she was completely different. Milena spoke so calmly to those beneath her, expressing gratitude—something she never expected.
“Also, since you’re suffering alone, use this to add to your salary.”
“May I borrow a little fire?”
Milena disappeared as suddenly as a ghost. The young maid swallowed as she stared at the jewels she now held in her hands.
Milena’s steps grew stronger as she walked through the darkness.
“A ghost of a sister who’s not even dead…”
She felt a strange unease, unable to explain it. Was someone playing a prank on her? Shaking her complicated thoughts away, she passed through the servants’ only passage and headed into the back courtyard.
Behind the unused well was her secret space. The long-neglected space was overgrown with thick weeds.
Ignoring the branches that snagged at her dress, she pushed through the foliage and came out into a wide clearing.
In the empty clearing stood a single tree. The hollow inside the knotted trunk was empty. It was a deserted place where no one’s feet had ever reached, perfect for secretly storing things.
When she was a young child with no one trustworthy in the mansion, this space had served as her secret hiding spot. If she kept things here, at least her sister wouldn’t find them and take them away.
It felt like just yesterday she had used a ladder to reach the items there, but now, standing on tiptoe, she reached inside the hollow trunk. But… nothing.
“There’s no way.”
There should have been a variety of things, including a cloth doll her mother had made for her.
Why is it empty? Did someone touch it? No, her mother had said she cast a spell on this tree.
Whether that was true or not, Lariette had never known about this place.
“Right, it’s a place you don’t know about.”
Milena muttered, turning around to find Lariette standing behind her. The translucent form of her sister sent a surge of anger through Milena.
“What are you?” Lariette said nothing, only staring at her. The sight was so loathsome that Milena’s voice trembled, her eyes turning red.
“Why does your magician do all this for you? After corpses, now it’s ghosts? Why are you doing this? What is the point of all this?”
She was certain. That ghostly version of her sister had taken everything from her—her life, her emotions, and now even her mother’s keepsakes.
“What are you? Why are you doing this to me?”
Her pent-up frustration burst out. Even as Milena shouted in anger, Lariette stood still like a ghost, merely observing her. Then, with a small smile, Lariette vanished.
“Sigh.”
Milena sank to the ground in despair, brushing her hair aside. She had seen it clearly—the necklace her mother had worn, now in the ghostly version of Lariette’s hand.
It was the only item of her mother’s that had been said to have magic on it.
She was going crazy. Lariette was always like this. Full of thoughts about tormenting her.
“What did I ever do wrong?”
Her hollow words went unanswered, but Lariette’s voice echoed in her mind like an illusion.
‘Did you not know? Your very existence is the problem. Everything you have is wrong.’
Had those words affected her when she was young? But now, she was different.
“Ridiculous.”
You’ve messed with the wrong person. Her eyes burned hotter than ever before. After so many years of being swallowed by her own sense of self, the resentment was even greater.
She absentmindedly looked up at the sky, which was dark and empty except for the solitary moon. Letting the cold wind brush against her, she tried to calm herself.
The gown she wore fluttered lightly over her dress. Beneath the full moon, she brushed the dirt off her and stood up. She didn’t even want to think about how her emotions had been affected by Lariette. She no longer cared for the things she had already lost.
‘There’s nothing more to find. I’ll leave as soon as it’s daylight.’
“Did you…”
No, it wasn’t unexpected. But after seeing Lariette, she felt bitter.
“Miss.”
The Dowager Princess. The hidden woman of the Count’s house. She must have been praised as beautiful when she was younger, but now her faded looks and sickly appearance made her look frail.
It was just before Milena was to leave home, when her sister had placed a spell on the mage in the tower.
Milena looked at the woman she had reluctantly brought into the family with a feeling of incredulity. When she hadn’t been brought into the family, didn’t they say they had arranged a separate house for her?
Her mother had known about that woman’s existence even before she married, Milena had been told by the Count himself.
‘The reason you get to be called a young lady and live as a noble is because of your mother. No, it’s because your mother married me and gave birth to you.’
‘Is that all you have to say? I asked why you brought that woman into the family.’
‘Who can say anything if I choose to bring my woman to the family?’
Her father had taken her in as a maid because he was too ashamed! Milena had almost said it aloud but held her tongue. Though the Count hadn’t physically struck her, he had beaten her with words.
‘Your mother already knew. She knew about my woman. Of course, when you become an adult, I’ll bring her in, but what’s the point of caring about a woman who’s already dead? I’ve done my duty by bringing her in after you became an adult.’
That’s why. When Lariette had first come to the Count’s house, her mother had looked so upset. The Count had blatantly brought the woman in, breaking his promise before marriage.
Seeing the soft-faced maid, who resembled Lariette, Milena felt nauseous.
The new maid was just another sign of how things worked in this household. That’s why she had made up her mind to leave. At least before Lariette put a spell on her.
“How shameless. Didn’t I say when I was leaving this house? Don’t show your face in front of me.” Milena approached the woman who had been waiting for her, speaking like she had when she was known as the villain.
“The rumors here are slow. Has Lariette’s disappearance kept you awake?”
“….”
“Or maybe you’ve heard that Lariette is still alive?”
But something felt strange. The woman should have reacted with excitement or emotion, but she remained calm and peaceful.
“I want to apologize, so I wanted to speak with you, Miss…”
The woman’s eyes were steady as she said Lariette’s name. Only then did Milena realize what was happening. A chill ran down her spine, and her lips trembled with a twisted smile.
It wasn’t just Lariette who had deceived her.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
The woman deeply bowed her head, her face full of remorse.
“I’m sorry.”
“You knew that Lariette pretended to be dead, that she was appearing as a ghost, and that she had been using me since childhood!”
“….”
“You pretended not to know, shivering and acting, didn’t you?”
“I’m sorry, Miss.”
“What are you sorry for?”
Her voice trembled, unsure whether it was anger or resignation.
What is there for you to be sorry for? Coming into this house so shamelessly? Or helping to drive my mother’s people out of the estate for your daughter’s sake?
But her expectations were wrong. The woman was speaking for Lariette.
“I’m sorry.”
