Chapter 102

Chapter 102

“What’s wrong? Did you fight with the duke?”

My younger brother asked me, his tone evasive.

“No. We didn’t fight.”

I answered with one cheek pressed against the tabletop. Of course we hadn’t fought. Our situations had just… fallen out of sync.

“Just forget it, noona. He’s the duke, anyway. It’s obvious that being together with him would only bring trouble.”

“…Shut up, Ren.”

“Don’t be like that. Look at this. Title is ‘The Agony of the Unemployed.'”

Ren immediately started waving the drawing he’d been working on in front of me. It depicted me slumped over with a look of utter desolation on my face. It seemed that kid just couldn’t resist teasing his older sister.

“…Hey, you know, you’re actually really good at this.”

I studied Ren’s drawing for a moment before speaking. The title was annoying, but he really was skilled. Even though he’d drawn it in a short time, the details were meticulous, the composition was perfect. He even managed to capture a convincing artistic style.

“Well, the materials help a bit too. The art supplies imported from Krentis are really good. And they’ve been coming in at pretty cheap prices lately.”

Ren shrugged once as he replied. A look of pride bloomed across his face.

Well now. What an adorable little brat…

I chuckled quietly and looked at my brother’s drawing a bit more. Then, suddenly, I remembered the abstract painting in Cuvershaiden. That naturally led to the memory of the soul that had been attached to it.

‘He said Luka had been exorcised, right? Honestly, I don’t remember it, but if the priest said so, it must be true…’

At that moment, my heart began to ache. I had hoped he would ascend. I had even put in considerable effort for that to happen. But despite my sincerity, Luka ended up becoming an evil spirit.

The lingering attachment of an evil spirit remains as a powerful grudge, harming the land of the living. That’s why the priest must have performed the exorcism on him. Of course, I didn’t have any complaints about that. The priest was only doing what he had to do.

The problem was that Lady Bandark had happened to witness the exorcism process.

‘I hope she’s okay…’

She had lost the person she loved right before her eyes. She who only wanted Luka to live happily had become consumed by that gloom. And then she emerged from the pond, turning into smoke from the very top of her head.

“If she turned to smoke, did she just scatter? Or maybe—since Madam stayed in that room—she held on to the Lady, kept her from fading.”

Then the image surfaced: black smoke drifting into the pond chamber. A smoke ghost. Lady Bandark’s close friend, the mistress of House Cuvershaiden. Helena Cuvershaiden herself.

All this time, she’d been playing guardian angel behind the Duke’s back. Neither he nor I had a clue. Though, if I’d stopped to think—most guardian spirits are ancestors of the one they protect—I might have pieced it together sooner.

“Still… I should have told the Duke about this.”

But no—I’d been kicked out of Cuvershaiden before I got the chance. And if I’m making excuses, the suddenness of that eviction had me too flustered to think straight.

“Should I go back now and tell him? It’s his mother, after all—it’s sad he doesn’t know the truth… But is it okay to just show up out of nowhere? I was thrown out… No, wait—Madam is smoke. What if she never wanted anyone to know she was right by her son’s side? Maybe she’s deliberately hiding her true form.”

I frowned for a moment. Too much to weigh. But I couldn’t just stay frozen here. So I landed on the only conclusion that felt right: charge in headfirst and let reality sort itself out.

“I have to go back to the manor.”

A few days later, I rode a hired carriage to Cuvershaiden. Then I paced back and forth near the grounds. But when it came time to step through the gate, the courage wouldn’t come. I kept imagining the Duke snapping at me—asking why I’d come.

Of course, the old me would’ve barged right in. But now, for some strange reason, I couldn’t. My heart was too tight, too wound up. I even worried he’d find my lingering presence bothersome.

“Why? I never used to be like this…”

I pressed my forehead against the iron gate that led into the garden, thinking. My mind replayed the history of possession—things I’d done on a whim, no matter what the Duke said. Back then, I was audacious. I’d half-believed that if I didn’t get caught, it was fine. But now, just because the Duke had driven me out, I was hesitating to even set foot in Cuvershaiden.

“Why am I feeling this way? It’s not like I was really fired—I could just say I came for my things…”

For a moment, the Duke’s face shimmered before my eyes. He turned, looking at me. His black hair and blue eyes. The elegant lines of his face. Every feature carved so clearly, so beautifully.

“Laura.”

He called my name with a small smile. That voice—barely more than an auditory hallucination—seemed to melt sweetly into my ears. And I slid down, crumbling to the ground.

“What? What?! What?!”

I slammed my head against the iron gate—thunk. Even so, the turmoil inside my skull refused to settle.

So that was it. I was falling for the Duke even harder than before. Now I was fretting over how my actions appeared to him, hoping he wouldn’t come to hate me.

This felt like being the underdog, completely.

I bit my lip hard and pushed myself upright. Today, I couldn’t bring myself to cross the Cuvershaiden threshold. So I decided to postpone it for another time, turned on my heel, and walked away.

Clang—

Just then, the sound of the iron gate opening echoed behind me. Turning my head, I saw a white carriage rolling out from the Cuvershaiden estate. It followed the road until it drew up beside me, then halted with a jolt.

“Laura?”

Soon the carriage window slid open, and the young marquis appeared.

“Ah, hello, young marquis.”

“Going somewhere? Weren’t you here to see Illiaje?”

“Oh, no. Not today. I was just… passing by…”

“Is that so? Then let me give you a lift on my way.”

“It’s fine. My house is in the opposite direction from the Marquis’s manor.”

I flinched, waving both hands in protest. I’d already sent the hired carriage back, but truth be told, in this state of mind, walking alone—even a long way—seemed better.

“Perfect timing. I actually have errands on the opposite side of town from my place.”

Yet the young marquis added a convenient excuse that made refusal awkward. And I knew it wasn’t true—he was just extending a kindness.

“…Really, I’m fine. You must be busy…”

“Hmm… Laura. The days are getting shorter now. It’ll be dark soon. And ghosts might start appearing all over the place once night falls. Besides, there’s a plaza on that road where executions of violent criminals are held.”

“…”

“Would you like me to escort you home if you’re worried?”

“Uh…”

Thinking it over, he had a point. If I went home on foot, the sun would set before I got there. And I didn’t want to run into the soul of some violent criminal wandering the streets like that.

“Yes, then. I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Better to go along with it. In the end, I decided to accept a ride in the Marquis’s carriage.

“As a knight, I couldn’t very well leave a lady alone on the roadside. Thank you for letting me escort you.”

The young marquis replied with a faint smile. I could see his eyes curving with a hint of slyness. It left me feeling a little exasperated.

Oh, honestly… This guy was so cunning. He’d just used the fact that I was a coward.

But still, the fact that he looked out for me was something to be grateful for. So I made sure to be polite and bowed my head in thanks.

“Thank you for seeing me home.”

“What do you mean?”

His eyes curved into even rounder crescents. It was a look brimming with warmth.

I climbed into the carriage and took the seat across from the young marquis. He watched me in silence, only speaking again after the carriage set off.

“Oh, I heard something. They say you’re out of Cuvershaiden now.”

“Ah… Well. They said it was dangerous because the manor has a ghost.”

I scratched one cheek as I answered. He must have heard about me from the Duke, apparently.

“Is that so? Would Laura really be in danger if you stayed at Cuvershaiden?”

“No. It’s not just Cuvershaiden’s problem. Ghosts are everywhere…”

“Then, do you think Illiaje overreacted a bit?”

“Yes, I think so. I didn’t know His Grace would worry that much… But then… I think I might be one of the reasons. Because I caused something that made him worry in the first place…”

Then, for a moment, a lump rose in my throat. Soon after, resentment toward the Duke welled up. No matter what, didn’t he say before that we should clarify our relationship? But I still didn’t have a proper idea of what that relationship even was.

Frustrated, my shoulders slumped of their own accord. I fidgeted with my fingertips for a while before suddenly feeling a gaze upon me. I lifted my head slightly and met the eyes of the young marquis, who was resting his chin on his hand and watching me.

“Well, I can’t really deny that part. I was worried too.”

He let out a short laugh and continued. I simply nodded quietly in response.

‘Of course. Normally, when someone close to you is in danger, you can’t help but worry.’

And as that thought settled in, I began to feel a creeping unease. It was almost frightening, because I couldn’t be sure that the Duke’s feelings toward me were unconditionally positive.

‘No matter what, isn’t this too much? It’s already been days since I left Cuvershaiden! His Grace hasn’t even come to find me or sent word for me to return! After all the work we did together!’

I just pouted, then stared out the carriage window. The carriage was already pulling away from Cuvershaiden, drawing closer to our house where my siblings were.