Chapter 117

Chapter 117

His story, woven in those short sentences, didn’t let me know every detail of what happened between him and the Madam. But I could feel the ache in his heart. I lightly stroked his shoulder.

“The Madam never blamed you, Your Grace. You know that.”

“Mm.”

“So it’s all right to let some of that weight go.”

“Mm.”

“And try to spend what time remains with her.”

At my words, the Duke loosened the tension in his arms and slowly pulled away from me. Then he looked up at me with calm eyes.

“It’s strange. How did you come to be by my side?”

“Well… I was looking for work, and it happened by chance?”

“That’s not what I meant. I meant to say I’m lucky.”

The Duke whispered softly, his voice low. I thought to myself how easily he said things that might embarrass him. A strange bashfulness crept over me. Before I knew it, I was looking away from him. Then I added a small, heartfelt remark.

“I’ll stay by your side, Your Grace. For as long as I can.”

“……I see.”

He answered. A quiet affirmation. In my heart, it sounded like permission to stay by his side forever. For a moment, my spirits lifted, despite the gravity of the situation. Making an effort to seem unfazed, I rolled my eyes and brought up the subject of the Madam.

“Ah. Speaking of the Madam—I have a good idea!”

It was an idea I’d been turning over in my mind ever since last night.

* * *

A dark, narrow alley. Above a building sunk in heavy black shadow hung a strange sign: ‘The Witch’s Curio Shop.’ The moment I spotted it, I called out to the Duke.

“Your Grace! This has to be it!”

What convinced me this was our destination was the woman painted beside the sign. Mysterious, with a touch of the eerie, the portrait was the spitting image of the woman I’d seen at the marketplace recently—the one selling the necromancy-enchanted wooden boards.

I grabbed the Duke’s sleeve and tugged him inside the shop. There, seated at a table before the door, was the woman, her hands clasped. Draped in a crimson robe, her long black hair spilling down, she looked every bit the witch.

“……I’ve been waiting.”

The red-haired witch addressed us with her aura fully staged and dramatic. The Duke raised an eyebrow at me, questioning—as if asking whether I’d made a reservation in advance.

“She’s just pretending to know things.”

I replied in a whisper. She’d been like this when I met her with the young marquis too, putting on that mysterious witch act… It was just her shtick.

“Pretending?! I—”

The woman snapped her head up, bristling. The moment she met my eyes, she froze, then narrowed hers. A ‘Hmm.’ escaped her lips. It looked like she was trying to place me.

“Huh? You? The redhead from that time?!”

In an instant, she pointed at me and exclaimed. Her voice, low before, shot up in a single breath, shattering the witch persona on the spot. I found her reaction a little amusing, but I nodded as if nothing had happened.

“Yes. I’m that redhead.”

“Hmm… Well… Anyway, what brings you here?”

One eyebrow arched in obvious suspicion, like a feisty cat. I cleared my throat and steadied my voice.

“You know that thing you used to sell? That plank-thing for necromancy. I want to buy it.”

“What’s this? Last time you said I shouldn’t sell those…?”

That was about selling them to children being dangerous… Not that adults were safe either, but right now I needed necromancy materials desperately. I opened my mouth to make some excuse. But before I could even get a word out, her voice cut in first.

“Huh?! Now that I look, you came with someone different this time? Hmm… I don’t know what your relationship is, but was that other person your lover?”

Why of all things did she have to say that?! ‘Someone different’! What if the Duke hears and misunderstands?!

She seemed determined to guess my situation to keep up her mysterious persona. Wrong on every count, of course. I was flustered! But I steadied myself and turned to look at the Duke. And then—I saw black smoke rising behind his back. The smoke quickly shaped itself like a bursting firework.

Good heavens. My God. It’s not that! Madam!!

It seemed the one with the misunderstanding wasn’t the Duke, but Madam. I screamed internally with righteous indignation. But of course, Madam didn’t hear my silent shouts.

The Madam seemed to sag, all her energy draining away as she began to slide down from behind her son’s back. At the same time, cold sweat trickled down my own spine. Meanwhile, the woman in red shifted her gaze to the Duke’s back. Then she raised her index finger and pointed at the black smoke.

“Oh my. A dead soul has latched onto you. Is that why you need necromancy? Are you planning an exorcism? If you’re thinking of using the products I sell for exorcism…”

“Th-That’s not it at all!”

I flailed my hands frantically. I truly needed to shut that mouth of hers. An exorcism! What kind of insane nonsense was she spouting?! In front of the Duke, no less!

“Not it? Then what is it? Why do you need necromancy tools? And you there—do you even know what soul has attached itself to you?”

She adjusted her posture and stared intently at the Duke. She was crafting an air of mystery with her gentle demeanor and refined speech. Meanwhile, I could only clutch the back of my neck in dismay.

That woman. Her tone alone lacked all manners! Though of course, she couldn’t possibly imagine the man before her was a Duke! Still, this was all wrong!

“…It’s my mother.”

The Duke’s answer followed. At that, the atmosphere between us sank into an icy chill.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The woman’s eyes began to tremble wildly, as if struck by an earthquake. She even seemed at a complete loss, floundering in confusion. Then, after a moment, she cast her gaze downward and hesitantly parted her lips.

“C-Can you see it too? I mean… the souls?”

“Yes.”

“Ah. So that’s… well… but still, no matter what. A soul clinging to a person’s body isn’t good. That—that person… needs to be… removed… no. No. They need to be placed somewhere else.”

She stammered, adding on to her sentence. She seemed to be trying to salvage the careless words she’d blurted out about exorcism. But it would have been better if she’d said nothing at all.

“Don’t concern yourself. I’ll handle matters regarding my mother on my own.”

“…Still…”

“Is there anything else to say?”

“…No. I apologize. I spoke out of turn.”

The woman shrank back, sullen. The refined tone she’d been crafting had also reverted to its original state.

“Very well.”

The Duke gave a curt nod in her direction. Then he turned to look at me. It was a signal to get on with the task at hand.

“Excuse me. Please show us the necromancy materials.”

At that, I hurriedly pressed the woman before me. She scratched one cheek in embarrassment, then began to rummage out the necromancy materials one by one. She laid them out on the table and tapped a flat-looking board with her fingertip to draw attention to it.

“This board helps you communicate with souls. Among dealers—people in the same line of work—we call it the Book of Souls. You light a candle, chant the incantation, and use it to summon spirits.”

“The Book of Souls? That’s a grandiose name.”

“Giving products a flashy name helps with sales, you know. Anyway, here. See these letters carved into the board? The soul arranges them to form words, and that’s how you talk. Basic phrases are pre-written here. On the back, there are cards you can slot in for additional answers. But as you’re aware, necromancy is quite dangerous. I’m only saying this because you two can actually see what’s there—I’d advise against making any serious attempts.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean.”

Not that I’d ever actually tried real necromancy. Honestly, what if I attempted something like that and ended up possessed? I only needed to be able to talk to the ghosts in Cuvershaiden. So there was nothing for her to worry about.

“Don’t worry. Nothing dangerous will happen. Just give me that Book of Souls, or whatever it’s called.”

After that, I bought the Book of Souls and tucked it away. I hadn’t even been here long, but I was completely drained. I just wanted to hurry back to Cuvershaiden.

The duke and I left the shop together and climbed into the carriage to return to the manor. But then, the duke sitting across from me suddenly threw out a question.

“How do you know about a place like that?”

At the same moment, the Madam’s soul began to tremble like a restless tide, as if she too grew curious about the answer to the Duke’s question. I found her reaction puzzling, then the red-clad woman’s shameful acts came flooding back.

She’d asked if I would exorcise the Madam and spoken to the Duke with a startling lack of manners. Surely she hadn’t known better, but ignorance didn’t erase the offense. As that thought landed, I found myself suddenly uneasy about both the Madam and the Duke.

“Ah. I’m sorry, Your Grace. That shopkeeper said something odd and it must have bothered you. I’m the one who suggested coming here…”

“No, I…”

The Duke pressed a hand to his brow at my words, drawing out his answer. He seemed to consider something for a long moment before speaking again.

“…Laura. The one you visited that shop with before — was that your younger brother?”