Chapter 137

Chapter 137

“This is the first time I’ve come to the Imperial Palace at this hour.”

At the palace gates, the duke shook his head in disbelief.

“It does feel eerie. The place is swarming with souls.”

I crossed my arms as I replied.

We were here tonight to send off the headless ghost. The duke had chosen the rear garden of the Imperial Palace as the spot. It was a place people passed through often, but at night access was restricted and foot traffic ceased entirely.

Besides, the palace grounds were enormous. If the headless ghost expanded its territory, it could wander all around the garden. If it reached the main building, there were plenty of other ghosts there too—it might even make new friends. In short, the rear garden of the Imperial Palace met every condition Edan had asked for.

But was it really okay to just abandon a ghost here?!

Sure, a sliver of worry lingered, but the Imperial Palace was already crawling with ghosts anyway. One headless man wouldn’t make a difference—he wasn’t some ecological disaster waiting to unfold.

“…But can you really just leave a soul in the Imperial Palace and walk away?”

The marquis, on the other hand, tilted his head with a hint of genuine concern. He’d bumped into us at the castle gate just moments ago and tagged along—because it looked fun, he’d said. Strange guy, in his own way.

I had no real answer for his question, so I shot a sidelong glance at the priest beside me. He stroked his chin once, then opened his mouth slowly.

“Actually, the Imperial Castle might work in our favor. It’s teeming with people, and spirits tend to have their energy suppressed in crowded places.”

Ah, that made sense! So we could just abandon him here with a clear conscience!

As a subject of the Imperial House, I’d felt a twinge of guilt about dropping a ghost on the imperial grounds. But now I could scoop away even that burden.

“Let’s head in. Finish this quickly and get back.”

The duke turned to look at us, then spoke. At his word, the three humans and two ghosts began trudging along the castle wall. Cutting through the inner palace would’ve gotten us to the garden fast, but we hadn’t secured a pass in advance, so that was out.

We walked a long stretch until we reached the artificial lake. There, the duke stopped short and threw out an arm, blocking me and the priest.

“Don’t follow from here. There are too many souls ahead.”

“Ah, yes.”

Honestly, I wasn’t keen on venturing into a place thick with ghosts. No need to barge straight into a terror you know is waiting.

“Shion, bring that head and come with me. Benat, you’re coming too since you’re here.”

This time, the duke addressed the ghosts and his friend. Watching him—so calm, so composed—made my heart tighten. I knew he was just as afraid as I was. So I stepped closer, gently, and clutched the hem of his sleeve.

“Your Grace, are you okay? They say the Imperial Palace is packed with ghosts who died horribly. There’s bound to be plenty showing up now…”

“…”

The duke looked down at me, silent for a moment. He studied my face, then offered a faint smile.

“You’re right. I’m scared to death. What should I do?”

“What?! Th-then what do we do?!”

I yelped, startled stiff. Staring into those blue eyes that gazed at me so wistfully, a pang ran through my chest.

“Hmm… What should I do…?”

The Duke drew out his words, watching me. Then, after a moment, he turned to look at the Marquis. I followed his gaze. Caught under the sudden attention, the Marquis merely raised an eyebrow, as if asking what the matter was. The Duke, adopting a mock-serious air, opened his mouth.

“With that in mind, Benat, why don’t you take Shion and the headless soul along? I’m scared.”

“What? Are you two running a married con? I can’t even see this kid Shion.”

At his utterly shameless tone, the Marquis let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded.

“What?! You have to come too, Oppa! I’m not going alone! Are you just going to leave me here and go?!”

Shion shouted fiercely. The Duke just shrugged his shoulders and replied, ‘Alright. Just a joke.’

“Then you’re definitely taking me, right?! You’re not leaving me here to live with the headless oppa, are you?!”

The child approached the Duke’s side with teary eyes. Somehow, she was worried we might leave her behind here. In fact, it had been difficult to even get her this far. Only after a long time of convincing Shion and promising we would never abandon her could we drag her out of the mansion.

“Yes. It’s not. Anyway, follow me. Let’s go to the garden.”

The Duke shook his head and took the lead, quickening his pace.

“Hey, Elize. If you’re scared, want me to hold your hand?”

The Marquis followed behind him, sneering.

“I wish you’d just shut up.”

At that, the Duke furrowed his brows in irritation. Then he paused, checking on my expression. After a moment, he added, ‘No, let me correct that. Be quiet,’ and began walking along the castle wall again.

“Unnie! I’ll be back! Don’t go anywhere. You have to stay right here! Promise! Never! Don’t leave me behind!”

Shion seemed still unsettled with anxiety. She shook the man’s head she held in both hands, shouting toward me. The sight was quite eerie. But I pretended nothing was wrong and gestured for her to go ahead.

After that, Shion hurriedly followed the increasingly distant Duke. The headless ghost did the same. He only gave me a brief bow of his waist in farewell before quickening his steps. Their figures soon disappeared completely behind the Imperial Castle’s buildings.

“Seeing that the soul’s energy has vanished, it seems they have all followed His Excellency.”

The priest looked at the spot where they had passed and spoke to me.

“Yes, that’s right. Now we just have to wait for them to return with the soul.”

Right. Now it was just a matter of the Duke dropping the headless ghost off in the garden, and it’d be over. One less thing to worry about. And yet, there was something strange in the air. Maybe because the ghosts were gradually vanishing from Cuvershaiden. It wasn’t that I missed them—but a faint awkwardness lingered.

All the while, the priest was sneaking glances my way. I met his eyes as if to ask what the matter was. He cleared his throat once, then opened his mouth carefully.

“By the way, I heard you’re engaged.”

Ahh, so he was curious about whether the engagement was real or not… That must be it.

It seemed news of the engagement had even reached the temple. A thought crossed my mind that before long, the whole country would be gossiping. I scratched one cheek sheepishly.

“Oh, you heard? Yes… That’s how it turned out.”

“I thought as much. Congratulations!”

“Thank you. Um… if I send you an invitation, would you come to the engagement ceremony?”

“You mean it?”

His face lit up like someone had just turned on a lamp. But he quickly tamped it down into a composed, dignified calm. He seemed the type who secretly enjoyed such occasions. Truth be told, I’d only asked out of courtesy—but it looked like I’d almost missed something important by not asking at all.

“Then, please send it to the temple addressed to me.”

He added that in the same calm tone. I nodded with an inward smile.

“Yes, but we haven’t set a date yet, so later on…”

Just then, a chill ran through me. I’d felt the presence of spirits ever since passing the Imperial Palace, but this was on another level—a sharp, hair-raising sensation. I quickly turned my head toward where the energy was coming from. There, I spotted the ghost I’d seen at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet. She was the same woman who had shown me the memories of the dragon after possessing me.

“There’s something there, isn’t there?”

Whether the priest had sensed it too, he asked me in a low, hushed voice.

“Yes. Just pretend you didn’t notice.”

I pulled my gaze away at once.

“Let’s act like we’re having a conversation, then.”

“Right. Ghosts are best ignored. They get far too interested in someone who can see them.”

And so, we forced ourselves to pretend the terrifying ghost wasn’t there and chatted about this and that. After a while, I felt the eerie presence begin to fade. Slowly, I turned to look back at where the ghost had been. The old woman with her white hair loose and flowing was already gone.

‘She’s gone…’

Relieved, I let out a long breath. At the same moment, the Duke, the Marquis, and Shion emerged from behind the building. But the headless ghost was nowhere in sight. They must have managed to drop him off in the garden.

“We’re back~”

The marquis strode toward me with a broad, beaming smile, but the duke beside him looked utterly drained. I didn’t need to ask to grasp the situation — he’d clearly had a rough time seeing all kinds of ghosts.

“Let’s head back.”

The duke pressed a hand to his forehead as if nursing a throbbing headache. At that adorable sight, I stifled a laugh with all my might, merely nodding earnestly.

But just then, a chilling sensation crept up from behind me. Startled, I whirled around to see a white-haired old woman hurtling toward me at an impossibly fast speed — too fast to dodge.

“No. I’m about to be possessed…!”

She’d possessed me like this at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet too. Fear coiled in my chest as I cowered, shielding my head and body with both arms. But the ghost rushing toward me stopped short in front of Shion instead. Then she dropped to her knees with a thud.

“You… you…”

She studied Shion from every angle, tears streaming down her face in rivulets.

“What? Go away!”

Shion flailed her hands irritably, swatting at the air.

“What? Shion, do you know this woman?”

The duke looked down at the child, puzzled. I, too, fixed a bewildered gaze on Shion. Meanwhile, the priest and marquis, who couldn’t see ghosts, just wore confused expressions.

“No. I don’t know her. Go away.”

The child truly didn’t seem to recognize the white-haired old woman. Yet the old woman’s face held a sorrow too deep for that.