Chapter 144

Chapter 144

I tore my gaze from the window and shuffled down the corridor to the second brother’s room. Ren was there, playing with the youngest of our house. Without a word, I strode over to the bedside and flopped down onto it. Ren turned to look at me with a bewildered expression.

“What’s wrong? Why the long face?”

“It’s rare for a ghost to become an evil spirit, but it’s strange that it’s happening bit by bit in this house.”

“What?! An evil spirit appeared?! Who became one? That old man in the shabby clothes? That woman named Shion?!”

Ren shouted right in my face. The noise startled Ryan so badly he toppled backward. He didn’t cry, though—he scrambled up and slapped his brother square on the back. Guess he’d learned it from watching me hit Ren. You really can’t do anything in front of a little kid.

I straightened up at once, scooped the youngest into my arms, and looked down at Ren as I added,

“No, not that he’s turned into an evil spirit—just that his energy’s a little murky. That old man’s ghost might need to be caught and exorcised.”

“Yeah? Good news, then. Exorcism’ll take care of it.”

At that, my second brother raised his voice even louder. I, on the other hand, felt my energy drain a little. Exorcising him could bring Madam one step closer to ascension. But that didn’t stop a sour feeling from settling in my chest.

“Still, it bothers me. An exorcism means he won’t get a next life, or the one after that. Feels like stealing the chances a soul ought to have.”

“What? If he’s stayed in the land of the living, he ought to follow its rules. Can’t help it if he becomes an evil spirit and starts bothering people. Either way, at least we can exorcise him. Better to have no souls in the house at all—they just leech your energy anyway!”

Seeing Ren grin and laugh like that made me spiteful for no reason. I reached out and shoved his head down hard. I wanted to hit him, but the youngest was watching, so I couldn’t. Instead, I snapped at my second brother in a gruff tone.

“Don’t talk like you’re enjoying it.”

* * *

That day, the priest returned to Cuvershaiden carrying a large bundle. He went straight to the study and began laying out his plan to catch the ghost.

“I’ll set up a trap capable of catching the spirit. But I can’t cover the entire manor, so it’d be best to pick one room and turn it into the trap.”

“Understood. Tell Handel to give you a suitable room.”

The duke replied in a tone that suggested he was satisfied. There were plenty of empty rooms in this vast manor—giving one up wouldn’t cause any problems. Still, one question nagged at me.

“Do we just wait for the old man to walk into the trap?”

That’s what the word ‘trap’ implied. Like hunting: a hunter sets a snare and waits for an animal to pass through. Eventually, they might catch a deer….

But the old man’s case was different. She was holed up somewhere in Cuvershaiden, hiding tight. Honestly, expecting her to stumble over the trap by chance seemed like a waste of time.

“We don’t need to wait for chance. I intend to lure him into the trap. I know what he looks like, so I’ll summon that specific soul. When the soul responds, we seize it.”

The priest answered my worried question. Her tone brimmed with confidence. But that lasted only a moment before she stroked her chin, lost in thought.

“Still, it’d be far easier if we had a name. A name pins down an existence better than a face. And since I can’t see, all I know of his appearance is what I’ve heard from Your Excellency and the Young Lady.”

“A name?!”

I blurted out, my voice jumping. A name—yes, that stirred something. I remembered hearing her name. And when I traced it back, the answer came fast.

“I know it! I heard her name when she was possessing me!”

“What? Are you certain?!”

“Yes. Her name was… um… She said the dragon gave it to her… It was something like ‘forest’ in the ancient tongue… That’s it!”

“Forest… you say?”

The priest immediately folded her arms, narrowing her brow. She seemed to be racking her brain for the ancient word for forest. I followed suit, furrowing my own brow in deep thought. But the memory had sunk beneath a murky surface and refused to surface.

“Pre. It appears the woman’s name is Pre.”

The Duke spoke up first, breaking the silence. At the same time, the woman’s voice, introducing herself, flashed through my mind.

[My name is Preya.]

“Right, Pre! It was Pre.”

I grabbed the Duke’s arm and nodded vigorously.

“Pre it is. With a name, we’ll catch her in no time!”

The priest called out, sounding delighted. She then turned to the Duke.

“I’ll start setting the trap tonight. No one must enter the room until then—please keep the people under control.”

Her tone had the ring of having found the right answer. After that, she excused herself from the study, saying she had much to prepare. So only I and the Duke remained.

“With the old priest sent off, Shion’s next, I suppose.”

I murmured quietly, staring at the spot where the priest had vanished.

“Indeed. That child—she’s been staying in the garden constantly lately. I’m not sure if we can talk her into leaving the manor. I could arrange any number of places for her, though.”

The Duke spoke, his gaze drifting naturally toward the window. Watching him, I recalled Shion as an adult. She had demanded the divine power in the jewelry box from me, saying it might restore her memories.

Once all the memories returned, Shion would finally understand why she chose to remain in the land of the living. And then she might let go of her attachment and ascend… That was a far better ending than fading away here or turning into an evil spirit. Of course, the priest had told me to conserve my divine power, but I thought giving her all of it might not be such a bad idea either.

“Your Grace, should I give my divine power to Shion? They say it helps her recover her memories.”

So I spoke to him in a cautious voice, as if seeking agreement. But the only response that came back from the Duke was an unexpected one.

“No. Don’t.”

“What? Why not?”

“Ever since she started growing on divine power, it’s become difficult to predict Shion’s actions. Besides, I can’t guarantee that girl is an unambiguously benevolent being. Giving her even more power here seems like a bad idea. For now, I’ll only try to send her outside the manor. And that jewelry box—she claims it’s a keepsake from her mother, doesn’t she? Wouldn’t it be wise to hold onto it?”

He… was saying the same thing as the priest… .

Come to think of it, after Shion became an adult, she stopped listening to me entirely. Plus, she gave off a strangely eerie aura. It seemed the Duke had felt it too.

With the Duke echoing those words, I was left speechless and simply closed my mouth. Of course, his reasoning was sound. But for now, handing over the divine power to Shion felt like the best course of action. That just deepened my troubled confusion.

“Speaking of which, Handel complimented you on how splendidly you divided the engagement ceremony budget.”

The Duke abruptly shifted the subject and added those words. It almost felt like he was trying to shut down any further talk about divine power. In response, I dutifully set aside my thoughts on Shion and looked up at him with a surprised expression.

“What? The butler said that? He never mentioned a word of it to me!”

“Handel is quite a strict teacher, you know.”

“Still, though. I was worried whether I was doing a good job.”

I let out a thoroughly aggrieved voice, feeling unfairly treated. But the Duke just laughed, ha ha. Then he looked down at me with only his eyes.

“So, is the engagement preparation proceeding smoothly?”

“They say the engagement dress will be finished and delivered tomorrow. But I had it made with a ridiculously expensive one. That alone will drain the ceremony budget.”

For some reason, a petulant remark slipped out before I could stop it. Well, the dress did take up a large portion of the budget, so it wasn’t entirely a lie. Though it’s not like Cuvershaiden’s funds would actually run dry over something like that.

“Then you’ll be even more beautiful. I look forward to seeing it.”

The Duke replied with a wry smile. At that lovely smile, my petty spite dissolved in an instant, and the irritation I felt quietened down.

“Well… you’ll see soon enough. I’ll have to try it on once the dress arrives anyway. Come watch me then!”

“I’d like to see it right now, but unfortunately I have to go to the Imperial Castle tomorrow. Will you show me when I’m back?”

“Hmm… I suppose there’s no reason not to.”

I held his gaze, staring straight into those blue eyes. He caught my fingertips and pulled me toward him. His lips curved into a light arc as he answered, ‘Good.’

* * *

“Kyaaaaah!”

A scream snapped my eyes open. I scrambled upright in bed and checked on my siblings. Thankfully Lucia and Roti were still breathing softly, fast asleep. They didn’t seem to have heard a thing.

‘That sounds like the old woman’s voice.’

It was that rasping, scraping shriek. I guessed she might have gotten caught in the trap the priest had set.

I slipped my feet to the floor and padded to the door. Easing it open a crack, I pressed my eye to the gap. The dark corridor stretched before me, utterly still—as if nothing had happened at all.

‘Huh?’

And then I saw it. Shion darted past my view in a blur. I tracked her with my gaze. She seemed to be heading for the room where the trap was laid.

‘What? Is she following the scream? But why?’

Puzzlement crowded my thoughts, but I didn’t follow her. I just didn’t have the nerve to brave the darkness. So I shut the door and went back to bed, telling myself it was probably nothing, and tried to fall asleep again.

The next day, the Duke left for the Imperial Castle as planned. I sat alone in the study, handling my own work, when I glanced out the window. Shion wasn’t in her usual spot. She must have been inside the mansion since last night.

Knock knock.

A sudden rap at the door. I pulled my gaze from the window and turned toward the sound. ‘Come in,’ I said, and the door swung open to admit the priest.