Chapter 150

Chapter 150

People kept approaching, eager to make acquaintance with the future Duchess. Hours of wearing a practiced smile were starting to wear me thin. Weary, I glanced up at the Duke. He felt my gaze and looked down at me from the corner of his eye.

“Shall we step out for a moment?”

He leaned in and whispered softly into my ear. Then he guided me out toward the terrace. Unlike the banquet hall, blazing with lights, the terrace outside was steeped in thick darkness.

I leaned against the terrace railing. The Duke took his place beside me.

“Ah… I suppose I wrote too many invitations. Too many people have come!”

It was the result of studying with the butler and the noble houses as I wrote the invitations. When I came to my senses, I’d been sending invitations to nearly every house I’d studied. Thanks to that, Cuvershaiden was more crowded than it had ever been.

“I’m just glad I got to introduce my fiancée. Handel must have sent all your invitations for that reason too.”

When I grumbled in a voice full of complaint, he replied with amusement in his tone. The butler had said I needed to be known by many people, after all. Thinking about it, dealing with so many was just a hurdle I had to cross.

‘Well… if that’s the case, I can’t help it.’

I was in the middle of resigning myself to that thought when a woman walked out onto the terrace where we stood. With her long black hair flowing, she wore a face that resembled the Duke’s. The Madam of Cuvershaiden had appeared, looking as she did in life.

“Congratulations on the engagement.”

She stepped briskly toward us and spoke. But I saw her form was far more indistinct than when I’d last seen her. In that moment, I sensed with a chill certainty that time had truly run out.

“Mother, it’s been a long time since we met like this.”

The Duke abruptly rose from his seat and moved a step toward her. She responded with a gentle smile directed at her son.

“Yes, it has been a long time. My son.”

“Are you… leaving now?”

He asked her in a low voice. It seemed the Duke, too, sensed his mother’s end was near.

“……Yes. ……I’m glad I got to see my son’s engagement ceremony. It seems releasing all the souls in Cuvershaiden wasn’t the only thing I wished for. I suppose I wanted to see your happiness too. Well…… I’d be even happier if I could have seen the wedding…… but unfortunately, I don’t have the strength left for that. So, my child, I think it’s really time for me to go.”

“…….”

“Goodbye.”

With those words, her form began to fade, growing hazier and hazier.

“Mother.”

The Duke reached out his hand, but of course, he could not grasp her.

“Don’t worry. I’ll return safely. My son, live a very, very happy life and let’s meet again a long time from now. And Laura, it was truly wonderful to meet you. You must live a long time too.”

The Madam waved her hand to me one last time, then condensed into a tiny sphere. It floated up into the sky. The Duke followed his mother’s soul with his eyes. At the end of his gaze, she hovered for a moment in empty air, then dissolved away without a trace.

“Are you all right?”

I hurried to the Duke’s side and grabbed his arm. My heart ached with worry for him — I knew that farewell was never easy. But he merely looked down at me with a faint smile.

“Yes.”

His voice was calm as ever, but I knew he couldn’t be completely fine. So I silently clasped his hand tightly. A cold sensation seeped into my palm.

“Ah, Miss Highen! Illiaje!”

At that moment, the Marquis burst onto the terrace. He spotted us and gestured for us to come out.

“What’s this about the leads of an engagement party hiding? I know you’re having a good time, but everyone’s looking for you, so come on out.”

I understood why he was looking for us, but the timing left much to be desired. The Duke, however, merely shrugged without much reaction and replied with a simple ‘alright.’ He then laced his fingers through mine, adjusting his grip.

“Let’s go.”

He pulled me toward him, then said, “The Marquis is already opening the terrace window.” The Duke and I followed his lead, stepping back into the glittering banquet hall.

The banquet stretched on until late night. With no more ghosts in Cuvershaiden, I wasn’t afraid to be out even in the fallen darkness. So I was surrounded by people, ate delicious food, and had a bit of wine too. But I couldn’t enjoy myself freely. Deep down, I was worried about the Duke.

‘Will he really be okay? Seeing Madam must keep reminding him of his own mother when she was alive… but this isn’t the right place to comfort him.’

I glanced around the banquet hall at the throng of people as I thought. I couldn’t just kick them out. So I found myself wishing the guests would leave quickly so I could spend time with the Duke.

But the guests only began to trickle out near dawn. As the crowd ebbed away like a tide and I saw my younger siblings to their guest rooms, the banquet hall quickly grew quiet and empty.

“Laura!”

The Duke, standing alone in the middle of the hall, called out to me. Then he sprinted straight toward me. I could see his ears were flushed red.

“You called me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Just because you’re here.”

He cupped both sides of my jaw with his hands. Even though I couldn’t smell any alcohol on him, he seemed a little drunk somehow.

“Hmm… but, Duke, how much did you drink?”

“Probably… a glass of wine?”

‘Wow, this man really is a lightweight.’

I was perfectly fine even though I’d downed a whole bottle. Because I’d prepared dessert wine with low alcohol content to prevent any accidents.

‘He looks like he’d be a heavy drinker…’

Seeing the Duke so disheveled was quite unexpected. But a mischievous part of me was glad to discover this new side of him.

“I don’t usually drink much.”

As if he’d read my thoughts, the Duke added.

“Is that so. Don’t drink on usual days, then. It’s enough that I’m the only one who sees you like this. You look dangerously handsome, you know?”

“Haha.”

At my words, he let out a soft laugh. Then he straightened his expression and looked down at me.

“Don’t worry. When I drink, I get dizzy and can’t focus, so I don’t even like it. I had to drink a bit today because so many people insisted…”

“Is that so?”

“But… now that I think about it, it’s not so bad.”

“Oh, my…”

Watching him made me smile involuntarily. I reached out and ran my fingers through his hair.

“Let’s go to bed now. I’ll walk you to your room today.”

I knew his heart must be in turmoil. I wanted to let him rest, right this instant. But without a word, he moved the hand that had been touching my face to my back and simply pulled me into an embrace.

“…H-hey, someone could see this. The servants will be coming to clear this place any minute.”

I flinched, patting his arm. But he was stubborn as stone, unmoving.

“It’s fine. They can clean up later. If they know we’re here, they’ll have the sense not to come in.”

“…”

At that, I was truly at a loss for words. Turns out the Duke was shrewder than I’d thought. Well, it wasn’t exactly something worth refusing. Let bygones be bygones—I gave his back a decent pat too.

“And Laura. I really am fine. Mother passed so long ago, I’ve grown numb to it. I’m just a little awkward. If anything, I’m glad I got to greet her. I couldn’t do that when she died.”

He kept on talking while holding me. It seemed my worry for him had shown on my face despite myself. So I just nodded silently.

“I understand…”

“…So for now, let’s just think about us—the ones who’ll live on here. Happy, like my mother said… because we’ve got a long life ahead.”

“Right. Fate may decide how long we live, but don’t worry about happiness. I’ll make sure you live happily.”

“Haha. That’s reassuring.”

After that, he slowly pulled away from me and looked down. His blue gaze poured over me. His voice, heavy with drink, sounded so sweet it took my breath away.

“Ah, now that I think of it, I need to prepare the bridal chamber. I’d forgotten in the rush.”

“The bridal chamber? Already?”

“I’d like to. We’re getting married soon anyway, aren’t we?”

“Mmm… Well then, I’d love if the lighting was pretty. You know, with those sparkling decorations.”

“Good. Let’s do that.”

It was talk about the life we’d share going forward. I liked having this conversation. The more concrete the plans became, the clearer the future with him painted itself in my mind.

“I think we’ll need to stop by the Imperial court later. We have to meet His Majesty the Emperor.”

Then he added another remark. I readily gave an affirmative answer.

“Okay.”

“A distant relative of mine should be coming up soon. He lives down south—couldn’t make it to the engagement ceremony because of work. I’ll introduce you to him too.”

“Yes.”

“And…”

Then he fumbled inside his breast pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it, took out a ring, and slid it onto my finger.

“This…?”

“An engagement ring. I’d wanted to give it to you more grandly, but as we were talking, I felt like now was the moment.”

“Wow… A ring!”

I stared at the ring, perfectly fitted around my ring finger. The clear jewel caught the light, gleaming. And this time, it wasn’t the Eye of the Sun.

“When did you have this made?! Seriously—it’s gorgeous!”

“Glad you like it.”

He smiled faintly, his gaze trailing down my face like he was savoring the sight. He lingered there a moment, studying me, before speaking in a low, quiet voice.

“Oh, and Laura. I don’t think I’ve ever said this before… I love you, too.”

“…”

In that instant, my heart jolted—a hard, thudding beat. I tried to name the swell of emotion rising in my chest, then realized it was simple: happiness.

Back in that cold winter, when I first set foot in Cuvershaiden, had I ever imagined an ending like this? But now, I was certain. With him, I could accomplish anything. It was perfect—nothing more to ask for.

‘I’m so glad I came here!’

I Got a Job at a Ghost Mansion (Complete)