Chapter 16

Chapter 16

“For now, don’t come out. Stay in this room.”

He pointed at the children one by one. Then he grabbed me by the arm and hauled me to my feet. The Duke’s coat, which had been draped over my legs, slipped and fell to the floor. It revealed the charred hem of my dress, blackened and withered.

“…….”

The Duke picked up his fallen coat and held it out to me. I didn’t grasp his intent at first, only blinking up at him.

“Cover… yourself…”

“Oh. Yes…! Thank you, Your Excellency.”

I bowed my head deeply and took it, then wrapped it around my waist, tying the sleeves in a knot. Luckily, the coat was long enough to hide the burned part of my dress entirely.

‘This is awkward…’

I lifted my head at the thought and met the Duke’s eyes. He turned his back and left the room without a word. I hurried after him.

“Do you know where the young marquis might have gone?”

I asked as soon as we stepped into the corridor.

“I have a rough idea, but he’s not one to stay still in one place…”

He shook his head as he replied.

“Then let’s start by checking your best guesses.”

“……No. You should go back inside.”

My enthusiastic voice met his flat rebuttal.

“What? Why?”

“Your leg must be hurt. Go get it treated.”

“It just looks bad; I’m not actually hurt. I’m fine.”

I stomped my foot against the floor to prove it. But even my eagerness didn’t earn a positive response from the Duke. He just stared at me with that unyielding expression.

“No. Go inside.”

With those short, decisive words, he turned and walked toward the end of the corridor.

Seriously… You’ll be scared wandering alone… There might be ghosts…?

I was grateful for an employer who didn’t push for overtime, but Theo could turn into an evil spirit any moment. For now, things had calmed down, but he was a time bomb that could explode again anytime.

‘I’ll find the young marquis in secret!’

I can just make up some excuse for the Duke later. What does he need to know, anyway?

I turned and walked in the opposite direction from where the Duke had gone, muffling my footsteps. As I crept along the corridor, I saw a silhouette approaching.

“Laura, where are you going?”

It was Sonia. She spotted me and trotted over, her voice bright.

“Uh… Um… The restroom…”

“Oh? Ann called me, so I was heading to their room. Come by later. Let’s talk a bit.”

Sorry, but now’s not the time to play with you guys…… And I can’t exactly explain the situation, can I? ‘There’s a ghost named Theo living in this house, and I’m trying to make him ascend before he turns into an evil spirit.’ Who’d believe that?

“Uh…… My stomach hurts, so once my, uh, bowel movement (?) settles down…….”

I just blurted out the first thing that popped into my head. Then I screamed internally.

Great, now I’m forever the girl who’s always running to the bathroom in her mind!

“Oh dear. You do seem to get an upset stomach pretty often. Alright, I’ll head off first then.”

Sonia flashed me another bright smile and brushed past me. But I suddenly caught her arm.

“Wait, Sonia.”

“Hm?”

“You came from that end of the corridor, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Did you happen to see the young marquis on your way?”

“The young marquis? I didn’t see him on the way, but I think he’s in the garden right now?”

She pointed a finger toward the window. I followed her gaze, looking outside. Under the lights brightening the ducal house’s garden, I spotted the young marquis standing there.

‘A walk at this hour, not like he’s doing midnight calisthenics. Anyway……

Found you.’

“Found you!”

Just then, a shrill voice rang out right beside my left ear. I flinched and turned my head. The little blond-haired boy who should’ve been in the room was standing next to me, staring out the window. I’d forgotten — kids this age never listen. Telling him to stay put? No way he’d actually do it.

“Aahhh!”

“Unnie! I found the young master Theo was talking about!”

The child’s sudden appearance made me jump and yelp. He, meanwhile, seemed utterly unconcerned with my reaction.

“Unnie, I’ll go get Theo! You hold that guy there!”

With that, he dissolved like smoke, fading away.

Ghosts, honestly. That’s the problem. Appearing and vanishing out of nowhere, scaring people. And I’m always the one left to clean up the mess.

“What’s wrong? Laura? Something happen?”

Sonia asked, worry creeping into her voice. My sudden scream had clearly startled her.

“……Actually, I need to scream like that periodically.”

“……?”

“……It’s supposed to be good for your health, they say.”

Another bizarre excuse slipped out of my mouth.

What the hell am I even saying? I sound like such a weirdo.

I had to let out another agonizing internal scream.

“……I see.”

Wait, Sonia! What are you accepting?! She has absolutely zero prejudice!

My head spun. I wanted to explain somehow, but it was giving me a headache, so I shelved it for now. The problem I needed to solve was right outside the manor.

“Sonia. Then I’ll…… uh…… go to the bathroom.”

“Okay.”

I raced past Sonia and down the corridor, flew down the stairs, burst through the front entrance, and headed straight for where the Young Marquis had been. Soon I spotted his back as he walked along the garden path.

“Young Marquis!”

He turned to look at me. Under the soft lighting, his hair glittered dazzlingly.

“Young Lady.”

The Young Marquis gave a light chuckle.

“Wh-what are you doing here?!”

“Just thinking a bit.”

He shrugged at my question.

“I was surprised not to find you in your room.”

“It’s been a long time since I was here, so I stepped out for a moment. I made you come looking for me. Sorry.”

“Oh—no, I’m relieved I found you.”

I said, catching my breath from the run. The Young Marquis stared at me for a moment, then slowly spoke.

“…Theo showed up, didn’t he? Should we head back now?”

“…No. You don’t have to.”

I shook my head lightly as I answered.

“Because you’re standing right in front of him now.”

Then I gestured with my eyes toward the ghosts that had suddenly appeared without warning.

Theo was hiding behind a little blonde girl even smaller than himself. Peeking out at his brother, he hesitated, then shuffled closer to the Young Marquis.

“He’s here?”

The Young Marquis’s voice carried a hint of bewilderment. He couldn’t see Theo. So even with his brother right in front of him, his gaze just wandered aimlessly through the air, uncertain what to do.

“Young Master…”

Theo called out to his brother and reached out an arm toward him. But that hand passed straight through the Young Marquis’s body.

“…”

The child froze mid-motion, then let his arm drop. He looked up at the Young Marquis with a sad expression. But they couldn’t meet each other’s eyes.

“Lady Highen. Where exactly is the child?”

The Young Marquis turned to ask me. A sudden thought struck me. I walked over and stood directly behind Theo. Then I gathered up the Duke’s long coat tied at my waist and knelt down on the floor.

“Young Lady? What are you doing?”

The Young Marquis said, his voice startled.

“Young Marquis, I’m right behind Theo now. His eye level is exactly the same as mine. Just look at me!”

“…”

He looked down at me. For a moment, I thought anyone witnessing this would find it very strange. But I quickly pushed the thought from my mind. The Young Marquis let out a short laugh, then plopped down onto the floor himself.

“Still small. And I’ve grown so much since then.”

His voice had sunk a little. I was behind Theo’s hazy form, so I couldn’t clearly see the Young Marquis’s expression. But I could tell he was feeling complicated.

“I’m glad to see you again.”

Theo said. I quickly interpreted the child’s words and opened my mouth.

“Theo says he’s happy he got to see the young marquis again.”

“Ah… I see. I—I can’t see him, but I’m glad I got to meet you again.”

He looked at me as he spoke. Then he hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth again.

“I’ve thought a lot about why you’re still bound to the land of the living, Theo, unable to ascend.”

“……”

“…I want to formally induct you into our House. I know it’s far too late, but this is the right thing to do. You did nothing wrong. It’ll take some time, though… but I’ll make sure it happens.”

The young marquis spoke in a low, heavy voice. My mouth fell open in surprise. I could almost picture him wrestling with this decision for a long time before finally making up his mind. In the end, it seemed he’d chosen to carry the guilt toward his mother forward with him.

“I don’t know.”

But Theo, of all people, said something unexpected.

Don’t know? Don’t know what? Was he not pleased with the young marquis’s offer?

I couldn’t grasp what the child meant by that. So I thought for a moment, then relayed Theo’s words exactly to the young marquis.

“I don’t know.”

“…I see.”

The young marquis answered, his tone tinged with confusion.

“You said he’s been frozen at that age ever since…”

The young marquis mumbled as if to himself. And then it suddenly hit me. Theo’s ‘I don’t know’ wasn’t a rejection of the young marquis’s offer. Little Theo genuinely hadn’t understood what he meant.

“…Then, is there something else you want from me? I’ll give you anything.”

“I just… wanted to see you.”

Theo answered the young marquis’s words. I relayed the child’s words again, exactly as they were.

“……”

“I wasn’t holding the lion right. Sorry I burned it.”

“No… it’s okay.”

“Sorry I said we should play together.”

“I’m sorry too—I couldn’t save you in time.”

“Thank you.”

“…Yeah.”

The young marquis answered, his voice thick with rising tears.

“I think I can go now.”

“What?!”

He grabbed my wrist and yanked me toward him in an instant. My body lurched forward, and I nearly slammed my head against his chest. Startled, I looked up at him. His face was twisted, on the verge of tears.

“Wait. Don’t go.”

He cried out in desperation. But the soul of the child before my eyes was already fading. Theo condensed into a smaller form, shrinking to the size of two finger joints. Then he gathered into a tiny sphere and rose into the sky.