Chapter 20

Chapter 20

“……Want me to walk you?”

As I agonized, the Duke spoke.

“You, Your Grace?!”

That was completely unexpected.

‘No. What’s this coward saying? Is he planning to faint again?’

“I’m fine. I can go alone…… Probably.”

“……No. I’ll walk you.”

He said it as his hand closed over mine on the doorknob. But as the door swung open in an arc, the Butler was standing there. He had his right fist raised like he was about to knock, but when he saw us, he lowered his arm back down.

“Butler!”

I called out to him with genuine delight.

“Please, could you walk me to my room!”

The Butler stared at me for a moment, then turned his head toward the Duke. After that, he pinned his gaze on me again.

“……I have matters to attend to, so I must be going. I’m afraid I can’t escort you. Forgive me.”

He bowed his head, then spun around and retreated the way he’d come.

‘Wait? Didn’t you come here for business? Why are you leaving? Did you forget something important?’

“Let’s go.”

Unlike my flustered self, the Duke didn’t find the Butler’s awkward behavior strange and stepped out ahead of me. I hesitated, then finally followed him.

“Thank you for seeing me here…… You can go back…… now, right?”

I asked the Duke as I stepped inside my room.

“Why wouldn’t I be able to.”

“Yes. Well…… Right? I’ll go in now. Your Grace.”

“Rest.”

I didn’t close the door and lie down right away. Instead, I pressed my ear flat against it.

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

Before long, hurried footsteps echoed. The Duke was sprinting at full force.

‘So he really was scared.’

I thought as I listened to the sound fading away.

‘But he’s not gonna pass out again, right? Even if he does, well… the butler will scoop him up… I’m not picking him up this time.’

Then, finally, I went to bed, lay down, and closed my eyes peacefully.

‘The maid ghost and the headless ghost probably won’t try to harm me, but a ghost is still a ghost. I need to find a way to send them to ascension as soon as possible…’

* * *

“I’m seriously going crazy…”

I was on my way back to my room after finishing my work and washing up. I ended up running right into the Red-Haired Maid, who was cleaning in the corridor. I’d been dodging her for a while, but today, the moment I turned a corner, I came face to face with her.

Startled, I jumped like a spring. But I quickly played it cool. I pretended I didn’t see the maid ghost at all and brushed past her. But damn it, wasn’t this ghost following me?

“Whaaa. Why are you following me.”

“…”

“Go away.”

“…”

Just like what was written in Madam’s notebook, she couldn’t speak. She didn’t seem deaf, but she was pretending not to hear my desperate pleas.

And after that day, she started being next to me when I slept, when I ate, even when I was in the bathroom. That’s right. A ghost had latched onto me. The maid ghost followed me around everywhere, expanding her territory. The one who’d only wandered the corridor cleaning came with me into the dining room, the garden, and even the Duke’s office.

“What are you dragging around with you?”

“It’s not like I brought her!”

I said to the Duke in a voice thick with tears. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the maid ghost tidying up the desk. Her energy wasn’t strong enough to physically touch my things, but she was still busily pretending to organize.

“Unnie. Is this unnie you brought?”

Shion, who had come back from playing outside the mansion, asked me.

As if I would… I’m the one who’s wronged here…

“She followed me…”

“Good!”

This kid seems to think everything is good. Soon, Shion started playing around the maid ghost.

“Unnie, you’re the one who was only out there, right?!”

“…”

“The one who was only in the corridor! Come here often, too! Right here, it’s me, that oppa, and that unnie! Can you see us? Amazing, right?”

“…”

She seemed to have found another close friend to replace Theo. And the maid ghost was quietly listening to everything Shion said.

You’d think it’d get annoying, but watching it patiently put up with the kid made it clear — this wasn’t a bad-hearted ghost. Still, that was that. A ghost was a ghost, and scary was scary.

I need to get it to ascend, and fast…….

That day, the maid ghost stayed by my side the whole time I was in the office. After work, it followed me all the way to my room. Then, while I tried to sleep, it stood beside the bed and looked down at me. I caught the weight of its gaze, cracked an eye open, and nearly fainted from locking eyes with it.

“Haah… If you’re going to do that, just lie down here instead.”

I pressed myself to the edge of the bed and said it. The ghost lay down beside me, then turned only its head to stare at me.

“Don’t look. And don’t give me sleep paralysis, either.”

The ghost gave a single nod and turned its gaze to the ceiling. That was how I finally managed to fall back asleep.

‘This can’t go on. Ascension or not, I have to do something about this ghost sticking to me.’

The next morning, I got up early for the first time in ages and ran straight to the kitchen.

“Chef! Can I have some salt or red beans?!”

From my past life memories, I knew one way to keep ghosts from latching on: scatter salt and red beans. This world didn’t seem to have that concept, but the effect was proven. I’d tested it before!

“No red beans, but I’ve got salt. Roasted salt.”

“Please, just a little.”

I got some salt and stuffed it into my pocket. Then I waited until late at night, when the ghosts would come out, and stepped into the garden. Soon, the Red-Haired Maid ghost who’d been attached to me slid into view beside me.

Now!

I hurled a handful of salt right at the ghost. It flinched in pain, stomping its feet as the salt hit it. Yes! It worked! I kept my eyes locked on her as I backed away, and when I’d put enough distance between us, I spun around and bolted.

Heheheh, that should shake her off!

I headed for the Duke’s office, satisfied — then a strange feeling crept over me. A cold, eerie tingle. I slowly turned my head and saw the Red-Haired Maid charging after me with furious momentum.

“Aaaagh!”

What the hell? Why won’t it leave?! Is the salt defective?!

I screamed and sprinted down the corridor at full speed. Then I saw it — the headless male ghost was standing right ahead of me. A maid ghost behind me, a headless ghost in front — terror boxed me in from both sides.

“Unnie!”

Just then, Shion burst through the wall and spotted me, shouting. I’d never been so relieved to see a familiar ghost.

“Shion!”

I stopped mid-stride and planted myself in front of her. The headless ghost and the maid ghost closed in from both sides. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by spirits.

“But why are you crying, unnie?”

Shion seemed to glance behind me as she spoke. I turned and looked at the maid ghost. She was shedding fat tears from her wide eyes.

“What’s wrong? Did this unnie make you cry?”

Shion asked, pointing at me. The maid sobbed harder, her shoulders shaking. Of course, I was the one who made her cry, but I felt a bit wronged. She started it, picking on me first…

“Unnie, don’t cry…”

Shion soothed her. Then she turned and shot me a reproachful look. Soon, the headless man strode over to me and grabbed his own waist with both hands, as if demanding to know why I’d done it.

With both ghosts acting like that, I felt as if I’d committed some terrible wrong. The maid ghost was small too—her height barely reached my nose. Seeing a woman like that crying in front of me made me feel like some cruel bully picking on a little thing.

The other ghosts must have thought the same; they left me alone and started coaxing and calming the Red-Haired Maid. I stood isolated, watching. I could slip away, but it felt wrong. Hesitating, I finally opened my mouth.

“I’m… sorry for throwing roasted salt on you…”

At my words, her tears stopped instantly. Then she slowly approached me. She pressed herself right up against my side. Just like that, the ghost was stuck to me again.

“Don’t fight now. You’re both grown adults.”

Shion said in a lecturing tone. Beside her, the headless ghost was clapping to celebrate our (?) reconciliation. Shion and the Red-Haired Maid joined in, clapping along with him.

Clap clap clap clap.

‘…’

I stood among them in silence, my heart tangled. The ghosts had all settled to my left, right, and front, and were giving me a big round of applause.

Clap clap clap clap.

Sigh…. With no other choice, I clapped along too.

“Wow… yes… well, thanks (?) I guess.”

A happy night was passing by—everyone except me.

* * *

“Your Grace! You’re here today!”

As I stepped into the study, the duke was seated at his desk, working. Seeing his face in broad daylight lifted my spirits, and I hurried over to him. I placed both hands on the desk and looked up at him.

“Your Grace. Please help me!”

“With what?”

“I want to see the maid ghost’s memories and get information on that woman. Stay by my side and push out my soul like last time.”

“No.”

“…….”

“…….”

“……Why not?”

“It’s dangerous.”

The duke replied bluntly.

“It won’t be that dangerous. That maid doesn’t even seem bad…”

“I don’t know why you’re so sure. That kind of obliviousness to danger is what invites accidents. If you ask me, this is when you’re in the most danger.”

For a moment, I had nothing to say.

Well… he wasn’t wrong, though.

“I’ll be careful and watch my step.”

“……No.”

“That maid clings to me, I’m telling you. I’d be lucky to just die of old age first, but what if she turns into an evil spirit before that? What’s supposed to happen to me then?”

“……By ‘clings to me,’ do you mean she stays by your side, continuously?”

The Duke lifted his head and met my eyes as he asked.

“Yes. No matter where I am, when night comes, that maid appears beside me. And she follows me around until she disappears again. I’ve seen ghosts who can do things like that before, but this time, I just picked the wrong one.”

The moment those words left my mouth, the black-smoke ghost that always clung to the Duke’s back flashed into my mind.

“Ah. The ghost attached to you, Duke — it seems to be a guardian spirit, so it’s fine. And its energy is too weak even to maintain a solid form. It looks like it’ll dissolve if left alone.”

I blurted the words out at once, trying to soothe the skittish Duke. But contrary to my intent, he seemed only more frightened. A rustle of paper — the documents in his hands slid off the desk and scattered to the floor.