Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Plop—

Another thing dropped in front of me. This time it was a foot, rotting away.

“Wh… what is this…”

I slowly raised my head and looked up. A person was dangling from the ceiling, swaying as if dancing.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud…

Thick red droplets began to fall from him. They struck my thighs violently, then vanished without a trace, over and over again.

“Ah… this… it’s blood droplets…”

“Aaaah!”

I screamed at the top of my lungs and grabbed hold of the duke in front of me, squeezing my eyes shut. He must have been startled too, because I felt his arms stiffen in my grip.

“What?! What?! What is that!”

Rumble-rumble-rumble—

Amid my near-screaming cries, another sound came. I really didn’t want to, but I cracked my eyes open to see where it came from. Three or four human heads were rolling along, thudding against the sofa’s leg. Then they glared at me with pale, vacant eyes.

“Oh my God…”

“Aaaah!”

In my panic, I yanked the duke’s arm toward me.

“Hold on, Laura.”

His bewildered voice rumbled low by my ear. At the same time, his solid body leaned into me. The duke caught the sofa’s backrest quickly with both hands, and thanks to that, we barely avoided crashing into each other.

“…I said hold on…”

The warmth of his breath at the end of his sentence tickled my forehead. Locked in his arms, I clasped my own hands together as if in prayer.

“Oh, sorry… I’m sorry. I was so startled…”

I glanced up and saw his chest directly in front of my face. If I moved even a little, I’d headbutt his chest.

This is too close…

I started to feel embarrassed. Especially because I could hear the duke’s heart thumping, thumping close by.

“I was startled. More by you than by those spirits.”

“…I’m sorry… I guess the Imperial Castle really has many souls who died violently.”

“As I said, those who’ve died within these walls are countless.”

The duke tried to straighten up. But just then, the door opened and Sir Dylan appeared. He started to enter the drawing room, then stopped short, spotting us.

“…I’ll come back later.”

With that, he retreated back out of the room and closed the door again.

Huh? Why’d he do that?

I turned to look at the Duke, utterly bewildered. But heavens—there, right before my eyes, was the man’s chest. That’s right. We were standing that close together.

The Duke straightened up fully and stepped back. Now I could take in the whole of him at a glance. Behind him, the black smoke ghost was rippling like flowing water. In an instant, that smoke coalesced into a single shape, forming something like an exclamation mark—and then, just as quickly, it dissolved and vanished.

What the—? Don’t you clear out too, you useless ghost! That’s not what’s going on. Wait a second, though—hasn’t this happened before? Is this déjà vu or what?!

The smoke ghost’s reaction left me unsettled, but I had to clear up Sir Dylan’s misunderstanding first.

“Ah—no! No, it’s a misunderstanding! Come back!”

I sprang up from my spot and dashed to the door. Throwing it open in a hurry, I found Sir Dylan standing there all alone, looking like he planned to wait out the whole situation.

“Come… come in. And whatever you’re thinking, it’s not that. It’s a misunderstanding.”

My face blazed. I couldn’t even meet Sir Dylan’s eyes as I stepped aside to let him enter.

“There’s no need to say that, milady. I don’t think poorly of you.”

He said this as he passed by me and stepped into the room.

“Huh?”

“I’m rather in favor of love marriages, actually. When people marry just to unite houses, the household often ends up unhappy, doesn’t it?”

Why is he giving me a whole speech about how it’s fine?! This man isn’t listening to a word I say.

I was at a loss for words, my mouth opening and closing uselessly. I turned to look at the Duke, hoping he’d at least make an excuse for my benefit, but he didn’t.

“Well… that could be the case.”

Come to think of it, His Excellency the Duke wasn’t much better with words than I was.

Honestly, what the Duke thought about marriage was none of my business. I didn’t particularly want to know, either. But why now, of all times, did he have to say something like that?! Thanks to him, the misunderstanding is only getting worse!

I shot the Duke a resentful glare. He rolled his blue eyes away and avoided my gaze.

It seemed I had no one on my side. And at this point, I couldn’t think of a single way to break through the problem. My head ached—both from the stress and from thinking too hard—and I just wanted to stop. So I gave up thinking entirely and shut my mouth.

Fine. Let’s just go with that.

Meanwhile, the maid ghost who had been clinging to me slipped to the side and started studying Sir Dylan’s face. She tilted her head this way and that, scrutinizing him for a long while. Judging by that reaction, the person she was looking for definitely did resemble Sir Dylan.

The maid ghost turned to look at me then, her face clear and bright. She gave me a smile—the happiest expression I had ever seen on her.

“Yes. That man is the clue. You’ll find who you’re looking for soon.”

I held her gaze and gave a small nod.

“But didn’t you say you’d bring a manservant?”

The Duke glanced at Sir Dylan, then asked. Now that I thought about it, he hadn’t come accompanied by anyone.

“My servants will be waiting outside. I feel sorry that my presence might have kept the young lady from enjoying the banquet. So I brought one of my niece’s dresses—a gift for you. I’ve left it in the next room; please go change. Hand your current dress to the servants, and they’ll have it laundered and returned.”

If it was his niece, she’d be royalty. And someone who could get a dress sent here on short notice…

“Is your niece the Imperial Princess, by any chance?”

“Yes. She’s never worn it, so please don’t feel awkward about accepting.”

Never worn or not, that wasn’t the point…

“…May I really accept this?”

“Of course. I’ve already spoken to my niece about it, so you needn’t worry on that account.”

Hmm… it’s still a lot to take in…

Strictly speaking, this was a gift from the imperial family. I couldn’t bring myself to say yes so easily.

As I hesitated there for a long moment, Sir Dylan opened the door and called in the servants waiting outside.

“Please escort this lady. She’s my guest—treat her well.”

“Yes, sir.”

The servants bowed in acknowledgment. Before I knew it, I was following them out. I glanced back toward the drawing room on impulse. Through the closing crack of the door, I could see Sir Dylan. He was speaking toward where the Duke would be.

Click—

The door shut completely. Sir Dylan disappeared behind the thick wooden panel.

Come to think of it—that man. Back when we danced, he’d said something about catching the Duke’s attention enough. He must have had something to say to the Duke from the start. And I’d become his means to that end.

Oh dear…

‘Whatever this is, I hope it doesn’t cause the Duke any trouble… He’s busy enough as it is…’

I followed the servants, thinking to myself.

After changing, I returned to the drawing room where Sir Dylan greeted me first.

“I’m relieved the dress fits you well.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The Imperial Princess’s dress did fit me perfectly. She must have had a similar build to mine. The bust felt a little loose, but… well. Good enough.

“Shall we head back to the banquet hall?”

He asked. The banquet wasn’t over yet, but this was the hour when ghosts emerged. And from my experience, spirits loved drinking and dancing—they tended to gather where the party was. So heading back to the hall now would mean walking straight into a swarm of them.

“No. I think I’ll call it a night.”

“Is that so? I’m sorry if my presence kept you from enjoying the banquet.”

He answered with a thin smile. Then, as if a thought struck him, he stroked his chin once before speaking again.

“Speaking of which, Young Lady, weren’t you curious about my father?”

“……”

The boy hero Adrein? Of course I was curious. He was likely the one the maid ghost was looking for. But I had no idea how to explain that interest of mine.

“My secretary is very fond of heroic tales. Your father is a hero whose name alone is recognizable, so I suppose the interest came naturally.”

When I couldn’t answer right away, the Duke interjected on my behalf.

“Is that so? Yes. Father was indeed a man worthy of being called great. If there’s anything more you’d like to know, please ask. I’ll answer whatever I can.”

Sir Dylan’s voice rose slightly. Unlike when he first brought up Adrein’s story, he seemed a bit excited now.

“Then, Sir Dylan. There must be a portrait of his youth in the Imperial Castle. Could you show it to us? It would be wonderful if we could hear the story along with it.”

And again, the Duke answered for me.

A portrait… It was a way to confirm Adrein’s face, even if only in painting. That would let me determine whether he was the one the maid ghost was searching for. So this was a pretty good move.

“That’s no trouble at all. What do you think, Young Lady?”

“Yes, that sounds good. Actually, I’ve only ever encountered the story of Krentis’s boy hero through books. There were small illustrations of him, but seeing a full portrait would be even better.”

I played the part of an Adrein fan as best I could. The truth was, all I knew about him was that he was Krentis’s hero—but that hardly mattered.

“But if it’s not too rude to ask, could I see it right now?”

If I was going to confirm his face, it’d be best to do it while the maid ghost was here—like right now. That way, she could see his face too and react however she needed.