Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Master, don’t keep your guest standing. Please, sit and talk. I’ll bring in some tea.”

When my eyes lit up at the mention of money, the butler let out a short laugh and spoke to the man.

“Young lady, this way, please.”

He led me to the table. I followed him at once and took a seat. Honestly, a ghost or two haunting a workplace was just a little frightening to me personally. But being broke? That was something my siblings and I would all tremble in terror over. So why not try to negotiate my salary a bit?

I slid my hips to the edge of the chair and leaned back comfortably. But then I noticed someone else sitting diagonally across from me: a child. He looked no older than four or five, his feet dangling and swinging alternately, not reaching the floor.

Why was there a kid here?

In a room filled with nothing but books and documents, a child sitting quietly felt like a puzzle piece that didn’t fit—out of place. A shiver ran through me. I pretended not to see him and slid my eyes to the side. Just then, the man—my employer—approached and sat down across from me. His face was tired, and he tossed a pen and paper onto the table as if discarding them.

“Big brother, I want a cookie.”

The child turned to the man beside him, whining.

“Handel, bring cookies too.”

At that, the man spoke calmly. So they could talk to each other—which meant the child wasn’t a ghost, thankfully. Feeling embarrassed for having mistaken a perfectly alive person for a spirit, I glanced at him again. He was still swinging his legs back and forth, fidgeting with his feet like a little kid.

Maybe the man’s little brother? But they don’t look alike at all.

The brothers must have taken after one parent each—the man with black hair and blue eyes, the child with light brown hair and green. Their features couldn’t have been more different. Where the man’s face was sharp-edged, the boy had large, round eyes that gave him an air of pure innocence.

*Knock.*

Before I could lose myself staring at the child, the man rapped the table with a loosely clenched fist. I snapped my gaze back to him. He met my eyes, then spoke in a dry tone.

“Don’t overthink it just because you’ll be assisting with the ducal house’s affairs. Like I said, the work is simple.”

“What? You’re His Excellency the Duke?!”

I couldn’t help blurting out in shock. Now that I thought about it, the duchy of this realm *did* go by the name Cuvershaiden. I’d been so busy scrambling to make a living that I’d forgotten even basic common sense. Besides, who would have guessed the Duke was this young? Good heavens! I’d come here on a whim to earn some cash, and it turned out to be a far more enormous household than I’d imagined.

“…Just what exactly did you know when you came here?”

The man asked with irritation in his voice. At the same time, his already sharp features turned even colder. Well, from an employer’s perspective, it must have been baffling. I’d have felt the same. It was no different from a job applicant showing up for an interview without even knowing the company’s name.

“Ah… I was just… in too much of a hurry to find work…”

I offered a cautious excuse that wasn’t quite an excuse. The man let out a small sigh and continued.

“All you need to do is inform me of my daily schedule. Organizing documents is just arranging them in page order. If there’s no work, you can spend your time as you see fit. Just stay by my side. Work starts at noon and ends around eight.”

“And you’re paying 500 florins for that?”

“Correct.”

The work did seem genuinely easy. But wasn’t the compensation far too generous? I didn’t want to accuse His Excellency the Duke of being a swindler, but something about this reeked of a scam.

“Why?”

“I thought I was being more than generous. Is something lacking?”

The Duke said, his voice edged with annoyance.

“Ah. No. It’s just strange. No matter how rich you are, who pays 500 florins a month for work like that?”

“…”

He fell silent again. For a split second, I thought I saw a flash of bewilderment cross his face. Unbelievable! So it *was* a scam after all?! I started measuring the angle for my escape.

Just then, *click.* The door opened.

The butler stepped into the room, carrying a teacup and a teapot. He set a teacup in front of each of us and poured the tea. Then he placed a silver plate piled high with cookies beside them.

“Thank you.”

I looked up at the butler as I spoke. He responded with a slight nod and withdrew.

The teacup caught the lamplight and glittered with an almost startling brilliance. Even a glance made it obvious that a master artisan’s hand had worked it with exquisite care. In short, it looked enormously expensive.

The duke lifted his teacup without a word, and I followed his lead, gripping mine in silence. Then, taking extreme care not to break it, I brought it to my lips. The tea’s subtle fragrance brushed my nose with an air of refinement. I took a sip, and the aroma spread through my mouth, filling it completely.

A tea like this in a cup like this—maybe to him, 500 florins was practically nothing? Could it be that my surprise at the offer had left him speechless, not because it was too much, but because I’d dared to think it was?

‘Yeah. Where else would hire me for 500 florins? If not here, I might not find work at all.’

I steadied myself and reached to set the teacup down. But then my gaze snagged on the child sitting diagonally across from me. He had both feet up on the chair, knees drawn to his chest, crouching. Strangely, though, he just stared blankly at the plate of cookies.

“Didn’t you say you wanted them?”

I studied the boy closely. His eyes on the cookies were aching with longing — the kind of look that said he should be lunging forward and stuffing them in his mouth.

So why wasn’t he eating?

“He always says he wants them. He never eats.”

The Duke cut in, as if reading my thoughts.

“Is that so.”

I answered him with an offhand nod. Curious, sure — but I didn’t push. Not my kid, anyway.

“Do you see it?”

He set his own teacup down with a clatter and asked me out of nowhere.

“Huh?”

I echoed dumbly, not catching his meaning. He tilted his head toward the child beside him.

Huh?

You can see this kid? What the hell is that?

I turned to look at the child. She met my gaze. Then—her face, her hands, every inch of exposed skin began to glow red. Slowly at first, then blazing like she’d been tossed into a fire. Her green eyes blinked once, vanishing beneath their lids, then reappeared.

Crack— shatter!

I flinched so hard I dropped the teacup. Shards scattered across the floor around my feet. But I couldn’t care less about breaking such an expensive cup.

Because the child’s green eyes were smoldering, blackening, burning from within. At the same time, her red skin began to melt like candle wax, dripping down in thick globs like wet clay. It all stretched out before me like slow-motion video. My heart hammered against my ribs.

What the—?!

I snapped back to my senses and turned to look at the man. He had turned his head away from the child, one hand pressed against his face. I could see his large hand trembling finely.

“Your Excellency. What in the world…”

When I thought about the first time I ever saw a ghost, I could understand his behavior, but there was no reason for me to be scared along with him. I stood up from my seat.

“The teacup I broke…”

I trailed off hesitantly, feeling like I ought to pay for it.

“Forget it. And… I’m sorry about earlier. I mean it. I’ll lend you a carriage for your return.”

The Duke also rose from his seat as he spoke. His tone was still stiff, but it seemed to carry consideration. I had heard the head of House Cuvershaiden was extremely eccentric, but seeing him like this, he didn’t seem entirely so. Of course, the fact that he had made me see a ghost was another matter… Anyway, I said thank you and glanced at the space beside him. The green-eyed child had vanished without a trace. Only a plate piled high with cookies remained, sitting there forlornly.