Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Part 4: Home

On the road back to Cuvershaiden. We stopped at a well-known restaurant nearby. The ducal party chatted among themselves, unwinding from the long journey. Meanwhile, I had to sit at the same table as my ultimate boss — an awkward time.

“You went through a lot of unpleasant situations this time.”

After a brief silence, the Duke spoke first. As always, his tone was calm, but with a thread of concern woven through it. So I filtered out every sentence that might worry him from my mind.

“Still, I’m glad that maid ascended. She didn’t become an evil spirit.”

I sliced some meat and shoved it into my mouth, offering a tidy answer.

Wait — this is *really* good?!

They said this house was famous, and it certainly lived up to its reputation. I let the Duke’s words wash over me in a faint blur, focusing instead on savoring the meat that melted against my tongue.

“Are you alright?”

“……Me?”

That unexpected question snapped me back. I swallowed the mouthful I’d been chewing and looked up at him. The Duke was watching me with calm, steady eyes.

“You wouldn’t have had to go through any of this if you hadn’t entered Cuvershaiden.”

“Well, that’s true, but—”

Of course, when Adrein collapsed from poison and the young marquis’s knights leveled their swords at me, I thought my heart would turn inside out. Even so, I managed to hold onto a quiet sense that things would be alright — because the Duke was right there with me. And look at me now: perfectly fine. So there was nothing to worry about.

“Nothing really happened, you know.”

I shrugged once, then lifted my fork again, spearing a piece of the cut meat firmly.

And then it struck me: somehow, I’d grown entirely accustomed to this — to trying to send Cuvershaiden’s ghosts on to their ascension. Back when I first learned that ghosts appeared there, all I’d wanted was to run away. I’m still scared of them, it’s true. But I no longer feel any urge to leave.

Why is that? Why am I staying in Cuvershaiden, with all its terrifying ghosts, longer than I ever planned?

Clink. I set my fork back down on the plate and looked at the Duke. His water-blue eyes seemed to ripple like calm waves. Maybe the answer was right here.

“Your Grace. To be honest, I originally planned to work only as long as my advance on my salary covered, then quit.”

“…….”

“But I don’t want to anymore. Here in the ducal house, I’ve met good people, made friends… and yes, the ghosts are still scary, but none of them have a truly vicious energy. Ah — and the salary is excellent, of course. So… enough to outweigh all that. Things are good now. So I’m fine.”

That was my honest feeling. Since entering the ducal manor, I’d faced frightening things day after day, but thanks to that, my life had become comfortable. More than anything, being able to send enough money home for my siblings to live without want — that was the best thing of all.

“I see.”

The Duke answered with a faint smile.

“……Um. Actually… Your Grace? I have one favor to ask.”

I stole a glance at him, then spoke again.

“What is it?”

“I… I want to stop by home before I come back. Just to see how my siblings are doing.”

Not far from here stood our house — the Highen Mansion, named after our family. So I was hoping to take this chance to get leave and go see my siblings. I’d asked after them often in letters, but seeing the kids with my own eyes was another matter entirely. Besides — I just missed them. For that simple reason, I wanted to see my brothers and sisters.

“That shouldn’t be difficult. Let it be done.”

Thankfully, the answer came back positive. The moment I got that firm reply, my heart started lifting on the spot. My eyes even widened of their own accord.

“Yes! Yes! Thank you!”

Good. I’d been so worried about whether the kids were getting along with each other…

“Come to think of it, did you mention you have many siblings?”

The Duke asked, continuing his meal.

“Yes! That’s right. Four of them. Two boys and two girls.”

“Do they look like you?”

“The third one and I take after each other. We favor our mother’s side. The second and fourth look like our father. The youngest is still too small for me to tell.”

I answered while picturing each of my siblings’ faces in my mind. It had been quite a while since I’d seen them, but of course, their features came into sharp focus.

“But, Your Grace — did I mention my siblings to you a few times before?”

“Not much. Only that you have many brothers and sisters.”

“Well. The second is Ren, the third is Lucia, the fourth is Rotera, and the youngest is named Ryan…”

Saying so, I let out a short sigh. Then I lifted my head to look at the Duke.

“Ren can be prickly, but still, he’s a good kid. And he draws really well, even though he’s never had formal lessons. Lucia has a sharp memory and is clever. Rotera is still young, but she’s incredibly pretty. And Ryan… he learned to flip over really fast!”

My words spilled out as if they’d been waiting. I suppose the good food, combined with the news that I could go see my siblings, had lifted my mood. I felt more excited than usual, but I didn’t bother to rein that feeling in. Without even realizing it, I was blurting out all sorts of things he hadn’t asked about.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I hope I can introduce them to you sometime… Your Grace.”

After rambling on for a while, I suddenly realized I’d been bragging about my youngest brother’s flipping-over achievement. I’d gotten too carried away talking, and I’d accelerated beyond my own control. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I bit my lower lip hard.

“Good.”

The Duke replied.

“When you return home, I’ll take you in my carriage. Introduce me to them then.”

And then the Duke wore a small, faint smile.

I hadn’t meant my offer of an introduction as empty words, but this response felt rather abrupt.

Besides…

“You want to take me there?”

“Hiring a hired carriage is difficult here because of the heavy foot traffic. Usually, you need to reserve it two or three days in advance.”

“Ah… I didn’t know that.”

This place was a hub for merchants and travelers. There was a port where ships docked, and plenty of lodgings like inns. Naturally, demand for hired carriages would be high, but I hadn’t even considered that. My head had been so full of the need to see my siblings that I must have overlooked everything else.

“Then… I’ll leave it to you, Your Excellency.”

Anyway, better to let things be. It was still preferable to wasting time running around trying to rent a carriage.

Well, fine. Since it’s come to this, I might as well impose on the Duke a bit.

“Then we’ll depart tomorrow morning.”

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

I nodded in reply to his words, then lowered my gaze to the plate of food before me.

Good. Everything was good right now. If only my situation stayed exactly like this, it would be perfect from here on out.

That evening, the ducal party found lodgings not far from the restaurant and decided to stay the night. I, too, lay down on the bed prepared in my designated room, trying to sleep. But my mind was too full of excitement at the thought of seeing my siblings—I couldn’t drift off at all. In the end, I barely slept until the next morning, and had to drag myself up looking utterly haggard.

‘I slept so badly… I’m going to fall asleep on the way home…’

I struggled to lift my heavy eyelids, gathered my belongings separately, and left the room. Stumbling out of the lodging in a sleep-addled daze, I caught sight of the Duke inspecting the carriage.

“Your Excellency.”

I called out to him at once and scurried over to stand before him.

“You’re usually such a heavy sleeper—why are you out so early today?”

“I woke up early today.”

“Then we’ll depart early. If we leave now, we should arrive around evening.”

He opened the carriage door beside him as he spoke. It was the Duke’s personal carriage, not one for the servants.

“The other carriages will head straight back to Cuvershaiden.”

Then he gestured impatiently, urging me to get in. I thanked him and quickly climbed aboard. The Duke took the seat across from me.

“I’ll likely have to return soon, so go ahead and enjoy your time with your siblings.”

“Yes. I will.”

Soon, he said. I suddenly caught something in his words. It occurred to me that his schedule from returning from Krentis must have been delayed more than expected, piling up his work. He was always a busy man. But now, with the added task of taking me home, I feared I had tangled his plans even further.

“Your Excellency. Thank you for bringing me.”

I bowed with all my heart and sincerity, my head dipping low. ‘Thank you for being so considerate.’

“Don’t mention it.”

The Duke let out a light laugh, as if it were nothing at all. For that, I felt a secret gratitude.

The carriage lurched and creaked as it started moving along a bumpy dirt road. I watched the roadside trees sliding quickly past the window and blinked slowly. They were the same kind of trees you’d see in my neighborhood—it felt like they could lead all the way home to me.

Blink. I closed my eyes, then opened them again. Behind the trees, blocky houses crawled past in a slow parade. Then, belatedly, it hit me: our house was too shabby to host guests.

And the Duke—he’d lived his whole life in the splendor of the Ducal House. He’d probably find my rundown place uncomfortable.

“Um… Your Grace. My house is… pretty old…”

I glanced at him hesitantly, then trailed off awkwardly.