Chapter 43

Chapter 43

“Ahhh!”

The thieves screamed, their faces gone white as ash. They abandoned us on the spot and bolted down the corridor in a panic. But just as they reached the end of the hallway, something emerged from the corner and slammed into them hard. They toppled like dominoes, sprawling across the floor.

Footsteps—

A short, heavy footfall, and the Duke appeared from around the corner. He walked over to the fallen thieves and stood beside them. Looked like he’d kicked them down himself.

Still sitting on the ground, I watched him. The moment I saw his steady expression, relief finally washed over me.

Ah… Thank god. I’m alive…

But I couldn’t stop the flood of bitter feelings rising in my chest, no matter how much I wanted to. And so, though I really didn’t mean to, I burst into tears.

“Laura.”

The Duke grabbed my shoulder and called my name.

“Your Grace, where were you?”

I grabbed both his arms and asked him in a voice thick with tears.

“I thought I heard your voice, so I stepped out for a moment.”

Even though thunder and lightning were crashing down, it seemed he could still hear me. Well, I had been screaming at the top of my lungs, after all.

“I’m sorry. I was late.”

He faced me and murmured in a low voice. I shook my head in reply.

“No. Thank you for coming.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, letting tears I couldn’t control drip down. The Duke silently looked down at me. His gaze, laden with some unreadable emotion, fixed entirely on me.

Whether it was from the shock of encountering the thieves, or from bearing the intensity of his stare, I felt my heart pound in that moment. The clamoring pulse echoed even in my ears.

‘Huh? What’s this?’

A sudden awkward feeling crept in. Without even realizing it, I let my hand slip from his arm.

It was an odd emotion, one that didn’t fit the situation.

Before long, Ren brought the city guard who apprehended the thieves. And shortly after, the time came when dawn slowly began to break.

“Ren. You should go in and rest now.”

I said, looking at my younger brother.

“Okay.”

Ren answered briefly, then stepped up to the Duke.

“Thank you for today.”

He bowed his head with a nod. Then, scratching the back of his neck a little awkwardly, he bid me goodnight and returned to his room.

After Ren’s figure had completely vanished, I glanced sideways at the Duke. Behind him, I could see the smoke ghost rippling faintly.

Right. Thinking about it, I owed thanks not only to the Duke.

“…And thank you to your Grace’s guardian spirit, as well.”

At my words, the smoke ghost rippled as if dancing. The more I looked, the more I felt I could read its emotions through those movements. Even though I couldn’t see a clear expression on it at all. And right now, it wasn’t vocalizing like I had shouted at the thieves, but it was clearly answering with a ‘You’re welcome.’

“I take it the ghost attached to me did something?”

The Duke asked.

“Yes. You saw how those thieves ran out in a panic earlier, right? That was because your guardian spirit scared them.”

“So it seems that ghost really is my guardian spirit, as you said.”

“Right? Earlier, it even shouted at the thieves for me. Its voice sounded like a woman’s. Did you know that?”

“No, I’ve never seen that ghost myself. Come to think of it, I’ve seen many ghosts so far, but I’ve never been able to see the one behind me.”

“Perhaps it wishes to silently watch over you, Your Grace. Just like Adrein did for Sir Dylan.”

I answered, drawing on memories from Krentis. Even in death, Adrein had been devoted to Sir Dylan as a father. Likely, the ghost clinging to the Duke felt something similar. That was how most guardian spirits worked, after all.

Anyway, I shelved the question of the smoke ghost for now. I had a more pressing problem to deal with first.

“Um… Your Grace… I’ll take a bit more leave. It’s just… after the break-in, I can’t bear leaving my siblings behind.”

Looking back, I’d been far too complacent about my family’s situation. And it took a burglar to finally wake me up to that.

I shouldn’t have left my little siblings behind… I should’ve realized how dangerous it could be… Was I just blinded by the high-paying job?

So now, I couldn’t return to Cuvershaiden right away. The worry for the kids I’d left behind weighed too heavily for that.

“That’s no issue, but what do you plan to do going forward?”

The Duke asked. The answer didn’t come to me immediately. Honestly, I couldn’t find a clear solution to this mess either.

“Well… I’m not sure.”

What now? Should I just quit and live with my siblings? Or maybe move closer to the capital? The security there would be better than anywhere else.

“First, I think I need to sell this house. It’s old and run-down, but the lot is spacious and it is a noble’s estate, so it should fetch a decent price. Then I could move somewhere with at least a bit better security.”

And even setting aside the security issue, having the money from the sale would give me some breathing room. If I did end up quitting and moving back in with my siblings, there’d be at least a little left to send them to the academy.

“But Roti is going to hate it. That’s what worries me most.”

The problem was Roti. She was still just a little kid clinging to our mother’s keepsakes. It was as clear as day that if I sold the house, still steeped in our parents’ traces, she’d throw a crying, screaming fit.

“She must really love this house.”

“It’s not so much love as an inability to let go. She’s still living in our parents’ shadow. For a while after they died, she wouldn’t even let anyone open their bedroom door, afraid their scent would fade away. Now it’s just dust, so that doesn’t matter anymore, but… I was the same way, actually. Too many memories tied to this place; I wanted to hold on to it for the longest time.”

“I know what you mean. I understand.”

“But I have to find a way to persuade him and sell it. I think I’ve been thinking wrong from the start. Leaving the children alone in this neighborhood, where security is hardly good, without any knights from the house—that was a mistake. First, I’d better use the money from the house to send Ren to the academy quickly.”

A small sigh escaped her. Nothing had been easy since she’d suddenly become the head of the household, but this felt like the hardest challenge yet.

“…So, Duke. I’ll need to put the house up for sale, find a new place to live, and look into the academy. I think I’ll have to use all the leave I can. I’m sorry.”

“Do as you please.”

With his answer, I looked up at him. His glass-like eyes came straight into view. They were a beautiful color, like a blue sky. I felt a dizzying sensation. It was the same strange feeling I’d had just a moment ago. My heart was pounding again.

…This is arrhythmia! There’s no other explanation for it!

“Laura.”

“Yes. Yes. Yessir!”

“If you wish, I can introduce you to someone looking for property nearby. This manor will fetch a good price too. And I could write a letter of recommendation for your brother to the academy. You probably didn’t know, but nobles under the rank of Viscount need a recommendation to enroll.”

“Really? Oh… I didn’t know that.”

For a moment, her eyes went wide. There was no way for her to know that kind of information. She’d just assumed that since nobles generally went to the academy, she could simply enroll him. She’d almost gone to submit the application only to be turned away at the gates.

“Then. I’ll send someone back to Cuvershaiden. I’ll write the recommendation when you return.”

“Yes. I’d be truly grateful if you did that…”

I answered quickly. But soon, I felt an emotion surging up from deep in my chest. A prickling heat gathered at the corners of my eyes. Tears were threatening to spill again.

“Laura?”

“Ah… I’m sorry. It’s just… it’s been hard.”

Yes. I think it probably had been.

“…”

“I didn’t really know how hard it was until now. I think a lot of things have gone well since I met you, Duke. Like today. So now I feel at ease. And only now that I’m this calm do I realize that before, I was struggling.”

“…”

The duke simply walked up and stood before me without a word. Then he cupped my face in both hands.

Huh?

I blinked my eyes closed and open. His thumb slowly brushed the skin just below my wet eyes.

“…”

“…”

My body stiffened with embarrassment. But my face immediately began to burn hot. My heart pounded even louder than before. The sound felt so loud it must have reached his ears.

“Laura. Go inside and rest. You’ve had a long day.”

The duke slowly lowered his hands as he spoke. I nodded quickly.

“Ah… yes… get some rest.”

She spat out the brief farewell and hurried through the corridor toward Lucia’s room. As soon as she stepped inside, she closed the door and leaned her back against it, then slid down to the floor in a slow, defeated descent.

She sat with her knees drawn up, burying her face between them. Her own heartbeat echoed back at her from that small, dark hollow.

“Sister, what are you doing there?”

Lucia’s voice cut in like an interruption. Slowly, she lifted her head. The girl had propped herself up halfway in bed, staring at her with a thoroughly puzzled expression.