Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Part 8: The Woman in the Picture Frame

‘Should I get it made into a necklace or a ring?’

An accessory was the most convenient for wearing on my person. So I stopped by a workshop and bought a locket on a chain. I’d thought about having a ring made, but they said it would take quite a while to craft, so I settled for a compromise.

The round locket had a tiny clasp. I opened it, slipped the Eye of the Sun inside, and snapped the lid shut.

This should be good enough to carry around always, right…?

In a way, this freed me from the situation where I’d had to be back in my room before sunset. Before, the Duke, the Young Marquis, and the butler had teamed up to keep me from leaving my room. It had spared me from seeing ghosts, but for a night owl like me, it meant spending pretty boring evenings.

“Right—I’ll spend the day with Hereis, then head back at my own pace.”

Buoyant with freedom, I set off to meet Hereis. This was the first day worth celebrating since I’d been unshackled, and I wasn’t about to waste a single moment of it.

* * *

After spending time with Hereis, I parted ways with her and returned to Cuvershaiden in the late afternoon. I headed straight for the Duke’s office, intending to at least bid him goodnight—but he wasn’t there. Instead, piles of documents lay scattered across the floor in chaotic heaps, strewn every which way.

The Duke was a man who craved order. Not once had his desk been anything less than pristine. So that mess could only be the cat’s doing. No wonder the door had been left slightly ajar—the little beast had slipped in, made a mess, and scampered back out.

‘Where did His Grace go? Did he report to the Imperial Castle today?’

I gathered the papers, tidying as I thought. But even if he had gone to the Imperial Castle, it made no sense that he hadn’t returned yet. He wasn’t the type to linger there until the hour when ghosts started creeping out.

‘Or did he just step out…? I wanted to see his face…’

Right then. From among the scattered documents, an envelope slipped free, fluttering down like a feather. My gaze followed it all the way to the floor. And when it settled, I spotted the imperial seal stamped on its face.

‘Huh? Something from the Imperial family…’

I snatched it up promptly and placed it neatly on the desk. If it came from the Imperial family, chances were highest that His Majesty the Emperor had sent it. And if so, it could contain something monumentally important. But heavens! Ignorant as it was, the cat had kicked it to the floor.

‘If this had gotten lost, it would have been a disaster. That little menace. I need to scold it!’

I slipped out of the study and firmly shut the door so the cat couldn’t get back in. Then I started down the corridor to hunt the mischief-maker down. That was when I spotted the Duke rounding the corner ahead.

“Oh! Your Grace!”

Caught off guard by his sudden appearance, I waved and called out to him. He noticed me and walked over.

“Laura. Went out today, did you? Did you have a good time?”

“Yes. I had a wonderful time with a friend for the first time in ages, and I also received some Divine Power from a priest. As for the jewel I stored the Divine Power in, I keep it in here. They said I must carry it on me at all times.”

I pulled the locket from under my clothes and showed it to him as I answered.

“Good. Make sure you keep it with you.”

“I will. And thank you, Your Grace. I heard this jewel is incredibly precious.”

“For my secretary, that’s hardly too much.”

The duke gave a light laugh, as if it were nothing at all. Then he jerked his chin toward the space behind him.

“You were heading to your room, right? You must be tired—go in and rest.”

“Yes. And please, Your Grace, don’t overwork yourself—get to bed at a decent hour. I worry about you too.”

I bobbed a bow and slipped past him. Then a sudden thought hooked me, and I turned back.

“Your Grace!”

At my call, he turned wordlessly to face me. His blue eyes seemed to ask, ‘What?’

“You know… that friend Hereis? She’s a girl.”

“Huh?”

“It’s just… the butler got confused. It’s a pretty androgynous name, right? I just… thought you should know.”

I’d thought it through before speaking, but once it was out, a wave of crushing embarrassment surged up. I hesitated for a second, then spun and bolted for my room. His voice trailed after me from behind, like he was calling me back, but I couldn’t turn around.

The next day, I headed for the duke’s office to start work. But the shameful moment from yesterday kept nagging at me, so instead of walking straight in, I drifted up and down the corridor. Then I noticed a crooked picture frame hanging at the far end of the hall.

It must have been because I couldn’t bring myself to enter the office. I decided it was better to focus on that painting instead.

‘I saw this painting when I first came here… it left an impression.’

I stared hard at the picture, letting my mind drift. Naturally, I recalled that first day at Cuvershaiden. The butler had told me then that a soul was bound to this painting.

‘If a ghost tilted the frame, what if I set it straight? Would the ghost get angry and show itself…?’

Slowly, I reached out toward the frame. Then I jerked to a halt. Even in broad daylight, touching something haunted spooked me a little.

‘What if I wait until after work and come see it with His Grace? If we look together, at least I won’t be the only one scared…’

It felt unfair that I had to suffer this alone. After all, there was someone else here who could see it too. Fear shared is fear halved—that’s how it always worked.

‘Right. I’m not the only one who gets to be scared!’

I tore my gaze from the painting and turned back toward the duke’s office. I’d suggest we come look at it together after sunset. Besides, it really was time to get to work.

At the office door, I let out a small sigh and forced the tension from my shoulders. Then I eased the door open. The duke sat neatly at his desk. But in front of him, a cat was rolling around, batting at something in play.

“That wretched cat……”

I strode into the study, scooped up the cat, and carried it straight back out the door.

“No. Go play with the butler. His Excellency the Duke is far too busy to be disturbed.”

The cat reared up on its hind legs, clearly annoyed, and swatted me across the face—claws thankfully sheathed. I got the message loud and clear about where I stood in its eyes.

I’m ranked below it now, aren’t I?

Still, no meant no. I shooed the cat out and pulled the door firmly shut. A plaintive ‘Meow—’ sounded from the other side, a clear plea to be let back in. I pretended not to hear and settled into my seat.

“You’re here?”

The Duke glanced over at me and asked.

“Yes. Good afternoon, Your Excellency.”

“Not much to do today.”

“Ah. So it seems.”

I looked down at the thin stack of papers on the desk and answered. Then, moving only my eyes, I studied his profile. As always, he looked composed. Unlike me, still mortified by yesterday’s events, he seemed perfectly unruffled—as if it were only natural.

‘Is it just me who got too excited…?’

A petty resentment stirred in me. I narrowed my eyes and shot him a glare. Whether he felt my gaze or not, he lifted his head and met my eyes. He seemed about to ask, “What’s wrong?” I hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened my mouth. But the question that came out wasn’t the one I’d really wanted to ask.

“Your Excellency. There’s a crooked painting hanging in the corridor.”

“That abstract one?”

“Yes, that’s it. When I first arrived, the butler told me I mustn’t touch it.”

“I forbid all the servants here from touching it. A ghost is attached to it.”

Just as I’d suspected. It was a stroke of luck I hadn’t touched it alone. I might have seen that ghost all by myself.

“Well then, Your Excellency. Let’s go see that ghost together.”

I saw his movements freeze for a split second. But I didn’t bother correcting myself.

Sorry, but if we’re going to see it, we’re seeing it together! That ghost needs to ascend anyway!

That evening, after work, we went together to the painting at the end of the corridor. Unlike when I’d seen it during the day, it now exuded a thoroughly eerie atmosphere. With the sun down, the ghost’s presence seemed to have grown stronger.

“Can this ghost speak?”

Pressing close to the Duke’s side, I asked him with a tense voice.

“I don’t know. I’ve never tried……”

The Duke answered. Then he stretched out both hands and straightened the tilted picture frame. Immediately, a human shape began to appear before it. At first vague, the form grew clearer, gradually becoming distinct enough to make out its features.

The ghost bound to the painting seemed to be a young man. Yet not a trace of youthful vigor remained in him. His body was emaciated, his face gaunt and hollow-eyed. He looked like someone who might have starved to death.

He soon lifted his pitch-black, sunken eye sockets to gaze at us. The sight was terrifying enough to make me shudder. I could only grip the Duke’s sleeve tightly. In my mind, I kept thinking I should try to speak, but the words wouldn’t come easily.

“…….”

“…….”

The painting ghost’s gaze kept clinging to us. Then, at some point, a creak sounded and the frame began to move. It swayed from side to side before snapping back to its original angle.

To be able to physically move objects—if this was a ghost’s doing, its power was far too strong. I had thought only Shion could do such things in this mansion, but that wasn’t the case at all.

Was this dangerous?