Don't Obsess Over A Married Woman - Chapter 38

“Ah, I was startled. Why on earth are you doing this?”

Thanks to that, Ernestine, who had also held her breath, gathered courage first.

Gripping the candlestick tightly, he approached closer to the figure that had just entered his field of vision.

Only then did that hideous figure reveal its identity.

“What’s this? It’s just a statue. You see them plenty normally, why are you so surprised?”

It was worth being startled. What he saw wasn’t an ordinary statue, but a sculpture of a monster.

Like this, there are many monster statues throughout the Daiern mansion.

This is because the magical era a thousand years ago, when the mansion was built, was a time when monsters and humans coexisted.

‘There’s already another monster living in this house. So external monsters cannot enter.’

To convey such meaning, buildings built at that time had monster figures sculpted together.

The gargoyle statues serving as waterspouts on the roof were also of this kind.

“Ah, well. This is strange. What I saw wasn’t a monster sculpture, but something else moving…”

“Pfft. Alright, let’s say something moved.”

“Are you mocking me? It’s true, I tell you.”

“I know, of course.”

“…”

It was natural for Jepett to be offended by Ernestine’s reaction.

Gripping the candlestick tightly once again, he took the lead this time, though huffing.

“Hmph! Since you seem to not know well, let me tell you, this mansion has many ghost stories as it is so old. For instance, gargoyle statues that move at night…”

“Yes, yes. And I suppose there are monster statues that move at night too.”

“Th-that too. And there are stories about dancing ghosts, laughing angels, and…”

“Oh my, dancing ghosts are probably just laundry forgotten to be taken in, or white sheets covering unused furniture. And if angels laugh, shouldn’t one be moved by the holiness, why be scared calling it a ghost story?”

“…”

“Well, as you’re a scholar from the Tower of Honor studying magic, you might suspect some magical meaning even in these trivial phenomena. Pfft.”

“…”

“Pff, heh. It’s been a thousand years since magic disappeared.”

“…”

The irritating point was that, upon hearing it, his perspective was quite a credible argument.

Jepett recalled research results suggesting that the human brain sometimes creates illusions from momentary sensations.

In the end, Jepett, unable to continue speaking, closed his mouth. Nevertheless, the more he mulled it over, the more upset he became.

Isn’t he treating me like a complete fool? I’m a scholar who explores academics more rationally than anyone! From the Tower of Honor, no less!

“For an artist, you sure lack sensitivity.”

“Oh, that can’t be. I’m quite a scaredy-cat too. I’m also someone who believes ghosts really exist.”

However, his tone implied that the recent incident was clearly due to Jepett needlessly getting scared. Again, Jepett had nothing to say.

“So don’t keep making those strange noises trying to scare me too. It’s childish.”

Ernestine let out a hollow laugh and shrugged his shoulders, jerking his chin. It meant to walk quickly without wasting time.

But his words were a bit strange.

“Making noises?”

Jepett furrowed his brow as if to ask what he meant.

“When did I make any strange noises?”

“When? You’ve been doing it continuously since earlier, haven’t you? Even now, you’re needlessly making light footsteps, tap tap tap, tap tap tap.”

“What on earth…”

Tap tap tap, tap tap tap tap.

That’s when it happened.

Clear footsteps echoed throughout the monster-filled corridor enveloped in silence and darkness.

This was heard clearly not only by Ernestine, who first mentioned the sound, but also by Jepett, who was quite upset.

The two momentarily held their breath and eyed each other. Don’t joke around, aren’t you still making that sound?

However, the flickering candlelight proved that both were completely frozen, not moving a finger.

At most, only their irises moved, scanning each other with a roll.

And.

The two realized simultaneously.

What they were standing on was a thick carpet. It could never produce such crisp footsteps.

Tap tap tap, tap tap tap.

“…”

“…”

Just then, once again, small light footsteps tapped here and there on the surrounding stone walls.

The source of the sound was beyond the darkness of the corridor. Coincidentally, in the direction of their destination.

Tap tap tap tap, tap tap, tap tap tap.

Moreover, the footsteps were getting closer and closer to the two. As soon as they realized this, goosebumps rose all over their bodies.

Eventually.

“…”

“…”

Tap tap tap tap tap.

The sound passed by the two.

“Kyaaaaaaaaah!”

“Kuheooooooogh!”

The screams of the two men that shook the dawn woke up Daiern earlier than ever before.

No wonder, because due to those screams, everyone in the mansion had been sleep-deprived since the crack of dawn.

That’s not all. Even the imperial guards came by early in the morning.

Remembering how the butler had tried to cover it up saying it was nothing, my head throbbed.

“…So you’re saying you really saw a ghost?”

“It’s true, Duchess!”

“That’s right. We clearly heard it. Footsteps went tap tap tap tap, passing right by us, but there was no one there!”

I was now in the reception room.

Why the reception room and not the dining room so early in the morning, you ask?

Because the two who had been screaming at dawn were found unconscious on the third floor.

It was more convenient to move them to the reception room rather than a bedroom for Daiern’s physician to examine both of their conditions simultaneously.

It was just fainting, so after some time passed, they woke up perfectly fine.

But as soon as they woke up, this is what they’re saying. With veins popping on their necks, no less.

My temples started to ache.

“I understand for now.”

I understood their story well enough, but I didn’t know what I should do about it.

Should I say I’ll investigate the ghost problem?

Ghosts, you say? Then how can I, a living person, look into it?

In the end, this was all I could say to them.

“From now on, all of you, try not to leave your rooms after midnight.”

“Pardon?”

But something was strange.

Why did the complexion of the two pale even more at those words?

“W-well… Duchess, what exactly do you mean by that?”

Ernestine asked, his lips trembling.

“It’s exactly as I said. When midnight comes, not only the servants, but even I and the children don’t leave our rooms.”

For reference, Daiern’s servants finish all their duties by 10 o’clock unless there’s something special.

I never make them work overtime unless it’s a special occasion like the previous marriage proposal commotion, especially to ensure rest time for the servants.

As a result, around midnight, all the small lights in the mansion go out, truly becoming darkness itself.

To walk the corridors at such a time.

When visibility is poor, people often trip even on flat ground if they’re unlucky.

Let alone the mansion, which is an obstacle course lined with numerous decorations.

In the midst of that, if one’s really unlucky, they might roll off the railing. This is where the problem gets bigger.

Come to think of it, I remembered one more thing. I added:

“Ah, especially after 10 o’clock, it’s better not to use the back stairs.”

“Whaaat?”

“Wh-wh-wh-what!”

Oh my, how startling. Why are both of them so surprised?

I just said that because those stairs are particularly steep.

“Wh-what if we use them?”

Just then, an unexpected voice came from behind.

Turning my head, I saw the Baroness Baden, who seemed to have been on her way to the dining room but turned at the sound of voices.

But her face was stiff, as if startled by something. Did something happen?

“If we use them, will we m-meet g-ghosts?”

“Pardon?”

“Perhaps the ghosts of ancestors who died falling down those stairs, or ghosts unable to leave this house…”

“No, that’s…”

“It’s not, right? There’s no such thing as ghosts in this world, right?”

What’s wrong with these people?

Now even Baroness Baden is clinging to me, saying such nonsense.

At this point, even I, who had already grasped that these three were quite timid, could no longer understand them.

Right? It’s not like I said anything meaningful about ghosts or monsters.

‘Lord Joseph is good at that sort of thing.’

To calm the three, I deliberately exhaled slowly before speaking.

“I don’t know what you three are thinking, but in any case, I hope you two teachers keep in mind that you were truly lucky this time. Remember that if such an incident occurs again, it might not end with just fainting.”

I don’t understand anymore.

Why the blood drains from their faces at my words of concern.

Kardiel arrived at the dining room before breakfast.

Just then, I had just arrived at the dining room after sending the tutors who had woken from their fainting back to their rooms.