“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!”
[This is the timeline separator]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.
[This is the timeline separator]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.
__________
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Synopsis:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
He even had his eyes on another woman.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
Su Mu expressed her disdain.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
She also wanted to embrace Xie Yi, who had silently stayed by her side in her previous life and committed suicide by taking poison after her death.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
—–
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
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