The Ghost Lady Of The Duke's Family (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 14

“Lia.”

– …….

“Lia?”

– …….

“……Lia!”

– Eek! Ah—huh? Adi, did you call me?

“Why do you ignore everything I say? You’re mean!”

Dawn broke, and she had no idea how the rest of the day passed.

Startled by a sudden voice from beside her after blankly staring into space, Aeli lowered her head.

A boy with a deeply sulky expression was looking up at her.

– Sorry, I was thinking about something and didn’t hear you properly. What did you say?

Hastily bringing herself down to the boy’s eye level, Aeli asked with an awkward smile—though she still couldn’t shake the fog clouding her thoughts.

Ever since that incident at dawn yesterday, she’d been utterly out of sorts.

If someone had carved away her entire sense of time, would it feel like this?

‘Even doing this in front of a child… you’ve truly lost it.’

Worried the sharp-eyed boy might pick up on something strange, Aeli tensed and stared straight ahead.

Though his fair, soft cheeks kept twitching in clear irritation, the boy thankfully opened his mouth without further suspicion.

“You did this yesterday too, seeeeing…….”

– ……Huh?

Though his words were just a petulant, extra-spoonful-of-resentment whine—

Aeli blinked rapidly upon hearing him mutter.

‘Yesterday too…… that’s right, wasn’t it?’

Now that she thought about it, maybe she really had.

Her eyes drifted surreptitiously toward some obscure corner, carefully avoiding his reproachful gaze.

Truth be told, no amount of thinking would bring back memories of how she’d behaved the previous day.

Her head felt completely hollow—as if she’d lost all sense, gone utterly blank.

‘Well, judging by the fact I was just caught spacing out right in front of Adi…….’

Look at that haughty little face, cheeks puffed like he’s ready to fly off into the sky, turning his head sharply the moment their eyes meet.

Clearly, he’d built up a serious grudge.

Aeli had no choice but to plead humbly, begging the little master to please, please forgive her pitiful state.

– I—I’m sorry. Could you say it again? I’ll focus on you now, Adi!

“…….”

– I really didn’t mean to ignore you. Look me in the eyes—do these look like the eyes of someone lying?

“…….”

Sigh. If she thought she heard a tiny sigh, was it just her imagination?

Somehow, she didn’t think so.

Nevertheless, Aeli widened her eyes, stubbornly feigning the clearest, most innocent gaze she could muster.

What good was pride in front of your own child, when you’re already a ghost?

As the old saying went: Sincerity moves heaven.

Eventually, the boy relented in their silent battle of wills and finally got to the point—though he couldn’t help but feel utterly childish and pathetic about it.

“……Which one ……do you ……like ……more?”

– Huh?

“Between this one and that one, which is better?”

The boy stretched both fidgeting hands out into the air and asked.

A yellow ribbon embroidered with white, and a white one densely layered with purple lace.

– ……And where did these come from?

When she tilted her head in confusion and asked, he replied that Mari had brought them because he wanted to decorate his flowerpot.

Flowerpot.

That blasted flowerpot.

– So even on your birthday, it still comes down to this…….

“Huh?”

– ……Never mind. I think the yellow one looks prettier.

“Hmph. That’s what I picked too!”

Seeing how quickly the boy giggled cheerfully, declaring their tastes matched, Aeli could only sigh with a wry smile.

As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters…….

[This is the timeline separator]

– Right. Now, let’s try slipping it through the little round loop, okay?

“This doesn’t seem right…….”

– No! If you let go of the other hand, the loop comes undone. You have to keep holding it while you slide it through.

“……It’s haaard…….”

Just what was going on here? Well, there was quite a backstory to it.

After the boy sulked following his fifteenth failed ribbon-tying attempt, Aeli raised her voice cheerfully.

– But it’s gotten much prettier than your first try! Honestly, our Adi’s turning into quite the little craftsman!

“……Really?”

– Absolutely! It’s unbelievable that a child who just turned five today could tie something like this!

Aeli even clapped her hands enthusiastically, showering him with praise.

After all, for a five-year-old tying a ribbon for the very first time, his dexterity really was impressively steady.

‘This isn’t cheating.’

Anyway, that was how it was.

Since casting magic required mentally visualizing its scope and formulae, she’d already guessed as much.

‘A child who can self-teach and apply such advanced spells surely isn’t incapable of grasping this simple thing.’

Relief washed over Aeli internally as she saw the slightly crooked, crumpled ribbon proudly settled in the center of the flowerpot.

She’d honestly feared they’d be tying ribbons until sunrise.

[But I wanna keep trying…….] [Then shall we go ask Mari to do it for us?] [But this is something I have to do myself!] [Just a little—a teeny, tiny bit of help, is that really so bad?] [……Mm.] [……Fine. Then I’ll explain it even more slowly than before—let’s try again.]

Though he followed her instructions faithfully, an unripe child’s hands still struggled to tie a neat bow.

Sometimes he misjudged the pressure; other times he couldn’t release his fingers at the right moment.

The result was often uneven loops or fingers accidentally tied in—and then having to undo it all over again.

‘And yet he insists it absolutely must be done by himself, even if it kills him—’

What on earth was so special about one little ribbon? The boy kept demanding “one more try!” until dusk, while Mari came up to the attic again and again, pleading for them to please, just come down to dinner already.

Knock knock.

“Young Master, are you still very busy……?”

Just like this.

The timid question came right after Mari’s most recent visit—when the boy, deeply frustrated by yet another failed knot, had finally snapped.

He clearly still didn’t understand why meals that were always eaten in his room now had to be taken in the dining hall.

‘At this rate, his birthday will be over before we even celebrate! Oh dear!’

Today of all days, Aeli shared Mari’s sentiment completely.

She understood Mari’s excitement—after all, she too had secretly looked forward to the surprise birthday party.

Aeli opened her mouth and spoke to the boy.

– We’ve finished the ribbon now—shall we go eat, Adi?

“But…but it’s still not quite right…….”

– Well, I think it’s pretty enough as it is! Think about how hard you worked just to tie it like this.

“…….”

– And Adi’s heart is so, so kind—the fairies will surely notice. But if they find out you skipped dinner just because of the ribbon, wouldn’t they blame themselves and feel sad……?

She gently coaxed him, guessing his hesitation stemmed from wanting to perform the song for the fairies he’d been so eager to sing.

Aeli turned her head aside with a soft whimper—stealing a sideways glance at him, of course.

“Uh… uh, umm….”

– And if Adi skips a meal, Mari—who’s been running up and down the attic stairs since earlier—will be really upset too…….

What could she do? Aeli deliberately stretched the last syllable and heaved a theatrical sigh. Every move was calculated.

“I’ll… I’ll go! I’ll eat!”

– Huh? Really?

And so, victory was secured.

The boy’s face fell the moment he saw her grinning broadly, as if nothing had happened—but it was far too late.

Hearing his cry of “I’ll eat!”, Mari called through the door.

Her voice positively brimmed with joy; Aeli could picture her beaming face without even looking.

“Then shall we go down togeth—ah, no! I’ll go first and reheat the food, so please take your time! Absolutely!”

The reheating was just an excuse—she was probably rushing off to fix the party’s explosive magic tools again.

Just as Aeli was about to suggest they head down slowly together—

– Hmm……

Her eyes fell on his small, delicate neck, completely covered by thick, jet-black hair.

The weather would soon turn hot, and with his hair so tangled and unkempt……

‘It must be awfully uncomfortable.’

Beyond just the heat, the way his fringe partially blocked his vision seemed like it’d hinder daily life.

She also recalled that Mari had left behind a small pair of safety scissors the other day after their paper-cutting game—still sitting somewhere in the room.

Seizing the moment, Aeli spoke up.

– ……Adi, how about we trim just a bit of your hair before we go?

The scissors had protective covers on every part except the blade—perfectly safe for children.

She wouldn’t dare cut it herself, but supervising him wasn’t unreasonable—and it’d be a good chance to tidy up, even a little.

But at her suggestion, the boy flinched and shook his head quickly.

“I want to grow it out as it is.”

– Won’t it get hot in summer?

“But…but it’s black hair, so I want to grow it looong.”

– Well, if you insist…….

Though it wasn’t entirely honest to say she wasn’t disappointed, that was beside the point.

His refusal was so firm she had no desire to press further—Aeli clicked her tongue and nodded.

Thinking about it, even safe scissors weren’t really appropriate for letting a young child handle their own hair.

‘I’m not sure why he mentioned hair color specifically when refusing, though.’

In any case, lingering here any longer would surely bring Mari back with another tearful plea.

Aeli scanned the room quickly, then pointed somewhere and asked—

– ……Then how about tying it back with that ribbon instead?

If she couldn’t cut it, at least the back could be managed, even if the bangs remained.

It was the best compromise she could hastily devise.

As a parent, she simply couldn’t ignore how visibly uncomfortable his hair looked.

“But I can’t tie a ribbon behind my back by myself…….”

– Just make a knot first and pull it tight until it’s snug.

She figured it wasn’t necessary for the tied-back hair to look pretty—so it wasn’t a bad solution.

In the end, the boy didn’t tie it himself.

‘Oh… um.’

Aeli glanced sideways at Mari, who now walked quietly beside her, eyeing the clean, neat ribbon tied at the boy’s nape.

Mari probably had no idea Aeli was even here.

She’d come up to check on the boy after he didn’t come down for so long—and ended up tying his hair before pausing at the dining room door.

“Shall we go in?”

“Yeah.”

Unsurprisingly, tucked under the boy’s arm was the same flowerpot he’d carried out of the attic—now adorned with the charming ribbon he’d worked so hard to tie himself.

Aeli looked once at the boy gazing blankly ahead, then once at the firmly closed brown door.

As Mari, whose cheeks were slightly flushed, tugged the doorknob, she turned to the boy and spoke.

“Oh, by the way, Young Master.”

“Hm?”

“Happy birthday—truly.”

And then the door swung open…….

Boom! Boom boom!

“……!”

Firecrackers exploded.