As Eustar slightly moved his head, the light from the chandelier fell and scattered in various directions as it hit the jewel of the pin.

The scattered light was dazzling. Laila unconsciously reached out to touch the pin stuck in his head, but then clenched her fist tightly.

Something is about to change, Laila thought. It felt as if a tickling sensation was caressing various parts of her body, like when soft soil rises just before a sprout emerges.

“Shall we go?”

Eustar bent his right arm and extended it. At first, such an escort was awkwardly unfamiliar, but now she could respond quite naturally. A hand wearing thin bobbin lace gloves grasped his arm as if embracing it, and the two began to walk slowly.

In the dining room, a meal was already prepared for the two of them. After sipping a little warm and tangy aperitif, the first course soon arrived.

During her time in the royal palace, Laila encountered numerous ingredients she had never seen before, let alone heard of.

In fact, more than the spacious rooms adorned with jewels and precious crystals, or the seemingly endless long corridors, it was these small things that struck Laila as more surprising.

From the dining room where the two were seated, the eastern approach to the royal palace was clearly visible through large windows. The scattered lamp lights twinkling through the deep, heavy winter night looked like blooming flower petals.

Laila, whose gaze had been captivated by the soft light shadows, saw the pale back of a child disappearing swiftly between the lamp posts. In that moment, feeling a chill at the back of her neck, she hurriedly turned her head towards Eustar.

“What’s wrong, Laila?”

Eustar asked, as if finding it strange. He looked at Laila’s face once, then turned his head to scan outside. However, he couldn’t see anything. It was no longer visible to Laila’s eyes either.

“Was there something strange outside?”

After hesitating for a moment, Laila spoke, feigning indifference.

“Have many people died in this royal palace?”

“Yes, they have. As much time has passed since the palace was built, many people have died. Why do you ask?”

“Many children must have died too, right?”

Eustar’s eyes blinked quietly. He spoke while breaking a crisp, thin choux with the tip of his fork.

“Yes, of course. Many have died. Either from illness or murder. Did you see a child?”

Laila nodded.

“Just the back view. I see them sometimes. I’m not sure why I see so many children though.”

It was then. Laila, who had carelessly turned her head towards the window, flinched and moved her body backward.

The child who had run away earlier was now pressed against the glass window, staring intently at Laila.

When did it come back? Laila thought. Our eyes met, so it must have noticed that I can see it. What does it want…?

“Laila, look at me.”

Laila’s gaze turned towards Eustar. He reached out his arm, gently holding Laila’s hand, and said,

“Keep looking at me.”

“It’s alright. Then you just need to look at me.”

“But that doesn’t…”

“Solve the problem. I know. But they’ll disappear soon. Have any of the children ever spoken to you directly? They haven’t, right?”

Thinking about it, his words were correct. In Sierow Palace, ghosts appeared so frequently that it seemed impossible for the living to endure, but even to Laila’s sight, they only appeared and disappeared for brief moments.

Their energy wasn’t that strong, and there didn’t seem to be many ghosts with great lingering attachments or grudges towards the living.

‘Except for Eustar’s grandmother, that is.’

Eustar said,

“Don’t worry. Just leave them be. They’ll stay as long as they want and then disappear.”

“How do you know such things, Eustar?”

“I can’t see as clearly as you, but I’ve lived here for a long time. I can feel it sometimes. And I dream every night.”

While he was talking, the child who had been pressed against the window had already disappeared.

Recalling those round, pitch-black eyes, Laila shook her head and ate the dish placed on her plate. The fish dish, with its skin crisply grilled and its flesh steamed to a moist state, was excellent, but she couldn’t taste it well.

“Himierd Marquis once told me something.”

“What was it?”

Laila answered calmly, mechanically moving her utensils.

“That it would be difficult to sleep here. I didn’t understand what she meant then, but as I stayed here, I came to understand. The sounds heard every night, the nightmares that visit in shallow sleep… It’s funny how even that has become familiar now.”

A faint smile appeared and quickly disappeared from Eustar’s lips.

After that, the two finished their meal without much further conversation. Mille-feuille with butter and nuts on top of warm chocolate sauce came as dessert.

For Laila, who had rarely encountered sweets other than fruits before coming to the royal palace, it was an intensely strong taste that made her tongue tingle.

Eustar said,

“Shall we go for a walk after finishing dessert?”

Laila, with wide-open eyes, stared at Eustar for a moment before turning her gaze outside. Tree branches shaking and trembling in the winter wind could be seen.

“Won’t it be cold?”

“We can dress warmly. The cold breeze might make you feel better, you know.”

The corners of Laila’s lips moved slightly. It seemed like she might smile, but she didn’t.

“I’m not feeling bad. But a walk does sound like a good idea.”

Eustar smiled gently.

“Good. Then let’s walk somewhere quiet.”

However, before the two could even finish half of their dessert, the sound of urgent footsteps approaching the dining room was heard. When the door opened, Eustar and Laila turned their heads simultaneously.

It was Galen. For some reason, he was out of breath. He briefly bowed his head towards the two.

“Your Highness, Lady Kristrad. An urgent matter has arisen that requires your presence. A report has arrived from Director Felix of Kiron.”

Laila and Eustar’s gazes met briefly. Eustar said,

“Understood, go ahead first, Galen.”

“Yes, I apologize for interrupting your meal.”

As Galen turned to leave, Laila pushed away her unfinished dessert plate, wiped her mouth with a soft cloth, and prepared to stand up. Eustar, who was about to say there was no need to rush, shrugged and followed her lead, standing up as well.

“Such poor timing.”

Laila glanced at him and let out a soft chuckle, making a whistling sound.

The winter evening twilight is brief. In the blink of an eye, the sunset faded and darkness deepened in the forest path where a young brother and sister walked, their noses red from the cold.

“I’m freezing to death, elder sister.”

As the boy, who looked about six or seven years old, complained while kicking a pebble, his elder sister Meriel pushed his hand deeper into her pocket and said,

“That’s why you should walk faster, Pin.”

“The path is slippery. I told you we should stop picking mushrooms.”

As her younger brother continued to grumble, Meriel, whose patience had instantly run out, pretended to hit her brother’s head with her small fist.

“You fool, don’t you know how hard it is to find snow mushrooms? Grandmother hasn’t been able to get up for days because her knees hurt. If she drinks a decoction of snow mushrooms, she’ll get better.”

“Sheesh, why are you hitting me? I know that!”

Annoyed, Pin pulled his hand out of his sister’s pocket and ran ahead. Meriel, who had been carefully walking on the icy path, suddenly let out an exclamation and stopped. Pin looked back.

“Elder sister, what’s wrong?”

“Oh no, I forgot the basket Mom packed our lunch in! The handkerchief is in there.”

“What?”

Pin’s small brow furrowed. The forest was already engulfed in pitch-black darkness, with nothing visible even an arm’s length away, and the sky was overcast as if sleet would soon fall. There was still some moonlight left, but dark storm clouds were gathering and approaching from afar.

“Pin, we need to go back and get the basket.”

“How can we go back now! I’m really cold. Let’s go tomorrow, elder sister.”

“No. That handkerchief is what Father gave to Mother. What if animals damage the basket and tear the handkerchief?”

But Pin stubbornly refused to move even a step from where he stood.

“Then let’s do this. Pin, you go home first. I’ll go find the basket. Here, take this.”

Meriel forcibly placed the basket containing branches and mushrooms into her brother’s hands. Although it wasn’t too heavy, Pin made a face and showed his displeasure.

“Let’s go tomorrow, I said!”

“Hurry home! If you just stand there, you’ll get colder. I don’t care if your nose freezes and falls off.”

“I don’t care if Mother scolds you!”

Pin shouted loudly, then turned abruptly and started walking. Meriel, who was walking into the forest, called out to her brother’s retreating figure.

“Be careful not to slip, Pin! Don’t drop the snow mushrooms no matter what! We need to give them to Grandmother in perfect condition!”

“I got it!”

Pin’s sharp reply echoed clearly through the shallow valley. Meriel shook her head at her immature brother, then hurried towards the darkened forest path.

Pin slid on the icy patches, swinging the basket. Although he wore socks padded with cotton from old clothes that were no longer wearable, wearing wooden clogs in this season made his feet too cold. But at least sliding was fun.

As Pin glided smoothly over the ice, he almost dropped the basket and hurriedly straightened up.

Meriel’s fingertips had turned red from digging for snow mushrooms in the cold. If she found out that Pin had played around and ruined the mushrooms, she would surely jump up and down in anger at him.

“Child.”

Pin’s footsteps, which had been plodding along, came to an abrupt halt. As he turned his head and looked around, Pin pressed his lips tightly against the cold wind blowing from deep within the forest. The tips of his ears stung.

“Child.”

Just as Pin was about to take another step, the thick, rough voice caught him by the scruff of his neck once again. It was a strange voice. It seemed to resonate throughout the entire forest, or like frozen wind gathering with a rustle and then suddenly dropping.

“Who’s there?”

Pin said as he looked around. His voice trembled faintly with fear. Was it an illusion? Had he misheard the wind?

At that moment, a jingling sound came from among the densely packed fir trees.

The voice spoke again.

“If you tell me your name, I’ll give you a gold coin, child.”