Chapter 2

“I’ll go see what’s happening. My lady, do not come out; stay here where it is safe.”

I was someone who valued my own life dearly. Having absolutely no intention of stepping outside out of useless curiosity, I nodded and curled up in the corner of the carriage as much as possible.

It hadn’t been long since Ruslan left. A screech that sounded like it was tearing through the air echoed from outside, followed shortly by a thud that shook the ground.

‘Could something have happened?!’

Forgetting his warning not to come out, I jumped up and hurriedly opened the door. A moment later, I stood there, mouth agape at the scene before me.

A giant troll, as massive as the coniferous trees growing around us, lay collapsed on the ground. As Ruslan pulled his sword from the troll’s neck, blood sprayed out, splattering across his face.

“Ah, my lady. It is safe to come out now.”

I let out a hollow laugh as I watched Ruslan nonchalantly wipe the troll’s blood from his face with his sleeve.

‘I really did marry an incredible man, didn’t I? Ha ha.’

***

“Oh, Duke! You’ve arrived. I am Count Horose Kizorf, the Lord of Svants.”

Count Horose, who looked twice as bulky as the pig I’d seen at our first meeting, rushed out to greet us without even putting his slippers on properly upon hearing the Duke had arrived. He must have come in quite a hurry; his hair was half-receded, and beads of sweat stood out on his high forehead.

“Um… and the lady beside you is?”

“She is my wife.”

“Ah, I heard the news of your marriage recently. Congratulations! As a subordinate family, I should have visited in person to offer my blessings.”

“It was a small wedding with only close acquaintances. You needn’t worry about it.”

Ruslan drew a firm line, essentially saying, ‘We aren’t that close,’ but Count Horose was undeterred. He rubbed his palms together and bowed obsequiously to Ruslan.

As we entered the mansion following the Count’s guidance, a sudden chill washed over me, as if I’d been splashed with cold water. It was clearly spring, yet for some reason, the air inside the mansion was colder than the air outside.

‘Why? Is it because it’s an old house?’

I looked around to see if there was a draft, but the Count’s estate didn’t have a single crack; instead, the walls were covered in such lavish decorations it was dizzying.

“By the way.”

Ignoring Count Horose, who was prattling away beside him, Ruslan looked up from the documents he was reviewing and scanned the surroundings.

“I don’t see the Countess.”

“That… well, my wife is… currently unwell and confined to her room. She was very distressed that she could not come out to greet the Duke even after hearing of your arrival. Ha ha…”

“It seems your wife doesn’t think so.”

The moment Count Horose let out a confused “Eh?”, a strange sound echoed from the far end of the hallway.

Thump, screeeech… Thump, screeeech…

“Rusl—no… Duke. That over there…”

A person had appeared in the hallway that had been empty just a moment ago. However, no matter how you looked at her, she was not normal.

“My lady, do not leave my side.”

I quickly hid behind Ruslan and nodded. Along with a sound like metal scraping, the human shape gradually drew closer to us.

“I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him. I’ll kill the man who made me like this.”

With a rapid muttering, the scraping sound grew louder. Along with the sound of something being dragged—screeeech, thump—a woman with bloodstained clothes and disheveled hair glared at us with bloodshot eyes. She pointed a finger behind us.

“Give him to me.”

“We have no intention of protecting this man. Take him as you wish.”

Ruslan tried to step aside without a moment’s hesitation. That is, until I was suddenly thrust forward.

Feeling as if someone had pushed me from behind, I stumbled forward and nearly fell flat on my face. Fortunately, I avoided a total disaster, but the situation turned for the worse. The woman’s bloodshot gaze shifted toward me.

Her blackened, blood-soaked hand reached for my throat. Just as I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking I was a goner, Ruslan drew his sword and struck down the lunging woman in a single blow. Dark lightning flickered, raining down upon her entire body.

“Kyaaaaaaaa!”

Agonized by the lightning, the woman couldn’t get up and writhed on the floor, clawing at the ground. Ruslan approached and raised his sword. At the moment he was about to plunge it into her, my eyes met the woman’s as I sat collapsed a short distance away. It happened in an instant.

“Kyaaaak!”

“Beatrice!”

Before I could avoid it, the woman lunged at me. A strange energy surged into me, making my stomach churn so much I wanted to faint. Just as I was struggling to hold onto my consciousness, something that wasn’t my own memory began crawling into my mind.

“Kyaaaaaaaa!!!”

A scream echoed from far away. My head throbbed dully, making it hard to keep my wits about me.

“Beatrice! Wake up! Beatrice!!!”

Through my blurred vision, Ruslan’s face became clearer. He looked so desperate as he called my name that I almost told him not to cry without realizing it.

“That woman… what happened to her?”

“…She tried to enter your body, so I drove her out for now, but…”

“Duke. About that woman. I think…”

“Duke, what happened to that thing?”

Just as I was about to say something, Count Horose, who had been hiding somewhere, approached Ruslan while scanning the area with a nervous face.

“As the Duke saw, that woman is actually my wife. However, not long ago, she had an affair with some man, and when she was caught, she committed suicide after hurling all sorts of insults at me. I didn’t want to spread rumors about my wife. It’s a matter directly linked to her honor, isn’t it? So I tried to settle it quietly with a funeral, but for some reason, she holds a grudge against me…”

“What are you talking about, Count? You killed her.”

I pushed myself up from Ruslan’s arms and glared at him. Count Horose jumped like a pig hit by an electric shock, trembling and unable to say a word.

Count Artusa had a beautiful daughter who was the apple of his eye. The Count wanted to leave his title to her, but according to Imperial law, a woman could not become a lord. So, the man he handpicked to make his daughter happy was none other than Count Horose.

The Count’s daughter, who had seen only beautiful things all her life, didn’t like him—he was unsightly, ugly, and much older. Nevertheless, his unchanging devotion slowly began to open her heart.

Then, Count Artusa died of old age. And the moment Horose inherited the title, he began to mistreat her as if his past devotion had never existed.

He humiliated her, saying she was nothing without her father’s backing, and tried to seize not only the estate’s wealth but also her personal fortune, claiming she was being extravagant.

Then one day, she met an unexpected tragedy.

The memories didn’t come in order; they were jumbled fragments, but that was the gist of it.

“W-why would I kill her?! I… I didn’t do it! She fell and died on her own!!”

“Don’t lie! The Countess was on the terrace when you…”

“Do you have proof?! Do you have proof!”

“What?!”

Count Horose gripped his trembling hands and glared at me.

“If you have proof, bring it! Don’t accuse an innocent p-person without evidence! Just because you’re the Duchess doesn’t mean you can… t-this is why fallen nobles are…”

The Count couldn’t finish his insult; he was kicked by Ruslan and sent tumbling across the floor.

“Gah…! Duke. What is the meaning of…!”

“My ears felt like they were rotting because of the filth coming out of that mouth. I won’t apologize. It’s partly because you were rude to my wife. And let me tell you one thing: your wife hasn’t disappeared. She is still in this mansion. She has simply hidden herself for a moment.”

“What?! What did you say?!”

“I can’t conduct an inspection in this atmosphere. I shall return another time.”

As Ruslan tried to leave after saying his piece, Count Horose hurriedly grabbed him.

“D-Duke. Could you please get rid of that wicked thing?! Please… I’ll give you money! As much as you want!”

“I don’t particularly feel like it. You pushed my wife toward that specter earlier, didn’t you?”

‘What?! Then the force that pushed me from behind wasn’t the ghost, but that man, Count Horose?’

The Count was startled, his eyes darting frantically. If it were an earthquake, it would have been a magnitude 9.

“I have no desire to grant the request of someone who cannot even show proper respect to the Duchess. We are leaving.”

“No. Ruslan. Do as he says.”

I stepped forward and looked Count Horose straight in the eye. The Count fidgeted, unable to even meet my gaze.

“Listening to the grievances of a subordinate family is also the duty of the suzerain family. Let’s grant his request.”

Watching Count Horose prostrate himself on the floor, vowing never to forget this grace, I smiled softly.

‘You’re going to deeply regret asking us for this.’

***

“Why did you say you would help him?”

Ruslan poured the tea I’d ordered from room service into my cup and placed a dessert on a small plate in front of me.

We had left the Count’s estate under the pretext that the ghost wouldn’t come out if we stayed, and though we’d caught a room in a hurry, the dessert was quite luxurious, as expected of the finest hotel in the Svants territory.

“As you said, my lady, he killed the Countess. The murdered Countess became a vengeful spirit and is tormenting him. He is merely receiving the consequences of his actions.”

“That’s true, but Duke…”

“Please call me by my name.”

“Pardon?”

“Call me by my name, not my title. We are married now, aren’t we?”

In aristocratic society, it was rare to call each other by name unless it was a love marriage.

Furthermore, the Ruslan in the novel was the quintessential cold Northern Duke to everyone except the heroine, Evangeline.

‘Do I look like Evangeline?’ I thought for a moment, but it didn’t seem so. For starters, our hair colors were different.

Then I wondered if there was a connection between him and the original ‘Beatrice,’ but no matter how I searched her memories, it didn’t seem like she had ever met Ruslan directly.

My head was a mess of various thoughts. I picked up the dessert in front of me and took a bite. When you have a lot on your mind, you need something sweet.

“Mmm! This dessert is delicious! The combination of the moderately sweet filling and the cream is incredible!”

“I thought you would like it.”

All the desserts in front of me had been set up by Ruslan. And every single one on the plate suited my taste perfectly. It was as if they were prepared by someone who knew exactly how much I loved sweets.

‘Sigh. I don’t know. Let’s not overthink it.’

The important thing was which country I would go to once the contract period was over. It was different from my expectation that we would ignore each other like a cow and a chicken, but as long as I’m playing the role of a contract wife, it’s better to be on good terms than to have a cold wind blowing between us.

‘It’s all for the peace of the Duchy. If we stay friendly, he might even press a valuable antique into my hand when we divorce, right? I’m definitely not doing this because I’m blinded by greed.’

“Anyway, Duke, I…”

“It’s Ruslan.”

“…Right, Ruslan. Ultimately, I’m not trying to help him.”

“What does that mean…?”

“Think carefully about what Count Horose said to us. He asked us to get rid of the ghost; he didn’t ask us to protect him.”

At my words, Ruslan thought for a moment, then his face lit up as he realized.

‘Is it because he’s the sub-lead? He’s quick-witted.’

I gave a thin smile and took a sip of my tea.

Putting a wandering soul to rest doesn’t necessarily have to be an exorcism, does it?

***

“The Countess? Oh! There was no one as kind as her.”

The next morning after sunrise, I went to a restaurant where many people gathered instead of eating the hotel breakfast to gather information about the Count.

Applying the social skills that had made me fast friends with the restaurant aunties in my past life, I exchanged a few words with the owner and casually brought up the Count. She began pouring out stories about him as if she’d been waiting for the chance.

“But that Count is such a scoundrel. He went around scamming people using the Count title, and the Madam had to work so hard to clean up his messes. But instead of reflecting on his actions, he brought in some woman of unknown origin and flaunted her right in front of the Countess, and even brought her into the estate!”

As expected, the Count was more trash than I’d imagined.

“Actually, I’m the only one who knows this, but Horose was a Baron. He was well-known for being polite and having a good character. That’s why the previous Count felt safe taking him in as a son-in-law…. If he knew that the ‘polite’ Count Horose would betray them like that, he’d turn over in his grave!!!”

There are two types of trash in the world. Trash who is a scoundrel but has ability, and trash who is both a scoundrel and incompetent. The Count was the latter.

After talking with other villagers as well, I found that the decisive reason Horose killed the Countess was to steal her fortune and place his mistress in the position of the legitimate wife.

“It’s a predictable reason. He committed murder for his mistress and to claim ownership of his wife’s assets. According to Imperial law, no one except the Imperial family can have a second wife.”

“Humans often make foolish mistakes for such predictable reasons.”

“You’re right. So, I’m going to take away everything he’s gained, one by one.”

It would be a relief if he reflected after that, but people of his kind never do. I finished the letter I was writing at my desk, put it in an envelope, and asked the hotel desk to send it via express mail. The destination was the Imperial Tax Office.

***

“Are you Count Horose Kizorf? I am Carter, an official from the Imperial Tax Office. We received a report of tax evasion and must conduct an inspection.”

Tax officials carrying documents bearing the Imperial seal stormed into the Count’s estate. In the Empire, laws regarding tax evasion were strict, and the officials under the central office were formidable.

While the Count was sputtering, unable to protest, they had already taken over his office and were searching every nook and cranny. Shortly after, they found a safe hidden in a corner.

It was a safe made of mithril, said to be stronger than steel. Fire wouldn’t work on it, and it wouldn’t break even if struck with a hammer. However, these officials, used to such tasks, expertly picked the lock with the tools at their belts.

When the safe door opened, various documents were found inside. The officials scrutinized each one as if tearing them apart.

“Hmm… 1 million Goldia for a trash can, 7 million Goldia for ink… are these ledgers correct?”

An official looking through the supplies ledger adjusted his glasses and glared at the Count.

“This ledger basically shouts ‘I evaded taxes.’ You must have thought we wouldn’t keep an eye on a remote territory that isn’t a granary or a trade hub. And I understand you’re paying low taxes by applying for benefits for remote regions, yet the inside of this mansion is quite magnificent, isn’t it?”

The official spoke as he tapped the ornate decorations on the wall, which were encrusted with jewels.

“A mansion in a territory that qualifies for tax benefits is usually modest. It’s as if you’re mocking us tax officials.”

Tax evasion of this scale wouldn’t have escaped the notice of local tax officers. The fact that nothing had been reported to the main office meant they were likely in league with the Count.

‘I’ll have to clear out these cockroaches soon.’

The official turned back with a smile. Count Horose turned pale and broke into a cold sweat.

“No… well, that…”

“I’ll have to see exactly what kind of trash can you purchased.”

The official’s eyes gleamed with the determination to search every corner of the house today. They truly were money-devils from hell.

***

The money-devils… no, the Imperial tax officials, swept through the estate and seized every single thing of value, except for the heirlooms that had been in the family since the old days.

When we visited the estate a few days later, the Count looked more haggard than before. It seemed the officials had stripped him of his very soul.

Ruslan pulled something from his coat and held it out to him.

“What… is this?”

“A talisman inscribed with a spell to dispel vengeful spirits. If you place these around the mansion, the ghost will flee before long.”

“I-Is that true?! Thank you so much. Duke, thank you so truly. How can I ever repay this grace…”

“I will accept payment once the spirit has completely vanished. I shall return in a few days.”

With those words, we quickly left the estate.

“Is this sufficient, my lady?”

“Yes. Well done. Your acting was great, Ruslan.”

I beamed and showered Ruslan with praise. The talisman wasn’t real. The spell written on it was actually a bunch of nonsense written in Ancient Language.

But the Count, who didn’t know Ancient Language, would believe it, and the Countess wouldn’t appear whether he put up the talismans or not. Ruslan had told me she was hiding and watching everything we did.

Now the stage was set and everything was ready.

All that was left was the ‘cider’—the refreshing payoff. In this case, it would be a backstabbing kind of cider.

***

“Duke, something terrible has happened!!”

A few days later, the Count’s estate was in an uproar.

“My wife… my wife has run away with my fortune!!!!”

“Isn’t your wife the ghost that appeared before?”

“No, well… I had a second marriage. Of course, it was after my first wife died.”

Even though it was an obvious lie, the Count lied to us without even blinking.

“Anyway, she ran away with not only my money but also the most precious treasures of our family! Duke, please find that wench and clear my name!!!”

The paper the Count showed us, claiming she’d left a note, said that no matter how much she loved money, she couldn’t live with a smelly, ugly man anymore.

The content of the note was reasonable.

‘True, no matter how much you like money, you can’t live with an ugly man.’

I nodded quietly.

“Count Horose, you only asked me to get rid of the vengeful spirit. Household matters are not my jurisdiction, so handle this yourself.”

“But if I can’t find the fortune she took…! The money I can give the Duke will be significantly less! Would that still be alright?”

“Ah, that’s right, Count Horose. The ghost is gone, so you can rest easy now.”

I suddenly interjected from beside Ruslan.

“Pardon?”

“It seems the talisman you were given was effective. I felt a faint presence of the spirit when we last came, but now it’s completely gone. The ghost seems to have left for good.”

The Count, who had been skeptical, was completely convinced when Ruslan backed me up. He bowed repeatedly, expressing his gratitude.

“T-Then I no longer have to fear the night because of that wench! Thank you! Truly, thank you, Duke! How can I ever repay this…”

“It’s not a favor, so there’s no need to repay it. You said you’d give anything if we just got rid of the ghost, didn’t you?”

Count Horose flinched at my words. His eyes, hidden as he bowed, were frantically darting around, calculating how much he should give.

“What… what is it you desire…?”

The Count asked, slowly raising his head.

“It’s nothing much; this is all I want.”

I took something out of the bag I’d left in the corner and showed it to the Count. As soon as he saw it, his face turned white as a sheet.

“T-That… that… that is…”

“You recognize it immediately. I suppose it’s too flashy an object to forget, isn’t it?”

In my hand was a cane intricately worked in gold and encrusted with jewels. It was clearly the work of a master, with each gem sparkling differently depending on the angle of the light, but one side was dented as if it had recently hit something.

“To bury such an expensive-looking item carelessly in the ground. You must be very wealthy, Count.”

“H-How did you…”

The Count looked like he was about to stop breathing.

‘He can’t faint yet. The show is just beginning.’

“You must have said this to the Countess that day: ‘I’ll give you a divorce, so wait for me in your room.’”

At a time when she was exhausted from cleaning up Count Horose’s reckless business expansions and the shame he brought her, his words were too tempting.

The Countess waited in her room as he said. The Count, who said he was going to prepare the documents, never came.

Even when the sun set and the room grew dark, she couldn’t even light a candle. Because of that man who had seized even her private property on the grounds that a husband should manage the assets.

With her money and the estate’s money, he had been rolling around with some low-born woman he’d brought from somewhere and squandering it all. The mere thought made her teeth grind.

But that was over now. She was going to get a divorce. Even if he changed his mind, it wouldn’t matter. Since the words had come out of his own mouth, she would make sure it was finalized.

Then, the Countess happened to look at the sky outside the window. The neatly folded half-moon and the twinkling stars sewn into the sky were exceptionally beautiful today.

The moment she opened the terrace door to look at the stars—that was her last memory.

“This is the blunt instrument you used to strike the Countess’ head, isn’t it?”

The Count had struck the Countess’ head with the cane he had recently purchased. The cane, encrusted with large jewels, was essentially a stone club and knocked her down in one blow. But because it was made of gold, the part that hit her had dented.

If he left it as it was, he might be caught.

Thinking that, the Count wiped off the blood, buried it deep in the garden, dragged the Countess’ body to the terrace, threw it over, and roughly brushed the incident off as an accidental fall.

“The Imperial tax officials are quite capable. True to their nickname as ‘money-devils from hell,’ they find anything of value. No matter where you hide it. Even if it’s buried underground.”

“Y-You were the one who brought them! That’s why those officials…!”

“Those gentlemen were quite kind. They said they found a suspicious item among the seized goods and gave it to us.”

Count Horose’s face was turning from red to purple. I watched him without any expression. There were two reasons I didn’t simply execute him on the spot using the Duke’s authority and instead called the Imperial tax officials.

First was to find the evidence of the Countess’ murder. That day, the Countess clearly remembered being hit by this cane. But when we came before, the cane was nowhere to be seen. He must have hidden it. So, I had to find it—definitively, if possible.

And second was to slowly suffocate Count Horose. Simply stripping him of his title and ownership of the territory didn’t seem enough to appease the Countess’ grudge.

It would be more painful for him to see his fortune being seized right before his eyes. If I was going to do it, I had to thoroughly strip his soul. The stunned Count collapsed to the floor.

“Horose Kizorf, by the authority of the Duchess, I hereby strip you of your fortune, your title, and your ownership of this territory. Furthermore, your crime of murdering your wife will be reported to the Imperial Gendarmerie, and you will face judgment under the law. I trust you have no objection.”

I finished my piece and walked past him. Even among nobles, the murder of a noble carries a heavy sentence. At the very least, he will serve a life sentence. I hoped this would appease the Countess’ spirit.

 

***

 

‘What do I do now? What do I do? How much I bowed to that stupid Count and that pathetic wench just to get my hands on this title.’

He’d finally thought he could live large being called ‘Count,’ but now, not only was everything being taken away, he was destined to rot in prison for the rest of his life. He had to find a way. Count Horose quickly looked around. Soon, a ‘way’ caught his eye.

The Count stood up and lifted a decorative rock he had bought for a large sum a few days ago with both hands. It was heavy and difficult to hold, but if he hit her properly with this…

With a sinister smile, he approached Beatrice, who was walking ahead. Whether he killed one or two didn’t matter to him now. If he just killed that wench who looked down on him and acted so superior, no one would know.

Just as he was about to bring the stone down, someone’s hand grabbed his head from behind.

“The reason I left a man like you alone was because my lady wished for you to face legal judgment and pay for your crimes properly.”

The Duke’s voice came from behind. Since when had he been there? He hadn’t noticed at all. He wanted to turn his body and look back, but his entire body was stiff as if someone were holding it.

“But you have just kicked away the chance my lady gave you. So, whether you die here or in prison probably doesn’t matter.”

A moment later, a dark, murky energy flowed from his hand. The Count wanted to scream, but no voice came out due to the extreme pain. When he let go, the Count collapsed to the floor, his entire body twitching.

Ruslan gave him a cold, indifferent look and walked past. Even as he left the mansion, the Count did not move from that spot.

A few days have passed since the incident in the Svants territory was resolved. It was said that Count Horose took his own life before the Imperial Gendarmerie could even haul him away. Even though their lord had died, not a single resident of the territory cared. I trust everyone knows why.

Due to the absence of a lord, the Svants territory was temporarily annexed to Ishelbach. I still can’t forget the look on Ruslan’s face when he saw the order—he looked like someone who had just been handed an incredibly bothersome chore.

“Right. Ruslan, what should we do with these?”

I stared at the Count’s treasures sitting on the table. These were the items the Count’s mistress had packed up and stolen from the estate.

“I didn’t expect all of this to come back, but that Casanova has quite the spirit of service.”

The man who had run away with the mistress was actually a handsome, well-built Casanova I had hired. He had disguised a chance meeting, charmed her inside and out, and staged a “love escape.” Once the mistress had squandered most of the Count’s liquid cash, he quietly slipped away and returned all the stolen treasures to me, even telling me to “reach out again next time.”

“What spirit of service would a Casanova have? Though he doesn’t have the Sight, he likely felt it—the ‘something’ attached to those treasures.”

At those words, I quickly pulled my hand away from the treasure I had been fiddling with. Seeing my reaction, Ruslan gave a faint smile and picked up the item.

“It is fine now. Whatever is attached to these treasures cannot act freely within this castle.”

‘Right… I suppose so.’

With how many ghosts live here, we definitely have them outnumbered. No matter how strong a spirit is, there’s no winning against a crowd.

A few days later, the Countess appeared in my dreams. She didn’t look like the gruesome specter from before; she looked as beautiful as she did when she was alive.

“Thank you. Now I can move on to the afterlife in peace.”

The Countess smiled brightly and thanked me over and over. She looked much happier than when she was an avenging spirit laughing with bloodshot eyes.

When I woke up from the dream and sat up in bed, it was dawn and the sun hadn’t risen yet. I draped a shawl over my shoulders and, as if pulled by something, stepped outside. Even though it was the end of spring, the northern dawn air was as cold as winter in the capital, but it wasn’t unbearable. As I passed through the hallway to head outside, something in a corner caught my eye.

Approaching it, I found a collection of small items: a jar filled with sweet cookies, a handkerchief embroidered with clumsy skill, and a wooden doll carved with unpracticed hands, along with small cards.

[Lady Beatrice, we welcom you heer.]

[When it is skary, eat this kookee and feel better.]

[This is a hankie I made when I was alive. Lady Beatrice, pleez use it.]

The handwriting was shaky and crooked, but the meaning was clear. I hadn’t known because I’d never been here at dawn, but near this area was the room I stayed in when I first arrived, before I started sharing a room with Ruslan. Back then, I barely left my room, and even when I did, I hurried back inside, so I must have passed right by these piled-up gifts.

Somewhere, a mournful crying sound echoed—a sound heard from somewhere in the castle around this time every day. I suddenly thought of the Countess from my dream.

The Countess who smiled brightly saying she could move on, the spirits who worked in place of humans in the castle, the ghosts who played pranks just to get attention. Before they were ghosts, they were all people; they were pitiful, weak beings who stayed because they didn’t want to leave, because their grudges were deep, or because they had nowhere else to go, leaving them with no choice but to plead with the living.

I gathered the gifts in my arms and brought them back to my room. I opened the sealed jar and ate one of the cookies. The cookie, which tasted slightly burnt, was sweet and warm.

I wasn’t afraid of ghosts anymore.

***

By the time the wisteria flowers that had been in full bloom were fading, summer had arrived in the North. Calling it “summer” was a stretch; unlike the sticky, humid summers in Korea, the northern summer was cool as long as you stayed in the shade. And I, in a corner of the cool stone castle, was busy.

“Alright! Success!”

I was boiling a potion in a large cauldron.

“Adding mint really does fix the scent of this medicine.”

The potion bubbling in the black iron pot was as bright red as hellish lava, but its scent and effects were heavenly. Though I couldn’t guarantee the taste.

“The stomach medicine is done… Oh, Elizabeth, please sterilize those vials with boiling water.”

While Elizabeth sterilized the vials, I turned off the fire and opened the window to ventilate. Located at the very top of the castle, this room caught the breeze so well that even a crack in the door made it cool enough to forget it was summer.

Beatrice had been talented enough to top her class at the Academy multiple times, but she was especially gifted in potion-making. It was a difficult subject, requiring mastery of both magic beast studies and herbology, as even a slight error in the ratio would render the potion useless. Since there were few skilled pharmacists and the demand for potions was always rising, it was a profession that guaranteed 100% employment in any country—the perfect skill for when I divorced and left the castle in a year.

If I kept honing this skill, I’d be a decent pharmacist by then. It was all thanks to the fact that Beatrice, whom I thought was just an extra, turned out to be a brilliant prodigy.

As I finished organizing the recipe and was about to pour the potion into the vials Elizabeth had sterilized, there was a knock at the door. It was Edward.

“Um… Madam, the Duke has returned, however…”

Looking out the window, I realized the sun was already setting. I must have been too absorbed in my research.

“Ah, tell him I’ll head to the dining room.”

“The thing is… the Duke said he already ate out and went straight to the room, saying he would go to bed early.”

At Edward’s words, a corner of my heart felt strangely heavy. We always ate together—what happened today? I tried to shake off the feeling and spoke cheerfully as I headed to the dining room.

“I can’t disturb a sleeping husband. What’s on the menu tonight?”

My favorite dishes were served for dinner. But the food I usually enjoyed felt strangely tasteless tonight.

***

“Ruslan, are you asleep?”

I opened the door and entered quietly, careful not to wake him. Ruslan was lying on the sofa as usual, trying to sleep.

‘Was he that tired? He’s never gone to sleep before seeing my face.’

“If you’re tired, you should just sleep in the bed. I can sleep on the sofa.”

Ruslan always stayed in the same room, the same space, under the pretext that I was afraid of being alone. Even though I wasn’t afraid of ghosts anymore, nothing changed. He yielded the bed to me so I could sleep comfortably and took the sofa for himself.

Seeing a man who looked well over 180cm curled up on a sofa was a bit pitiful. Technically, we were married, so we could sleep together, but thinking about leaving in a year, I thought it best not to get too close.

I crept into bed so as not to wake him, read my book for a bit, and eventually drifted off. I was in a deep sleep when a groaning sound woke me up.

“Ugh… who’s moaning like that?”

The source of the sound was the sofa.

“Ruslan. Ruslan, are you okay?”

Despite my shaking him, he wouldn’t wake up, seemingly trapped in a terrible nightmare. He was breakng out in a cold sweat and looked to be in immense pain.

“He must have sleep paralysis! Ruslan! Wake up!”

I shouted close to his ear, but there was no sign of him waking. But at that moment—

“Kyaak!”

He, who wouldn’t wake up despite the cold sweat, suddenly pulled me into a tight embrace, causing me to fall backward. Feeling the soft carpet tickle my neck, I rolled my eyes, wondering how to handle this sudden situation.

“Well, he’s quiet now, so at least he’s out of the nightmare.”

Hoping he could sleep a little more comfortably, I patted his back and twisted my body to slip out of his grasp. But the more I moved, the more desperately Ruslan hugged me, like an object he couldn’t afford to lose.

‘Are you really asleep? Why are you so strong!’

I wanted to escape, but I was hugged so tightly I couldn’t budge. Giving up on escaping, I decided to just move him to the bed. I hugged the 180cm+ man who was desperately clinging to me and managed to stand up, literally “dragging” his entire body toward the bed.

Summoning every last bit of strength, I finally reached the bed and laid Ruslan down on the soft mattress. Actually, it would be more accurate to say I threw both our bodies onto the bed.

Ruslan remained asleep, still holding me. Seeing his face, now sleeping more peacefully than before, the slight irritation I felt just a moment ago melted away. Ruslan’s beauty was enough to make me forget the struggle. Perhaps because I’d exerted myself in the middle of the night, my eyes began to grow heavy. I wanted to look at his radiant face a little longer, but I couldn’t fight off the sleep.

***

The sunlight streaming through the curtains woke me up. Taking advantage of the fact that Ruslan’s arms around me had loosened, I rolled to the side and stood up. Ruslan was still sleeping with a peaceful face, unaware of what had happened.

Watching him sleep soundly, I realized I’d never actually seen his sleeping face before. It made sense. He slept on the sofa every night and was already gone by the time I woke up.

‘How can someone look this handsome just by sleeping?’

His face, which I couldn’t see properly in the dark last night, was now fully visible in the morning light. Even lying down, he looked like a masterpiece. In the midst of purifying my eyes and restoring my vitality with my husband’s face first thing in the morning, his shirt caught my eye.

He must have fallen asleep as soon as he arrived yesterday, as his shirt, which he hadn’t changed into pajamas, was soaked with cold sweat. Thanks to that, the firm contours of his body were visible, and I found myself staring as if possessed. Shaking it off, I cautiously began to undo the buttons of Ruslan’s shirt one by one.

‘I’m doing this because sleeping in sweat-soaked clothes is uncomfortable. I definitely don’t have any impure intentions.’

With each button I undid, his firm, muscular body came into view. I involuntarily swallowed. A desire to run my hand over it surged within me, but as I tried to ignore my cravings and was about to undo the last button and take off the shirt—

“….”

“….”

My eyes met Ruslan’s, who had just woken up. Avoiding his gaze, I tried to explain as best I could.

“No… um… don’t misunderstand, I just saw your clothes were wet…”

Anyone seeing my face right now wouldn’t be able to help laughing. I desperately hoped Ruslan would just say “I see” in his typical indifferent voice and move on.

However, Ruslan defied my expectations.

“I didn’t expect you to try and jump me first thing in the morning, my lady. I’ll be better prepared next time.”

“Prepared for what?! It’s not like that!!!!”