Chapter 9
“You’re too thin. Are you even eating properly?”
“…Don’t touch me. I warned you.”
Isabel scowled, glaring at him.
The fact that she had almost let herself answer meekly just because of that face made her hair stand on end.
She needed to get out of here before things went any further.
But Hybert had no intention of letting her go. On the contrary, he seemed to be genuinely enjoying this moment.
“That’s strange.”
“What is?”
Struggling with all her strength, Isabel shot him a wary look.
“You’re not my type at all.”
“Sorry to say, but you’re not my type either.”
Hybert tilted his head curiously and continued.
“I don’t like that snappy attitude of yours.”
“Why don’t you think about who’s making me act like this, Mr. Hybert?”
At the sound of his name, Hybert’s eyes widened for a brief moment before returning to normal.
“Say my name again.”
“…What?”
“Hurry.”
Unable to withstand his burning gaze any longer, Isabel slowly opened her mouth.
“…Mr. Hybert.”
“Mm. Good girl.”
The sharp eyes—like those of an ice cave in a snowy mountain—melted and folded in half.
In stark contrast to his earlier behavior, the childlike, pure smile made Isabel feel oddly embarrassed to say anything more.
That kind of reaction just from hearing his name is cheating.
Somehow, the atmosphere began to change.
She hadn’t done anything, yet her face was flushing and her dulled senses were slowly coming back to life.
It was probably because of his burning gaze.
As if he feared she might disappear if he blinked, Hybert looked at her with tender eyes, sweeping back his wine-colored hair as he murmured:
“I’ve decided.”
“Whatever it is, don’t decide it on your own.”
“I was just going to tease you a little and leave it at that, but… I think I’ve changed my mind.”
She had just said not to decide on his own.
“I’ll allow you to be my thirty-seventh wife.”
“…”
“What? Are you so happy you’re speechless?”
Isabel was so shocked she forgot to close her mouth.
Though she was embarrassed to admit it, she had always harbored a small dream about romance—
A beautiful love story where just looking at each other made your heart flutter, ending in a romantic confession that sealed the relationship.
And yet, why was she hearing this while tied up, and from a ghost of all things?!
Whether he understood her thoughts or not, Hybert was already grinning from ear to ear at the idea of making her his thirty-seventh wife.
“Isabel.”
He whispered her name sweetly.
“…That’s creepy, so please stop saying it.”
Her cold reply came instantly, but Hybert seemed to find even that endearing, planting a noisy kiss on her lips.
Isabel’s widened eyes filled with disbelief.
My first kiss. The first kiss I was saving for someone I loved!
“Isabel, you’re truly adorable.”
“I don’t want to hear that from you.”
“Well, since we’ve come this far, why don’t we see if our bodies match?”
“…Hhh.”
She was about to ask what he meant, but what escaped her lips instead was a faint gasp.
A slightly rough palm slid down her long, slender neck, and Adolf’s lips brushed against the jut of her collarbone.
Every time his hot breath touched her pale skin, her bound body jerked involuntarily.
“Please… stop…!”
Isabel trembled, her breath catching as she barely managed to speak.
“Don’t worry. You’ll feel good.”
A hand, veins standing out, stroked near her thigh—dangerously close to slipping under her dress.
“Hybert, ugh—!”
“Shh. Quiet.”
The lips that had been teasing her collarbone slid downward, savoring her skin’s sweet scent.
Where his lips passed, faint red petals bloomed across her skin.
Isabel had to fight hard to suppress the moans threatening to escape. Then, something bumped against her fingertips.
Turning her head, she saw a glass bottle filled with chicken blood.
Just a little closer… just a little more…
The bottle that had been just out of reach touched her fingertips but rolled away again.
Then the bed dipped, and the bottle rolled right back into her palm.
Isabel gripped it tightly. All she had to do was open the lid and splash the chicken blood on Hybert. His soul would be tainted, leaving him powerless.
But even knowing that, her fingers wouldn’t twist the lid. It would take only a little force to open it.
If I use this, I can win my bet with Adolf. But…
A tainted soul could never reincarnate again.
Ever.
“You shouldn’t get distracted.”
“Ugh.”
The cold touch on her thigh made her flinch hard. While she’d been focused on the blood, his hand had lifted her dress.
I have to decide. If I stall, Adolf will be in danger too.
Biting her lower lip, Isabel looked up at Hybert. His once-brilliant red eyes were slowly being swallowed by a black heat.
A ghost that harmed a person would turn into a malignant spirit. And Hybert’s soul was now on the verge of becoming one.
She had to hurry. Any further delay, and Adolf’s body might be completely taken over.
Steeling herself, Isabel pressed her thumb against the lid and twisted it open.
The metallic scent of blood wafted out of the glass bottle.
In that instant, the shadow over her body wavered, and Adolf collapsed with a thud.
“…Hy… bert?”
Startled, Isabel shook the fallen man’s body. Through the large window, a beam of bright sunlight streamed in, touching her face.
Shielding her eyes with her palm, she looked outside.
The darkness had vanished, and the sun was slowly rising over the ridge.
The warm, early morning air of autumn should have filled the reception room—
Yet for some reason, a biting chill blew through it.
Breaking the heavy silence, Hutman was the first to speak.
Bang! He slammed the heavy scabbard of his sword on the floor, scowling fiercely.
“Explain what you were doing with His Majesty. In detail.”
“I told you, it was an accident. And it wasn’t His Majesty—it was a ghost.”
“You expect me to believe that when you show up with those marks on your body? Just admit it! You were after His Majesty’s body from the start!”
With this utterly unreasonable accusation, Isabel clamped her mouth shut.
Anyone could see that she had been the one being attacked, and that Adolf had been the one doing the attacking—so why was she being treated like this?
“If I hadn’t come, you’d have kept clinging to him.”
Hutman crossed his arms with a mocking tone.
“Funny you say that. You were the one who untied me—so how can you think I attacked His Majesty?”
“His Majesty is too kindhearted to refuse you.”
Kindhearted? Him?
She had thought Hutman’s loyalty to Adolf was strange from the start, but this was going way too far.
“Thanks to that, I even saw you half-naked. I want to gouge out my eyes and wash them.”
“I wasn’t naked! My dress was just pulled up a little!”
“That’s enough, both of you!”
Just as the argument was about to escalate, Kezef stepped between them.
“Hutman, remember that you need to uphold the pride of a knight commander. And Lady Isabel, now is not the time for us to fight among ourselves.”
“…Hmph.”
“…I’m sorry, Sir Kezef.”
Once the situation calmed, Kezef spoke seriously.
“So? Did you learn anything?”
“There’s actually something worth investigating.”
“Investigating?”
Isabel nodded, her expression firm.
“Yes. It might be the clue we need to solve this case.”
Isabel and her companions began planning to send Hybert’s spirit to rest.
Finally, the morning of their departure for the village—where they believed his third wife, Amanda, might be—arrived. Isabel’s pale face was clouded with worry.
Will meeting that woman really give us a clue?
Since that night, Hybert’s spirit hadn’t appeared again. But the fact that Adolf always fell asleep as soon as the midnight bell rang meant the ghost was still nearby.
Everything that’s happened so far is still being recorded.
Even her thoughts from just moments ago were written down exactly.
So far, everything was going smoothly. If she could fill the remaining pages…
Knock knock.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
It was Kezef.
“Lady Isabel. It’s time to leave.”
In that moment, a soft light spread across the faded paper, and new words appeared.
Kezef knocked on the door. It was truly time to depart.
“I’ll be right there.”
Thud. The thick hardcover book closed with a weighty sound. Isabel tucked it into her prepared bag and headed outside.
