CHAPTER~07
The Witch’s Tomb (4)
“Excuse me?”
Are people from the Amir Empire particularly fond of nonsense?
I couldn’t help but frown at such an absurd remark.
Being next to someone who spews nonsense every single moment made me feel like my own character was deteriorating by the second.
The man suddenly blushed deeply and jumped up.
“N-No, th-thank you. I didn’t realize someone was here—”
“Shh!”
I hurriedly stood up and placed my finger over his lips.
His voice had been too loud.
Even though we were inside the passageway, I worried Kallio might hear.
I didn’t think he would outwardly get angry just because I was with another man, but knowing Kallio, he might use some odd misunderstanding as an excuse to slit either my throat or the man’s.
“I-I apologize.”
The man, watching me awkwardly, blinked and then lowered his voice.
“I am Secretary Kyrus. I am studying under Grand Secretary Artin. May I ask your name?”
Grand Secretary… could he mean the old man who almost lost his life earlier while trying to scold Kallio?
Recalling vaguely, it seemed this empire’s system allowed one to become a prime minister through a Grand Secretary’s recommendation.
So a secretary under the Grand Secretary would be a potential candidate for the next prime minister.
Why would such a person be in a secret passage like this?
A shiver ran up my arm
.
“Kyrus.”
The name sounded familiar.
A secretary appearing in such an unusual place was strange enough.
And then it clicked.
‘Isn’t this the character I set as the male lead in my debut work?’
I had a bad feeling.
Main characters tend to attract incidents, and why would such a male lead suddenly appear hurriedly in this dark passage?
While I was lost in thought, I had no choice but to open my eyes wide.
Creaking.
Squeeeak!
With a strange noise, another arm shot out from the darkness.
This time it was the arm of a woman draped in long, flowing fabric.
A woman dragged her gown along the floor as she strode forward quickly.
Yet the space where her eyes should have been was empty, and her head turned with a metallic scraping sound in a full 360-degree spin.
Her jaw dropped in an instant like a nutcracker.
A distorted voice, as if filled with static, flowed from her gaping mouth.
“Waa, wa-wa-waaahhh—?”
That is absolutely not human.
“Damn it!”
“Run!”
The woman screamed eerily from behind.
“Let’s plaaayyyy—!”
Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack.
Despite her grotesque twisted ankles, she quickly chased after us.
We desperately tried to escape from this ghost-like presence as if we were extras in a horror movie.
But I had overlooked one thing.
“Ugh, huff!”
The body I currently had was just as physically weak as my old one.
After running for about a minute, I almost felt nauseous.
Although I had grabbed her hand and ran first, Kyrus soon ran ahead of me and asked.
“Shall I carry you?”
“Eh?”
“You look tired. I think it might be faster if I carry you.”
Being carried by someone I just met today?
Of course, from the author’s perspective, Kyrus wasn’t a completely unfamiliar figure.
Still, throwing oneself into a stranger’s arms was… questionable.
“Let’s plaaayyyy!”
…Nope.
Yes, yes! Completely yes!
As the woman charged forward like a bulldozer, I hastily spread my arms.
“Carry me!”
“Pffft!”
In my urgency, I blurted out informal speech, and Kyrus let out a small laugh before grabbing my waist and lifting me up.
He smiled like a mischievous child.
“Hold on tight.”
Starting with that, he pushed off the ground with force.
Thus began a thrilling chase with the ghost.
***
Meanwhile, Kallio walked alone down a deserted corridor.
He had promised not to return until his wife had paid her respects to her parents alone.
Normally, he wouldn’t waste time waiting for anyone.
But it wasn’t that boring after all.
Just thinking about that woman was entertaining enough.
After all, Rivie had been unusual from their very first meeting.
“Or maybe from the second meeting, precisely…”
In the Amir Empire, a man may only meet his bride once before marriage.
Of course, the meeting was only with the bride’s face fully covered.
An old superstition claimed that seeing the bride’s face before marriage would bring misfortune.
Thus Kallio first met Rivie wearing a black veil.
They hadn’t really conversed, only exchanged brief greetings, yet Rivie trembled all over.
‘Th-this is my firs-first meeting… ugh…!’
She even bit her tongue mid-sentence.
It was almost comical.
‘I won’t even survive half a night with her.’
Although it was just one meeting, Balloon instantly understood Rivie’s timid nature.
How long could someone so meek survive?
Anyway, Kallio married his extremely frail third wife.
The wedding also took place with her face covered and only the basic ceremony performed.
Rivie, now officially his wife, entered the bridal chamber like a prisoner about to be devoured by beasts.
He assumed that his third wife would eventually leave this palace, so he entered the room without expectations.
But something had changed.
‘Aaagh…!’
The woman collided with his chest with her nose, letting out a short scream while rubbing it.
Yet she didn’t apologize; instead, she glared fiercely at him.
‘You didn’t bring this for me to read? I’ll read it for Your Majesty.’
Moreover, this bold woman scanned him as if assessing information and even took the book she brought for leisure.
She was no longer the trembling woman from their first meeting.
It felt as if another soul had inhabited the same body.
But it didn’t matter.
Whether people changed or not, Kallio didn’t have high expectations for a wife.
He didn’t believe in true love.
Yet watching his third wife, he felt life with her might be enjoyable.
She was full of ambition to survive against him.
One prank with a knife elicited a vivid reaction, which was amusing.
So he decided to reward the entertainment she provided by giving her a middle name based on the first emperor.
‘Rivie Radi Mahgar.’
Radi. Giving such a name to a newlywed wife was unusual.
But oh well, it was fun.
He knew that someday playing with his wife like this would bore him, just like everyone who had passed through his life.
But his wife, Rivie, was beyond expectation.
‘Loo…k.’
‘I want to properly greet your father and mother.’
Rivie tried to stop him from punishing the Grand Secretary.
Inside, she despised him, yet she used a cute term like “darling.”
Her words about greeting her parents or being buried together for life were probably lies.
All Rivie’s eyes reflected at that moment were concern for the Grand Secretary and disgust at him.
So naturally, he was curious.
What kind of scheme could that small head be plotting?
Even so, his wife stepping forward for another man… wasn’t that a bit unfair as a husband?
So he tampered with the incense.
For example, slightly bending a stick so it burned faster than usual.
But after all, this was inside a tomb.
Other than the path he was walking, there were no other exits.
“I guess I can’t escape from here.”
Perhaps he wanted Rivie to return quickly.
Watching her pouting lips while lying or her sapphire eyes narrowing when angry was very entertaining.
“I already miss her…”
Kallio pressed his slightly warm cheek with the back of his hand.
Then he noticed something unusual.
A part of the stone wall at the tomb’s entrance protruded slightly.
It was so small that no one else would notice.
“Hmm.”
Curiosity lit up his golden eyes.
He touched the bulging wall, and his fingers caught a ring-like piece.
Creeeak…!
Pulling it revealed a door suddenly appearing in the wall.
It seemed to lead to a passage even Kallio didn’t know.
He briefly observed the suspicious secret door.
“This looks fun.”
Unable to resist the impulse, he stepped into the door.
He had no idea what kind of scene awaited beyond it.
