~Chapter 88~
What Damien held out was none other than a slightly crumpled flyer.
“Let’s go here.”
“Here? Where is—”
I glanced at the flyer, and my eyes widened.
“…The Liez Haunted House?”
It was a booth set up for a festival in the city, open for about a month.
But this wasn’t just any haunted house—it had rented out an entire four-story building, boasting a scale unlike anything ordinary.
Children under 15 and those with weak hearts weren’t allowed. Even mid-way exits were permitted, since it was said to be that terrifying.
There were even rumors of frequent supernatural phenomena, forcing the staff to perform daily rituals to appease spirits.
For horror fans like us, it was irresistible.
“I really did want to go here, but…”
I trailed off, looking up at Damien.
“But is it really okay? The entrance fee is so expensive.”
Just the admission was 100,000 gold per person.
If in my past life, a theme park charged half a million won for a haunted house, people would’ve rioted.
Here, the reaction was the same—people complained that the owner was blatantly greedy.
‘Well, they did say the creator was a true horror fanatic who invested a lot, so maybe that’s why… but still.’
Because of that, I hadn’t dared suggest it.
After all, our mansion already had real curses and real ghosts. Paying 100,000 gold to see more had felt unreasonable.
“Don’t worry. The reason I earn money is so I can do things like this for my wife.”
“…Oh.”
His sudden sweet line hit me off guard again.
“You know the business I recently expanded is doing well, right? So this much is nothing.”
“Well, then… but what about the crowds at the festival?”
“We already went to that huge victory banquet with no problem. This will be fine.”
He reassured me calmly.
“My informant checked, and apparently, it’s so well-made that the price isn’t a waste.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
He smiled softly.
“And the other booths at the festival are said to be decent too, though pricey. I thought we could visit them as well.”
“I’d love that!”
“Good.”
Relief crossed his face.
“Since we’ve finished the second ritual of the soul contract, I thought we should try a kind of date we’ve never done before.”
“You’re right. That sounds wonderful.”
What kind of husband is this?
Planning the perfect outing just for me, and saying money wasn’t an issue.
“I’m really looking forward to it. It’s been a while since we went on an outing just for fun.”
Until now, we’d only gone to the palace or the academy—not to the city, and never for leisure.
So this kind of outing felt rare.
‘Well, honestly, life inside the mansion was so fun I never thought of going out!’
But still, a true fan should also chase thrills outside.
“Outing?”
Damien’s reaction was a little strange.
“…Yes?”
“You just called it an outing?”
He tilted his head curiously. He didn’t seem angry—just… oddly serious.
“Uh… yes.”
His eyebrow twitched.
“Let me be clear.”
His strangely serious face made me tense.
‘Did I say something weird?’
But his answer was unexpected.
“This isn’t just an outing. This is a date. You just agreed to a date with me.”
“…Ah, I see.”
“A date. With just the two of us.”
He put heavy emphasis on “just the two.”
“Ruhy won’t be coming.”
[Ru-hy?!]
Ruhy squealed in outrage, glaring at Damien.
[Ru-hy! Ruhy ruhy, RUHY!!]
“Shh, Ruhy.”
I quickly soothed him.
“Don’t say bad things. Don’t be naughty.”
[Ru… hy! RU-hy, RU-hy!!]
He protested indignantly, insisting Damien started it.
“But the haunted house only allows ages 15 and up, right?”
Damien’s violet eyes gleamed as he looked at Ruhy.
“It wouldn’t be good for someone as young as Ruhy.”
Ruhy froze, mouth agape in shock.
‘Oh… right.’
He wasn’t even a year old yet. Lower curses were basically like children.
Damien’s reasoning made sense.
“Yes, that’s true.”
[Ru-hy?!]
Ruhy’s tiny eyes trembled like an earthquake.
[Ru-hy, RU-hy, ruhy- RUHY!!]
“Sorry, Ruhy. This time it’ll just be me and your dad.”
[RU-HY! Ruhy ruhy- RUHY!!]
But my decision didn’t change.
It took me an hour just to calm him down and put him to sleep.
When I finally turned back, Damien’s lips seemed faintly curved in satisfaction.
‘Huh? Was that my imagination?’
I rubbed my eyes and picked up the flyer again.
“Damien.”
“Yes, Ruby?”
“About that date request…”
I pulled out a handkerchief and leaned close.
“I’ll accept.”
He simply smiled quietly.
“…Oh?”
“Stay still. You’ve got ink on your cheek.”
“…Ah.”
He blushed, but didn’t avoid my touch.
And just like that, our haunted house date was decided.
“Here it is.”
On the day of the date, we entered the Liez Festival.
Naturally, our first stop was the haunted house.
“…There are more people than I expected.”
With such a steep price and difficulty, I hadn’t thought the line would be this long.
“Well, with the high price, nobles are treating it like a show of wealth.”
Damien explained calmly.
“And the rumors also attract attention, whether spread by people or deliberately by the owner for business.”
“Oh, those rumors?”
I had heard them from wandering curses.
The haunted house let people in at intervals, so they should exit in the same order.
But some who went inside were said to have… never come out.
“Well, surely that can’t be real.”
I thought it was just marketing.
“True. But rumors are often spread on purpose.”
“Still, I can respect that kind of marketing.”
I smiled at the people in line.
“There aren’t many who like horror, so at least this gets people interested.”
“Exactly.”
Damien nodded.
“If it’s fun, let’s go again.”
“…But then we’d be paying another 200,000 gold?”
He silently pulled out his checkbook.
“…Alright, fine.”
“Really, don’t worry about money.”
Just then, we overheard the people in line.
“They say this place is terrifying.”
“Yeah, I heard. Apparently, they have to perform daily rituals to calm the spirits.”
“Ugh, creepy. Do we really have to go in there?”
“Some say people went in and never came out.”
“Oh, who believes that?”
The women behind us laughed.
“But if rumors go that far, it must be scary. Don’t you want to know?”
Rumors were clearly doing their job well.
And then—our turn came.
“Please enter.”
We stepped through the curtain—
And were swallowed by pitch-black darkness.
“Wow, this is serious.”
“Indeed.”
My heart thumped as Damien and I walked slowly through the dark corridor.
Then—
[Danihapyunghwan geol shino ejip uishin-gwi.]
“…Huh?”
A whisper echoed.
‘Sound effects?’
It was chillingly realistic.
I admired it as we walked past the whisper.
Never imagining what kind of consequences it would bring later.
