~Chapter 17~

Lying to someone who rushed in out of concern didn’t sit right with me, but I had no choice if I wanted to protect my contract with the Duke.

“It was just a bug that startled me. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“No, I’m the one who should apologize for barging in without permission. Did you take care of the bug?”

“Yes, I caught it and let it outside.”

My eyes unintentionally drifted toward the red-haired man.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?!”

I hadn’t meant anything by it—it was just guilt for treating an innocent soul like a bug. But before I could explain, he pouted and turned his head away, crossing his arms and clearly sulking.

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll make sure the pest control is managed more thoroughly going forward.”

I was about to apologize when the middle-aged knight softened his tone.

Thankfully, it seemed my excuse had worked.

“If anything else happens, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. It’s my duty.”

With that, the knight gave a polite bow and exited the room. Only after the door shut with a click did I slowly turn around.

“I thought something was off this morning when the mansion felt unsettled, and now this? I only came up here thinking Lily might be around.”

The red-haired man muttered, still pouting.

I stood in front of him, now sitting on the floor, and he turned his head away with a deeper pout.

“What do you want from someone like me—basically a bug?”

So it really had hurt his feelings. I quickly tried to explain myself to the sulking man.

“What I said earlier was just an excuse. I didn’t mean it that way, I promise.”

“Pfft. Even so, last time you ignored everything I said. You could see me, I know you could. But you acted like I wasn’t even there. Do you know how hurt I was?”

“That was also a misunderstanding. I really couldn’t see you then.”

The man looked at me suspiciously, clearly still holding a grudge from our first encounter.

“I still don’t have full control over my ability to see spirits. That’s why I couldn’t see you.”

“…What? That’s all it was? I thought you were just ignoring me like Susan said!”

Finally, he broke into a grin. The grumpy tone from earlier was gone. Judging by his expression, he must have decided to believe me.

Now was my chance.

“So… do you know where Lily is? Can I meet her now?”

“Ever since that fight with the evil spirit, we haven’t seen her. She’s vanished before, but never this long. We’re really worried.”

His face twisted in distress as he bowed his head.

“I should’ve stopped her when she ran out so recklessly. But I was too scared, trying to protect myself… I didn’t even notice she was gone.”

Seeing how much he genuinely cared for Lily made my heart ache. After all, Lily had risked everything to save me.

“I shouldn’t have come into the mansion like that. I caused trouble. I’m sorry.”

“No, no! It’s that evil spirit’s fault! Lily didn’t do anything wrong. We’re the ones who spent a whole year hiding in the basement, too scared to help her. That’s why we missed our chance to save her.”

“You’ve been here for a year?”

“Yeah. I died in an accident at the Crystal Mountains. When I woke up, I was stuck here in the mansion. Not by choice, obviously.”

I’d heard that lingering spirits tend to stay in one place, but that was usually due to their own attachment. Yet he said they were trapped.

“We were bound to the mansion—couldn’t even visit our families. Then that evil spirit showed up. We fled to the basement to escape its attacks. Thankfully, it couldn’t enter. A few days later, we found Lily collapsed near the basement.”

His face paled at the memory. I didn’t need to ask more to understand how terrifying and miserable that year must have been.

“We thought maybe it was the evil spirit keeping us trapped. But even after it disappeared, we still couldn’t leave. That’s when we started looking for other options… and then we met you.”

For the first time, I saw sincerity flicker in his eyes.

“We didn’t follow you because we hoped to come back to life or anything.”

His hands trembled slightly.

“We just want to let our loved ones know we’re okay.”

He brought his hands together, then slowly looked up with a composed expression.

“So please… help us. I’m begging you.”

“I…”

I had come here to find Lily. That was already a huge task. I didn’t have time to help other spirits too.

But still… after such a heartfelt plea…

After a moment’s hesitation, I spoke carefully.

“I came here to find Lily.”

“Right, you’ve been asking about her all along. But why? And why did you come back to this place?”

He tilted his head in curiosity.

Should I tell him? It wasn’t like I could hide it forever. Sooner or later, he’d find out.

“Actually…”

I told him the truth—that Lucian and Lily were siblings, and that I was hired to investigate what happened to her.

“She didn’t remember anything except her name… I had no idea.”

Learning that the girl they knew was a noble lady with such a tragic story must’ve come as a shock.

The man fell silent for a while, deep in thought, before finally speaking.

“So it’s your job to uncover what really happened?”

I nodded, ready to explain that I couldn’t take on their request too.

But then he said something unexpected.

“Then how about this?”

He looked at me with a determined expression.

Scene Change

Rustle.
Lucian slowly flipped a page of his document. Glancing up at the clock, he pressed his fingers to his temple with a grimace.

Luna Sterry… It had already been three hours since she went to her room.

—“Other than fatigue, she shows no unusual symptoms.”

The physician’s report had reassured him, but something still bothered him.

She always said she was fine—just like that child used to.

“Damn it.”

Ink from his pen bled across the paper—a mistake he never normally made.

But more than rewriting the report, what occupied his mind was Luna resting upstairs.

Knock knock.

A knock at the door brought his sharp red gaze forward.

“Come in.”

When the door opened, someone he hadn’t expected stepped inside.

Lucian immediately stood up and approached the door.

“I thought you were resting.”

Luna looked to the side briefly, then met his eyes again.

“Sorry for coming all of a sudden. There’s something I really need to discuss.”

She gave a nervous smile and sat opposite him.

Thankfully, she looked better than before—perhaps the doctor had been right.

“What is it?”

“There’s something I want your opinion on.”

“Go ahead.”

“There’s a spirit here… Mr. Chris. He says he knows a lot about your sister and wants to help.”

She glanced toward the empty space beside her.

“But in return, he’s asking for a favor.”