I Became the Ghost Duke’s Daughter - Chapter 5

“You wiiiicked bastard! You steal the legacy Ifia has left and throw it away with speculation?! Now that it’s like this, I’ll take the gold bars you hid…!”

“S-Stop! Stop!”

The Viscount shouted urgently, not knowing what I was saying.

Just before he was about to shut my mouth, I changed my expression, sticking out my tongue, and smiled cutely, as if I had never raised my voice like a madman.

“…I only heard you say that!”

And I opened his eyes to the Viscount who was looking at me with a dumbfounded face.

You. Gold bullion. I know where it all is. Be good.

“…!”

The Viscount swallowed his saliva with a pale face, as if he had managed to understand the meaning of my gaze.

Of course, even if I knew the location of the gold bars, it would be difficult to sneak it out from the safe in the depths of the mansion, avoiding the Viscount’s eyes.

However, for servants who learned about the existence of gold bars through my words, or for thieves who will know about these rumors, the Viscount’s gold bars would be a very coveted prey.

Perhaps he won’t be able to sleep properly for a while because he’s worried about gold bars.

And, crucially, it could send Carlotta into a frenzy when she finds out that her husband has been unknowingly laying out his fortune to gamble.

‘In the meantime, I didn’t want to get along with you, so I left you alone, but things are different now, aren’t they?’

Let’s see how long the love of the century lasts.

I turned around refreshingly, feeling the half-day-old resentment slowly go down.

“Let’s go!”

The old man of the Duke of Everdeen was looking at me with a blank face for some reason.

I looked at him with one foot on the carriage and tilted my head. The old man, who belatedly came to his senses, followed me into the carriage.

Soon the carriage started moving. I stuck my head out the carriage window and shouted out loud.

“Dad! Say hello to Mom! By all means!”

Seeing the Viscount’s face distorted until the very end, I laughed happily and slammed the window shut.

I didn’t see the old man sitting across from me, whose face looked as if he was possessed by a ghost.

***

This place, Kremwi, the continent where the Empire was located, got warmer the closer it was to the west, and colder the closer as it approached the east.

Among them, the Duchy of Everdeen was shaped like a round rhombus in the eastern part of the empire, or to be more precise, like a sweet potato placed vertically.

Sebastian, the Duke’s butler, added that the average temperature of the Duchy of Everdeen is lower than that of other parts of the Empire for one reason or another, and handed over a generous coat that seemed to have been hurriedly repaired.

[I wanted to make it as new as possible, but since the situation in our duchy isn’t so good, this is the only coat suitable for Lady’s body type right now. I apologize.]

Sebastian, who had written elegantly with neat handwriting, held out a piece of paper to me. He looked terribly sorry.

‘It’s fine, though.’

I turned my eyes inwardly.

Of course, I had never worn what could be called high-quality clothes all the time I was at the Viscount’s house.

I secretly brought Lawrence’s old clothes from the maids, and they were cleverly patched onto the original clothes.

‘Even if the ghosts hadn’t helped me, it’d have been as good as rags.’

On the other hand, Sebastian’s overcoat was a little big and sloppy, yet someone had put so much effort into it, stitch by stitch, and it looked very clean and warm.

Most of all, it warmed my heart that, despite their poor financial situation, he was concerned about my health and had to hastily mend my coat.

But…

“Such a pity but I can’t help it. I should wear something like this to avoid catching a cold.”

I deliberately said something I didn’t mean to and calmly accepted the coat.

When the Viscount said he would send me to Everdeen Manor for adoption, I made a decision in my heart.

I would be dismissed faster than anyone else and different from others.

In order to do that, I had to hate the people of the duchy as much as possible.

If I imitate a child who whines over and over at every trivial thing and who only likes to play and eat, let alone study, they will soon realize that I’m not suitable for the position of successor and agonize over it.

Do we really have to enlist her as the heir to the duchy? If this continues, will the already dark future disappear without a trace? And so on.

At that time, what if I give them an accident like I did in front of Viscount Oblene earlier?

It’s over, the end. Nothing more to see.

When I go back, Viscount Oblene will probably show off all of his disrespectful tempers, but what can I do? The Duke’s family, the party involved, said they would reject me.

Besides, by that time, Carlotta’s anger would have subsided a little. Well, that’s perfect.

I smirked inside as I finished imagining being kicked out of Everdeen and returning to my room in Oblene Mansion.

‘I’m sorry, Sebastian.’

After a heartfelt apology to him, I tucked my arm into the coat with the most arrogant and haughty expression on my face.

“?”

I got tangled up

“Eh.”

Sebastian hurriedly swallowed a laugh as I struggled with my arms half wrapped in the overcoat without finding a hole to the sleeve.

Is it, fun?

As I glared at him with a dissatisfied expression, Sebastian politely picked up a quill and showed me what he wanted to say on a piece of paper.

[Miss, would you mind if I help you?]

“No, I can…”

Dammit.

“….Please help me.”

I bowed my head as modestly as possible, trying not to be conscious of my appearance as a puppet with my arms bent.

Sebastian laughed, shaking his shoulders, and in an instant put the coat on properly and buttoned it up.

Unlike him, I was staring down at his quick and precise hands in dismay, yet when I raised my head, he was laughing without even trying to hide it.

Yeah, this is all because I can’t see your face, right? But I can see everything, you know?

“It suits you very well.”

“…”

I closed my eyes without answering. Not because I was shy, it was because I was sleepy. I’m not shy, not at all.

***

After the carriage ran for a few more days, we arrived at the mansion in the center of the Duchy of Everdeen.

“It looks like we have arrived. I’ll catch you, so be careful when you get off.”

“I can get off alone.”

I turned my head away from Sebastian, who was reaching out for me, and got off the carriage alone.

I thought I heard a small laugh behind me, and he followed me to the ground.

While he was bidding goodbye to the coachman, I opened my eyes wide involuntarily, overwhelmed by the grandeur of the mansion in front of me.

Everdeen Mansion is really big, beautiful, and…

‘Wow, there are so many ghosts…’

It was a haunted den.

I don’t know if this is also the effect of the curse, but the entire large mansion was filled with a gloomy aura.

I’m not sure if that energy is due to the ghosts flying around the mansion or the people of Everdeen Manor who have become ghosts.

But in the end, both are ghosts. Of course, it’s hard to say that the people of Everdeen Manor are completely ghosts, but…

‘I can see why people were so scared.’

Isn’t the atmosphere even worse than that of an abandoned house?

Ordinary people usually don’t feel the energy of ghosts, but if there are more than a certain number of ghosts, the living feel strange discomfort and fear.

I can see ghosts, so I know why, but that doesn’t make me feel particularly good.

‘I have to be careful.’

I opened my eyes, trying not to make eye contact with the ghosts giggling in the air.

I’m a very spoiled and arrogant kid now. I don’t know anything about what ghosts are.

Repeatedly repeating that, I followed Sebastian into the mansion.

Ten fingers weren’t enough even for the ghosts I encountered all the way up to the Duke’s office following him.

I secretly folded my fingers one by one and finally gave up counting.

‘But it doesn’t seem that the people of the duchy can see ghosts.’

Sebastian, who was standing in front of me, didn’t seem to see or hear anything, even though some ghosts were circling around us claiming to be strange.

Numerous ghosts.

The people of Everdeen Manor who are half ghosts.

Among them, Theresia Oblene, the one who lived alone.

‘It’s a great mansion.’