I Became the Ghost Duke’s Daughter - Chapter 7

ㅡTerry.

Mom?

Suddenly, a familiar voice came to my ears.

On the other side of the darkness, Mom, who had a smiling face as usual, clapped her lips.

‘Mom!’

A bright smile unconsciously bloomed on my lips.

I tried to run straight to Mom, yet for some reason her feet didn’t move as if they were rooted to the ground.

ㅡ…

While I was struggling to get my feet off, Mom continued to move her lips as if she was saying something.

What is she talking about?

ㅡ…Baby.

At that time, a voice that hadn’t been heard for a while came and Mom smiled. Then her figure gradually faded.

‘Mom…?’

Sparkle.

My eyelids fluttered open as Mom’s figure was consumed by the darkness.

I raised my upper body and looked around.

An unfamiliar landscape. A bed with an unfamiliar texture. A teddy bear lying on the bedside table.

“It’s a dream…”

The moment I realized that this was Everdeen Manor, I got grumpy for no reason.

I pouted my lips and kicked the cozy blanket with my foot.

‘But it’s been a while since I’ve seen Mom.’

I chewed on the face of Mom I saw in her dream and tried to calm my mind.

Then, as usual, after regaining a calm mindset, I pulled over the blanket and raised my body.

I thought I should find a place to hide in the future as, anyway, I must have woken up.

I stuck my head out of the door, made sure no one was around, and came out into the hallway.

‘It’s dark.’

I don’t know exactly what time it is, the hallway was pitch black.

But I’m not worried!

I walked slowly down the hallway, using the bluish light of the ghosts wandering around as a lantern.

Occasionally, some ghosts would pop up in my face with curious eyes.

At that time, I turned my steps in the most natural way possible to avoid bumping into them.

‘Why, there’s even a ghost here. Why are you carrying around an empty bottle?’

Anyway, after somehow overcoming the crisis and coming out to the stairs of the main building, I was lost in thought for a while.

The garden I saw on the way to the mansion during the day was so vast that it seemed like there would be many places to hide. It would be brighter there than inside the mansion with the moonlight shining through.

‘Good. I’ll have to start with the garden.’

After making that decision, it was the moment I took a step down the stairs.

Thud.

“…!”

Unknowingly, I heard a noise behind my back. I was startled and shook my shoulders, turning around.

However, contrary to my expectations, no human shadow was visible.

I think I saw an afterimage of a bluish boy for a moment, but I think I couldn’t see it because it was too dark.

What catches my eye is the still empty hallway and the middle of it…

“……Eh?”

Why is that here?

I took slow steps and stopped at the end of the hallway.

I leaned down and reached out, grabbing a teddy bear lying on an angle in the hallway.

The soft touch seemed to tell me that this wasn’t a dream.

“What…?”

I held the teddy bear with both hands and turned it around.

However, I couldn’t find anything strange about the doll, just that it looked a bit bleak.

‘When I woke up earlier, it must have been on the bedside table. Am I mistaken?’

Well, since I just woke up, I might have misunderstood.

After thinking about it for a while, I came to my senses and went back to my room while putting the teddy bear on the bedside table and left.

Afterwards, I struggled through the bushes, relying on the moonlight and the ghosts flying around the mansion.

How long have I been around like that, I wonder. I found a tree with thick branches and abundant leaves that seemed to be the perfect place to hide my body.

Great, I’ve decided on you. Obediently be my hiding place.

I took a deep breath, exhaled, and grabbed the tree trunk. And just as a test, I was about to put one foot on a pole.

Rustle!

A sound came from behind again. I reflexively giggled and jerked back.

“What else?”

I looked around with my eyes wide open, but I stopped involuntarily.

When the teddy bear curled up in the bushes behind me came into view, my eyes naturally narrowed.

‘Is it a ghost…?’

At this point, it was clearly not a coincidence or an illusion. Could it be that some mischievous ghost is doing this to scare me?

‘But I couldn’t hear anything like laughter.’

What is it? I frowned and took a quick step forward.

The moment I stopped in front of the teddy bear lying on the bush and stretched out my hand.

Squeak!

Unknowingly, the teddy bear’s head turned 180 degrees and their eyes met the buttoned eyes.

“Aaaakh!”

Slap!

I was so startled that I reflexively let go of my hand strength. My palm slapped the teddy bear’s cheek, and the reversed neck returned to its original direction.

“…”

“…”

After a moment of silence, an angry voice burst out from the teddy bear that jumped up.

***

I hurriedly returned to my room when I saw the servants, awakened by a sudden scream, lighting up the mansion one by one.

Fortunately, Mina came into the room right after I climbed onto the bed and pulled the blanket over me.

After examining me for a while, I heard her leave the room cautiously.

Click.

I held my breath, then as soon as I heard the door slam shut, I jumped up and sat up. My heart was still beating loudly.

‘What on earth! What is that!’

The teddy bear was obviously moving and talking. It even turned its neck like this!

‘A ghost can hide inside an object, yet it can move the object itself within it at will? Does that make sense?’

I had known for a while that ghosts could hide in things, as Tommy had snuck into things a few times after arguing with me.

However, it was an unheard-of fact that a ghost dwelling inside an object could control the object at will.

That was a completely different reason from a ghost pushing things down or picking them up.

‘I was so surprised that I left it.’

I put my hand on my heart and waited for the pounding to stop. I took a deep breath, got off the bed, and looked out the window.

Then the big tree I was trying to climb came into view at a glance.

‘…There’s none.’

However, the white teddy bear wasn’t around.

I gulped and walked slowly toward the door. And carefully opened the door.

ㅡBang!

Closed it again.

‘I almost had to leave the world.’

It had been a long time since I felt my goosebumps stand on end like this.

After muttering several swear words I had learned from Tommy, I opened the door again.

…A teddy bear stood looking at me.

Besides, he talked, haha.

I thought about it for about 3 seconds, then cleared my mind and reached out my hand.

Supporting the teddy bear’s armpit, I lifted it up to eye level and smiled broadly like a child who knew nothing.

“Whoa! My teddy bear is back! It comes back on its own, and our teddy bear looks for me, so it must be very smart!”

“You had a lot of trouble getting home! Let’s go to bed now!”

I lay down on the bed, ignoring the doll struggling with its limbs. Then I hugged the teddy bear, bound its arms and legs, and gave it a pat on the back.

“Come on, let’s sleep. Let’s sleep.”

“Zzzzz…”

I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep as best I could. Then the teddy bear under my chest stopped struggling with its limbs and became quiet.

‘…Is it done?’

The moment I was contemplating whether to open my eyes or not. A ghostly, eerie voice pierced my ears.

“…”