The beggar ghost, who genuinely seemed to have no lingering regrets, surprisingly added:

‘Well, I’ll keep your secret and that of the teddy bear. Though, I doubt it’ll remain a secret for long, even if I keep quiet. Watching you seems like it will be entertaining.’

He chuckled, tousled my hair into a mess, and then swaggered out of the room.

Talking to Rick and seeing the shadow of a boy that resembled Rick in his eyes—there was something about him that wasn’t ordinary.

He didn’t seem like a typical ghost, but I couldn’t quite figure him out.

Anyway, after that, I kept a close watch on the beggar ghost and the other ghosts with a wary eye. He didn’t give off the impression of being trustworthy.

Contrary to my expectations, the beggar ghost just lazed around and slept in various spots of the mansion, as he always did.

After keeping my nerves on edge for about a day, I finally admitted it.

That ghost really had no intention of revealing my and Rick’s secret.

‘Why? Why on earth? Can a ghost really be like that?’

I pondered with half-closed eyes.

The beggar ghost was unlike any ghost I had ever seen.

Ghosts, by nature, were beings that inevitably long for life.

Yet, when I, a living person who could see ghosts, offered to resolve his lingering regrets, he refused, saying it wasn’t necessary. To me, that was unheard of.

‘Suspicious…’

Could this be the “I’m fine” tactic I read about in books?

The one where you wear a serene smile and say you want nothing, driving the other person crazy…!

“Miss, please focus.”

“Oh, yes.”

Just then, an uncomfortable voice snapped me back to reality. I blinked and straightened up.

“Ahem, ahem. Now, let’s continue. What is the specialty of the Everdeen territory…?”

“I don’t know!”

“…Yes, I thought as much. Even though it’s depleted now, the specialty of the Everdeen territory used to be jewelry and crafts. Hair ornaments made in the likeness of the white branch tree, the symbol of the Everdeen family, were particularly famous.”

Baron Ganess, who was in charge of my morning lessons, continued his explanation with a resigned expression, as if he was no longer surprised.

I listened to his monotone lecture with one ear and let it out the other.

Meanwhile, I propped my chin with one hand and flipped through unrelated pages with the other, making it obvious.

“…So, therefore…”

The baron glared at me, clearly displeased, but I just smiled innocently, pretending not to notice.

‘Still, he’s reacting less than yesterday.’

Hmph, had he gotten used to it already?

I subtly covered my face with my hand to hide my smirk from the baron.

‘I am William Ganess, who will be in charge of your morning lessons. Please take care of me.’

Baron William Ganess, who took on my morning lessons about the Everdeen territory, was a middle-aged man with a round, rolling appearance, unlike the cursed people of the Everdeen mansion.

Yesterday morning, when I was first introduced to him as a retainer of the Everdeen family, my attention was completely elsewhere, focused on monitoring the beggar ghost’s movements.

‘Miss.’

‘Yes.’

‘…Are you listening to me?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do you dislike me?’

‘Yes.’

‘…’

‘…Oops.’

I had been glancing out the window for the beggar ghost when the sudden silence snapped me back, and I turned my head.

With a twisted expression, Baron Ganess cleared his throat and closed the book with a meaningful thud.

‘…Ahem. Since today is the first day, let’s stop here. I’ll see you again tomorrow.’

His deliberate pauses and emphasis seemed to imply, “Things better be different tomorrow.”

He stared at me through the closing door until the very last moment before disappearing.

‘But that’s not my concern, is it?’

Yesterday, it truly wasn’t intentional, but after he left, I realized it was actually a good thing.

If the baron complained to the Duke about my inattentiveness and stupidity, that would be beneficial for me.

Cheer up, Baron!

“…That’s all for today.”

At that moment, the baron closed the book with a displeased voice.

I quickly shut my book and smiled brightly, as if I hadn’t been daydreaming.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Tomorrow, I’ll check if you remember what you learned today. I’ll report the results to the Duke, so be sure to review.”

“Yes!”

Of course, I wasn’t going to do it! I only answered like that in my head, while smiling brightly.

Baron Ganess seemed to dislike even seeing me smile now, as he shivered his shoulders and quickly left the room.

‘Oh… The more I try to be friendly, the more he seems to dislike it?’

In that case, mischievous Teresia Oblene couldn’t just sit still.

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I quickly got off my chair and approached the window.

Soon, I spotted Baron Ganess seemingly talking to Sebastian in front of the mansion.

I stood on tiptoe and threw open the window, worried that the baron might get into the carriage.

I took a deep breath and was about to raise my voice loudly.

“…!”

Suddenly, I felt a sinister energy rising from the side.

I instinctively swallowed my voice and quickly turned my head.

On the balcony railing of the next room, a strange female ghost was sitting.

The moment I noticed her, my mouth dropped open.

‘That, that…!’

That’s right! The evil spirit Rick mentioned! Or rather, a ghost close to an evil spirit!

She was slightly shorter than Mina, appeared to be in her early twenties, and most notably, exuded a much stronger sinister energy than ordinary ghosts.

She was definitely the “ghost close to an evil spirit” that Rick had talked about.

‘But what is she looking at?’

I stopped mouthing words and turned my body in the direction she was looking.

And there…

‘Huh?’

Baron Ganess was standing there.

I was flustered and turned my head back and forth, looking between the baron and the woman.

The woman, seemingly unaware of my presence, gritted her teeth and glared murderously at Baron Ganess.

<…I’ll kill you.>

Uh, well.

That’s quite… terrifying.

Startled by the woman’s murderous aura that seemed to tear the air, I shrank my shoulders.

Sensing my presence, the woman flinched and turned her head sharply to look at me.

Uh, we made eye contact.

“…”

<…>

“…”

<You…>

“Wow, waaah! Sebastiaaan… Grandpaaa!”

I decided to run. Instinctively, that thought came to me.

My body moved before my mind. I waved my hands wildly at Sebastian, who was far away, with the loudest voice I could muster.

“…Grandpa?”

I could see Sebastian mouthing those words in surprise.

I also waved at Baron Ganess, who was looking at me with a peculiar expression.

“Grandpa Sebastian! I’m done with my lesson, so play with me! Goodbye, teacher! I’ll… do my homework… well!”

Ah, my mouth was twitching. It was hard to say things I didn’t mean.

I slammed the window shut, avoiding the bewildered Sebastian, the baron with an even stranger expression than before, and the female ghost who looked at me as if I were something odd.

“Whew.”

I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand and sighed.

Phew, it was a bit embarrassing, but I thought I managed to handle it well.

<Hey.>

“Uwaaah, mooom!”

Immediately after, I jumped up from the spot at the whisper that reached my ear.

Startled out of my wits, a cold hand like ice grabbed my arm as I stumbled backward. My body, which was about to fall into the air, stopped in place.

<…I can touch you. I wondered why I never saw you pass through other ghosts since you came to this mansion.>

I swallowed hard at those words.

I had always tried to avoid colliding with ghosts, making sure our paths never crossed, but she figured it out. What kind of ghost is she?

Over the woman’s shoulder, I could see several ghosts who had been here since the lesson started dropping their jaws one by one.

The woman leaned her face close to mine and smiled.

<You can see us, can’t you?>

…At this point, I might believe that the beggar ghost was a fortune-teller in his lifetime.