<My name is Selena.>

The female ghost, who was almost like an evil spirit, spoke unexpectedly in a calm manner.

<I was originally an administrator working under Count Arietta.>

‘Count Arietta…’

I had heard that name before. Sebastian had mentioned that the Arietta family was the oldest vassal family of the Duke of Everdeen.

The revelation she shared among the ghosts gathered closely around my bed was quite shocking.

<The situation at the Duke of Everdeen’s house is currently very bad. But originally, it shouldn’t have been this dire, considering the number of mines the Duke owns.>

That brought to mind the unusually modest meals, the maid’s uniform Mina wore with patches here and there, and the knights’ uniforms with missing epaulettes and decorations, which puzzled me a bit.

As if answering my doubts, Selena continued.

<Among them, the platinum mine managed by Count Arietta is the largest. The Duke’s house has been reporting a decrease in mining output, and for the past two years, they claim it’s completely depleted.>

“…No way.”

<Yes. It’s all a lie. The mining output is far from depleted; it’s still quite abundant.>

“Huh.”

I was so taken aback that a sigh escaped my lips.

Why would anyone do this to people who are already suffering because of the Emperor’s whims? Especially when it’s the master they swore loyalty to?

Recalling the times I desperately searched for food and clothing at the Oblene estate due to the Viscount’s family’s whims made it feel all too familiar.

I muttered curses under my breath with a grimace on my face.

“Those scoundrels deserve to be soaked in filth and beaten with a laundry bat…”

Selena laughed as if she would burst, then quickly ground her teeth with a murderous expression.

<I started gathering evidence because the accounts seemed suspicious, but unfortunately, Baron Ganess caught me. He’s like a subordinate to Count Arietta, so he immediately reported it to the Count. I tried to escape, but…>

Selena took a deep breath filled with anger and concluded her story with a somber tone.

<I died.>

“…”

The ghosts gathered here, including myself, fell silent for a moment out of respect.

Selena soon shook her head, dispelling the gloom on her face. She then looked at me with a very earnest gaze.

<So, I’m asking you. Please find my body and help me get revenge on Count Arietta. If you do, the financial situation of the Duke’s house will improve, and as the heir, it won’t be a loss for you.>

So, it came down to this.

I sighed deeply, holding up two fingers with a troubled expression.

“Unfortunately, I can’t fulfill your request for two reasons. First, asking me to kill someone is out of the question. And second.”

I met Selena’s gaze through my fingers and spoke firmly.

“I’m going back home soon. So this deal isn’t beneficial for me.”

If I agreed to Selena’s request here, other ghosts at the Everdeen estate would surely swarm me, asking to resolve their grudges under the guise of a deal.

That would severely disrupt my plan to pretend to be an ignorant child and get expelled from the Duke’s house. I couldn’t let that happen.

<That’s…>

Hearing my refusal, Selena’s lips parted in disappointment, and at the same time, an ominous aura swirled behind her.

I braced myself and opened my eyes wide, determined not to be overwhelmed by her presence.

When my arm was first grabbed, I had frozen in surprise, but things were different now. I was the one holding the hilt of the sword!

Just then, Rick, who had been sitting quietly on the chair throughout our conversation, stood up.

<Terry.>

“Huh?”

Startled by the voice in my ear, I turned my head.

Rick, looking as if he had ‘nothing to hide now that things have come to this,’ walked steadily toward me.

The ghosts watching the scene flipped out.

<Aaah!>

<Oh, oh, oh, it’s the ghost of the teddy bear that died unjustly!>

<Save the ghost! Save the ghost!>

The ghosts screamed or rolled their eyes and fainted, with no one leading them. Selena wasn’t that extreme, but she looked like her jaw might drop.

<What is that…? How is it moving inside…?>

Rick, however, remained unfazed. He stopped and tapped my knee with his cotton-like hand, looking up at me.

<Why are you so eager to return to the Oblene estate?>

“Huh? Well…”

It was a question slightly unrelated to the current situation, but it was something Rick had been seeking an answer to from me for a while. So it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

I hesitated for a moment, meeting his button eyes, and answered softly.

“Well… all the traces of the people who were on my side are there.”

The memories and portrait of my mom, who had loved me more than anyone else in the world, and the ghosts who comforted and stayed with me after she passed away.

Everything precious to me was in that estate.

So…

<If that’s the case, why not buy the Viscount’s territory under the Duke’s name?>

“What?”

At that moment, I heard something truly unexpected. I looked at Rick with wide eyes, like I was struck by lightning.

Rick, uncharacteristically for a teddy bear, folded his arms and fell deep into thought.

He seemed so much like a living person that I lost my words for a moment. Then, he began speaking in a familiar manner.

<Even though the Duke’s house is just a shell now, originally, the Viscount’s people couldn’t dare oppose the Duke’s house. Unless the Oblene Viscount’s wealth was exceptionally great, which it isn’t.>

“Well, that’s true…”

<So, instead of just trying to go back to the estate, expose the vassals’ crimes and use the money earned from that to rebuild the Duke’s house. Then, buy the entire Oblene estate. If you use the Duke’s name, the Viscount won’t be able to do anything.>

Genius!

I unconsciously covered my mouth with both hands.

In contrast to me, Rick simply adjusted his ribbon calmly after making such an astonishing statement.

Was he a genius? Had he always been a genius? A genius teddy bear?

My mind was spinning. Rick’s suggestion was a much more fundamental solution than my reckless plan to return to the estate.

I remembered learning about the buying and selling of territories through books at the Oblene estate, but I had never thought of applying it in this way, linking it with ‘power.’

‘I thought I’d never have anything to do with power in my life.’

But now, even if only in name, I held the position of being called Everdeen’s ‘Lady.’

By leveraging the Duke’s influence, I could buy the estate with my mom’s memories, the ghosts, and the portrait. Along with the Oblene territory, where my mom’s grave was. Then…

I would never have to hear those wretched threats from the Viscount again!

“You’re only four years old, but you’re so smart…”

<You’re too kind.>

Even though I didn’t mean to, my voice, filled with admiration, naturally slipped out. Rick responded in a very natural manner for some reason.

‘Did he do this kind of thing before he lost his memory?’

Seeing how naturally he thought of using power, he didn’t seem like an ordinary person.

Lost in thought, I was staring at Rick when Selena, who had been listening to our conversation with her mouth agape, chimed in excitedly.

<Whether you’re a teddy bear or a ghost, you spoke well!>

<…It’s Rick, not ‘teddy bear.’>

<Rick or Vic, whatever! Anyway! You don’t have to kill the Count. Just uncover the truth about my death and his crimes. Then I won’t need to harm people and become an evil spirit, and he’ll automatically be sentenced to death under territorial law.>

Selena looked confident, as if she thought this was a pretty good proposal.

But I didn’t agree hastily and only narrowed my eyes.

What concerned me wasn’t just this situation but the possibility of being troubled by ghosts in the future.