Then Selena, who had been watching me closely, hurriedly added:

<If you help me, I promise to protect you from other ghosts clinging to you. I swear on the land of the dead.>

What?

Her words left me speechless, and my eyes widened in surprise.

The land of the dead.

A place with an unknown path and conditions to enter.

The ‘final home’ where one could finally rest and begin the next life.

A ghost’s vow made there was irrevocable.

It was said that those who broke such a vow would face destruction by the divine punishment of Hades, the king who rules the land of the dead.

No one knew when or where that tale began. I only heard it from the ghosts at the Oblene estate.

But the weight of the name ‘land of the dead’ was substantial.

I looked at Selena with renewed eyes. She maintained a clear human form and exuded a stronger presence than any other ghost in this mansion.

‘With those conditions…’

It seemed perfectly fine.

* * *

<Not long after I died, I felt dirt falling from above, so my body is probably within the Everdeen territory.>

After I agreed to her deal, Selena tried her best to recall the details surrounding her death.

I rummaged through the textbook that Baron Ganess had left for my studies and found a book with a map of the Everdeen territory.

“Let’s see.”

I lay on my stomach on the bed and opened the book. Rick and Selena each lay down beside me in similar positions.

<Teddy bear, can you even see the book being that small? Should I lift it for you?>

<I told you not to call me that. And stop talking nonsense and look at the map.>

<You’re fiercer than I am, kid.>

Selena playfully teased, but Rick immediately shot back. She pouted and followed my lead, looking at the book.

Since yesterday, the two of them have been like this. Selena was quite pleased with Rick, who had changed my goal, but Rick was annoyed with all the ghosts, including Selena. He found them bothersome.

‘He acts like he’s not a ghost himself.’

He’s a genius, yet he’s as delicate and picky as a teddy bear.

But since he would dislike being called a teddy bear, I kept that thought to myself.

“Hey, by the way.”

As I stared at the map marking the Everdeen estate, a question suddenly popped into my mind.

I turned to Rick, who looked puzzled, and asked seriously:

“Does the Duke know that people like Count Arietta are embezzling the Duke’s assets? Since he’s in seclusion, he usually just reads reports.”

It didn’t seem like he was completely oblivious…

Considering Rick’s suggestion to buy the Viscount’s land with the Duke’s influence, I thought his insight might be sharper than mine in these matters.

I asked with that in mind, and Rick’s answer wasn’t too far from my expectations.

<Based on what I’ve observed, I don’t think he’s unaware. However…>

“However?”

<Due to the curse, he’s left external affairs to his retainers. If he ousts them, there’s no immediate way to properly manage the territory. Appointing new managers also requires intermediaries…>

“Oh, I see.”

Only after hearing that did I realize the importance of considering not just the immediate problem but the subsequent situations as well.

Indeed, the biggest issue would be the lack of ‘people’ to manage the territory properly after ousting the retainers.

But now that I’m here, a ‘person,’ there shouldn’t be any problem!

‘Haha, just wait, Viscount.’

According to Selena, the money the retainers embezzled over time was enough to buy a small estate, so I’d soon witness the Viscount Oblene weeping over his losses.

Still, finding trustworthy people wasn’t easy, so I had to see if I could remove only the completely corrupt retainers and keep the rest.

But I had already deduced something similar, hadn’t I? I really am a genius.

‘Anyway, now’s not the time for this.’

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and turned the page of the book.

First, finding Selena’s body was the priority!

“Dirt, dirt… The most likely place around here is…”

As I slowly moved my finger across the map, I stopped at one spot. Rick and Selena’s eyes were also fixed on that location.

A commercial district spread out in a circle around the Everdeen mansion.

Next to it, in small letters, was a forest labeled ‘Restricted Area for Civilians.’

“Restricted area?”

Why would it be off-limits to civilians?

As I puzzled over this, the door opened, and Mina came in.

Rick immediately went limp, like a puppet with its strings cut.

‘He tries hard…’

Mina widened her eyes at the sight of me, then chuckled softly.

“Time for dinner, Miss. It looks like you were studying with your teddy bear friend.”

<…Now even she calls me that.>

Rick, who was once again ruffled by the term ‘teddy bear,’ sighed heavily in resignation.

I signaled Selena with my eyes to stay put, then picked up Rick and headed to the dining room.

“By the way, Mina.”

“Yes, what is it, Miss?”

“Why aren’t we allowed into the forest next to the city? It says it’s a restricted area for civilians.”

Mina responded with an exceptionally gentle smile, the kind that could leave one speechless.

“The Duke regularly conducts hunts with the knights, but occasionally wild beasts still appear in that forest. So, to prevent people from entering recklessly, it’s been closed off. Even if you’re curious, you must never, ever go in.”

“Oh, I see. Thanks for letting me know, Mina.”

“You’re welcome.”

I replied casually, though my mind was anything but calm.

‘Ugh, this is tricky.’

I bit my lip discreetly, ensuring Mina wouldn’t notice.

To confirm where Selena’s body was, I felt I needed to visit the forest at least once, but civilians weren’t allowed. What should I do?

As I pondered this, we arrived in front of the dining room.

When Mina opened the door, I peeked in to see the Duke already seated at the table. I greeted him with a bright smile.

“Good evening, Duke!”

“Good evening, Terry.”

The Duke replied in neat handwriting.

As I sat across from him, I noticed that the pepper shaker seemed larger than last time, alongside a variety of dishes.

A warm and simple meal. After offering a brief thanks to Odelia, the Duke and I picked up our spoons.

Tonight’s menu included rich white bread and mushroom soup, moist grilled chicken steak, and a salad with lemon dressing.

Oh, that’s tart. A healthy flavor.

I shivered at the tangy lemon taste in my mouth and swallowed the salad.

The Duke was in the middle of cutting his chicken steak. I rolled my eyes around, then made up my mind and spoke up quietly.

“Duke, there’s something…”

At that moment, the Duke put down his fork and knife. The chicken steak on his plate was neatly sliced into even pieces.

He switched his plate with mine, which was untouched, and picked up his pen.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Uh…”

I forgot what I was going to say and pointed alternately at my plate and his. He calmly explained.

“As your guardian, I’m sorry there’s not much else I can do for you. Please let me do at least this.”

“Oh, uh.”

“Of course, if it makes you uncomfortable, feel free to tell me. I mean it.”

“No, it’s fine…”

There it was again, that feeling.

I tried to calm my fluttering heart as I stuffed my mouth with chicken steak.

The Duke watched me for a moment, and only after I swallowed did he pick up his pen.

“So, what was it you wanted to say, Terry?”

“Oh, that.”

His question brought me back to my senses.

I rinsed my mouth lightly with the water Mina handed me and smiled broadly.

“I want to visit the commercial district!”

—
T/N: This is so wholesome. I am going to cry.