Chapter 9

“What is this?”

Clunk. Thud. Rattle, rattle…

The carriage rolled down an uneven dirt road. Inside, Alec was silently flustered.

“Your way of speaking seems to have changed a lot. Could you say something again?”

“How could you suddenly become so fluent, like a different person?”

“Eek! I got chills! Brother, say something again!”

Had Alec, the person Alec was possessed by, originally been bad at speaking?

He had simply spoken normally, yet his family couldn’t hide their surprise, leaving him bewildered. He never imagined he had possessed someone who was poor at speaking. It was only natural that his family was so startled.

In his confusion, he had confessed that he didn’t know why this was happening, thinking it would be the best way to handle the situation. Surprisingly, the problem was resolved for an unexpected reason.

It was due to the rat poison Alec had consumed before he died.

“Oh, I see. The rat poison killed the vermin-like germs on Alec’s tongue.”

“……”

This felt like playing a game of stepping on landmines.

Not knowing anything about Alec, he couldn’t predict when or why suspicions might arise. He felt as though he was walking through a minefield where any step could trigger an explosion.

“Am I going to be okay here?”

* * *

We finally calmed down from the surprise of Alec’s change in speech.

Every word he uttered was so clear and enchanting, like crystal rolling on a glass tray, that I was constantly in awe.

I covered my mouth with both hands, overwhelmed with emotion, and Alec awkwardly averted his gaze each time. Out of consideration for him, I eventually restrained myself.

But as the carriage continued, my mixed feelings of doubt grew stronger. Had he really found us a house?

Though he wasn’t one to lie, I couldn’t help but worry. I quietly observed my husband, who sat across from me, staring out the window with his chin resting on his hand.

If he had indeed found a house, could he have borrowed money with something as collateral? But what could he possibly use as collateral?

This wasn’t an era where selling organs was possible.

Finally, unable to contain my curiosity and worry, I asked,

“…Alec, how did you really manage to get a house?”

At my question, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law also widened their eyes and focused on him. They had followed Alec more reluctantly than I had, and they trusted him even less than I did.

He slowly turned his gaze toward me, showing a nonchalant reaction.

“…Oh, that.”

“…?”

“I just used some knowledge I have.”

“Knowledge…?”

Of course, he had been the sole heir to the ducal family, receiving various forms of education. It was said that he spent most of his time in the library from a young age, so his reading volume must be vast beyond my imagination.

Could there have been books like “13 Ways to Survive Becoming Destitute” or “Digging the Ground to Buy a House”?

Not many people cared about how smart he was, but I was well aware of it.

Maybe he was indeed clever enough to buy a house even in a penniless situation.

“We’re almost at the house now. That’s the one.”

As my husband looked out the window, the women, including myself, directed our gazes there.

In the sunset light outside the window, there was only one house visible. It was a pastoral mansion situated on a wide meadow where lamb grazed. It was so peaceful and leisurely that it felt like a dream.

“Could it really be that house?”

My sister-in-law frowned, unable to believe it.

“Brother, are you pulling a trick on us?”

“……”

I also felt like I was being deceived. Though it wasn’t as luxurious as the ducal residence where we used to live… It was truly a house I liked.

It felt like moving from a glamorous and wealthy estate to a relaxed rural retreat.

“It just happened to be on the market urgently, so I was able to get it quickly.”

“…Really?”

Even while replying to my husband, my mind was still foggy. Somehow, it felt like we could live the rest of our lives happily here, forgetting the torment from the tyrant.

There would be no need to worry about others’ judgments, and perhaps we could even have children…

‘Did my husband really get that house?’

I turned my gaze to my husband. He looked at the mansion without any particular emotion. However, inside me, an indescribable feeling surged.

Moved, skeptical, sorry, grateful, and moved again…

Lost in these emotions, my mother-in-law’s voice reached my ears.

“I can’t believe it. How did you manage to get such a wonderful house… in just a few days…?”

At our reactions, my husband seemed a bit pleased. It was the first smile I had seen on him since he drank the rat poison.

“I was lucky. It seems there was a ghost in the house, scaring away everyone who entered. The owner fled, abandoning the house and all their belongings.”

“……”

“……”

My mother-in-law and I stared blankly, speechless.

A ghost…?

In that moment of stunned silence, Eloise’s curse erupted.

“This crazy bastard…!”

* * *

The carriage dropped us off at the path and hurried away. The driver had fled rather than bringing us right to the house. A ghost! A ghost!

Alec cleared his throat, either unaware of our reactions or pretending not to notice.

“Let’s go inside. The interior is even better than it looks from outside.”

“……”

Up until then, my mother-in-law and I were too shocked to move or speak.

As I stood there, my pupils quaking with uncertainty, my sister-in-law shouted again.

“I’m not going! I can’t!”

“……”

“You said there’s a ghost! I should’ve known better than to trust a useless fool like you! Let our dumb brother live there!”

“Eloise!”

My mother-in-law tried to scold her, but my sister-in-law was already running back the way we came.

‘That girl, really.’

I watched Eloise’s retreating figure with displeasure. She had always been rude to her duke brother, but she had never been this brazen. However, now was not the time to scold her.

She believed that everything had fallen apart because she had broken off her engagement to her beloved fiancé due to her brother.

Each time she treated him poorly, he looked as if he had committed a grave sin.

I worried about how much he would torment himself this time… It was frustrating to watch him self-flagellate over it.

Even when he had done nothing wrong, he took the blame and endured her abuse. I wished he would stand up to her, but he always let it slide, making her even more spoiled.

This time, I looked up at him, expecting him to sigh in resignation…

Hm?

My husband, instead of showing any signs of guilt, simply watched her recede with an expressionless face, devoid of any self-reproach.

He spoke in a detached voice.

“Well, it can’t be helped. We can’t force someone who doesn’t want to. Let’s go in, those who are willing.”

“…What?”

My mother-in-law and I widened our eyes simultaneously. She seemed even more shocked than I was.

“Alec, what did you just say? Even if Eloise is poorly behaved, she’s still your sister. You suddenly seem so cold.”

My mother-in-law pressed her chest, as if trying to calm her startled heart.

It was the first time I had seen her so taken aback by my husband.

But I was shocked for a different reason.

‘Is this really Alec…?’

Was my husband Alec being this firm with his sister?

“It’s getting late, let’s go inside.”

He turned and headed towards the mansion.

“……”

My jaw dropped. My mother-in-law was too stunned to speak.

I muttered in bewilderment.

“Mother, does rat poison usually make people change like this?”

“It seems so. At least he’s alive, thankfully…”

“……”

We stood there for a while, unable to move. My mother-in-law muttered to herself again.

“If I knew his speech would become so fluent, I would have given it to him sooner…”

“What?”

“Never mind. Leave Eloise be. Where could she go?”

“……”

She spoke in her usual gentle and elegant voice and started walking. I followed her inside.

Anyway, Eloise always swallowed her pride and returned.

When I was newly married, I tried chasing after her to console her, but it was a waste of effort.

‘Who can stop a rebellious teen…’

As I walked slowly, I examined the mansion before me. It was much larger up close than it appeared from a distance. Being an isolated farmhouse, it looked historical.

But the closer I got, the more its age showed. The old wooden exterior and spider webs in corners.

Under the reddish sunset, it looked beautiful, but when night fell…

Scary thoughts filled my mind.

‘This place looks like it really could have ghosts!’

A shiver ran down my spine, and my arms trembled.

Countless ghost stories flashed through my mind.

“Dear?”

“…?”

My husband, who was walking ahead, turned around at my call.

“Is there no other place we could go?”

I felt slightly embarrassed asking this. No matter how haunted it was, it must have been hard to find a place for us with no money. And even though ghosts might not exist, the fact that the previous occupants fled because of them was unnerving.

He tilted his head slightly.

“Don’t you like this house? Once you see the inside, I’m sure you’ll love-”

“No, it’s not that…”

The ghost, you fool.

As I struggled to speak out of fear, my mother-in-law intervened.

“Where else could we go at this hour, Louise? It’s actually good that ghosts are here. I’m close to death; I should make friends with them in advance.”

She strode ahead confidently, leaving just my husband and me.