Even so, he wasn’t one to lower the family’s dignity. Since many distinguished guests attended the banquet, Aiden would display some patience at the early summer banquet.

“You’ll return after the banquet is over, right?”

That would be a whole month later. Thinking back, they used to start managing his flowing hair around this time.

“Yes.”

Aiden nodded with an irritated face. At that, her controlled smile finally broke into a wide grin. May couldn’t hide her excited feelings even as Aiden’s gaze pierced her sharply.

‘Freedom!’

Even if he had become somewhat less frightening, the weight of peace and comfort she regained from Aiden’s absence remained the same. She shuddered at the sense of liberation that felt as deep as when she left the ducal household.

At that, Aiden’s face turned terrifying as he warned.

“Behave yourself until I return.”

It was a command that somehow felt familiar.

“I’ll assign the employee I promised after the banquet ends. Don’t let unnecessary people in.”

It was a statement as if he were the owner of this house.

When May nodded, Aiden packed his belongings as though there was no time to waste. Though there wasn’t much to pack, he just put on the robe he had worn when he first came to the mansion.

May shuffled her feet while seeing him off. It was an action born from being unable to contain her joy.

‘I was worried about them meeting when Johan returns….’

If Aiden wouldn’t return for a month, there would be no chance of the two meeting. Perhaps the lawyer would visit during that time too?

Though Aiden’s return wasn’t particularly welcome, it wasn’t a bad situation. After all, he would eventually end this strange vacation and leave, so she thought she could endure it for a little while.

May stretched with a refreshed expression at the freedom gained after so long.

* * *

And so in the mansion where Johan and Aiden had departed in succession…

May, who woke up after taking a good nap, naturally turned her steps toward the garden. She was going to grandfather, whom she hadn’t been able to pay attention to while Aiden was here.

In the corner of the garden, sitting beside him and tending to the modestly blooming herbs had become part of her daily routine.

May stared at the ghost of the old man while hugging her raised knees.

The herbs clustered together. And beside them, the old ghost was silently pretending to dig…… It was quite an unusual combination to bring a sense of peace.

But the quietness that came to the constantly noisy mansion made everything peaceful.

‘They say he repeats his actions from when he was alive….’

Johan had told her before that the grandfather’s appearance she saw now was like a fragment of memory left by his lingering attachment.

Then did he dig the garden soil with such an expression when he was alive? His blue eyes, darker than Aiden’s, were deeply sunken. They were terribly exhausted and empty eyes for planting something. May observed that color, which was exactly like her mother Emily’s, for a moment.

What had he been planting? Flowers? Or herbs that could be eaten, like what she had planted? Saplings? Following the various possibilities she listed, an unwanted rumor suddenly clung on.

‘Come to think of it, there were rumors that grandfather buried corpses….’

May quickly shook her head, suddenly getting chills. Of course, she unconsciously moved her bottom a bit away from where he was digging.

‘No, let’s not think such thoughts.’

May, forcefully shaking off the bad thoughts, carefully called out to him.

“……Grandfather.”

If someone had seen, they would have spread word that the rumors about ghosts in the mansion were true. That the woman living there was talking to thin air.

But fortunately or unfortunately, this was a place everyone avoided. A place where no one would say anything even if she spoke to grandfather who had become a ghost.

“What were you planting?”

And once she started speaking, the next words flowed more naturally. May began pouring out futile questions that would receive no answers.

“What kind of person was grandmother Chloe…?”

[……]

“Was she pretty?”

[……]

“It would be nice if there were photos or portraits…. Where did you put such things? Don’t tell me there aren’t any…?”

[……]

“Hey, is it true that you tried to get engaged to someone else while grandmother was still around…?”

And as her voice continued like that, the ghost’s movements began to slow very gradually. The weight of the weak soul quickly increased at the voice mentioning his ‘mistake.’ The sad thing was that the change was too subtle for the obtuse May to notice.

Not knowing that the old man’s digging had slowed, May rested her cheek on her hugged knees and began talking more earnestly.

“How could you do that……”

Though it was a gentle voice without aggression, her chattering words all pointed out his actions. Since Herman Vicenti’s letter mostly contained criticism of Walter, it was unavoidable. May thus unintentionally increased the ghost’s weight.

Finally, the gradually increasing heaviness of the lingering attachment affected the golden energy surrounding him. The gloomy and heavy waves scattered the positive energy.

Moreover, the power of a protective barrier unwanted by its protected subject naturally deteriorated. As the energy of lingering attachment and regret grew, the ghost’s intense self-loathing shook the barrier surrounding him.

At last, the multiple layers of energy that hadn’t responded even to Johan’s magic began to waver.

Because the compass that had surrounded him wasn’t in the mansion, what had flickered like a candle about to go out finally evaporated with a whoosh. Now only a very faint golden light remained in the garden.

May, not knowing this, said with a bright smile.

“It would be nice if we could have a proper conversation just once…. Even if we can’t, I’ll make sure you can leave this place.”

And as the compass’s energy faded, the purple energy hiding in her belly began to squirm and move.

* * *

The time to create a vessel had come. The purple thought-form that had settled in the woman’s womb finally stretched as the energy suppressing it disappeared.

The sad thing was that both males it had tried to receive seed from had left the mansion. It was like a bolt from the blue for the thought-form that had been watching for an opportunity. It had planned to finally create a vessel by entangling with those sturdy ones.

It was natural for it to torment the woman’s body in anger.

If it kept leaking this heat-crazed scent like this, human males might gather.

And just then… the scent of an awaited male began wafting from afar. The timing was perfect, as if it had caught the smell between her soaking thighs.

He hadn’t reached the mansion yet. However, the calm and steady footsteps were clearly heading this way.

Who could it be? The silver-haired male or the golden-haired male. Either one would do. Moreover, even if it wasn’t those two…. It planned to receive seed without holding back.

No sooner had it thought this than the female’s hole, which had been stickily wet, contracted sharply. Soon the place that began throbbing noisily pierced through inside, drooling greedily as if searching for meat to spray seed.

Because it was a space free without natural enemies, the ominous energy soon began spreading in waves.

If it had a physical body, it would have laughed with high-pitched cackles. No, in fact, May’s lips, who had closed her eyes in fever, curved up faintly as if showing the thought-form’s will.

And soon, between her slowly opening eyelids, blurred black pupils were revealed. Without any sense of dissonance, just like when she had said she needed to receive a man’s seed, she who had lost control of her body to the thought-form frowned and blinked.

“My head hurts……”