~Chapter 86~
In the end, Damien chose the same memory as me.
Both of us had picked our very first “horror theme date” in the mansion as the happiest memory of our married life.
“Haha.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Of course we’re alike.
Because it meant that the moment I was happiest, the person beside me had also been happy.
“So, even if we exchange them, they’re the same.”
“Indeed.”
Damien looked at the glowing thread of memory in his hand with a slightly stunned expression.
“I never imagined we’d choose the exact same memory.”
He clenched his hand lightly, then turned to me with a soft smile.
“It feels… strange, but also wonderful.”
Just then, the fountain water glowed blue again.
The moon above flashed even brighter in response, and the spirit butterflies flew straight down into the ground of the rose garden.
“Huh?”
“It’s fine. It’s part of the ritual.”
Damien squeezed my hand gently and guided me to turn around. Now, with our backs to the fountain, we faced the garden side by side.
“Ancestors, from this day forward, we will live forever holding pieces of each other’s happiness.”
Suddenly, something burst out from the ground of the rose garden.
My eyes widened in shock.
From the once peaceful earth, skulls began popping up, one after another!
Wait a second…
Now that I thought about it, the roses here had always bloomed unusually well.
…Could this be the reason?
“Damien, are these perhaps… your ancestors?”
“Yes. Those who wished to be buried here.”
As expected, this cursed mansion really was in a league of its own.
No tombstones, no graves—just ancestors buried under the rose garden soil, apparently serving as fertilizer too…
“Oh, don’t worry. Their headstones are properly placed in the official cemetery. These particular ancestors simply loved horror as much as we do, and chose to rest here.”
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
I looked at the skulls poking their heads and arms out of the ground, patiently waiting for our ritual to finish.
“So this is why the ritual has to be performed here.”
“Yes. Because many of our ancestors are buried here, and because the blue moon reflects most clearly in this fountain.”
Amazing. How could a ritual be so perfectly tailored for horror lovers like us?
“Honored ancestors, please bless the binding of our souls today.”
The skulls raised their right hands all at once, showing their agreement.
Some even clapped their bony hands together, though in the process, a few finger bones flew off or crumbled to dust.
“Thank you for your blessing.”
Damien bowed respectfully.
I followed his lead, bowing as politely as I could to the skeletal audience.
“With this, the ritual is complete.”
At Damien’s declaration, the skulls nodded, then calmly sank back into the ground. Some even patted the soil carefully, tidying it before disappearing.
The fountain’s blue glow faded into darkness.
Thump.
A strange feeling welled up in my chest, my heart swelling.
This is…
It felt like someone else’s emotions were flowing directly into me.
So this is how Damien feels right now.
Warmth. Expectation. Joy.
He was happy—because he had bound his soul with me.
‘That means… my emotions must be reaching him too.’
It felt a little embarrassing. But it was also comforting.
To know that I now had someone this closely connected to me.
In a way, doesn’t this mean we’re truly family now?
The moonlight shifted, returning from blue to white.
The oversized moon shrank back to its usual size.
“The ritual really is over,” Damien murmured.
“You did well. It’s all finished now.”
“So… things should be more stable, right?”
Damien smiled and nodded.
“Yes. This alone makes things much more stable. As long as no outside force interferes, I won’t rampage again.”
“Thank goodness… truly.”
Now, Damien could finally be at ease—at least a little.
“Exactly. Ruby, I won’t lose control and hurt you anymore.”
His violet eyes shimmered as he grabbed my hands tightly.
“Now… we can stay together, for much longer.”
Under the moonlight, Damien’s radiant smile shone brightly.
Of course he was glad—he was finally freed, even partially, from the curse’s torment.
But still…
His words, “we can be together longer,” stirred something deep in me, making my heart ache with longing.
“Ruby.”
His voice snapped me out of my daze.
“Are you alright? It seemed like you wanted to say something…”
“Ah—no, no.”
Right, we were connected now.
Not every thought, but strong emotions would pass between us.
That must be why Damien sensed something strange in me.
“I just… I’m happy because you’re happy. It feels strange.”
His violet eyes curved gently, like crescent moons.
“Ruby, you’re so kind. But the reason I’m happy isn’t because of the soul contract.”
“…It’s not?”
I looked up, only to feel his warm touch on my cheek.
“I’m happy… because I get to be with you.”
He whispered softly against my ear, his touch and gaze full of tenderness.
With his words, his voice, and even the emotions flowing into me, I knew—this man truly saw me as someone irreplaceably precious.
“Now that the big ritual is done, shall we dance under the moonlight?”
“W-wait a moment!”
Damien laughed like a boy, scooping me up by the waist and setting me down gently in the rose garden.
Just like a ballroom partner would at a grand ball.
“Isn’t this romantic?”
His playful grin made me burst into quiet laughter.
“Yes. Just the two of us, the roses, and the moonlight.”
“Exactly.”
I placed my hand in his.
“Of course! This is so much better than the flashy palace balls.”
“Good.”
Damien placed his hand on my waist.
“With just the two of us, we can dance however we like.”
The doubts I had before vanished like smoke.
How foolish of me to question his words.
He’s this happy, after all.
And so, in the rose garden where the earth was still uneven from the skulls’ visit, we danced our waltz for a very long time.
A few days later.
Damien was enjoying a deeply satisfying daily life.
The second ritual had been completed safely, and after his work, he could always return to talk with his rabbit-like wife before falling asleep beside her.
But then—
“If you keep acting like that, she’s going to divorce you.”
Those thunderous words shattered his peaceful life.
