Chapter 16
“Humph. Mama is a stupid dummy. Let’s see how you live without Rosie!”
Rosie rubbed her swollen eyes from crying as she drifted aimlessly through the air. She had decided she wouldn’t return to the mansion until Isabel came to find her first.
Unfair. It’s unfair!
Spinning around mid-air, Rosie kicked into the empty sky. She had noticed Isabel worrying excessively about Adolf, so she endured her fear to protect him.
But she hated that Isabel lashed out at her without even trying to understand the situation.
Hng…
What made it worse was that, even while resenting Isabel, she still wanted to see her. Ever since one day she had opened her eyes to find her parents gone and herself left all alone, Isabel had been like a ray of light in her lonely world.
If Mama just apologized, Rosie might forgive her…
With a sulky face, Rosie wandered the village without direction. She had sworn not to go back until Isabel came looking for her, but in truth, she had nowhere else to go.
She was too scared to return to the mansion where the beasts howled ferociously, and the thought of passing through the dark forest alone was terrifying.
Stopping at the crossroads in the village square, Rosie hesitated. The boldness from earlier was gone, replaced by faint fear that flickered across her darting eyes.
At that moment, a song came drifting on the wind from afar.
“Sleep well, my baby. Forget the scary dreams—only dream happy dreams.”
Rosie’s green eyes widened as she listened quietly.
Huh? Rosie knows this song.
Jumping up in excitement, Rosie recalled the lullaby buried deep within her hazy memories. A strong yearning welled up from the depths of her heart.
“My precious baby—my lovely baby—our dear Rosie—”
“…My name? Could it really be Rosie’s mama?”
Tears rolled once more down her flushed cheeks. Afraid the singing might vanish if she cried, Rosie stifled her sobs and followed the sound.
But strangely, the closer she drew, the fainter the song became.
Cowering, Rosie stared ahead. There, in a desolate clearing, stood the charred frame of a house. Burned down in a fire, only blackened beams remained, and the ground was blanketed in ash.
“S-Scary…”
A gloomy aura hung in the air, as if ghosts might emerge at any moment. For Rosie—who until recently hadn’t even realized she was dead—the atmosphere was unbearably eerie and chilling.
“…N-No, I can’t. Rosie’s going back.”
Her tears drying up, Rosie trembled and turned to leave. Just then, a whispering voice tugged at her ankle.
“My precious baby—my lovely baby—our dear Rosie—”
The song began anew, clear as ever. But perhaps because of the surroundings, the once tender voice now sounded ominous.
Unable to ignore it, Rosie looked at the ashen ruins and cautiously called out.
“Who’s there?”
The sweet singing cut off instantly. After a moment of heavy silence, the same voice answered her.
“…Come here.”
“Wh-Who are you! Mama said not to follow strangers!”
“…Rosie. My beloved child…”
Her green eyes shook violently at the sound, so vivid in her memories. Braving her fear, Rosie asked:
“Is it true? Are you… are you really Rosie’s mama?”
“My baby. Come here. Let me hold you…”
How many times had she longed to hear that voice?
It was indeed her mother’s gentle voice.
Her yearning melted away what little caution she had.
Whooosh—
A gust of wind pushed Rosie’s back as if urging her inside. Wiping at the tears that kept spilling, Rosie slowly stepped forward.
But the moment her feet crossed the threshold of the ruins, several dark tendrils shot out from the shadows, wrapping tightly around her small body.
“Mmmph! S-Save…”
Thud.
A single strawberry caramel dropped to the ground where her muffled cry had been swallowed.
The lukewarm wind blew past, leaving behind only a deathly silence, as if nothing had happened there at all.
Crackle, crackle.
Isabel let out a long sigh as she stared at the firewood burning in the fireplace.
There weren’t any dangerous spirits nearby, so Rosie should be fine… Should I go look for her now?
“Lady Herpheldeer!”
A sudden voice jolted Isabel from her thoughts. She lifted her head, which had been drooping toward the floor. Kezep was looking at her with concern.
“Your expression hasn’t looked good for some time. Has something happened? Or are you feeling unwell?”
“No. I just had something on my mind.”
Isabel gave a faint smile, as if to reassure him.
Sensing she didn’t wish to speak further, Kezep didn’t press the matter. An awkward silence settled between them.
To break the discomfort, Isabel changed the subject.
“Shouldn’t we call for a physician? His Majesty suddenly collapsing worries me.”
“We’ll have to wait until morning. At this late hour, no doctor would come all the way to the outskirts, so close to the forest. His Majesty doesn’t seem to be in a critical state, so please don’t worry too much.”
“I just hope he wakes soon. Only then will we know how he managed to leave the bedroom…”
Isabel trailed off, lifting her head sharply as if struck by a realization. She narrowed her brows, glancing first at the door and then back at Kezep. He too seemed to notice something odd, for he gave a small nod.
“It’s strange. If His Majesty had opened the door himself, the lock should have been broken, but both the door and lock are intact.”
“Indeed. As if someone had opened it for him.”
“But who would do such a thing…”
If it had been Adolf himself trying to leave while possessed, it made no sense. Spirits might wield power, but a soul possessing a human body could not use spiritual energy. They merely borrowed the body.
So, was the lock opened first, and then the spirit possessed Adolf?
That made even less sense. Most spirits were drawn to pure, untainted souls and possessed them involuntarily. Only corrupted souls with lingering obsessions clung deliberately to someone else.
Thus, the idea that a lock had been opened in preparation for a possession simply didn’t add up.
Hybert, too, had no connection whatsoever to Adolf. There was no reason, no background, for him to harbor such an obsession. That was why Isabel had always believed Adolf’s unusually pure soul simply attracted surrounding spirits.
But neither case applied here.
That only leaves Rosie opening the door…
Yet even that explanation didn’t sit right. If Rosie had opened the door, why would she then follow Adolf and protect him despite her fear?
It made far more sense that Adolf had left the room on his own, and a panicked Rosie had followed to stay by his side.
She had faced countless bizarre situations before, but never one so mysterious. Isabel inspected the lock closely.
Hmm? This is…
She noticed a faint scratch near the keyhole—clear evidence someone had tampered with it.
So it wasn’t a ghost who unlocked it. It was a human.
But who could have opened the bedroom door at that hour?
Thinking it over, only one possibility came to mind.
Someone who had been at the inn that night—someone who knew about Adolf’s existence.
Isabel hurried over to Kezep and asked:
“Mister Kezep. That woman Mister Huteman brought with him… where is she now?”
