Chapter 59
After enjoying a dinner made of fresh seafood, Sofia took a good rest until Lorei called her over to brush her hair—a signal that it was almost time for bed.
“You have to get up early to board the ship tomorrow, so make sure you sleep early, okay?”
“Okay.”
After brushing Sofia’s hair neatly, Lorei smoothed it down once more with her hand and lightly tapped Sofia’s shoulder to signal she was done.
While Lorei put the brush away, Sofia lay down in bed. Lorei adjusted the bedding and tucked her in.
“Sweet dreams, miss.”
“You too, Lorei.”
The light went out, and the sound of the door closing after Lorei left echoed softly. Just as Sofia was about to fall asleep in the stillness, a knock knock brushed past her ear.
She tried to ignore it, thinking it was just the wind, but the sound persisted, disturbing her rest.
Knock knock. Knock knock.
Ugh, seriously!
Unable to sleep, she threw off the blanket and sat up to find someone sitting on the chair beside her bed, waving at her.
“You’re finally awake.”
“What the—”
“Hello.”
There had been no sound of the door opening. Not even the window.
“There were guards outside.”
Right—there were guards posted. If someone suspicious had tried to enter the room, they would’ve been caught.
But then, how—?
Seeing Sofia visibly unsettled, the stranger raised a finger to her lips.
“Shh. Quiet. I’m not here to hurt you.”
“How can I believe that?”
“Well… Look at me. I don’t have any weapons. I don’t have the strength to hurt you.”
She raised both hands slightly as she said this. She wore nothing but a thin white dress that added to her eerie presence, but aside from that, nothing else stood out.
Her long, watery blue hair draped over her shoulders, and at a glance, she looked rather frail. Yet, despite the almost sickly air about her, her beauty hadn’t faded.
With silver eyes that blinked slowly, the woman spoke in a calm voice.
“My name is Jay.”
“…Jay?”
“I’m the ghost that lives in this mansion.”
Was she just spewing random nonsense because Sofia was young?
Seeing Sofia’s disbelief, Jay added more detail.
“This used to be my house. I’ve lived here long before that blond idiot ever moved in. So it’s not strange that I’m here.”
“You’re lying, right?”
“Does it sound like a lie? Then how do you explain how I got into this room without a sound? Without your oh-so-competent guards even noticing?”
Jay, as she called herself, tucked the dark ocean-like hair behind her ear. Now that she looked closely—yes, that was the same hair she’d seen outside the window this morning.
Was it her, then?
Still… she didn’t feel like a ghost.
Her color seemed faint at a glance, which could give that impression, but she wasn’t lifeless. She didn’t seem dead.
Seeing the suspicion still lingering in Sofia’s eyes, Jay thought for a moment and spoke again.
“Hm, is this not enough? What do I have to do for you to believe me?”
She tapped the table with her fingers while thinking.
Knock knock.
That noise from earlier that had disturbed Sofia’s sleep—so it had been Jay tapping the table with her nails.
When she stopped tapping, Jay looked at Sofia again.
“Would you believe me if I told you a secret? One that no human could ever know about you?”
“A secret?”
“Yeah. A secret.”
What secret could she possibly mean? If it was something a normal person couldn’t know… then the only thing was her regression. That was the only secret she kept.
But there’s no way she could know that. No way. As Sofia nervously waited for Jay’s answer, Jay pointed at the clock in the room and then at Sofia.
“You’ve wound the clock hands back quite a bit—like a clock running backward.”
“….”
“How’s your fourth life treating you, Sofia?”
The moment those words left Jay’s lips, Sofia shot up and clamped a hand over her mouth. How did she know? Could ghosts know things like this? Were they really that powerful?
It didn’t make sense. A ghost—seriously? But still, if she were a normal person, she couldn’t possibly know something like this.
“I believe you. I’ll believe you, so please—shh….”
“Don’t worry. No one heard.”
Jay smiled faintly. “My voice is really quiet.”
She had reacted harshly out of fear of being found out, but Jay simply removed Sofia’s hand and smiled calmly.
“How did you know?”
“Just… when you become a ghost, you start to see a lot of things.”
There was no way ghosts were real. And yet…
“You believe me now, right?”
“…I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“Good. I’m glad you came to that conclusion.”
Jay let out a soft, exhausted laugh, as if relieved.
“I found you because I happened to see you earlier today. And I saw… a lot about you.”
“Saw what?”
“That you’ve lived through many timelines… and…”
Jay trailed off and stood up. Her cool silver eyes suited the bluish hue of the early morning air as she looked at Sofia.
Yet, in contrast, the hand that gently touched Sofia’s cheek was incredibly warm.
“…that you’re fated to die.”
“….”
“I know because… I’ve died before. I can sense it.”
To Sofia, death wasn’t something to fear. She’d experienced it countless times. At one point, she had even wished for it.
What scared her had been the cold glares and contempt from those who wanted her dead—not death itself.
Even Jay, standing before her now, didn’t seem afraid of death. Her eyes showed concern for something else.
“Dying would be bad.”
Me?
That question almost slipped out. What a ridiculous thought. Why would her death matter to a ghost she just met?
“I’m just worried, that’s all.”
Jay pulled her hand away and smiled. The emotions she had just displayed disappeared instantly, her expression completely composed.
“When you meet someone for the first time, you should always be cautious. It never hurts.”
With that, Jay slowly sat back down in the chair. Her legs buckled a little.
Was something wrong with her legs? She didn’t seem injured.
Noticing Sofia’s gaze on her legs, Jay gave a bitter smile and explained.
“My legs don’t work very well. I can’t walk much.”
“Oh…”
Her face was sorrowful as she looked down at her own legs, and Sofia was momentarily at a loss for words.
But Jay, as if she didn’t need any comfort, gave a soft smile again.
“It’s okay. I don’t really need to walk anymore—I can move around freely now.”
Because she was a ghost.
“Anyway, isn’t it time for little kids to be asleep?”
“…You know I’m not a kid.”
“Compared to me, who’s lived for centuries, you are.”
Jay ended the conversation sweetly with a smile. She tucked Sofia back under the covers like Lorei had done.
Then she leaned against the side of the bed.
“Go to sleep. I’ll stay with you until you do.”
“….”
“I just… miss the warmth of people. That’s all.”
With that faintly sorrowful voice as the last thing she heard, Sofia closed her eyes.
As she breathed evenly in sleep and the sound of the clock ticked on, Jay stayed by her side and watched.
Once she confirmed Sofia was sleeping peacefully, she murmured softly:
“It’s done, Sion.”
And with that, Jay vanished from Sofia’s room.
Next Morning
Early in the morning, they finished preparations and headed out to board the ship.
The crowd was thick, and Sofia tried her best not to drift too far from Lorei. But as someone bumped into her, they got separated.
“Oh no…”
“I’m sorry!”
The child who bumped into her quickly apologized and ran off. In doing so, something fell from his pocket. Sofia picked it up quickly, but the child had already vanished from sight.
Not knowing what to do with it, she just stood there—until a familiar voice came from beside her.
“It’s fine. You can keep it.”
“…Jay? Why are you here…?”
“I came to see you off.”
Jay patted Sofia’s head once and waved. Then her figure disappeared into the crowd.
“Sofia! Hurry up!”
At Peyton’s voice calling from afar, Sofia slipped the item into her pocket and slowly started walking again.
She rejoined the group and boarded the ship. Curious, she took out the item she had picked up.
It was a necklace shaped like a moon hidden behind thick clouds.
What… is this?
