Chapter 80

Rupert gently tugged at my hand, trying to get me back on my feet.

Of course I persevered.

“…Noel?”

“I see what you mean very well. It means that even if what I saw is a ghost, it’s not dangerous.”

“Right.”

But even if it’s not dangerous, it’s still scary.

“Thanks to your explanation, I understood in my head that it’s not dangerous, but that doesn’t mean it won’t appear again.”

“Don’t be too scared. You must have been mistaken in your sleep.”

I want to believe that too, but the feeling was so vivid!

I couldn’t go back yet. No matter what I do, being next to Rupert gives me the safest feeling.

“Can’t I stay until there’s a guarantee that it won’t appear again?”

“This is my bedroom.”

“We’re husband and wife, what’s wrong with staying in the same bedroom for a while?”

“…….”

I stared at him with a desperate gaze.

Really, this time I’m not trying to flirt.

I’m really scared.

“I’ll just move you then.”

Rupert was ready to hug me and walk me to my bedroom. I immediately refused.

“I don’t want to. No matter how nice and good the dead soul is, it was the first time I met a ghost! I don’t want to go back!”

We confronted each other for a while. Of course, he didn’t use any force on me. Still, I’m so desperate.

I spoke hastily, “Is it because I counterattacked last time? Because I wanted you to tell me your secret first? Are you upset about that? I take everything I said back. You don’t have to tell me, so don’t kick me out!”

Then I raised my head and muttered, “I will really resent you if you kick me out…”

In my current state of mind, ghosts are a thousand times more terrifying than he is.

“I’m not upset, but I feel like a fool for thinking about it until now because I gave up so easily.”

Judging from his reaction, he must have been thinking a lot about it.

He continued, “You acted boldly even in worse situations than this. Do you hate ghosts that much?”

“Extremely. Being human by nature has at least one weakness that cannot be tolerated. Just allow me in the corner of the bed. It’s wide. I’ll sleep like I’m dead.”

Rupert looked at me in disbelief.

“You are a hot-tempered, threatening, pleading, and very wayward wife.”

As he said that, he easily lifted me up while I was off guard.

“Y-you are so mean!”

When I tried to shout, ‘How dare you use your strength!’, he put me down on the blanket.

‘Are you allowing me to stay?’

It was too early to feel relieved, because my husband wrapped and rolled me in a blanket.

“Stay still.”

“…how could you do this to your wife,” I whined.

“It will be difficult if you attack me.”

“Are you treating me as a pervert?!”

Is there any chance that he will have a crush on me? He even treated me like this!

Can’t he at least be more excited?

Rupert, who had been staring at me for a long time, took out a new blanket and put it on himself.

And with his back to me, he said cheekily, “Sleep well.”

…I’m going to sleep pretty well like this.

***

The next day, I ran into Michael in the hall of the mansion.

“Noel, did you sleep well?”

“Do I look like I slept well?”

“Not at all.”

I declared with wide eyes. “I have decided. I will help you catch that black magician.”

It’s all because of that damn unknown person. I’ll catch you and finish you off.

I asked, “How do you get rid of the forbidden magic? Will it disappear if you just catch the black magician who cast the spell?”

“The way to get rid of any forbidden magic is the same.”

“What?”

“Find and fulfill the conditions of the forbidden magic.”

“The conditions are different for each forbidden magic, right? Do I have to figure that out?”

Just as in my husband’s case, ‘finding true love’ is a condition for him to be free from the curse, this forbidden magic disappears only when certain conditions are met.

“Don’t worry, most of the forbidden magics have conditions left in the record. It won’t be difficult once you catch the culprit.”

“…what if it’s not on the record?”

That’s why Rupert doesn’t know how to cure the curse on himself. Because it is not recorded.

“It’s like finding a needle in the desert.”

It just means you can’t find it.

I muttered sadly, “I won’t be able to sleep tonight or the ghost will appear again.”

“Did you meet a ghost in person? Did you see its face?” asked Michael with a surprised expression.

Do you think I couldn’t sleep because I was simply scared of ghost stories?

“Not at all. I ran away right away. I was too frantic to check the ghost’s face.”

“I see.”

“I felt a poke on my cheek.”

“Did it touch you…?”

Michael touched my cheek curiously.

“What’s wrong?”

“Normally, there are a certain number of people that dead souls can touch.”

“What?”

“A dead soul that has had a deep connection with one throughout life. A dead soul can’t touch someone it doesn’t even know.”

“Rupert said there are dead souls that can hurt people.”

“Such dead souls are cases where their common sense is lost, so you have to consider it separately. I’m talking about normal ones.”

Then, two hypotheses could be established.

“In other words, the ghost that touched me last night was someone I knew or an evil dead soul……. demon…?”

I just want to pass out.

“You really could have been mistaken in your sleep, so don’t be too scared.”

Thank you, but it didn’t come straight to my ears.

As my face turned pale and blue repeatedly, Michael, who was smiling mischievously, became serious as well.

“…should I sing a lullaby beside you like I did when you were so young? Can you sleep then?”

I haven’t given up on my pride to that extent yet. Although I went to Rupert’s bedroom last night and told him I was scared!

“It was when I was young. Right now, I have a thing called ‘face’.”

-creak.

Then, I heard a crack behind me.

Turning around in surprise, I saw Rupert on the stairs, a broken handrail in his hand.

“What’s going on?”

“No big deal. The handrails are old.”

I was dumbfounded. “No matter how old it is, why it breaks so easily…?”

He replied calmly, “It is time for a replacement.”

‘It hasn’t been that long.’

I looked at my husband suspiciously for a moment. He broke the corner of his desk the other day.

‘Well, it’s still early. He probably hasn’t fully woken up yet, so he can’t control his strength.”

Yes, people can make mistakes.

For now, I decided to move on generously.

Turning around again, I saw Michael smiling.

“This is not the time to be smiling broadly like that. Anyway, is there anything I can help you with? I don’t care if it’s an odd chore. I’ll end this situation even in no time.”

“Ah, in that case—”

“If it’s a chore, there’s a lot more here.”

Rupert, approaching from behind, intervened.

“No, Marquis. I will have a lot more.”

“I will send a servant.”

“No need, I like Noel better. Why don’t you use your servant, Marquis?”

“Don’t refuse. I also like my wife better.”

I muttered in the middle, “Both of you are eager to boss me around…”

Then, Rupert asked, “Who do you want to work with, Noel?”

“That is up to the employers to decide.”

“It doesn’t come to a conclusion.”

With two people in power trying so hard to hire me, I feel like I’ve become a great talent.

I concluded in fairness, “Today Rupert, tomorrow Michael.”

“…….”

Rupert looked confused as if he didn’t know whether to like my decision or not.

On the other hand, Michael, who approached with a smile, lowered his head and whispered, “Then let’s have fun with me tomorrow, Noel.”

He immediately stepped back and waved his hand refreshingly as he walked away.

“I’ll be looking forward to it, be careful.”

“…….”

For some reason, I felt the ambient temperature drop by about two degrees, making me stutter.

“Y-yes.”

***

Rupert and I arrived at the outskirts cemetery.

Not just him and me, the Raven Knights and soldiers were also mobilized.

“This stings my conscience a lot. What if the deceased get angry and suddenly jump up?”

Now we are at the cemetery.

Observing my anxious expression, Rupert said, “I can’t help it. It’s easy to get the materials here to complete the type of forbidden magic that usually summons dead souls.”

“What is it?”

“The heart of a corpse that has not been dead for more than four days.”

…I want to leave after an hour of work.