Chapter 4
As soon as I stepped out of the bedroom, I saw Carpenter, the head butler of the Winterton household and a baron, standing outside the door with two people wearing white robes embroidered with red crosses.
The butler gave me a stiff bow before leading them into the bedroom.
I turned to Ash Winterton’s ghost and asked,
“What I’ve been wondering for a while now is… who are those people?”
[Ah, they are…]
Just as the ghost was about to answer, Mrs. Mackenzie, the head maid of the mansion who was walking behind me, spoke up.
“They are priests who have come to cast purification and healing magic on the Marquis, My Lady.”
“…!”
“Though… who exactly are you talking to? And why are you using such polite speech?”
Oops.
For a moment, I had forgotten.
Ash Winterton’s ghost could only be seen, heard, and touched by me.
I hurriedly hid my embarrassment and replied,
“I-I see. Thank you for telling me.”
[Haha.]
Ash Winterton’s ghost let out a quiet laugh, clearly amused by my reaction.
I shot him a sideways glare and silently mouthed the words,
You’re laughing? Whose fault do you think this is?!
[Whose fault? Yours, for forgetting that I’m a ghost.]
Annoyingly enough, I couldn’t argue with that.
I glared at him for a moment longer before turning away sharply.
The ghost simply followed behind me with that annoyingly handsome smile still on his face.
***
The Marchioness’s Bedroom
Just like in my previous life, the Marchioness’s bedroom was bright and luxurious.
A strange sense of comfort washed over me.
Following the maids, I headed toward the bathroom where a bath had already been prepared.
As I was about to step through the open doorway, I noticed Ash Winterton’s ghost floating beside me.
I immediately glared at him.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Huh?”
Charlotte, who was walking behind me, looked startled.
I became flustered as well and waved my hands.
“…S-Sorry. Charlotte, I wasn’t talking to you.”
Then I silently mouthed words at the ghost.
Ash Lucius Winterton, have you lost your mind? Where exactly do you think you’re going?
[What’s the problem? We’re husband and wife now. Family, too.]
“Are you actually insane?!”
I shouted without thinking.
The maids immediately stared at me, making me come back to my senses.
Lowering my voice, I moved only my lips.
Don’t even dream about it. Seriously. If you keep acting like this, I’ll cancel our contract and everything else along with it.
The ghost laughed briefly and shrugged.
[Don’t worry. I have no intention of peeping.]
Then why were you trying to come in?!
[Because your reactions are amusing.]
Grinding my teeth, I gave him a fierce look.
I’m serious. Don’t follow me in. If you absolutely can’t help it, then at least keep your eyes closed until I tell you it’s okay. Better yet, stay somewhere I can’t see you. Understood?
[Yes. Understood.]
The ghost replied with laughter in his voice and tightly shut his eyes.
Gradually, his figure became blurry.
Then he completely disappeared.
Only then did I finally relax and enter the bathroom.
I could feel the maids exchanging strange looks behind me, but I chose to ignore them.
***
Breakfast and Planning
After finishing my bath, I changed into a new dress with the help of the maids.
It was an elegant pale blue dress decorated with white lace across the bodice and down the center of the skirt.
While Mrs. Mackenzie styled my hair, Charlotte wrapped a scarf of a similar color around my neck.
Once I was fully dressed, breakfast was served.
A fluffy omelet, grilled mushrooms, boiled asparagus, buttered toast, and cream soup were placed one after another on the table beside the window.
Claiming that I wanted to eat alone in peace, I sent all the maids out.
As I was cutting my omelet into bite-sized pieces, the air in front of me suddenly shimmered.
Ash Winterton’s ghost appeared.
[Am I allowed to be visible now?]
“Ah! You scared me!”
I jumped and dropped my knife.
The ghost laughed softly.
I really need to finish this contract as soon as possible!
At this rate, I would die of a heart attack from being startled before I ever escaped the Empire.
I picked up my fork while calming my racing heart.
After swallowing a piece of omelet, I looked at him.
“Since it’s just the two of us, let’s have a proper discussion about our contract, Marquis Ash Winterton.”
[Very well, Lady Agnes.]
“You asked me to find your nephew. What exactly am I supposed to do?”
The ghost thought for a moment before answering.
[First, we need to make my retainers follow you. Only then can I freely use you to issue investigation orders in my place.]
“…Is that even possible? Your retainers hate me.”
As I said that, memories from my previous life surfaced.
Back then, they had never treated me like the mistress of the household.
Instead, they constantly looked down on me.
They believed I had forced the marriage in order to seize their lord’s inheritance after he became a vegetable.
And if they ever found out that my father was the one responsible for what happened to their lord…
They would probably kill me.
I shuddered at the thought.
The ghost continued,
[That’s true. However, it’s not impossible.]
“How?”
[We’ll create a letter of authorization bearing my seal and show it to Sir Lake, who is currently commanding the legion in my place. He’ll believe it represents my will and will gladly follow your instructions.]
“Where is this seal?”
[Inside a secret vault in my office on the third floor of the knights’ quarters. The key is hidden inside my sword scabbard.]
“Understood.”
After answering, I quickly finished everything on my plate.
Then I stood up and looked at the ghost.
“Since we’re already talking about it, let’s go right now.”
***
The Knights’ Quarters
Using the excuse that I wanted to take a quiet walk through the garden, I left the mansion.
For a while, I wandered around pretending to enjoy the scenery before quietly changing direction toward the knights’ quarters, just as the ghost had instructed.
Keeping my voice low, I asked,
“This way?”
[Yes. Go around the building and turn left at the corner. You’ll see a large structure. That’s the knights’ quarters.]
I nodded and quickened my pace.
Just as he said, after turning the corner, a massive stone building appeared before me.
Five back doors lined one side of the structure.
Ash Winterton pointed toward the fourth door.
[Open that door. Inside, you’ll find a wall covered with keys. The key to my office is on the seventh row from the top, fifth from the left.]
“Got it.”
I entered through the fourth door.
As promised, countless keys hung from the wall on my left.
Without his directions, I never would have known which one belonged to his office.
Quickly, I located the correct key and picked it up.
“…I hear someone.”
“Impossible. Everyone should be training right now.”
At that moment, two male voices came from a door deeper inside the building.
Oh no!
I quickly tried to leave.
But before I could escape, the opposite door swung open.
Two young knights entered.
The moment I recognized them, I sucked in a sharp breath.
“…!”
One of them was Sir Lake, who had attended my wedding as a witness.
The other was Sir Jason.
The very same Sir Jason who had helped murder me in my previous life.
Following my father’s orders, he had held me down while I struggled desperately and forced poison down my throat.
Please… please spare me…
Resistance is pointless, Lady Agnes.
The strong hands that had restrained me.
The cold face that had ignored my desperate begging.
Those memories overlapped with the indifferent expression on his face now.
The rage, fear, and sorrow from that day came rushing back all at once.
My mind went blank.
My vision blurred.
[…Lady!]
“…”
[Lady Agnes!]
“…!”
At that moment, Ash Winterton’s shout rang in my ears.
It was so loud that my ears almost went numb.
Like someone suddenly drenched in cold water, I snapped back to reality.
And I realized exactly what situation I was standing in.
Sir Lake looked at me with a mixture of concern and suspicion before asking, …
