As they rounded the entrance to the alley, the bloody smell became even stronger. The surroundings were quiet as the night was still dark.
The unpleasant smell was amplified by the fishy smell of blood.
'Shit.'
It is painful to look back on the sins you have committed. The man hesitated for the first time as he faced a familiar door.
"Open the door."
He shook off his hesitation at the low words, reached out, opened the strong iron door, and went inside.
The hardened corpse seemed to have already been visited by insects and nocturnal animals, and teeth marks were visible.
They were cruel marks.
The only living things inside this gate were Dorothea and the man who had just entered, as well as the ants and bugs that were gnawing on the corpse.
"I have to get busy from now on, so I don't have time to sit still. There are limits to blocking other people's eyes."
"I guess so."
He answered in a heavy voice and slowly put Dorothea down from his back.
She sat on a garden chair that had once been a comfortable resting place and looked at the abandoned bodies.
None of the bodies showed any signs of being touched after death. The man narrowed his eyes as he glanced at Dorothea, who was looking at the body closely.
"Please put them in their own rooms. However, the head must face north and the hands must be placed neatly on the stomach."
"What can you do with things that are already dead bodies?"
"We are sending them where they need to go so that those who have already died and should be scattered are not tied down by resentment."
After finishing what she wanted to say, she closed her mouth.
The man was embarrassed that he was being swayed by a young girl, but he obediently approached the body.
Earthenware was raised in the obvious traces left behind.
Dorothea's eyes darkened as she looked at the man struggling to reflect on his sins.
'You're more soft-hearted than I thought.'
What can you do if you can't even look back on what you've done?
'Unlike the strong legs, the core is as thin as a needle.'
She felt regretful, but she couldn't help it.
Because she doesn't think there is a better option than that man in the current situation.
Dorothea's body was already starting to heat up because she was out in the middle of the night.
When she returned, she probably wouldn't be able to get out of bed for another few days.
'At least it will be more useful than this body.'
Dorothea looked at the mansion and calmly continued giving instructions.
"If there is a bed, put it on the bed. If not, put it on the floor."
Dorothea, who was looking at the trembling hands holding the body, turned around when she heard the sound of the front door opening. When Jane opened the door and came in, groaning, fortunately, all the bodies had been removed.
"Come here."
The mansion was filled with a musty smell mixed with the smell of decomposing bodies and blood. Jane naturally frowned and headed towards where Dorothea was sitting."
'There is no sign of anyone.'
The girl instinctively tried not to associate this musty smell with the missing house. A strange man full of life. Dorothea, who called his guest. Mrs. Masha was obnoxious and mean.
Everyone was spinning in Jane's head.
At the center of it all was Dorothea, blinking with a doll-like face. She opened her lips, which would not fall with great difficulty, and sang.
"Miss."
She took one step closer to Jane's bright eyes.
'This is our Lady.'
The reluctance slowly subsided.
A thick blanket was draped over Dorothea's shoulders as she unconsciously shivered.
She blinked and asked her maid.
"Did you bring everything?"
"Yes, of course."
Jane answered bravely and put down what she was carrying. Her eyes rolled around and she looked around.
"But Mrs. Marsha..."
Dorothea was silent as she looked at Jane who asked hesitantly.
The face was filled with anxiety and nervousness, and it seemed like she had already guessed what had happened in this mansion.
Dorothea commanded, pretending not to notice the confusion on her young face.
"Sprinkle the lye water evenly on the wet ground."
The ground soaked with blood becomes a source where ghosts can reside.
For water ghosts, it will be a link to this place, and for wandering souls, it will be a fish farm that provides food to nourish their resentment.
"Sprinkle a handful of salt on each entrance, door, and front door of the mansion, and tear the paper into small pieces and hang it on the doorknob."
Jane's mouth was tightly shut after receiving the command.
She quickly stopped asking questions and began to carry out Dorothea's words.
Jane's hand, which was holding a handful of salt, was full of scratches.
Mrs. Marsha's small and pretty mansion grew by taking advantage of Jane's hardships and her father's love for the sick Dorothea.
And the misfortune experienced by the man's younger sister.
The man who had left the body behind was shocked to find Jane already there.
"Light a fire in front of each room using wood soaked in oil. To the kitchen and living room as well so that it can spread as quickly as possible."
It was fortunate for the man that the mansion was located at the end of an alley away from the village. Even if he sets a big fire, discovery will be delayed.
Dorothea repeated her request.
"Keep this in mind. You must not take anything that belongs to this family."
Jane, who saw the man silently entering the mansion again, swallowed her saliva and stood next to Dorothea.
She whispered.
"There will be expensive items in the warehouse. Obviously, if you're selling it, it will be easy for a few months
no."
Jane looked back at the mansion with a sad face. Dorothea added a rare detailed explanation to Jane, whose eyes were dripping with regret.
"What are you going to do with the items of the person who got your karma back? Only by sending them back intact will they be able to leave without being trapped in a cycle of resentment."
Jane did not fully understand Dorothea's words. However, as much as she felt uncomfortable, she shook off her lingering feelings about the item.
The mansion began to burn.
Hot flames flew upward as if they were consuming the mansion. Jane, who was standing close to her, grimaced at the heat that seemed to sear her whole body.
Instead of Jane, who was able to escape alone, the man hugged the small body of Dorothea, who was standing next to him. A girl who was thin enough to be held in one arm gave instructions in her hushed voice.
"All the dead man's belongings must remain in the mansion. Let's leave everything behind and leave now."
"Is this the end?"
"I'll take care of your younger sister later. Right now, the priority is to let go without holding any grudges."
He doesn't know what salpuri (Korean shamanic dance) is, but the man fell silent when she said that there was still something left to do for his sister.
His mind was dizzy as if he had just dreamed, but the burning mansion brought the man's senses back to reality. On his way out, leaving the acrid smoke behind him, the man spoke softly to Dorothea in his arms.
"Wood. Wood Dever."
Dorothea looked at the man's face and repeated his name.
"Wood..."
"I was serving as the white commander of the rear army under General Dwello."
"Were you in the military?"
"Yeah, not now."
He probably wasn't on vacation and he must have been shocked by the news about his sister, so he probably didn't follow the proper procedures.
Jane glanced at the man worriedly. Dorothea, held in his arms, seemed to think deeply and summarized the situation clearly.
"It is not a small crime for someone in the battlefield, especially in the position of a centurion, to desert."
"Yes."
When the man admitted, Jane next to him raised her head.
"Miss, let's just find someone else. That person doesn't necessarily have to be Lady Legs."
"He's the most useful and sturdy around here."
"Then what are you doing! It's fortunate that it ends with us being taken to jail, but if we're unlucky we might get involved and be treated like criminals!"
"I really like these legs."
"I don't like those legs."
As the attack and defense continued, Wood looked down at his legs with a shocked expression.
It felt strange to hear people talk about whether they liked or disliked the leg that was still attached to their body, and whether it was useful or not.
"Anyway, I was planning on turning myself in once my revenge was over."
"Your sister called me because she was worried that you might find out and dig up your own grave."
If her only brother was such an ugly person wouldn't she have been able to go to the afterlife so easily even after she died?
If you think about the misfortunes you experienced in this life, you probably won't have any regrets left.
His sister's only regret was her brother, who had to remain alone in this world.
Knowing his honest nature, she probably knew better than anyone else that he would sacrifice his entire life to pay for his sins once he finished his work. That wasn't the ending she wanted.
Her last wish is not for her only brother to complete his revenge by foolishly washing away his blood and becoming a ghost.
She hoped that he would live a happier and dazzling life than anyone else and then come back to her when he was old and with gray hair.
So, he must have been holding on to the faint spiritual power felt by Dorothea like a string.
"What should I do now?"
The man who arrived at the mansion with Dorothea in his arms, guided by Jane, asked with an expression like that of a lost child. A rooster crowing could be heard from afar as if announcing dawn.
Dorothea said, trying to open her eyes that were drenched in sleep.
"First, shave off your beard."
"Hmm..."
"That beard is really bad."
Wood remained silent when pointed out that his beard was so bushy that it covered half of his face.
Jane urged, taking out a new blanket next to her.
"Miss, you need to sleep, so please lie down here first."
Because her complexion was poor, she seemed unable to shake off Jane's concerns.
Wood, seeing Jane urging nervously, slowly laid Dorothea down on the bed. The pale pink eyes had already closed for a long time.
A few strands of dull, dull hair were stuck to Wood's shoulders.
"What is this child's name?"
In response to Wood's question, Jane quietly spat with an unwilling expression on her face.
"It's Lady Dorothea. This is Dorothea Avery."
In his fading consciousness, Jae-shin repeated the name Dorothea once again.
With the unfamiliar name lingering in her mouth, her consciousness slowly sank below the surface.
When she opened her eyes again, Madame Marsha's mansion had disappeared into a handful of ash.
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