Deep in the night, the quiet hallway was awakened by a crow landing on the windowsill.
Tuk. Tuk.
The sound of beaks hitting the window was heard regularly.
Soon Dorothea reappeared.
At the end of the pitch-black corridor, something ran silently and fell into her arms.
Instead of the dogs disappearing like smoke, what remained in her hand was a faded collar.
Dorothea declared softly as she saw the shadows flickering in the moonlight streaming in through the window.
“This is the end of the brief ‘respite’ I gave you.”
[...]
She was looking at the shadows that were swaying without an answer, so she reached out and asked affectionately as if to soothe him.
“Do you want to live again? Is it too much of a shame to die like this?”
The short lives of dogs began and ended solely for the purpose of their masters.
A life 'created' to become a great hunting dog was raised for that purpose.
A hunting tool that he didn't know what he was running for, what he was chasing, or who he was running to satisfy.
Even when he was struck down by a sword, he did not hesitate to bare his teeth against whomever his master desired.
Yet Dover Spencer discarded them far too lightly.
Dorothea smiled faintly as she looked up at the darkness that seemed to have no intention of coming down.
“Hiding in the shadows doesn’t mean you’ll stay there forever.”
Is it because he's naive, or is it because he's so foolish that he can't accept the ending?
Dorothea stared blankly and slowly reached out her hand.
“Are you thinking of becoming a ghost?”
It was a hand extended to take back the soul power she had given him.
The shadow of a 'dog' peeking out from the darkness gently licked her small hand.
Dorothea flinched involuntarily at the friendliness, happiness, and affection contained in it.
The shadow dog was wagging its tail as if it was really happy.
“...”
She called out to the ghosts that were hovering around to move the dogs that were already dead and put them inside their bodies.
The guest who had always longed for a 'body that could materialize' easily answered the call, but that did not mean he could occupy that body forever.
The inevitable lack of a wandering soul, a guest, is manifested as a hunger that can never be quenched. The dogs are probably suffering from extreme hunger even at this very moment.
It would be more natural if he lost his mind and tried to bite her.
But the dog hidden in the shadows lowered its body, stretched its body, wagged its tail, and rubbed its face friendly toward her.
“Do you still like people even though you were treated like a tool by them, betrayed by them, and abandoned by them?”
How can he not be happy with such a small gesture of kindness?
Dorothea, looking at the poor dogs that didn't even have names, stopped trying to collect her soul power from the shadow that had touched her.
The shadow that swallowed the soul energy flowing from the fingertips tilted its head.
As the warm air spread, the tail that had been wagging excitedly gradually became longer.
Before she knew it, the shadow lying flat on its stomach yawned, buried its head in its bed, and began to fall asleep.
Dorothea, who was watching the shadow that had finally fallen into a peaceful sleep, opened her mouth.
“When you are reborn, become a more beloved creature. Be loved, love, and enjoy life as if you were repaying those who abandoned you.”
The shadow, with its eyes closed, slowly and peacefully seeped into the darkness as the heartfelt words were spoken.
As if it had never existed in the first place, the shadow disappeared, leaving only the tattered leash in Dorothea's hand.
"Miss?"
When she turned around at the cautious call, an unfamiliar middle-aged man with an anxious look on his face approached her.
Despite his heavy build, Dorothea noticed a sweet and savory smell coming from his body and realized that he was a chef working in the kitchen.
Was he worried about Dorothea wandering alone in the wide hallway?
The man who scratched his forehead looked at her carefully.
“What are you doing here at this hour?”
The man who had been asking that question finally found his gaze on the faded leash that Dorothea was holding tightly.
He rolled his eyes and muttered as if he had realized something.
“So that thing is...”
“I wanted to ask you something.”
The soul that was in it has already traveled a long way, but it is the only thing it had while it was alive, so it would be best to bury it well.
At Dorothea's words, the man looked at the leash for a moment in silence as if he was touched, then nodded.
“That’s right. No matter how bad the dog may have done, how can it be the dog’s fault?”
It's the owner's fault.
Dorothea guessed what the man had swallowed, but pretended not to know and changed the subject.
“I'm hungry.”
The smell of the man's clothes stimulated her salivary glands.
Because she had used her unexpected power to absorb the ghosts possessing the beasts, their hunger was transferred to her.
It would have been okay in half a day at most, but there was no reason to put up with it when there was a great chef right in front of her.
The man began to hesitate at her words.
“Are you hungry? There’s still some time left until breakfast. Did you wake up at this hour because you didn’t eat enough for dinner?!”
“No, that’s not it, but I’m feeling hungry today.”
As she tugged at the embarrassed man's sleeve and smiled, the middle-aged man wiggled his eyebrows at her small movement.
There was a pity in the eyes of a man of that age who should have a daughter like that.
“You’re too skinny. I’ve heard that noble ladies eat as much as bird feed to maintain their slim figures.”
This was not the case for Dorothea, who had never tried anything like dieting.
But instead of dispelling the man's delusion, Dorothea only became more eager to express her own hunger.
“Anything is fine, I want to eat it.”
“...At night, you should eat something that is easy to digest.”
The hesitant man realized that Dorothea had been standing barefoot on the cold marble corridor all this time, and he cautiously held out his old shoes.
"That... God, would you like to wear them?"
Tuk. Tuk.
The sound of beaks hitting the window was heard regularly.
Soon Dorothea reappeared.
At the end of the pitch-black corridor, something ran silently and fell into her arms.
Instead of the dogs disappearing like smoke, what remained in her hand was a faded collar.
Dorothea declared softly as she saw the shadows flickering in the moonlight streaming in through the window.
“This is the end of the brief ‘respite’ I gave you.”
[...]
She was looking at the shadows that were swaying without an answer, so she reached out and asked affectionately as if to soothe him.
“Do you want to live again? Is it too much of a shame to die like this?”
The short lives of dogs began and ended solely for the purpose of their masters.
A life 'created' to become a great hunting dog was raised for that purpose.
A hunting tool that he didn't know what he was running for, what he was chasing, or who he was running to satisfy.
Even when he was struck down by a sword, he did not hesitate to bare his teeth against whomever his master desired.
Yet Dover Spencer discarded them far too lightly.
Dorothea smiled faintly as she looked up at the darkness that seemed to have no intention of coming down.
“Hiding in the shadows doesn’t mean you’ll stay there forever.”
Is it because he's naive, or is it because he's so foolish that he can't accept the ending?
Dorothea stared blankly and slowly reached out her hand.
“Are you thinking of becoming a ghost?”
It was a hand extended to take back the soul power she had given him.
The shadow of a 'dog' peeking out from the darkness gently licked her small hand.
Dorothea flinched involuntarily at the friendliness, happiness, and affection contained in it.
The shadow dog was wagging its tail as if it was really happy.
“...”
She called out to the ghosts that were hovering around to move the dogs that were already dead and put them inside their bodies.
The guest who had always longed for a 'body that could materialize' easily answered the call, but that did not mean he could occupy that body forever.
The inevitable lack of a wandering soul, a guest, is manifested as a hunger that can never be quenched. The dogs are probably suffering from extreme hunger even at this very moment.
It would be more natural if he lost his mind and tried to bite her.
But the dog hidden in the shadows lowered its body, stretched its body, wagged its tail, and rubbed its face friendly toward her.
“Do you still like people even though you were treated like a tool by them, betrayed by them, and abandoned by them?”
How can he not be happy with such a small gesture of kindness?
Dorothea, looking at the poor dogs that didn't even have names, stopped trying to collect her soul power from the shadow that had touched her.
The shadow that swallowed the soul energy flowing from the fingertips tilted its head.
As the warm air spread, the tail that had been wagging excitedly gradually became longer.
Before she knew it, the shadow lying flat on its stomach yawned, buried its head in its bed, and began to fall asleep.
Dorothea, who was watching the shadow that had finally fallen into a peaceful sleep, opened her mouth.
“When you are reborn, become a more beloved creature. Be loved, love, and enjoy life as if you were repaying those who abandoned you.”
The shadow, with its eyes closed, slowly and peacefully seeped into the darkness as the heartfelt words were spoken.
As if it had never existed in the first place, the shadow disappeared, leaving only the tattered leash in Dorothea's hand.
"Miss?"
When she turned around at the cautious call, an unfamiliar middle-aged man with an anxious look on his face approached her.
Despite his heavy build, Dorothea noticed a sweet and savory smell coming from his body and realized that he was a chef working in the kitchen.
Was he worried about Dorothea wandering alone in the wide hallway?
The man who scratched his forehead looked at her carefully.
“What are you doing here at this hour?”
The man who had been asking that question finally found his gaze on the faded leash that Dorothea was holding tightly.
He rolled his eyes and muttered as if he had realized something.
“So that thing is...”
“I wanted to ask you something.”
The soul that was in it has already traveled a long way, but it is the only thing it had while it was alive, so it would be best to bury it well.
At Dorothea's words, the man looked at the leash for a moment in silence as if he was touched, then nodded.
“That’s right. No matter how bad the dog may have done, how can it be the dog’s fault?”
It's the owner's fault.
Dorothea guessed what the man had swallowed, but pretended not to know and changed the subject.
“I'm hungry.”
The smell of the man's clothes stimulated her salivary glands.
Because she had used her unexpected power to absorb the ghosts possessing the beasts, their hunger was transferred to her.
It would have been okay in half a day at most, but there was no reason to put up with it when there was a great chef right in front of her.
The man began to hesitate at her words.
“Are you hungry? There’s still some time left until breakfast. Did you wake up at this hour because you didn’t eat enough for dinner?!”
“No, that’s not it, but I’m feeling hungry today.”
As she tugged at the embarrassed man's sleeve and smiled, the middle-aged man wiggled his eyebrows at her small movement.
There was a pity in the eyes of a man of that age who should have a daughter like that.
“You’re too skinny. I’ve heard that noble ladies eat as much as bird feed to maintain their slim figures.”
This was not the case for Dorothea, who had never tried anything like dieting.
But instead of dispelling the man's delusion, Dorothea only became more eager to express her own hunger.
“Anything is fine, I want to eat it.”
“...At night, you should eat something that is easy to digest.”
The hesitant man realized that Dorothea had been standing barefoot on the cold marble corridor all this time, and he cautiously held out his old shoes.
"That... God, would you like to wear them?"
"Thank you."
The man looked quite surprised at Dorothea's polite thanks.
The man's eyes, which had been looking at Dorothea, who was staggering in her big shoes, as if he couldn't believe that he had held out his shoes, soon turned affectionate.
It seemed as if he was reminded of someone through her.
“Then I’ll warm up some stew for you so you can eat it warm. I’ll bring it to your room, so please wait a moment...”
“I'm going to eat now.”
The man sighed at the stubbornness of her demands, which were cute compared to the nobles' stubbornness and coercive orders.
This girl was completely out of control.
At the banquet with the Third Prince and other nobles, she blended in with the group quite naturally as if she were one of them.
But at this moment, strangely, she seemed like someone not much different from himself.
Not a noble who climbs on his back and presses his head down.
That's probably why.
“Then shall we go to the kitchen?”
It was he who first reached out to the owner of the blue eyes who neither looked wary of him nor regarded him as trivial.
***
The man's hands, which must have been scarred from years of working as a chef, were covered in wounds.
As a man entered the kitchen with his hands covered in burns and knife cuts, the kitchen maid who had been sitting there blankly got up.
Then she froze as she saw Dorothea coming in, clinging tightly to the man's side.
“Ah, how did you come here, Miss...”
“I heard she's really hungry today. She said she wanted something to eat, and I offered to bring it to her room, but she said she wanted to eat it here...”
“...”
The woman was reprimanded with a childish look, asking how he could bring a noble lady into this shabby kitchen.
The chef, his shoulders hunched, cleared his throat and reached out toward the neatly cleaned kitchen utensils.
The maid sighed as she saw Dorothea pick up a handful of the ingredients that had been neatly prepared for tomorrow morning's breakfast but soon made room for her to sit down.
Dorothea sat down quietly in the seat provided for her, under the somewhat disturbed gaze of the maid.
The maid spoke to her with an awkward smile, her eyes wide open.
“If you just tell us through the below, we will prepare it for you.”
“It’s time for everyone to go to sleep.”
The maid's eyes widened for a moment at the girl's answer.
A natural smile spread across her face as the awkwardly stiff corners of her lips relaxed.
“It is our job to look after your comfort. We have a place to stay close by so that we can answer your call at any time.”
“You work during the day, so you have to sleep at night.”
The maid, who had been looking at Dorothea curiously as she repeated her claims, added softly.
“His Grace the Marquis is considering the circumstances of a mere servant. As I have said before, we will do our best to accommodate whatever you wish...”
The maid, who had been pouring out words like a stream of water, stopped talking the moment she saw the faded dog leash in Dorothea's hand.
An indescribable expression crossed her face as she realized what the object was.
Dorothea turned her head away as if she had not noticed her expression.
“I wish I had something to drink.”
A glass of sweet juice was quickly placed in front of Dorothea.
Instead of taking the glass and sipping it right away, she placed it on the edge of the table.
It was the same when a bowl of piping hot stew was placed before her.
The expression on her face, as she waited with the spoon's handle facing east, was quite solemn.
The cook and the maid exchanged a puzzled look, unaware that she was making offerings to the spirits who had helped her in her work.
"Miss?"
Dorothea, who had been watching the food cooling off without moving an inch, finally reached out and pulled the bowl of food towards her after a long while.
If giving a blessing to dogs is a blessing, then filling the hunger of the wandering ghosts who have lost their names and past lives would be a gratitude.
Dorothea, who had finished her offering, finally reached out and brought the juice to her lips.
"Thank you for this food."
The sweet taste unique to tropical fruits filled her mouth.
A look of relief crossed the faces of those who had been anxious, wondering if she might complain because she didn't like the food that was served.
Having emptied the juice in one gulp, she now took a large spoonful of the stew and put it in her mouth.
The stew, with its subtle aroma of spicy spices, had a rich flavor of various ingredients.
A faint smile appeared on the faces of those who saw Dorothea continuously eating stew as if closing her eyes.
“What the heck is that smell...!”
A maid came into the kitchen with a panicked voice and froze when she saw Dorothea.
Soon, another servant, a maid, and a stable keeper came in behind her, startling at the sight of Dorothea, but the girl who had startled them was simply absorbed in her meal.
Until the people who filled the small kitchen began to look at Dorothea, who was eating, with curious eyes.
'Well, it doesn't matter.'
It was Dorothea who came to the kitchen because she was hungry, so it was only natural that she would be the center of attention of those passing by.
Moreover, the eyes of the family and servants in the Marquis' house followed her every move.
Above all, it had the advantage of receiving the close attention of many people.
“Here it is.”
“Oh, would you like some more?”
If the juice runs out, add juice. If the stew seems to be running low, add stew.
The movements of the hands that filled in what was missing were precise, and the hands that helped her eat more comfortably were delicate.
By now the stew was starting to run out and everyone was slowing down their serving, assuming Dorothea was probably finished eating.
Dorothea, holding the spoon in her hand, then looked around and tilted her head slightly.
There was still time before the sun rose.
Considering that the lazy nobles' mornings began leisurely, it was a little strange that so many servants were already awake.
Besides, didn't Madame Jenix say that she had only deployed the bare minimum number of personnel considering the Third Prince's cruel personality?
'I don't really care though.'
Dorothea, who had been looking down at the stew with her eyes downcast, suddenly raised her head and opened her mouth to face the people.
“Why are you all at the mansion so late? Why don’t you go to the servants’ quarters?”
People's breath was taken away by the innocent question she asked as if she knew nothing.
Those who exchanged glances changed the subject with awkward smiles on their faces.
“Hey, do you need any more stew?”
“Would you like some fruit too?”
“Here’s some pie prepared for dessert.”
It wasn't a question she asked intending to hear an answer.
It was just something she said out loud, knowing it had nothing to do with her, out of regret that the meal was ending, but the result was great.
Dorothea looked down at the food piled in front of her again and smiled.
She quickly ate the food on the table, and whenever the table seemed empty, she would ask questions like, "Why didn't you go home?" or "Do you have any business at the castle?" as if she were a child who didn't know anything.
The bewildered people were at a loss as to how to handle the questions thrown at them, not realizing the enormous amount of food she was eating.
In the end, instead of satisfying Dorothea's curiosity, they diligently filled the table to divert the conversation elsewhere.
Enough to scrape out everything from the food prepared for breakfast to the ingredients in the freezer to make it a meal.
While the servants who realized the truth too late were screaming silently at the sight of the empty warehouse, Dorothea was already patting her full belly with a satisfied smile on her face.
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