One evening when the fog was so thick that you couldn't see ahead.
The sudden appearance of a friend Marcel thought was dead felt strange and unrealistic, like a vague dream.
Millie, who was smiling with her hair wet from the rain and leaves and small branches hanging here and there, looked so different from her usual self, but it was enough that no one thought anything was strange.
“Millie? Really Millie?”
Millie, who had been missing, returned. Marcel was so happy about that that she hugged Millie, who was standing in front of the door and cried.
Even when everyone said she was dead, Marcel never gave up hope until the very end.
“Look! You’re alive! Huh... Where have you been! Are you okay?”
Millie still spoke with a smile to Marcel, who was crying so hard that it was hard to speak.
“Hi, Marcel. Can I come in there?”
“Of course! Come in quickly! What the hell happened? You’re soaking wet.”
Who would refuse a friend they haven't seen in a month looking like this?
Marcel gladly accepted Millie into her mansion, fed her, and even lent her some of her clothes.
“You’re all wet... Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Why didn’t you go home and come here first? Let’s sleep here today and come back tomorrow. The Count is very worried.”
Millie didn't answer Marcel's question and just continued to smile.
'It must be really hard.'
Just by looking at her pale complexion, she could tell that she had suffered a lot in a dangerous place.
“I feel sorry for you...”
Marcel muttered softly as she wrapped a blanket around Millie.
Millie, who used to get a lot of attention at the Academy for being so chatty, just laughs and doesn't talk.
Even though she was in this warm room, her pale complexion didn't seem to get any better.
That evening, Millie slept under Marcel's care without saying a word and disappeared without a word before the sun rose in the morning.
She wondered if meeting Millie had really been a dream because she had returned so quietly and without a trace.
And after a while, Marcel really missed Millie so much that she thought maybe she was dreaming.
'She definitely came back...'
The entire capital was focused on Count Nikero's missing daughter. Numerous tips poured in for a reward, and many people actually traveled the country looking for Millie.
So, if Millie came back, shouldn't there be a fuss?
The Countess of Nikero was quiet even though Millie had returned as if nothing had happened. There were still posters posted here and there asking for her daughter, and Millie had still not come to the Academy.
'It was a dream.'
Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to just go on with each day as if nothing happened once she came back.
However, after returning to the mansion after finishing her academy classes, Marcel was able to see Millie again in an unexpected place.
“Hi, Marcel.”
"...Millie?"
Knock- knock- knock-
Inside Marcel's room.
The pungent water that had fallen from Millie pooled at her feet, soaking the carpet and forming a puddle.
Millie was sitting in the chair next to the bed, dressed in the same way and looking the same as when she last visited the mansion.
‘Those clothes... didn’t you throw them away?’
Marcel clearly remembers that the clothes Millie was wearing were so dirty that Marcel's servant threw them away.
Marshall's eyes wavered.
Not only that but the leaves and branches tangled in that messy hair...
If meeting Millie that day wasn't a dream, if Millie had returned to the mansion that day, she would never have waited for Marcel like that.
Millie was still looking at Marcel with a sly smile.
Marcel avoided her gaze and slowly looked out the window.
The fog was so thick that she couldn't see outside. It had been clear just a moment ago. It hadn't rained.
But what on earth is the appearance of Millie in front of me?
...Is that person Millie?
Marcel's mouth opened slightly in a strange, indescribable feeling.
She was speechless and couldn't get any words out.
But Marcel had to open his mouth and say something. If she didn't somehow break the silence between them, her heart would burst.
“Hey... Millie? How did you get in here?”
Even if it was Millie who had been close to her since childhood, an outsider cannot enter the room without permission when the owner is not there.
If Marcel had been properly guided into the mansion, she would have heard from the butler that Millie had arrived as soon as she returned to the mansion.
But Marcel came into the room without hearing anything. Millie said that she came into the room without anyone's guidance.
Then Millie finally opened her mouth.
“You told me I could come in.”
"Yes?"
When did I? I saw you here for the first time today?
Millie smirked as Marcel tilted his head.
“Let’s play, Marcel.”
Then she came over and grabbed Marshall's hand. As soon as her hand touched it, Marcel looked at Millie in surprise.
Her hands were incredibly cold. But Millie was just smiling as if she couldn't even see his expression.
The sight was so creepy that she shook Millie's hand away.
“Oh, I’m not going to play today. Can you go back? ...I’ll see you at the Academy.”
Then she turned away from Millie and hurried out of the room. Millie muttered quietly as she watched her run away.
“That’s too much, Marcel. I brought my friends too.”
“Oh, come back quickly.”
Marcel, who just wanted to get out of the room, pretended not to notice Millie's muttering and left.
“From then on, Millie started coming to see me every night.”
“Every night, to Lady Marcel’s room?”
“Yes. I have no idea where she comes from. The servants say they’ve never seen Millie come in. But she’s sitting in my room every night. No matter how much I think about it, it’s not Millie. It’s really... It’s so scary.”
As she listened to the story, Simone's expression became more and more serious.
'It doesn't seem like something ordinary.'
As she continued to listen, she realized that the problem wasn't just that her friend, who she thought was dead, was coming to visit her.
“When I open the curtains to the sound of a knock on the window, I see a hideous head repeatedly hitting the window, and sometimes it feels like someone is grabbing my foot from under the bed.”
It's become so common now that Marcel is used to having someone stand on her stomach and look down at her while she's sleeping or being held down by scissors.
She would wake up to someone's voice or a strange noise, and there was even a woman crawling on the floor on all fours.
“The scariest thing is that their number is increasing day by day.”
“How many ghosts are there?”
“Yes... At first, it only happened once or twice, so often that I couldn’t tell if it was a nightmare or reality, but now it feels like at least ten ghosts are watching me...”
As that kind of life continued, her body felt heavy and her energy seemed to drain away.
Simone, who had been quietly listening to Marcel, asked.
“What about Lady Millie?”
"Yes?"
“Is Lady Millie one of the ghosts that torments Lady Marcel?”
Marcel shook her eyes for a moment, then nodded.
“...Millie... definitely torments me, but not like the other ghosts.”
"Sure?"
“She just sits there and watches. Smiling.”
All Millie can do is stare silently at the bullied Marcel with the same smile she had when she first returned.
Even though Marcel pleaded, begged, and got angry, asking her to stop, Millie just smiled and made a puddle at her feet.
Then, before the sun rose, she approached her, grabbed her hand, and said a word.
“Let’s go and play together. It’ll be fun, Marcel.”
Whenever she came to visit, there was always a thick fog, so in fact, Marcel still couldn't tell whether the events of each night were a dream or reality.
“Simone, what if this is just my nightmare? What if I can never escape from the dream...?”
“Have you told anyone else?”
“Yes, of course... But no one believes me. They just feel sorry for me.”
Her family, her employees, and even her therapist all told her that she was hallucinating and having nightmares because of the grief she felt over losing Millie and that it would get better with time.
Is this the sadness of loss? Or is it a phenomenon beyond the understanding of ordinary people?
As Marcel grew thinner day by day, only Simone understood his situation and listened to her, so it was only natural that she had to rely on Simone, even though she was meeting Simone for the first time.
“Simone, what should I do?”
“Hmm, well, I think it would be best to first meet Lady Youngae in person.”
“Hey, Millie?”
Simone smiled businesslike as she looked at the surprised Marcel.
Well, it looks like we've come a long way.
'Should we start selling now?'
Even customers who have been around for a long time should be treated with caution if they are cautious.
Especially when dealing with such unrealistic phenomena.
“Then, Lady Marcel. Would you like to ask me a favor?”
“...A favor?”
“Yes, I’m thinking about taking on this type of request now. Of course, I’ll get paid a little for it.”
Marcel's expression became ambiguous. Her heart, which had been open to Simone, suddenly closed as she became absorbed in the talk of business.
“The price... Money... you mean?”
Was the way she tried to understand my story so earnestly ultimately because of money?
Simone, who saw the suspicious expression in her eyes, snickered and took out a piece of paper from her bosom, and handed it to Marcel.
“What is this?”
“It’s an amulet.”
The amulet Simone gave was one of the ones she had stored in the mansion. The one she gave to Marcel had absorbed a bit more mana as a gesture of kindness.
"Amulet?"
“Yes, it’s a gift. Keep it in your arms and sleep with it. It’s just a temporary measure.”
“This...”
Simone, who had placed the amulet directly on Marcel's hand, finished the rest of her drink and stood up.
“I guess I should head back now. Oh, if you have any requests, please write to the Grand Duke of Illeston. Have a good night.”
Simone greeted her politely and turned around without any hesitation.
Then she chuckled. She'll probably contact me in less than a week.
No matter how much I thought about it, this didn't seem like a necromancer's work, but more like a shaman's work. But what do you think?
Look at all those ghosts gathered around Lady Marcel.
'It's all mine.'
It's not common to harvest this many souls outside of the mansion!
Simone plans to ask Lady Marcel for her active cooperation in the resolution process and a small commission fee.
If she doesn't want her to feel bad about what she has to offer, it would be better to make her come to her and ask for help rather than trying to convince her to help.
The sudden appearance of a friend Marcel thought was dead felt strange and unrealistic, like a vague dream.
Millie, who was smiling with her hair wet from the rain and leaves and small branches hanging here and there, looked so different from her usual self, but it was enough that no one thought anything was strange.
“Millie? Really Millie?”
Millie, who had been missing, returned. Marcel was so happy about that that she hugged Millie, who was standing in front of the door and cried.
Even when everyone said she was dead, Marcel never gave up hope until the very end.
“Look! You’re alive! Huh... Where have you been! Are you okay?”
Millie still spoke with a smile to Marcel, who was crying so hard that it was hard to speak.
“Hi, Marcel. Can I come in there?”
“Of course! Come in quickly! What the hell happened? You’re soaking wet.”
Who would refuse a friend they haven't seen in a month looking like this?
Marcel gladly accepted Millie into her mansion, fed her, and even lent her some of her clothes.
“You’re all wet... Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Why didn’t you go home and come here first? Let’s sleep here today and come back tomorrow. The Count is very worried.”
Millie didn't answer Marcel's question and just continued to smile.
'It must be really hard.'
Just by looking at her pale complexion, she could tell that she had suffered a lot in a dangerous place.
“I feel sorry for you...”
Marcel muttered softly as she wrapped a blanket around Millie.
Millie, who used to get a lot of attention at the Academy for being so chatty, just laughs and doesn't talk.
Even though she was in this warm room, her pale complexion didn't seem to get any better.
That evening, Millie slept under Marcel's care without saying a word and disappeared without a word before the sun rose in the morning.
She wondered if meeting Millie had really been a dream because she had returned so quietly and without a trace.
And after a while, Marcel really missed Millie so much that she thought maybe she was dreaming.
'She definitely came back...'
The entire capital was focused on Count Nikero's missing daughter. Numerous tips poured in for a reward, and many people actually traveled the country looking for Millie.
So, if Millie came back, shouldn't there be a fuss?
The Countess of Nikero was quiet even though Millie had returned as if nothing had happened. There were still posters posted here and there asking for her daughter, and Millie had still not come to the Academy.
'It was a dream.'
Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to just go on with each day as if nothing happened once she came back.
However, after returning to the mansion after finishing her academy classes, Marcel was able to see Millie again in an unexpected place.
“Hi, Marcel.”
"...Millie?"
Knock- knock- knock-
Inside Marcel's room.
The pungent water that had fallen from Millie pooled at her feet, soaking the carpet and forming a puddle.
Millie was sitting in the chair next to the bed, dressed in the same way and looking the same as when she last visited the mansion.
‘Those clothes... didn’t you throw them away?’
Marcel clearly remembers that the clothes Millie was wearing were so dirty that Marcel's servant threw them away.
Marshall's eyes wavered.
Not only that but the leaves and branches tangled in that messy hair...
If meeting Millie that day wasn't a dream, if Millie had returned to the mansion that day, she would never have waited for Marcel like that.
Millie was still looking at Marcel with a sly smile.
Marcel avoided her gaze and slowly looked out the window.
The fog was so thick that she couldn't see outside. It had been clear just a moment ago. It hadn't rained.
But what on earth is the appearance of Millie in front of me?
...Is that person Millie?
Marcel's mouth opened slightly in a strange, indescribable feeling.
She was speechless and couldn't get any words out.
But Marcel had to open his mouth and say something. If she didn't somehow break the silence between them, her heart would burst.
“Hey... Millie? How did you get in here?”
Even if it was Millie who had been close to her since childhood, an outsider cannot enter the room without permission when the owner is not there.
If Marcel had been properly guided into the mansion, she would have heard from the butler that Millie had arrived as soon as she returned to the mansion.
But Marcel came into the room without hearing anything. Millie said that she came into the room without anyone's guidance.
Then Millie finally opened her mouth.
“You told me I could come in.”
"Yes?"
When did I? I saw you here for the first time today?
Millie smirked as Marcel tilted his head.
“Let’s play, Marcel.”
Then she came over and grabbed Marshall's hand. As soon as her hand touched it, Marcel looked at Millie in surprise.
Her hands were incredibly cold. But Millie was just smiling as if she couldn't even see his expression.
The sight was so creepy that she shook Millie's hand away.
“Oh, I’m not going to play today. Can you go back? ...I’ll see you at the Academy.”
Then she turned away from Millie and hurried out of the room. Millie muttered quietly as she watched her run away.
“That’s too much, Marcel. I brought my friends too.”
“Oh, come back quickly.”
Marcel, who just wanted to get out of the room, pretended not to notice Millie's muttering and left.
***
“From then on, Millie started coming to see me every night.”
“Every night, to Lady Marcel’s room?”
“Yes. I have no idea where she comes from. The servants say they’ve never seen Millie come in. But she’s sitting in my room every night. No matter how much I think about it, it’s not Millie. It’s really... It’s so scary.”
As she listened to the story, Simone's expression became more and more serious.
'It doesn't seem like something ordinary.'
As she continued to listen, she realized that the problem wasn't just that her friend, who she thought was dead, was coming to visit her.
“When I open the curtains to the sound of a knock on the window, I see a hideous head repeatedly hitting the window, and sometimes it feels like someone is grabbing my foot from under the bed.”
It's become so common now that Marcel is used to having someone stand on her stomach and look down at her while she's sleeping or being held down by scissors.
She would wake up to someone's voice or a strange noise, and there was even a woman crawling on the floor on all fours.
“The scariest thing is that their number is increasing day by day.”
“How many ghosts are there?”
“Yes... At first, it only happened once or twice, so often that I couldn’t tell if it was a nightmare or reality, but now it feels like at least ten ghosts are watching me...”
As that kind of life continued, her body felt heavy and her energy seemed to drain away.
Simone, who had been quietly listening to Marcel, asked.
“What about Lady Millie?”
"Yes?"
“Is Lady Millie one of the ghosts that torments Lady Marcel?”
Marcel shook her eyes for a moment, then nodded.
“...Millie... definitely torments me, but not like the other ghosts.”
"Sure?"
“She just sits there and watches. Smiling.”
All Millie can do is stare silently at the bullied Marcel with the same smile she had when she first returned.
Even though Marcel pleaded, begged, and got angry, asking her to stop, Millie just smiled and made a puddle at her feet.
Then, before the sun rose, she approached her, grabbed her hand, and said a word.
“Let’s go and play together. It’ll be fun, Marcel.”
Whenever she came to visit, there was always a thick fog, so in fact, Marcel still couldn't tell whether the events of each night were a dream or reality.
“Simone, what if this is just my nightmare? What if I can never escape from the dream...?”
“Have you told anyone else?”
“Yes, of course... But no one believes me. They just feel sorry for me.”
Her family, her employees, and even her therapist all told her that she was hallucinating and having nightmares because of the grief she felt over losing Millie and that it would get better with time.
Is this the sadness of loss? Or is it a phenomenon beyond the understanding of ordinary people?
As Marcel grew thinner day by day, only Simone understood his situation and listened to her, so it was only natural that she had to rely on Simone, even though she was meeting Simone for the first time.
“Simone, what should I do?”
“Hmm, well, I think it would be best to first meet Lady Youngae in person.”
“Hey, Millie?”
Simone smiled businesslike as she looked at the surprised Marcel.
Well, it looks like we've come a long way.
'Should we start selling now?'
Even customers who have been around for a long time should be treated with caution if they are cautious.
Especially when dealing with such unrealistic phenomena.
“Then, Lady Marcel. Would you like to ask me a favor?”
“...A favor?”
“Yes, I’m thinking about taking on this type of request now. Of course, I’ll get paid a little for it.”
Marcel's expression became ambiguous. Her heart, which had been open to Simone, suddenly closed as she became absorbed in the talk of business.
“The price... Money... you mean?”
Was the way she tried to understand my story so earnestly ultimately because of money?
Simone, who saw the suspicious expression in her eyes, snickered and took out a piece of paper from her bosom, and handed it to Marcel.
“What is this?”
“It’s an amulet.”
The amulet Simone gave was one of the ones she had stored in the mansion. The one she gave to Marcel had absorbed a bit more mana as a gesture of kindness.
"Amulet?"
“Yes, it’s a gift. Keep it in your arms and sleep with it. It’s just a temporary measure.”
“This...”
Simone, who had placed the amulet directly on Marcel's hand, finished the rest of her drink and stood up.
“I guess I should head back now. Oh, if you have any requests, please write to the Grand Duke of Illeston. Have a good night.”
Simone greeted her politely and turned around without any hesitation.
Then she chuckled. She'll probably contact me in less than a week.
No matter how much I thought about it, this didn't seem like a necromancer's work, but more like a shaman's work. But what do you think?
Look at all those ghosts gathered around Lady Marcel.
'It's all mine.'
It's not common to harvest this many souls outside of the mansion!
Simone plans to ask Lady Marcel for her active cooperation in the resolution process and a small commission fee.
If she doesn't want her to feel bad about what she has to offer, it would be better to make her come to her and ask for help rather than trying to convince her to help.
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