The ghost slowly circled the pale woman. It seemed as if it was trying to calm her down, but the words it spoke afterward proved more effective than its trick.
- I can help you, Rosentine.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
- They are the ghosts of madness. Your sister's constitution was peculiar. That child attracted the malice of no brother.
Rosentine stood frozen. In the empty space before her, a man in luxurious clothes was looking down at her.
Through the gaping window in the hallway, a crimson glow poured over the man. The light was plentiful, but not blinding.
Rosentine looked at him with a firm, hardened heart.
A flash of determination lit a fire between Rosentine's blue eyes. Ranon seemed pleased to see it.
"Can you save Corte?"
- Without anyone knowing.
“Are you going to help me?”
- Well, Rosentine, this is our promise. I will continue to help you.
It was sweet words. He was unlike any ghost she'd ever met.
He seemed sinister because he was planned, secretive, and full of wisdom. But there was no other option.
'Without anyone knowing,' those words gave Rosentine hope. But everything has a price.
Yes, Rosentine knew that.
So the sixteen-year-old girl clenched her fists and looked at the ghost. Her eyes betrayed a desire for a deal.
"What do you want?"
- Someday, at the moment I feel the time has come, when I want it.
The man gazed out the window for a moment. Rosentine felt something hazy in his eyes. Proposing a deal without revealing his true intentions, the ghost gazed somewhere with a longing gaze.
When he looked back at Rosentine, he was smiling his usual gentle smile. It was a transparent smile.
- Please grant me one favor.
With a nod, Rosentine ran to where Corte was. Rosentine was sixteen, and it was their meeting.
***
Corte was shivering, her body half black. Rosentine thought the child's struggling form seemed to be searching for her.
Without a second thought, she rushed towards her, intending to reassure Corte.
Rosentine's hand felt cold, so she hugged the little girl tightly. Her sharp eyes were fixed on the ghost. Corte's hostile arm was gripping Rosentine, wounding her slender arm.
The ghost glided behind her and settled into a corner of the room. Its eyes, filled with a faint hint of perfume, turned toward Corte.
"What should I do here?"
At this point, Corte's hair had already turned half black.
If left like this, her entire body might turn black. Even though she didn't know, the little girl seemed to feel pain, starting with the blackened areas.
Rosentine bit her lip. The anxiety felt like cold water had been poured over her head, instead of giving her a cold sense of alarm.
- There are ghosts in the palace, you know that.
“Answer me properly.”
- But you must know one more thing. If you want to save your sister, there's a rule here.
"Rule?"
- Call the name, Rosentine, that's all you have to do, and only you who can see us can do it.
And the ghost whirled. Above Rosentine's head, his platinum hair sparkled in the air like a fading sun. The man smiled softly, his arms outstretched in the air.
- I am Ranon, and the child's name, now forgotten, was once Hasten.
Rosentine's eyes quickly turned to Corte. A name. It was absurd, but she had been given the name of a ghost, no, a demon.
At the mention of Hasten, Corte seemed to flinch momentarily. Rosentine didn't show any doubt.
However, with her still young body, her eyes were burning blue, and she was only urging Ranon to speak next.
Ranon approached Rosentine with a look of immense satisfaction on his face.
Ranon, who had come closer, whispered in her ear. The ghost's words vibrated her eardrums without a breath.
- The name is very important. Call his name, Rosentine, and command.
"Hasten Kartazen," Ranon muttered. It was a name that rang clearly in Rosentine's ears.
Kartazen, the name of the royal family.
Rosentine didn't understand the meaning at the time. Ranon slowly closed his eyes and opened them, gazing at Rosentine. Their names, even when called out to each other, were useless.
It was a method that was effective only when the living called them as if they were legends or prophecies.
That's why he chose Rosentine.
A young body with a fresh mind, one who can see themselves without being forbidden by others.
'What you don't want.'
"Open your eyes, Corte."
Rosentine grabbed both of Corte's cheeks. Even her fingertips darkened, and a tingling pain lingered.
Rosentine spoke clearly and found the girl's eyes, darkened but still blue. They were Corte's eyes.
As if someone had told her, Rosentine knew exactly what she had to do. It was the one thing she desperately wanted. There was only one thing. Rosentine shouted.
"Come out of that child, Hasten Kartazen!"
Corte lifted herself into the air and let out a long breath. Rosentine was holding Corte's body, which had risen higher than his own.
She didn't take her eyes off Corte, as if she would never let her sister be taken away from her.
Then something emerged from above Corte's head. It was the ghost that had entered Corte.
Only then did Rosentine see the face of the ghost for the first time. An expressive, human-like face.
He was a young man with brown hair.
- Hello, Hasten.
The ghost called Hasten circled around a few times, looked at Ranon, then bowed and left.
The remaining Rosentine was still holding onto Corte, who was hanging in the air. Ranon thought her hair seemed to be fluttering.
The sunset was setting behind Rosentine. Dust drifted like a halo.
Seeing this sight, the ghost who had lingered in the palace for a very long time closed his eyes and smiled. It was the girl he had longed for.
“Corte!”
Rosentine caught Corte as she descended from the air and embraced her. Her blackened body had been cleansed, her golden hair shining once more.
It was a blessing enough to bring tears to his eyes. Rosentine held Corte close and rubbed her back repeatedly. It was then that Corte opened her dim eyes.
“Sister?”
"Yeah, Corte, it's me, Rosen."
“Sister, it's hurt."
"Yeah, it'll be okay now. It really is okay."
"My sister told me to open my eyes... and then I couldn't breathe, but then I suddenly felt better. Did my sister help me?"
The chattering voice was slightly hoarse. Rosentine hugged Corte tightly.
"Yes, yes," she replied several times. Corte quickly fell asleep.
Rosentine, unable to move her alone, had no choice but to lay Corte on her lap and wait for the people.
Ranon told her a few things. It was no coincidence that Corte first became possessed when she came to the palace.
And that danger has always existed.
That's why Rosentine could have a premonition.
From now on, she will have to keep the truth hidden not only to protect herself but also to protect Corte. Even though she continues to use her abilities.
Rosentine stroked Cort's sweaty blonde. The close-up profile was lovely even in this situation.
- You decide to do something difficult.
"I ask, knowing there is no other way. You are a ghost, so I know that you want to live."
- Of course, Rosentine.
Ranon smiled softly, as if he were a young man forever. His luxurious robes and immeasurable depth of his eyes came into view first, but from the outside, he looked like a character who would only appear in a legend.
One thing is that wisdom is the same as the snake in the story. In a way, wisdom and insidiousness were stories that had something in common.
- I'm very happy to have a colleague.
"I'm not your colleague."
- I will always be your friend, Rosentine. You can be as boundary as you want.
He was right. In any case, Rosentine had no choice but to get his help.
If the answer is to say the name of the ghost, then the only one who knows the ghost is Ranon.
"How did you know the name?"
- You'll find out after a long time.
"Is this what it means to be able to help?"
- Right. I know the names of everyone who sleeps here.
This was the point. Rosentine looked at Ranon with a squirrel.
As if he would always accept that look. Ranon smiled quietly and kissed the back of Rosentine's hand on top of Corte's head.
It was a kiss that she couldn't understand the touch or meaning.
- Remember me, Rosentine.
He just said.
And when she was infinitely exhausted, her escort knight finally came to Rosentine.
It was when she fell asleep with Corte on her lap.
Heimt quietly placed his index finger on his lips to keep her from waking up, and the escort knight, who had faithfully carried out the order, carefully picked up Corte.
Rosentine was lifted by Heimt.
When Rosentine opened her eyes, she was already in the carriage.
A large pasture spread out outside the window. The shaking of the rattling carriage is absorbed by the high-quality cushions, which are the familiar Arzen carriage.
Heimt smiled at her, and Rosentine returned the laughter. However, a dream-like memory came to mind.
"Are you okay?"
It was a voice between a young man and a boy. Something seemed to be quietly tidying up her hair, and Rosentine thought she had tossed and turned for a moment.
The hand hesitated and then stopped moving. She heard a soft laugh.
'Are you okay?' A strange question. But strangely, when she heard that, everything seemed to be fine.
Feeling a little more relaxed, Rosentine relaxed her body. She was still in a dream and closed my eyes.
A field spread out in front of her. Rosentine smiled happily with her eyes closed.
"Yes... It's okay."
It was the same answer as sleeping.
Comments
Post a Comment