After the ball, deep in the morning.
The family of Grand Duke Ethel, dressed in comfortable clothes, continued their banquet.
The spacious room was lit by a fireplace, crackling. The faint sound of crackling wood could be heard. The dark room was filled with a warm, comforting warmth.
Laice, with a cozy blanket draped over her shoulders, excitedly recounted her heroic tale.
"Ohhoho, it was my first time commanding such a large army! If such a war had broken out in the human world, the entire empire would have been blown away!"
Alice seemed elated, having barely returned from the battlefield victorious. Seara thought that was a blessing in disguise. It was better than being haunted by the nightmares of war.
"Yeah, I'm glad you had a good time."
"Hohoho, Seara. Please take this. It's a weapon I've used often, and I'll give it to you as a souvenir."
“Ugh, thank you.”
Alice held out a dagger she'd lost. Seara took it out of its sheath and put it back in, hesitantly.
Chession asked, stroking Gremory, who was sleeping in her cat form.
"So, thanks to that demon named Halpas, you were able to get here without being summoned?"
"That's right. Here's how it happened-"
While the warm conversation was going on, Bailey knocked and came in. She is holding a tray in her hand.
"I brought you some chamomile tea! We need tea for this conversation."
Bailey, her face hardened, slammed the tray down on the table. It was because of her habit, who had been living under the watchful eye of the upper-class maids.
“I’m done here...”
As Bailey was about to sneak out of the room with an empty tray, Alice called out to her.
"Hey, wait "
"Yes!"
A startled Bailey answered noisily.
"You sit down and drink too. Hoho."
"Huh? You want a low-level witch like me to be treated like a high-level witch?"
"Isn't that right? You played a big part in killing Kona. Your power held Kona back for a moment. Hoho."
"!"
Bailey's mouth fell open.
"Really? Did my power really reach that level?"
"That's right, hoho, you're a top-tier witch who played a crucial role in defeating Kona~."
“Wow!”
Bailey brightened, sat down next to her summoner, Isolene. She smiled innocently.
Alice continued her tale of heroism. The sound of midnight chatter spread along with the warmth of the tea.
Meanwhile, Gremory was completely unconscious. Chession listened to Alice's story for a while, then left the room to put Gremory to sleep. He held the limp black cat in his arms.
All the way to the bedroom, Gremory remained motionless in Chession's arms.
"You must be very tired."
Arriving at Gremory's room, Chession placed a black cat on Gremory's favorite blanket.
Then, Gremory, who had transformed into a human form while sleeping, rolled around and wrapped the blanket around herself.
Lying on the edge of the bed, Chession gazed at Gremory, wrapped in the blanket. He couldn't believe that the moment he had longed for had arrived, so he checked again and again to see if it was real.
'I wonder if you ate properly?'
Judging by the fact that her cheeks were still the same, she didn't seem to have gained any weight. In fact, she seemed to have swelled a bit. Her skin also had a glow. She looked so perfectly fine that all the worries he had had in the past felt like a waste.
"Mmm..."
Gremory, feeling Chession's warmth, snuggled into his embrace. Chession welcomed her with open arms.
"As expected, you're cute."
Chession buried his face in Gremory's crown and fell asleep. Perhaps it was the peace he hadn't felt in a long time that made him fall asleep easily.
***
The next morning.
Chession woke up feeling dampness on his shoulder. Upon rising, he found a round, slick patch of saliva marks on his shoulder. It was Gremory's spill. Chession decided to simply dismiss it as a moisturizer.
He wiped the drool from Gremory's mouth with a tissue. Something touched her lips, and Gremory smacked her lips.
Gremory, who had been sleeping soundly, finally opened her eyes after the sun reached its zenith. Chession greeted her with a bright smile.
“Are you awake?”
"Hmm."
Gremory blinked and stirred under the covers.
"If you're tired, sleep more, and I won't wake you up."
"I'm so hungry I can't sleep anymore."
"Is there anything you want to eat?"
"Goat."
"Yes, let's go eat goat."
It was a peaceful afternoon, free from any worries or concerns. Gremory, having feasted on goat meat for the first time in a long while, lazed around until her stomach emptied. Intoxicated by the long-awaited rest, she basked in the warm sunlight.
Chession, too, wanted nothing more than to laze around with Gremory. But his position as Grand Duke wouldn't leave him alone. With the grand banquet just over, he had a mountain of work to do.
How could he spend all day chatting with Gremory and still get work done? While racking his brain, Chession prepared a round cushion for his desk in his home office.
And after placing Gremory, who had turned into a cat, on the cushion, he periodically fiddled with the documents.
Those peaceful days passed by.
One fine afternoon, while Chession was strolling through the garden with Gremory, the ghosts sitting in a row on the roof of the Grand Duke Ethel's residence were happily chatting away.
- Oh my, His Highness the Grand Duke must have magnets in his eyes. His gaze is fixed on Miss Mori and won't leave.
- That's right. Haha, it's so nice to see. Right, Iris?
Iris smiled faintly.
- That's great. I don't have to worry about anything anymore.
- Our long-held wish has finally come true. Now that His Highness the Grand Duke seems sufficiently happy, shall we go our separate ways? There's no good for ghosts to wander the human world for too long.
At the words of a middle-aged ghost, other ghosts retorted.
- Hey, it's bad for ghosts who wander around with no place to stay, but it's okay for ghosts like us who have been bitten by resentment. Besides, we have a place to stay.
- That's right. How about we just stay here until His Highness the Grand Duke's wedding?
- Will that be enough? We'll have to wait until the baby is born.
- We have to see your child grow up to become an adult!
The ghosts laughed and fluttered. And so, in the end, it was decided that no one would leave.
- But how would His Highness propose? It would surely be romantic, right?
- Maybe Miss Mori could do it. She's secretly honest and romantic, isn't she?
- Oh, that's right. The record stone wristwatch, in particular, was really romantic.
- I guess that watch still records the memories of the two of you, right?
While the ghosts chattered, Iris remained silent and lost in thought.
'I thought that marriage would never happen in my brother's life, which was already gloomy.'
What a miraculous day this has been. The words of the old sages, that one cannot predict even an inch ahead in life, came to mind once again.
The ghosts continued to chatter.
- By the way, isn't it possible for you two to have a baby before the wedding? You two sleep in the same bedroom every day.
- Oh, that could be true. There shouldn't be any negative rumors about premarital pregnancy.
- Hey, how about taking a break? Once you get married and raise kids, things will quiet down quickly.
- Iris, if you had a nephew, what would you name him?
Iris, who had been quiet for a while, was startled when asked a question.
- Shouldn't we first wonder whether it can happen before that?
It was unknown whether witches and humans could have children. The answer implied that, but the ghosts misunderstood and were at a loss.
- Is there something wrong with His Highness's health?
- Yes?
- Hey, Megan, why are you asking such a pointless question? I'm sorry, Iris, she's a little oblivious.
- Excuse me. It's not like that.
- I sometimes pass by your bedroom at night, and it's strangely quiet, like death. It's like you two are just sleeping.
Iris, who was about to refute her, was speechless. How could she possibly explain this? Should she say her brother is healthy? No, how could she perhaps know how healthy he is? It was even stranger that she, as his younger sister, knew about his private life.
As Iris's silence grew longer, the ghosts grew quiet.
- Hey, His Highness the Grand Duke is a man, too. Would you have just let Miss Mori sleep all this time?
- If there's a problem, it could be...
- ...
- Oh, it's okay! Adoption is common these days! Haha!
As he strolled leisurely, Chession suddenly felt a prickle in his ears. He unconsciously looked toward the roof of the Grand Duke's residence.
'What? I suddenly felt angry.'
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