In the midst of an evening party, the moon was moistening the spring air.
Rishe was walking down the hall alone when she overheard the ladies gossiping about a rumor.
ââYou also heard it, right? The spring moon is very beautiful when watching it from the south corridor of the imperial castle.â
âI wouldnât want to go near there at night, even if I knew that.â
Apparently, they knew some secrets surrounding the imperial castle.
She really should spare time to leave Arnold during soirees so as not to miss situations like this.
Rishe joined their circle to gather information.
âHello, ladies, what are you talking about?â
âDear Rishe-sama! Youâve come to the right place. No, we were discussing a great place in the imperial castle with a wonderful view. Then the words âSouth Corridorâ came upâ¦â
âIâve been to the South Corridor several times. Itâs a scenic corridor, but is there any circumstance that makes it uninviting?â
She feigned interest in the gossip and dug deeper.
What kind of topics would fly out of these well-informed women?
I hope I could hear something about the imperial castle, members of the royal family, and His Royal Highness Arnoldâs fatherâ¦
But what jumped into Risheâs ears in anticipation was something she didnât want to hear.
âThereâs a rumor that the South Corridor is haunted.â
âHuhâ¦â
Immediately after that, her blood ran cold.
âIt is said that the spirit of a man who slipped and died while building this castle appears night after nightâ¦â
âHuh? Iâm pretty sure I heard that a maidservant who died of bullying from the head chamberlain in the olden days became a ghostâ¦â
âWasnât it a horse ghost? You see, it went on a rampage and got out of control, so a knight slashed him downâ¦â
âNo, it isnât! I heard this from my grandmother!â
ââ¦â¦â¦â¦â
While they were talking like crazy, Rishe was silent and frozen.
Eventually the evening party concluded and Arnoldâs messenger came to call her.
Rishe awkwardly said goodbye to the ladies and joined Arnold in leaving the hall of the soiree.
****
The day was warm in the daytime and a pleasant night breeze blew outside.
However Risheâs steps were laden as she walked behind Arnold.
ââ¦â¦Hey.â
ââ¦â
âRishe, what are you doing?â
â!â
She looked up with a gasp when Arnold called her.
She didnât notice that she lagged far behind from Arnold.
She wanted to catch up with him in a hurry, but she couldnât move from there.
Is this perhaps theâ¦
This was the southern side of the Imperial Castle.
It was the shortest route from the location of the hall used for this soiree to the detached palace where Rishe lived.
Arnold walked back to Risheâs side and looked at her suspiciously.
âDonât tell me those guys just now did something to you?â
âNo-no-no! Thatâs not true.â
âThen what happened? From the way youâre walking, itâs not like you have a leg injury.â
ââ¦â¦!â
She thanked him for his concern, but she couldnât muster the strength to give more details at the moment.
Because while she was trudging along in a daze, she felt in serious trouble.
ââ¦Uhm, Your Highness.â
âYeah?â
âIs this perhaps the southern corridor of the imperial castle?â
âDonât you know?â
ââ¦.!â
When Rishe asked the obvious, Arnold became more and more steely.
âRishe, what happened at the soiree? Iâll move in person depending on the circumstances, just say the word.â
âHmmâ¦Really?â
âYeah, I promise.â
âT-Then, Iâll take you at your wordâ¦â¦â
Encouraged by his reassurance, Rishe mustered her courage and finally spoke.
ââI hear there are ghosts here!â
ââ¦â¦â¦â¦â
At that moment, Arnold immediately looked like it was nothing important.
âIf youâre wondering thatâ¦.â
âOh, you just made a ânonsenseâ face! Itâs because the ladies told me that some people actually saw them!â
âArenât they just making up stories that exist in every castle to relieve boredom? Itâs a kind of entertainment where the topic is more important than the truth. To begin with, thereâs no such thing as ghosts.â
âMaybe there areâ¦!!â
T/N: Yup, Iâm catching up on rawsâ¦