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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Ghost Bride
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[He should be eating by now.]
I saw the kid enter the kitchen and immediately went to his room. Ever since the kid arrived at the mansion, this was the one room I hadn't been able to clean properly.
I opened the window and used magic to blow away the dust. Just like that, the entire room was fresh and dust-free. After cleaning the attached bathroom, I felt a sense of relief, like having a bad tooth pulled.
Now, the only dirty things left in this clean room were the laundry.
[Just looking at it is nauseating.]
Seeing how yellowed they were, I could guess the state they were in.
Just as I was debating whether to take these clothes and wash them, I heard the kid coming up the stairs. I quickly hid on the ceiling.
“Wow, that was so delicious!”
Lucian patted his plump belly, his greasy lips breaking into a wide grin.
Seeing how satisfied he was made me glad I had cooked so early in the morning.
[...Wait!]
My pride was short-lived; I was horrified. The kid had wiped his greasy hands and mouth on the clothes he was wearing.
[Ah, ah... that...!]
“Oops, it's dirty now.”
[You're just realizing that now, you idiot! You could have just washed your hands with water!]
“I was going to do laundry anyway, so I'll just wash this too.”
At least he had the sense to change his clothes. Then, he picked up the rather full laundry basket and struggled down to the first floor.
Seeing him try to do it himself should have been commendable, but for some reason, I started to feel anxious.
I followed Lucian. He went to the stream at the border of the garden and the forest.
I wondered if he had some experience with laundry, but he suddenly flipped the basket over, dumping all the clothes into the stream.
“Whoa! They can't float away!”
As the lighter garments drifted away, Lucian scrambled to collect them. I was already getting a headache.
What followed was a total disaster.
The kid just dipped the laundry in the water and pulled it out, getting rocks and sand tangled in the fabric. Unaware that he needed to scrub them, he only dunked them, leaving the stains untouched.
This wasn't washing clothes; it was soaking them in muddy water.
“Pant... pant... This is hard...”
Still, he was trying his best, even breaking a sweat. By the time he was about two-thirds done, Lucian was exhausted.
“Just... a short... break...”
He stumbled back into the mansion, his legs trembling like a newborn fawn.
Only after confirming he was completely gone did I quickly retrieve the ragged clothes.
[Sigh... If you don't know how, you should just leave it alone.]
Still, should I praise him for trying to do it himself?
Since it's come to this, I'd better finish it before the kid gets back.
I levitated all the laundry into the air, separating each piece so they wouldn't overlap.
[Clean!]
A brilliant white light erupted, enveloping the laundry. Soon, the clothes, once filthy with weeds, dirt, and grime, became spotless.
“Ughhh...”
Just then, I heard Lucian coming out of the mansion in the distance.
I hurriedly folded the levitating clothes, placed them in the laundry basket, and hid inside it.
Lucian plopped down, then shot back up in surprise when he saw the empty stream.
“...Huh? Here it is.”
He finally checked the laundry basket.
Seeing the clothes, which were clean at a glance, he was bewildered. I watched his reaction with bated breath.
“Could it be... my benefactor came by?!”
[What's this about a benefactor?]
Before I could fully process his words, Lucian shot up and started scurrying around.
It looked just like he was searching for someone.
After about ten minutes, Lucian returned, his shoulders slumped.
“They must have left already...”
The kid's yellow eyes began to well up with tears.
“N-No! I can't cry!”
Fortunately, he quickly wiped his tears without needing any comfort. Then, with reddened eyes, he shouted.
“Benefactor! Thank you! Breakfast and last night's dinner were delicious!”
His voice echoed through the forest. I stared blankly at the scene.
The kid's cheerful laugh tickled my heart.
“Heave-ho, let's go.”
He then picked up the laundry basket I was hiding in and headed into the mansion. Thanks to that, I was able to observe the kid's face up close for the first time.
Hollow cheeks, dry hair, and slightly sunken eyes—was it because he had starved for the past few days, or had he always been malnourished? But his eyes shone as brightly as the sun. Like a child filled with hope.
It was a look impossible to have in such a desperate situation, and I found myself staring intently at him.
Once in his room, Lucian put away the fresh clothes one by one and went into the bathroom to wash his sweat-drenched body.
Only after hearing the sound of running water did I quietly climb out of the basket.
[...This feels strange.]
Have I ever been thanked by anyone before?
The humans I'd seen until now had always reacted with shock or terror, spewing curses and trying to drive me out of this mansion.
The only creature that ever showed me any goodwill was the lizard that visited occasionally.
As a being who can't mingle with humans, I'm used to that kind of situation, but I had no idea how to react to this.
[...Of course, that would change if he knew my true identity, wouldn't it?]
I know. I know the kid mistakes me for a 'person'.
It was a bit bittersweet, but it couldn't be helped.
I just wanted the kid to keep showing me that smile he wore because of me.
Even if it meant lying to him.
“Agh... why is it so cold again today?”
Hearing his cries from beyond the door, I hurried to the bathroom.
The kid's face relaxed only after I used mana to warm the water.
* * *
[Cute, my ass.]
I came down to the kitchen to make lunch and immediately retracted my earlier thought. My eyebrow twitched when I saw the clean plate with only the broccoli left behind.
He was starving to death just yesterday, and now he dares to be a picky eater?
[Hehe... In that case, I'll have to change the menu.]
I was planning to make something delicious with the meat I'd frozen with ice magic, but now the plan has changed.
I brought a little meat and a lot of the remaining vegetables to the table.
[This way, he'll have no choice but to eat it!]
I smirked deviously and started dicing the vegetables with vigor.
* * *
“Ugh... It's delicious, but...”
Thanks to the delicious food, Lucian was full again today, but something felt off.
It was because ever since he'd left the broccoli behind, it had appeared in every single meal.
The more he picked the broccoli out, the more of it there seemed to be.
On top of that, there was a drawing of broccoli next to his plate. Seeing it emphasized with a red circle sent a chill down his spine.
“Ugh... I don't want to eat it.”
He knew he wasn't in a position to be picky, but he couldn't help that he hated it.
“Hmph, fine!”
After a long deliberation, Lucian made up his mind and stuffed all the broccoli into his mouth at once.
Chewing with a pained expression, as if eating something inedible, Lucian's frown slowly eased as the taste of the sauce hit his tongue.
Munch, munch—
After chewing for a while, he finally swallowed.
Lucian stared blankly for a moment before gulping down some water.
“...It's not bad?”
It was tasty enough to erase the horrible memory from the first day. The texture was still not great, but it wasn't unbearable.
“Hehe, I'm a grown-up now!”
Broccoli isn't scary anymore!
Lucian was so proud of himself for overcoming this hurdle that he couldn't stop grinning.
* * *
Watching Lucian finish his meal, I slipped out of the cupboard and let out a disbelieving laugh.
[Honestly. Becoming a grown-up over a piece of broccoli. Don't be ridiculous, kid.]
It was absurd, but I couldn't stop snickering. As I was about to finish cleaning the kitchen, a piece of paper on the table caught my eye.
A new, unfamiliar drawing had been added to it.
[Pfft! Ahahaha! What is this...!]
I burst out laughing. A crooked drawing of what might have been a sun or a flower was scribbled on it.
I stared at it for a long time before taking it to my room and hiding it in a corner of my bookshelf.
It's not that it's precious or anything. It just seemed like a waste to throw it away.
Justifying it to myself, where no one could hear, I gave a happy little wiggle.
[...But the fact that he can't read is bothering me.]
He looks to be about seven, so he should have learned to read a little by now. The fact that he can't read a single letter weighed on my mind.
[It's not like there's anyone here to teach him, either.]
It wasn't just reading; the kid was lacking in many areas of his education. It wasn't that he was slow, but rather that he seemed to have received no age-appropriate education at all.
If I could, I'd teach him myself...
[But he doesn't even know I'm here, and he can't see me, so...]
But while it might be fine for now, the day will come when he has to leave the mansion. By then, he'll need to have learned some basic knowledge and manners to get along with people.
[Ah! Maybe I can ask *that guy*?]
I thought of the guy who visits the mansion every so often.
I looked through my diary and, by calculating the timing of his previous visits, figured he should be stopping by again soon.
[When he comes, I'll have to find a way to ask him to teach the kid.]
He's a strong individualist, so I don't know if he'll agree, but I don't have any better ideas right now.
He's been eyeing a few things in the mansion anyway. If I give him one of them, he'll probably agree to teach the kid how to read.
I started racking my brain, trying to figure out how to persuade him.
* * *
“Mmm... I couldn't find them today either.”
Lucian had recently sensed a change in the mansion.
Most notably, there were three hearty meals a day. In addition, whenever he left a room for a bit, the room, the living room, and even the laundry would all be clean when he returned.
Honestly, he was a little, just a tiny bit, lonely with no one to talk to, but thanks to his benefactor who came and went like the wind, he didn't feel desolate.
So, hoping to at least have a conversation with his benefactor, he had spent the last few days searching the mansion, but he hadn't seen so much as a shadow, let alone a person.
“This calls for my secret weapon!”
Based on what had happened so far, he deduced that his benefactor spent the most time in the kitchen.
It made sense. To cook, you had to use the kitchen, and since all three meals were always freshly made, they couldn't have been prepared elsewhere and brought in.
He was determined to see his benefactor's face today.
Lucian took off his shoes to muffle his footsteps and crept toward the kitchen.
Thankfully, the kitchen was empty. He looked for a place to hide and found a cabinet under the cupboard.
Lucian hid inside, leaving the door just slightly ajar. Fortunately, he had a good view of the kitchen.
“Alright, now to wait.”
Lucian kept his eyes wide open, waiting for his benefactor to appear through the small gap.
Ten, twenty, thirty minutes passed. By the forty-minute mark, Lucian's eyelids were getting heavy.
His mind knew he shouldn't fall asleep, but his body refused to listen.
Before long, Lucian's eyes slid shut. Because of that, he didn't see it.
The faint, footless, unidentified figure that approached the cabinet he was in.
* * *
Lucian was dozing off when the delicious smell of meat made his eyes snap open.
He groggily rubbed his eyes, remembered why he was there, and held his breath as he peeked through the gap.
And then he froze.
“...Huh?”
In the empty kitchen, a knife was moving on its own, and a cast-iron skillet began to flip a steak.
It was an unbelievable sight. This wasn't a person...
“A-A Ghost Bride...!”
Goosebumps erupted all over his body. Lucian let out a small, involuntary shriek, then realized his mistake and quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
But the Ghost Bride had already heard him.
The cast-iron skillet, which had been moving with a cheerful rhythm, stopped dead.
As Lucian listened to the pounding of his own heart.
Creeeak—
The cabinet door opened with an eerie sound.
Unaware that his own foot had pushed the door open, Lucian attributed it to the Ghost Bride and was paralyzed with fear.
“Aaaaaaah!”
Lucian screamed, burst out of the cabinet, and fled the kitchen in a panic. He sprinted down the hallway and up the stairs.
As he went up the stairs, he saw something at the kitchen entrance.
It looked like a woman standing there with a very sad expression, but when he looked again, there was no one in front of the kitchen.
Thinking it was just another trick of the Ghost Bride, Lucian locked himself in his room and trembled.
