Chapter: 22
Julianna was born in a slum where shadows loomed larger than light. Gifted with stunning beauty, she started using makeup to cover her face from a young age. It was a necessity for survival.
Her mother passed away from illness before she even turned eight, and Julianna spent her days begging for scraps. One day, the village held a festival.
Though the slum residents were treated like pariahs by the villagers, during festival time, outsiders flocked in, making it easy to blend in.
Kids from the slums scrubbed themselves by the river, donned the cleanest discarded clothes they could scrounge up, and mingled with the festivities.
While some kids were genuinely curious about the festival, most of them were just fishing for tips from wealthy guests.
Julianna was of the former group. She roamed the vibrant streets, soaking in the beautiful festival. How long had she wandered, half-dazed by excitement, when she stumbled upon a play happening in the village square?
“How dare you kidnap the princess!”
The script was laughably cheesy, and the acting was, well, better than expected.
This level of performance wouldn’t fly in the capital, but here, it was enough to draw laughter. The children’s eyes sparkled with delight.
‘So cool.’
Julianna watched a man on stage swinging a sword, mesmerized not by the threat it posed, but by the idea of it being used for protection.
After that day, Julianna took up swordsmanship and, lucky her, she had the talent to become a mercenary. Thus, she lived for three years.
“Julianna, would you go out with me?”
Fate led her to the love of her life. Julianna felt like the happiest person on Earth…
Or so she thought.
“Cren, why…!”
Her lover, Cren, who had been kidnapped by nobles and sent a letter asking for help, laughed heartlessly when he saw her in tatters.
“Puhaha, look at you, my lady!”
“Hoho, you look like a bug!”
Cren, the man who once whispered sweet nothings to her, was just another pawn sent by a noble lady. Why had the lady sent him? To whisper poetic love words?
“A great mercenary, huh? In the end, you’re still just a bug.”
Well, that was just entertaining, wasn’t it?
Julianna was merely a toy for the nobles’ whims.
“Cren! Cren… how could you…!”
Julianna loved him deeply, risking her life to seek out the noble house, only to meet her end at the hands of a guard.
Blinded by her first love, the foolish girl met her end.
‘I won’t forgive.’
Maybe her hatred was too heavy for the gods to take her away; her soul became a vengeful spirit bound to the earth.
‘I’ll make them all pay!’
As a vengeful spirit, Julianna cursed the nobles who toyed with her and killed her lover horrifically. Yet her anger never waned. Just when she was ready to take more lives, a dark sorcerer appeared at the brutal scene.
“Cluck cluck, what a useful ghost!”
The unpleasant-looking sorcerer trapped her spirit within the pages of a book. The sorcerer showed Julianna countless betrayals to make her spirit grow stronger.
Over time, Julianna’s hatred deepened, and her power grew. The once-trapped spirit blended with the book, turning it into a cursed tome. Just like any cursed book, it broke free from the sorcerer’s library and began to wander the world.
The eerie new white book spread its dark vibe, opening in countless hands and leading many to their doom.
When its pages soaked in the blood of those who dared open it, the cursed book roamed again, until it was opened once more by Noah’s hands.
“Ghost…”
As Noah murmured that word, Julianna opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Noah, dressed in shabby clothes that reminded her of her past.
Julianna frowned and moved closer to Noah, placing her hand above his head.
“…!”
Suddenly, the ghost was right in front of him, and Noah jumped back in fright, landing flat on his rear. Julianna ignored his shock and closed her eyes, starting to sift through his memories.
Fleeting memories rushed through her mind—he was still so young, so the total did not amount to much.
Julianna found memories where Noah’s desires shone bright.
I want to live.
I want to protect Nero.
I don’t want to die.
She delicately brushed through memories, like fingers touching petals, finally locating the memory that compelled Noah to open the book.
I must protect them.
At that moment, Noah—who had only lived for his sibling and his own survival—developed a “belief.” Julianna’s eyes flew open, her expression turning fierce.
The child in front of her bore an uncanny resemblance to herself. The natural talent for swordsmanship and the determination to defend someone else made her bristle.
It was infuriating. She wanted to choke the child right there on the spot. If it had been the old Julianna, she wouldn’t have hesitated for a second.
‘You can’t die that easily.’
Julianna forced her previously wrathful face into a gracious smile.
‘Just like I did, you must die in misery.’
Having been betrayed and killed in a pitiful manner by a man, Julianna wished for Noah to also meet a miserable end at the hands of a man named ‘Lian.’
‘Ahh, just picturing it makes me so happy! What face will you make as you die?’
Imagining Noah howling in agony with blood tears brought a soft smile to Julianna’s lips.
“Do you want the power to protect someone?”
“…!”
Noah, entranced by Julianna’s stunning smile, nodded as if enchanted.
“Take my hand, and I’ll give you the power to protect everyone.”
Julianna extended her white palm to Noah, and a soft, white light began to gather above it. This holy-feeling glow, like a flamboyant toxic mushroom, carried all sorts of ghastly curses—but Noah had no clue about any of that.
“Come on, hurry!”
Just as Noah was about to reach out, captivated by her charm—
Click, bang!
“Noah?! Are you here?”
“…!”
“..!?”
A wild Lian burst in.
“Ah! There you are!”
Lian saw Noah and bounded into the room with a beaming face. When Noah turned to look at Lian, Julianna hurriedly prodded for an answer.
“You want to protect that man, right? If that’s the case, grab my hand right away!”
Under Julianna’s whispers, Noah looked back at her. Just then, as he hesitated, Lian reached Noah’s side.
“Huh?”
Just then, Julianna, previously hidden behind bookshelves, came into full view for Lian.
“Huh? A ghost?”
“…?!”
“…?!”
Both Noah and Julianna were startled by Lian’s casual tone.
“How can he see me?”
“Uh… well, you’re a ghost, so obviously, you can be seen, right?”
In this comedic universe, ghosts were just average residents. Living in cheap rentals or old houses where ghosts shared space was the norm. Lian had even heard of a neighbor who married a ghost!
For Lian, seeing ghosts was just everyday life, but not for Julianna. No one else had seen her unless they were the one who opened the book.
“Noah, this is the one place Mia told us not to enter. Let’s get out of here.”
“Ah…”
At Lian’s words, Julianna’s eyes widened as she squeezed between Noah and Lian.
“Sorry, but this child can’t leave just yet. We’re not finished talking.”
Julianna shot a deadly glare at Lian. He flinched and froze.
‘In the end, you’re just another human.’
She smirked inwardly, imagining Lian running away in terror. But against her expectations, Lian said something completely different.
“I’ll wait outside if you answer just one question.”
Not running away, he was setting terms. Julianna’s face turned puzzled. Lian looked directly at her.
“How are you anchoring your geospatial coordinates?”
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