Did you hear? They say there’s a ghost living in Yvonne Castle!
Why is it that none of the blonde-haired folks are ever normal? Hiasen inwardly bemoans.
Unlike the excited girl sharing the rumor, Hiasen nonchalantly dismisses her with disinterest.
“No way. You’re not trying to drag me there again, are you?”
“Aw, Hiasen, don’t be like that! Let’s gooooo!”
“Take Niobe instead.”
“But Niobe is in the middle of a nice nap right now!”
Josephine had already checked on Niobe’s bedroom.
“Mother would be very angry if she found out.”
“What’s the big deal? It’s not like they’re getting along anyway.”
“That’s not the point, Josephine.”
“So you’ll go with me, to Yvonne Castle?”
“Hah.”
Hiasen finally puts down the magic book he was reading.
From the very beginning, Hiasen the Prince had no real choice in the matter.
There were only a few who would defy Josephine Floria Kaizen, the younger sister of Crown Prince Jade, even in the Imperial Palace.
No matter how young Hiasen was, he had been conditioned to feel the weight of the strict hierarchy from birth.
“They say you can hear baby cries, especially at night?”
“That’s just ridiculous nonsense.”
“You’re scared, aren’t you? Come on, be honest, you’re scared! You’ve got goosebumps on your arms, don’t you?”
“I-I never said that!”
But at least it was a relief it was daytime, Hiasen thought, patting his chest.
If Josephine had tried to drag him out in the middle of the night, he would have resisted with all his might.
Still, Hiasen couldn’t let go of Josephine’s hand. Being scared was a different issue altogether.
“I’ve never been to Yvonne Castle before in my life. It’s kind of creepy… is anyone even living here?”
“I don’t know. If no one is around, let’s just go back.”
Not a single gardener or busy maid could be seen around.
In fact, the absence of people in what should be the busiest time made the scenery even more desolate.
Upon reaching the main gate of Yvonne Castle, a guard greeted them.
“I have the honor of seeing Her Highness, the Second Princess Josephine Floria Kaizen. And this next to you is…?”
“Long time no see, Rupion! Are you working here these days? This is Hiasen, he rarely goes outside, so you probably don’t know him.”
“I apologize! I have the honor of seeing His Highness, the Third Prince Hiasen Luminus Kaizen.”
“That’s enough, just enough. I have some business here, so can I go in?”
Josephine tried to pass through the gate naturally, but the guard stepped in front of her.
“I’m afraid I have orders not to let anyone in, I hope you understand!”
“Orders? Who? Does that even give you the right to block my way without permission?”
In an instant, Josephine’s voice turned icy.
Hiasen thought that side of Josephine was truly terrifying.
Usually just an impish young lady, when she snapped like that, it was enough to make even him think twice about being part of Kaizen.
“I’m… sorry. It was the instructions of Barus, the steward…”
“Barus, the steward…”
Josephine bit her lips tightly.
Though formally under her, he spent all his time sticking close to Abu mama.
His orders were practically equivalent to those of the Emperor himself, so he was someone who did his job as a proxy well.
Formally, violating his orders wouldn’t be a problem, but it would surely lead to a big uproar if discovered later.
However, her internal conflict didn’t last more than a few seconds.
“It’s fine, just let us in. We’ll be out soon enough.”
“… Please come out quickly. If the steward finds out, he will be very upset.”
“But don’t you dare tell him we were here! Come on, Hiasen, let’s go inside.”
Yvonne Castle was located on the northwestern outskirts of the Imperial Palace.
Looking at its size and shape, it was clear why Yvonne Castle wasn’t a proper palace but referred to as a villa.
“It’s really small. And it looks like it’s been around for quite a while?”
The exterior was dull, built in the Romanesque style from centuries ago.
Josephine couldn’t fathom why such a shabby building was left standing without being demolished.
It seemed only three stories high—creaky floorboards echoed throughout the hallway.
Despite wandering a few times inside the castle, Josephine and Hiasen found no sign of any people.
“Ugh, this is boring!”
After getting past Jade, who was on watch duty, Josephine let out an annoyed huff.
“Don’t you get along with Brother Jade? You’re siblings, right?”
“Didn’t you just fight with Niobe the other day?”
“Who says that?”
“Count Aria said so?”
“Uncle… but Niobe is three years old. I’m not a brat, why would I fight with her?”
“Well, from where I’m standing, you both seem the same!”
Ignoring Hiasen’s protests entirely, Josephine continued her exploration.
“Niobe was the one who broke my book in the first place.”
“As an older brother, you should be able to forgive her generously. You’re starting to resemble Jade more and more.”
“It was the only magic book I had!”
“Hey, there’s a staircase here! Must be the way to the fourth floor!”
Though the building appeared to be uniformly three stories from the outside, they discovered stairs leading up another level.
Sunlight only managed to sneak in through a few gaps in the window, illuminating the fourth-floor hallway, which had no lighting.
Flooring was dusty, and the ceiling was filled with cobwebs.
Yet, perhaps due to the absence of bugs, the floor was littered with the bodies of dead spiders.
“Don’t mess around, Josephine. I’m not scared at all even if you make noise like that!”
“Huh? What sound? I didn’t say anything!”
“You just made this weird crying sound!”
“I told you, I didn’t! Why would I make a sound like that?”
“Definitely…!”
“Hoooaaahhhh.”
“…!”
“Did you hear that…?”
“Yeah. What was that?”
“No way, I don’t want to go.”
“I think it’s coming from the end of the hallway?”
“I don’t want to go, I said!”
“Let’s go! We’re going to meet the ghost of Yvonne Castle!”
“Aaaahhh!”
Josephine roughly pulled Hiasen by the arm.
With every step, the strange sound grew louder.
“What if it really is a ghost…? It could eat us.”
“You just said there are no ghosts! Be quiet, there’s something on the other side of the door.”
At first, Hiasen thought it was just the wind, but as they got closer to the source, Josephine firmly asserted it was the cry of a girl.
“The door is locked!”
“Are you thinking of breaking it down?”
“There’s a baby crying inside. Hiasen, move away!”
Josephine immediately prepared herself.
She lowered her center of gravity and sensed the surrounding mana.
The golden eyes of the rightful Kaizen royalty shone brilliantly, flickering like a beacon.
Colorless mana swirled into a golden torrent, gathering in her right hand.
“Here I go, GANDAAAAAA!”
An incredibly foolish punch.
But if even a frail girl had aura surrounding her arm, it was nothing short of heinous siege machinery.
KABOOM!!!
The door exploded, scattering sharp metal shards around like confetti.
Coughing, Hiasen groped his way forward to avoid losing sight of Josephine.
The crying sound coming from the doorway was now clearly audible to the two kids.
As the view cleared, they could finally see what was inside—a tidy bedroom.
But their expressions turned to horror when they identified the bizarre object next to the bed.
“It hurts…”
A giant cross the size of an adult male.
“It hurts… save me…”
Nails were driven through both wrists and heels of a person, securing them to a massive wooden cross.
“It hurts… it hurts… it hurts… save me… it hurts… save me…”
Josephine’s legs gave out, and she slumped to the floor.
“Ugh…!”
Hiasen couldn’t contain the nausea creeping up and collapsed to the ground.
“It hurts… it hurts… it hurts… save me…”
The flesh had already festered and burst, staining everything in a mingled mass of pus and blood, reeking of decay, filling the room.
Yet the prisoner hanging there was—
Desperately far removed from the size of the cross.
“Please… just kill me…”
It’s said that the cries of a three-year-old baby can sometimes be heard in Yvonne Castle.
*
“The Eastern savior, Asha. What an ominous name to give.”
“The East must refer to the Demon Realm.”
“Somewhere beyond the Ice Abyss of Rhinelith and the Sierra Mountains.”
“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”
“Regret? I have no affection for my offspring, nor does she. I have never intended to defy principle in my life, and I won’t in the future.”
“Understood.”
As the steward’s communicator buzzed, he briefly excused himself and answered the call.
[This is the commander of the Dark Fortress Demon Eradication Battalion 101.]
“What’s the mission?”
[Reporting that we have killed Tenebraia at the scene.]
“Good job. I’ll await the written report for the rest.”
[There’s been a bit of trouble elsewhere. You’ll need to come in person for this one, I think.”]
“Trouble? Handle it; I’m busy.”
Does he even know who he’s with right now?
Yet the urgency in the communicator’s voice remained palpable.
[The bloodline of Kaizen is currently in Yvonne Castle.]
