“Ugh, I’m gonna die…”
As I stepped back into the room, my eyes caught the mirror on the wall. My normally pale face had turned an unsettling shade of bluish-white. Not surprising, considering this was my fifth trip back from the bathroom.
It all started when I went back to the kitchen to clear away the soup bowls I’d used with Kalz. That’s when I spotted the jug of warm milk sitting on the counter. My mouth still burned from the spicy soup, and seeing the milk, I felt it was too much of a waste to leave it untouched. So, impulsively, I’d downed the entire jug right there. That was my mistake. My stomach instantly twisted and turned inside out.
After the explosive first battle, intermittent waves kept me running to the bathroom repeatedly. By now, my legs were drained, and even standing felt unbearably exhausting.
Who knew the ticket to fiery hell I’d intended for the Beast would actually end up being mine—a direct pass to double-layered fiery hell, burning from both ends.
“Let’s just live honestly from now on…”
Mumbling that forgotten wisdom like a desperate prayer, I crawled weakly back under the covers. But not even a minute later, another painful surge came rushing back. Seriously, I was going insane.
To make matters worse, in the midst of this embarrassing ordeal I couldn’t tell anyone about, midnight had silently slipped by. The rhythmic ticking of the clock filled my ears, bringing back a conversation I’d once had with Butler Squawk:
“By any chance, Briel, do you believe in ghosts?”
“Ghosts? Hmm, I guess it’s possible.”
“Then I advise you not to leave your room after midnight.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well… there are rumors about something appearing in this castle.”
Ever since arriving here, I’d never dared open my door after midnight. But today was a crisis—I couldn’t withstand the relentless stabbing pain any longer.
“Sleep it off. Sleep will fix everything.”
I desperately squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force myself into sleep, but the agony only intensified. My body’s heroic resistance was approaching its limit.
I had to make a choice: primal fear or basic human dignity. Finally, I staggered out of bed.
“It’s just for a second. I’ll rush to the bathroom and come straight back.”
Muttering useless excuses to no one in particular, I opened the door. The hallway, shrouded in darkness, felt chillingly unfamiliar. Yet the fear vanished quickly under the urgency of the pain. Relying on my small lantern, I dashed through the corridor.
“Phew… now I can finally breathe again.”
Thankfully, this seemed to mark the end of the tomato soup and milk’s cruel revolt. My stomach felt significantly lighter. Yet, as the relief subsided, a creeping dread slowly took its place.
I need to hurry back. Picking up my pace, I unintentionally glanced out the window through a gently swaying curtain.
I shouldn’t have done that.
Hanging high in the perfectly clear night sky was a flawless, luminous full moon.
“Especially on full moon nights, sightings have been quite frequent. Just something to keep in mind…”
Of all nights, seriously… I bit my lower lip and quickened my pace. My body was completely drained; it was a miracle I could even walk straight. Finally, my familiar bedroom door appeared in the distance.
Rustle.
A faint noise drifted to my ears. So soft, it could’ve easily been ignored.
Rustle, rustle.
But when even the smallest sound repeats itself, you can’t brush it off as mere imagination.
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
It was the steady sound of something moving, coming from down the staircase.
Could someone else be awake at this hour? But all the servants’ rooms were on the second and third floors.
“…”
I faced another decision: investigate the source of the sound or quietly retreat to my room and lock the door. Honestly, the latter felt infinitely more appealing.
But if I went straight inside without checking, I knew I’d spend the entire night trembling, haunted by the unknown—terrified that whatever was out there might stand right outside my door.
“Come on. It’s probably just a mouse or something.”
Ghosts wouldn’t make noise when they moved, right? Thankfully, animals weren’t scary. Animals were adorable.
Right, let’s confirm it clearly. Then I can go to bed with peace of mind.
Having resolved myself, I cautiously approached the staircase. Halfway down, I softly called into the darkness below.
“…Is someone there?”
My heart was split evenly—half hoping for a response, half dreading it. I waited anxiously, but no answer came.
Just a mouse, then. I continued down the stairs, the rustling sound growing louder.
Rustle, rustle.
Wait… wasn’t the noise getting closer?
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
No, it definitely was approaching.
My shoulders stiffened, and I forgot to breathe. At that moment, I caught movement from the corner of my eye. Instinctively, I turned my head. Under the lantern’s dim glow, a faint shadow appeared. Even in the darkness, I recognized it immediately.
“Oh, it’s just a person…”
Relief flooded my body, my tense muscles relaxing all at once. But that relief vanished instantly, replaced by sudden horror.
There weren’t any humans in this castle.
The only living human here was me.
My blood froze in an instant.
Just then—
“Ah.”
As if noticing my lantern, the figure quickly turned and rushed straight toward me.
Rustle-rustle-rustle.
Even in the dark, I clearly saw white hair, a pale face, and robes billowing like smoke—and beneath that…
Nothing at all.
It had no lower body.
Just as its smiling face and outstretched hand nearly touched me, a single scream escaped my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut, consciousness slipping away immediately afterward.
I remembered nothing more.
***
“Master, you truly make life difficult. How many times must I remind you not to leave your room on nights with a full moon? Yet you insist—”
“Enough already. Let me remind you, it wasn’t me who went wandering—it was him. You know full well I can’t control myself when I’m in that state.”
The hour was later than usual, but Almond’s nagging echoed through the study as always. Kalz irritably narrowed his eyes, muttering under his breath.
“Then you should have clearly warned him not to roam around at night.”
“I already warned him,” Almond sighed. “It seems Briel momentarily forgot.”
“Then it’s fine,” Kalz replied dismissively. “Now that he’s experienced it firsthand, he’ll definitely be more careful. Anyway, why are you so worked up? I was the one doing all the heavy lifting.”
Almond scoffed openly at Kalz’s protest.
“You call carrying a fainted Briel back to his room heavy lifting? The real problem starts now—figuring out how to manage this mess. That’s my responsibility from this point forward. Ah, how am I supposed to explain this away?”
“Do we really need an explanation? He looked pretty convinced he’d seen an actual ghost.”
“And that’s precisely the problem. What if he gets terrified and refuses to work here anymore? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just tell him the truth—that the so-called ‘ghost’ is actually you, Master, returning to your human form on nights of the full moon?”
“Absolutely not,” Kalz said firmly. “I can’t trust someone who might leave at any moment.”
“Then what exactly am I supposed to do? If Briel genuinely tries to quit, will we have to raise his salary again? It’s already quite generous. There’s still so much work to be done—I can’t afford to lose him now…”
As Almond muttered anxiously, Kalz recalled the shocked expression on Briel’s face from earlier.
“He…he has no legs!”
Briel’s stunned whisper, followed immediately by that dolphin-like shriek and dramatic collapse, replayed vividly in Kalz’s mind.
“Pfft!”
Even now, the memory made him laugh uncontrollably.
No legs? Had his black trousers blended so perfectly into the shadows beneath his white shirt that his lower half had seemed completely missing?
Even when dawn broke and Kalz had carried Briel back like a sack of flour, the man hadn’t regained consciousness. Just how startled must he have been to stay unconscious for that long?
Kalz wondered if Briel would even clearly remember last night’s incident. Perhaps he’d brush it off as some bizarre dream—which, honestly, would be hilarious.
“…You seem amused, Master.”
“Hm?”
Kalz, lost in thought about Briel, had momentarily forgotten he was still in conversation with Almond. The butler’s beak twisted slightly, betraying irritation.
“Is my impending hardship really so entertaining?”
“Oh dear, you must be truly exhausted, Almond, seeing things now? Perhaps I should prepare you some medicine.”
“No, thank you. I’m not interested in medicine from the very source of my headaches.”
Almond turned his head away, feigning annoyance. But deep down, he felt a surge of relief. The master’s laughter hadn’t been mockery directed at him. Almond, who had spent years observing Kalz closely, was certain of it.
Clearly, the master had been thinking of Briel.
Almond had been worried Kalz might have completely forgotten how to smile. But lately—and particularly since Briel arrived—the master’s expression had noticeably softened.
Unlike the stale atmosphere permeating the castle, Briel brought vitality that was slowly but surely thawing Kalz’s frozen heart.
Almond had taken a gamble when he brought Briel into the castle, thinking he had nothing to lose. But now, he felt a spark of genuine hope:
Perhaps his decision to keep Briel might truly change the fate of not just Kalz, but everyone who lived within these castle walls.
