I Don’t Believe in Ghosts, But I Make a Living by Exorcising Them! - Chapter 103
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
I Don’t Believe in Ghosts, But I Make a Living Through Exorcism! Episode 103
Three days that felt like a week passed, and the long-awaited day arrived.
Namely…
The day Harman would visit!
I woke up bright and early at dawn. Even though I got up much earlier than usual, my body felt refreshed.
‘If it weren’t for Emily, I would still be floundering and dancing awkwardly in front of Harman today.’
Now that the actual day had come, I couldn’t remember the difficult three days or the muscle pain at all.
When I opened the door and went out, the manor was in a state of commotion.
Sir Zeros was tending to the garden and Emily had taken out a bunch of teacups for teatime and was polishing them all—
Wait a minute.
Something’s strange.
‘Everyone knows that Harman is coming for dance practice, right?’
But why are they preparing the manor as if the guest will not only have teatime but also take a stroll through the garden and even have dinner before leaving?
Of course, I’m not just going to practice dancing either—I do have something I absolutely must ask Harman today…
“Miss!”
Right, I was wondering where she was.
Bella appeared with both hands full of outfits. As expected, her face was full of excitement.
“Since the Duke is visiting personally, it would be good to wear a gorgeous dress, right? Which one do you think is best?”
I casually glanced down at the outfits in Bella’s hands and my face hardened.
‘These are supposed to be my clothes?’
Dresses with frills all over the sleeves and hem, and dresses so dazzling to look at with tons of jewels embedded in them?
“Bella? I’ve never bought clothes like these.”
The only clothes I bought after moving here were neat dresses with good mobility, weren’t they?
“Oh, the previous Count Helkene couple gave them as gifts when they visited. I forgot to mention it!”
“…”
Well then, I have nothing to say about that.
But still.
“Bella, why did the Duke say he was coming today?”
“Of course to practice dancing… Ah!”
Bella, who had been reciting thoughtlessly, let out an exclamation belatedly. She seemed to finally understand my intention.
I gave new instructions.
“Bring me a dress that looks effortless yet put-together, comfortable enough not to get in the way while dancing.”
“Huh? Um, yes.”
Bella went into the dressing room with a puzzled expression.
I caught a glimpse of dozens more clothes I hadn’t seen before, so there should be at least one like that.
Harman arrived exactly on time as promised.
“Duke, welcome!”
“Lady Siena. Thank you for inviting me.”
A brightly smiling face.
I’ve seen it so often recently, but somehow it feels refreshing. A bright smile burst out in response.
‘Harman had exactly this expression when he first visited me too.’
The expression was similar.
The problem was that the atmosphere I felt was completely different.
The Harman from our first meeting was such a gloomy man that even I felt tense watching him.
‘He’s changed a lot.’
And we’ve grown much closer.
I had that thought anew… but my worry about whether I could do well with dance practice was greater, so it quickly disappeared.
“But Lady. Are you feeling unwell?”
“Huh?”
Asking if I’m sick right after arriving. Harman stared intently at my face with a serious expression.
“Lady’s face is extremely pale. Not only that…”
His gaze moved downward.
“Lady’s legs are trembling slightly. I’m worried that you might be feeling unwell like when I invited you before.”
“Oh, that’s…”
How should I explain this?
His gaze continued to be filled with worry and questions, but I couldn’t answer hastily.
Thanks to preparing early, I leisurely had tea after breakfast, and when my tension suddenly relaxed…
The muscle pain and fatigue I had forgotten about came rushing back rapidly.
Right before Harman’s visit, of all times!
I rolled my eyes around and made eye contact with Emily, who was standing by nearby.
“I was just so excited about today that I practiced dancing a bit too hard. You don’t need to worry, Duke.”
Emily’s pupils visibly shook. Ah, I wasn’t trying to give you a hint.
“I hope you didn’t overdo it too much, Lady. What if you collapse again?”
I didn’t expect such a serious response to what I said.
The worry embedded in Harman’s voice showed no signs of subsiding.
‘It seems that my collapsing at the Duke’s estate before was quite shocking to him.’
I smiled slyly. I heard somewhere that when you have nothing to say, it’s best to cover it with a smile.
“Of course. I’ve greatly reduced my work since that day.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
He seemed a little relieved now.
“I was also very much looking forward to today, so Lady’s words are very reassuring.”
“…”
Why does he keep throwing out these kinds of comments without warning lately?
I forced myself to look away, but I couldn’t block out the gaze I clearly felt from beside me.
“I’ll… show you inside, Duke.”
“Thank you.”
If I stayed here any longer, my face would turn red and then completely ripen, so I hurriedly led the way.
Harman carefully followed me inside.
It was somehow annoying how he threw out such words and then toured the manor as if nothing had happened.
“It seems very different from when I came before.”
“Right? There were rumors that it was a haunted manor, so I thought maybe it was too gloomy and empty overall, so I decorated it a bit.”
I guess when I’m flustered, I tend to ramble and talk a lot…
When Harman casually made a comment, I responded by adding all sorts of explanations. Even gesturing as I spoke.
“The bright atmosphere suits Lady very well.”
Could you please stop making such comments?
I lost my words and closed my mouth.
Meanwhile, Harman continued to look around. As if he was looking for something.
“But Lady.”
“Yes?”
Harman tilted his head slightly and looked at me.
“Where is Bokdeungi?”
“Bokdeungi?”
Ah, right. I had said I would show him Bokdeungi too.
In my determination to somehow invite Harman to my manor, I had used every story that might persuade him.
Saying I would show him Bokdeungi was one of them.
‘He must like dogs more than I thought.’
Seeing how he’s looking for Bokdeungi right after arriving.
I confidently pointed to one spot.
I pointed toward the custom-made doghouse for Bokdeungi.
Around this time, Bokdeungi would always carry his fluffy cushion in his mouth and go sleep there.
“Bokdeungi is over there… Huh?”
No. He’s not there.
Bokdeungi is missing.
When I pointed and looked back belatedly, only a cushion was sitting alone in the dog house.
“Haha, where did Bokdeungi go? He’s usually lying there every day, how strange.”
I scratched the back of my head with my confused hand and looked around.
“Bokdeungi! Where did our cute Bokdeungi go?”
Bokdeungi, who used to come running while barking whenever I called his name, was nowhere to be seen.
Sir Zeros hurriedly set out to find Bokdeungi in his panic, but nothing changed.
I glanced at Harman to gauge his reaction.
Harman was quietly staring at the cute and charming dog house made of red roof and white wood.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, he slowly turned around and looked at me.
“It seems Bokdeungi doesn’t want to meet me.”
He must have been really looking forward to it…
“He took an unusually long walk yesterday, so he’s probably tired. He’ll come out on his own in a bit, so please don’t be too disappointed.”
“I understand.”
Harman’s voice sank. He seemed very disappointed, which made me feel down too.
‘Why is Bokdeungi acting like this today of all days?’
Far from being shy, he’s actually so friendly that it’s a problem.
He was a dog who would run up to anyone we met during walks, hoping they would pet him.
‘…Besides, I had no idea Harman liked dogs this much!’
I was planning to show him Bokdeungi and talk about the questionable things Bokdeungi had been doing.
‘Since I firmly declared that ghosts absolutely don’t exist, and Harman also told me to never believe in ghosts.’
I thought Harman was the only person I could talk to about this.
But my plan got twisted from the very start.
“Duke, shall we start with dance practice first?”
Since there was nothing I could do right now, I hastily changed the subject.
Meanwhile, Sir Zeros was still busily running around looking for Bokdeungi.
The dance practice went quite smoothly.
“Lady. You said you practiced, but I didn’t expect you to improve this much in such a short time.”
“This is my first time dancing with the Duke at a banquet, so I had to do at least this much. I really practiced hard!”
Well, the hellish training wasn’t in vain after all. I felt a bit proud.
After receiving Emily’s intense training, practicing with Harman was like being with an angel!
Unlike Emily, Harman guided me gently.
“Lady Siena. How about we take a break for a moment?”
“But the Duke came all the way here personally, so it’s too early to rest already…”
“I’m worried you might collapse like before if you overdo it.”
Whenever my legs ached and I unconsciously frowned, he noticed and suggested we take a break.
As expected, Harman is a kind person.
“I think you just need to practice leg splits a bit more. You’re doing excellently.”
I was wrong.
Harman is a rude person.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————