I Don’t Believe in Ghosts, But I Make a Living by Exorcising Them! - Chapter 47

—————
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 047

 

“If word gets out, I’ll lose customers, so only you should know about this, Duke!”

 

After saying that, I felt much more relieved.

 

Having said just those two sentences, I collapsed into the chair with a completely drained expression.

 

‘Maybe I actually wanted to tell the truth.’

 

It was quite meaningful that I had revealed this to the very first person who came to me asking to confirm if there were ghosts.

 

I sprawled in the chair and looked at Harman with satisfaction.

 

Harman’s gaze, staring intently at me, grew darker.

 

But for some reason.

 

He looked angry.

 

“Is that the truth you speak of, Lady?”

 

“…Pardon?”

 

Something about the atmosphere felt strange.

 

Harman’s lips curved up slightly as usual, but it didn’t feel like he was actually smiling.

 

What? Didn’t you already know?

 

Did I misunderstand something?

 

“Yes, there are no ghosts…”

 

My voice became hesitant and grew so quiet toward the end that it was barely audible.

 

As I stiffened and pressed my back firmly against the chair’s backrest, he pressed his eyelids as if tired.

 

‘Ah, even though I had resolved to tell him, he was someone who was suffering because of ghosts, so maybe it was too sudden.’

 

It would certainly be hard to believe.

 

I should have just said it more seriously.

 

Speaking so cheerfully wasn’t a good idea.

 

Then, Harman pointed somewhere.

 

“Then what is that?”

 

Where his fingertip pointed was.

 

On my shoulder…

 

“Oh, it’s just a leaf!”

 

I brushed off the leaf that had settled on my clothes. I quickly caught the leaf as it fluttered down.

 

My goodness.

 

How long had such a large leaf been stuck there?

 

Why didn’t I notice?

 

“Just how long… surely it wasn’t there from the beginning, was it?”

 

Harman’s index finger folded very slowly. His slightly parted lips also closed.

 

It must have been there from the beginning.

 

How embarrassing.

 

“Oh, Duke! Did you know that if you dry leaves, they make pretty bookmarks?”

 

“…”

 

Right, you don’t have to answer.

 

You’ll need time to think about it.

 

‘Honestly, it doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not. Bella absolutely doesn’t believe it either.’

 

Since I had indeed lied, I could understand feeling somewhat betrayed to a certain extent.

 

Still, I hoped he wouldn’t say we should never see each other again…

 

‘He said I could speak honestly, so I trusted him and told the truth.’

 

Let’s not think about it anymore. I deliberately focused on the leaf in my hand.

 

‘It’s a red maple leaf.’

 

As I turned the maple leaf this way and that, quite a romantic memory came to mind.

 

“It’s a red maple leaf, so it would be perfect for making a bookmark.”

 

“That’s right. It would make a beautiful… bookmark.”

 

I had only muttered something close to talking to myself, but a gentle voice responded.

 

I unconsciously looked up. My eyes met with Harman’s, who was looking at me with a bright smile.

 

Thud.

 

The maple leaf fell helplessly from my hand.

 

I didn’t know what kind of thoughts Harman had been wrestling with, or what conclusion he had reached.

 

However, his smile was beautiful to the point of being harmless, and it seemed to mean he believed me to some extent.

 

‘…’

 

After being dazed for a moment, I smiled brightly in return.

 

If I had known that the corners of his mouth were twitching like crazy, I wouldn’t have done that.

 

* * *

 

“I apologize, Lady Siena.”

 

“Yes? What do you mean?”

 

“It’s an excuse, but since I made the reservation hastily, the restaurant’s quality didn’t seem quite satisfactory.”

 

“…I thought it was wonderful though?”

 

“Is that so. You left food on your plate, so I thought it didn’t suit Lady’s taste.”

 

But Duke, you’re the one who didn’t even touch your food.

 

I looked back and forth between Harman’s plate, which looked no different from when it first came out, and my plate with only one or two pieces of asparagus left.

 

“Still, I’ll treat you to better food next time. If Lady doesn’t mind, it would be nice to dine together at the Monteville Ducal Estate.”

 

“That would be such an honor for me, Duke.”

 

Harman smiled softly.

 

Could it be that his expression had been somewhat dark since earlier because of that?

 

‘From now on, I should eat everything without leaving anything…’

 

It probably wasn’t my imagination that the Former Countess came to mind, who used to chatter beside me saying “try this” and “try that.”

 

Our steps became noticeably slower after leaving the restaurant.

 

It felt like we were lost, not knowing where to go.

 

After hesitating for a moment, Harman turned around.

 

“Lady, you said there are no… ghosts, didn’t you.”

 

“Yes, I did.”

 

“So, does that mean purchasing items today would be pointless?”

 

…Ah! So that’s why he was hesitating?

 

Harman seemed like he didn’t completely believe my words, but he looked willing to trust me.

 

With Bella, no matter how many times I told her ghosts don’t exist, she absolutely wouldn’t believe me!

 

‘You really are a good person.’

 

Feeling somewhat touched, I rubbed my nose. Before my eyes could well up with tears, I hurriedly spoke.

 

“I think it would be good to buy the items. Even if the ghost-related rumors aren’t because of ghosts, they didn’t arise for no reason.”

 

“What do you… mean?”

 

“Well…”

 

I was about to speak but hastily stopped.

 

The restaurant had been empty, but now we were on the street where quite a few people were walking around.

 

It wouldn’t hurt to be careful.

 

Pretending not to notice, I even made eye contact with Harman’s guard knights who were following us from a distance.

 

I stood on my tiptoes to reach Harman, who was standing there blankly. Covering my mouth with my hand, I whispered.

 

“It’s all because things are old. The creaking doors and broken clock sounds. If you think about it, aren’t they all things that haven’t been repaired in ages?”

 

“…”

 

From my angle, I could only see his profile, so I couldn’t examine Harman’s expression in detail.

 

However, I was certain that his jet-black pupils were visibly shaking.

 

Harman’s expression, which kept changing moment by moment today, was quite refreshing.

 

“If you buy new things, those rumors will completely disappear. Ah! This is obviously a secret too.”

 

After confidently driving the point home, I lowered myself from my tiptoes. A satisfied smile escaped me.

 

As expected, Harman didn’t say anything for quite a while.

 

This time too, I wanted to examine his face, but constantly sneaking glances wouldn’t be polite.

 

I deliberately looked around conspicuously.

 

“For now, just try replacing simple things.”

 

Hmm, today…

 

That would be good!

 

‘Since it’s the first day, it would be enough to buy items that are useful in daily life and small in size.’

 

When I opened the door of the shop that caught my eye, the bell made a jingling sound.

 

By the time I entered the shop and was rattling around with items, a large shadow fell beside me.

 

Harman was looking down at me with a face that showed he didn’t understand.

 

“You’re buying dishes?”

 

“Yes, they’re items we use every day, aren’t they?”

 

The shop we entered was a dish shop.

 

It just happened to catch my eye first, but it seemed like quite a good choice.

 

Not only were they items that were useful in daily life and small, but there were also ghost-related rumors about dishes at the Monteville Ducal Estate.

 

“When I went to the Duke’s estate before, I heard the maids talking. They said dishes break frequently.”

 

“…The maids said that?”

 

“Yes, the strange thing is they don’t break when they’re brought to the Duke’s dining table, but they break like that in the kitchen.”

 

Harman’s complexion darkened. His voice also became momentarily choked.

 

He probably didn’t know the servants’ hardships were that serious.

 

But it’s okay.

 

“But isn’t this rumor too flimsy?”

 

“Pardon? Lady, what do you mean.”

 

“If dishes are going to break, they’d naturally break in the kitchen, why would they go all the way to the dining table to break.”

 

“….”

 

“It’s a very simple story.”

 

At times like this, it’s good to throw in a light joke that loosens up the situation.

 

“They just break from accumulated impact because they’re old. Since everyone moves carefully at the dining table, they break in the kitchen where they’re handled relatively casually.”

 

I picked up a dish without hesitation.

 

It was a blue dish that had caught my eye from the moment we entered the shop, looking as if it were made from ground sapphire.

 

‘I like it.’

 

Why?

 

Because it was a brilliant blue that perfectly reminded me of Harman’s blue eyes!

 

“Duke, how about this dish? Doesn’t it remind you of something?”

 

Harman slowly lowered his eyes.

 

Even though his eyelids half-covered his eyes as he examined the dish, his blue eyes sparkled clearly.

 

I momentarily lost my words and stared at his jewel-like sparkling eyes.

 

As expected, compared to the dish…

 

“This much can’t really express your eyes, Duke.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Harman’s eyes wavered restlessly.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————