Chapter 24: Volume 4 - CH 3

P. 87

P. 92

“The light of the sun shines like its blessing the newly reborn you. You’re beautiful today too, Teresa.”

Finding out that he easily said the same kind of thing that he always told Lydia to any other girl, it made Lydialose her temper.

“You frivolous man.”

Even if she slapped away his hand with all her might, Edgar didn’t look at all troubled and kept talking like he was used to it. 

“Are you talking about me? Why?”

He might be used to being blamed by women. He must be confident that he could coax her and buy her back. That made her even more furious.

“I can’t believe you would actually try to seduce a ghost! Good lord, you’re like a wild animal. ….How dare you keep up with the engagement, I don’t want to be called the fiancée of a shameful man like that. I’d rather choose to live in the fairy land than marry someone like you!”

Before this, she had been trying to think of a plan to annul their engagement while Kelpie was away. She had completely forgotten about that since now wasn’t the time for that, but if Edgar was here, then Lydia thought it was good timing as she breathed in to yell at him some more.

“Listen closely, Edgar. Since I don’t have to worry about Kelpie hearing us, I’m going to say this straight. Hurry up and say that that engagement wasn’t for real!”

“Uhhh, …..Lydia?”

He couldn’t help but be confused.

P. 93

With a winning smile, Lydia placed her fists on her hips and glared up at him.

“It seems like Lady Teresa is only able to possess me during the night. So it’s useless how ever much you try to seduce her. When it turns morning, I’m going to pretend to be Teresa and tell Mrs. Collins that you’re the most despicable kind of man there is. You understand?”

She was trying to pick a fight with him, and yet, Edgar relaxed his expression like he was relieved. 

Lydia lost her steam at the sorrowing and painful look he was showing her and then was suddenly embraced by him gently.

“I’m so relieved…. I thought I wasn’t going to see you again; I didn’t know what to do.”

You really are good with coming up with such a smart thing to say. Even as she thought that, Lydia was flurried by how she felt like she wanted to cry.

Lydia thought that no one would realize that she was taken away from London and be in a place like this.

She realized at how disappointed she was when the Earl Ashenbert who appeared wasn’t Edgar.

The summer sun that she peered up to over beyond his shoulder felt so bright and then, like a blot of lighting, the thing that Lydia suddenly rose up from her memory was his kind voice.

「I promise to protect you, so there’s nothing to worry about.」

P. 94

He said something like that even yesterday.

Didn’t he try to send his words to Lydia by looking into her eyes which only had Teresa’s consciousness?

Oh, but, that could also be one of his methods. 

It was a fact that he was trying to seduce Teresa who was possessing Lydia. The reason that he came here, was because he was after the spiritualist and so perhaps, he could just have happened to find Lydia. 

Lydia somehow managed to push him away and turned around to leave. 

“Oh, wait, Lydia, you were so passionate when I paid a visit to your room last night, you don’t have to be so cold so sudden.”

Huh? Thought Lydia, and stopped her walk.

That wasn’t me. But…..

“Don’t you want to know how we were like?”

“Wh-wh-what did you do-----!”

When she went up to him again, he gave her a suggestive grin.

*

On that night, it was a different night than what Lydia spent yesterday.

As the sun came up and she grew drowsy, she could sense the same feeling when Teresa was waking up, but because she pledged to herself not to fall asleep, she was able to remain awake.

However, even if her conscious was awake, it was the same situation that she was possessed by Teresa, and Lydia could only watch nervously in great suspense.

She was starting to regret that it might have been comforting for her if she was rather asleep at the dinner seat with the guests that Mrs. Collins had gathered.

The dress that Teresa chose was a flamboyant rose red, which Lydia didn’t think it could possibly suit her, and she didn’t like the perfume she had on either, and was nervous from feeling like she didn’t belong sitting at the dinner. 

On the other hand, Teresa and Mrs. Collins were in an extremely good mood.

Lydia had thought that it was ridiculous to be thinking about seriously marrying a ghost girl who revived, but it looked like the men gathered here were serious. 

It was absolutely comical to see that everyone was ardent on trying to win the affections of daughter Teresa. 

P. 100

But it looked like both Teresa and Mrs. Collins were both satisfied the more they were praised and flattered. 

The enormous dowry that came along with the daughter from the wealthy family must have been necessary in order to rebuild the men’s family finance that was near crumbling, but if that were so, then the existence of the Earl Ashenbert who couldn’t possibly be in trouble with money must sure be disliked by the rest of the company. 

Lydia focused her attention on the blond-haired young man who called himself the earl. He must have had a little too much to drink as he appeared to be full of glee and joy, but he still looked frivolous, and she couldn’t tell if he was acting like the rumored lady’s man earl or not, but Lydia thought he looked weak in the head. 

Even though, Mrs. Collins’ smile was aimed mainly at the earl imposter. 

However, in regards to Teresa, she was distracted about Edgar who was called a viscount here. And in comparison, Edgar wasn’t paying her any attention at all.

Hey, what are you doing talking over to the young boy Oscar sitting next to you. You usually wouldn’t spare a glance at men. 

On top of that, even when Teresa tried to start a conversation with him, he only returned with a halfhearted response. Lydia tilted her head in confusion at where his lines of flattery that at times were too much. 

To begin with, Lydia would be troubled if Teresa got too friendly with another man. Even Edgar had said himself that he wouldn’t let that happen.

And yet, it looked like Teresa was made to be furious at that attitude of Edgar, and openly started to coquet to the other three men. 

P. 101

Oh, now look, she’s made a promise to go out on a boat tomorrow. Which means, I have to go out with this earl imposter?

Looked what you’ve done, Edgar. You’re always doing opposite of what you’re saying. I knew I couldn’t trust you!

Going through this and that, by the time dinner was finally over, Lydia was completely exhausted.

But unrelated to Lydia’s tiredness, Teresa had more than enough energy. 

“I can’t think what the viscount is thinking? He came and made his way into my room yesterday, and acted like he was interested in me, and yet tonight, it’s like he’s completely ignoring me? Oh, Suzy, what do you think?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t know…., I can’t really grasp what the misters are thinking…..”

Teresa, who returned to her room, was pacing around in her room in outrage. 

Her maid Suzy was waiting for her to help her change, as she replied standing troubled.

“Maybe I should start a relationship with the Earl Ashenbert like Mother said.”

You have to be joking, whispered Lydia.

“But, my lady, Viscount Middleworth really is a gentleman who is a toast to one’s eyes. The way he carries himself is like a noble more than anybody else or so I think.”

“Oh, my, do you perhaps have feelings for him?”

P. 102

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P. 116

He titled his head like he had a question about something.

“Viscount, will it be all right for me to trust you? There is no proof that the one who did this is one of you guests.”

“If you were to say that, then I would naturally be suspicious of you, or Mrs. Collins, or the spiritualist that I haven’t seen the face of.”

The young man signed with a hmm.

“To begin with, I thought it was ridiculous and stupid about the talk of reviving Teresa and marrying her off. I will send out a messenger to the town tomorrow and call for the police. If someone feels they would be in trouble by that, then I think it’s best for you to quickly leave. For those guests who aren’t, please make sure and lock your doors and windows to protect yourself. Even if something more were to happen, I’m not taking responsibility.”

“You’re calmer than I expected.”

Oscar looked over towards Edgar with a glare.

“I’ll return the comment right back at you, my lord viscount. For the time being, I am the substitute for the lord of the Collins’family.”

“…….It was a ghost, just like I thought……”

The one who whimpered that was the fake earl.

P. 117

“You remember, about this being a famous place for an ancient battleground. There’s still hatred of the soldiers who died that lingers here….”

“Battleground? Oh, the Battle of Hastings, you mean. The story was that this is the first place in Englandwhich was covered in blood when it was nearly invaded by the Normans.”

“That’s quite the old story, but if it were about ghosts, then it might be best if we ask for a word of advice from the spiritualist.”

“She has long gone off to bed. It seems she’s always goes to sleep early. If one of the ghosts that is controlled by her was the perpetrator, then it might be useless even if you lock your doors.”

Just when Oscar turned around to leave, Teresa suddenly began to tremble and shake. 

It seemed like she was aimlessly listening to their conversation, but her reaction was so sudden. 

Lydia was also enveloped by a bad feeling. For some unknown reason, she was filled with fear and blood rushed out of her face and she became dizzy. She helped herself by crouching down.

“Oh, my, my lady, what is the matter?”

Suzy let out a scream, and Edgar, who noticed came over to her and steadied her shoulder. 

“Teresa, are you all right?”

“Yes……, I just feel a little unwell….”

“This isn’t the type of thing that a young woman should witness. It’s best that you return to your room.”

She obediently leaned up against Edgar who steadied her up.

Like I said, don’t use every opportunity to hang onto him.

P. 118

Lydia used her left hand to make a gap between the two of them, but when she felt Edgar’s warm hand on her shoulder, then she recalled the situation from earlier and her body started to heat up when she remembered how they were nearly pushing their boundaries.

Joining with her feelings of sickness, she became dizzy.

At this rate, she wouldn’t know what kind of attitude she should take when she was going to meet Edgar tomorrow. 

“You let Teresa be taken away by him. Are you all right with that?”

Oscar’s voice could be heard as he spoke to the fake earl from behind them.

*

After Edgar escorted Teresa back to her room, he arrived to his room and was inspecting the handkerchief that she had given him. 

“Is something the matter, Lord Edgar.”

Raven, who had just returned from his rounds in inspecting inside the house, walked over to Edgar who sat in deep thought.

“Wouldn’t you normally stitch your name into a handkerchief?”

“Oh, yes, I suppose.”

“No matter how I look at it, the initials that she stitched on the side of the clover look like an M, not a T.”

“She claims to have no memory about herself. Maybe she didn’t intend it to be her initials.”

P. 119

“Yes, maybe so. But, however, even if she didn’t remember about herself when she was alive and she were to be the ghost of Teresa, then there would be a part of her character not like anyone else that remained, right? Like her personality and her tastes. She wanted to put in needlework on a plain white handkerchief, and she chose this design, then maybe this is her real character.”

The ghost inside of Lydia, may not be Teresa. It was unimaginable for Teresa, who had died at five years old to be able to come up with doing needlework and even perform such a perfect job.

If her initial was actually M, then..

He had a feeling like something important was hidden behind that, but he couldn’t recall what it was.

Edgar gave up and turned around to look over towards Raven.

“Did the letter from Paul arrive?”

Yes, replied Raven and took out a letter from his inner coat pocket. 

It was the one that he went to get from the town post office before sundown.

It was the report about the findings on the investigation that he had asked, but they still reported that they hadn’t come up with anything and were investigating about the real identity of the man who was using the name of Earl Ashenbert. Even the two Baronets were using fake names. He didn’t know if they were possibly Ulysses or they were just con-artists after the family fortune. 

There was another report that caught his eye. 

By trailing after the money-lender from earlier, they were able to find out that the man named Ulysses who was said to work for Prince, had been on the ship, Venus that had arrived in London a month ago. And on that same passenger list, the name Oscar Collins was listed.

Mr. Collins’ younger brother was operating a business in America. Oscar was his son. The reason for his trip to England was to study-abroad starting this fall.

“Raven, do you think this is a coincidence?”

“So there is a possibility that Oscar and Ulysses had already met aboard the ship. So perhaps Ulysses decided to use Oscar from then.”

“If anything, I have a feeling like he actually got on the same ship, with Oscar in mind. Most likely, in order to get close to the Collins family.”

“So it was part of Prince’s plan to get the Collins family involved in this.”

“It must be. He has gone through quite some trouble in his preparations, and it looks like cornering me isn’t the only goal they had in mind.”

Then, Edgar turned his eyes towards the note that was quickly scribbled on the corner of the letter. 

“It looks like they got information in regards to that as well. It seems they weren’t able to include all of it in the letter, Raven, will you go to the town again tomorrow? There should be someone from the ‘Scarlet Moon’ whose coming.”

Yes, he said and nodded.

Oscar Collins. He was just a sixteen year old boy. He wondered if the boy was being used without knowing anything about Ulysses’ plan.

P. 120

He said that he didn’t trust the spiritualist that had revived Teresa, but perhaps it was Ulysses who was making him say that. 

He wanted to believe that Oscar wouldn’t have a reason that would make him play a part in deceiving Mrs. Collins who was his aunt, but if there was a possibility that he was being made to move to that man’s wish, then Edgar had to be careful.

However, then would could Ulysses be. 

With only this much information, it was hard to decide on who.

As Edgar mulled that over in his head, he held the letter over the fire of the lamp to burn it away.

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