ENGDB 12

Chapter 12

Caught in a completely unexpected situation, Irene panicked and hurriedly examined both the chair and her body from every angle.

Watching Whitey puff up and twist around in confusion, Calid roughly guessed how she was feeling.

“Here, Whitey. It’s the book you wanted to read.”

Calid naturally offered the book to Irene as though it were the most normal thing in the world.

And strangely enough, his odd behavior toward her only continued getting worse instead of stopping.

‘What exactly is wrong with Calid lately?’

Irene tilted her head and tried recalling recent events.

A few days ago, while quietly praying beside the suffering Calid and wishing for his pain to end soon, she had suddenly fallen asleep within a warm and gentle energy surrounding her.

Since that day, after wondering whether ghosts could become tired enough to sleep, her senses had somehow grown much sharper.

The soft feeling of wind brushing past her.
The savory smell of food drifting through the air.

Her senses were clearly different from when she first awakened in this place.

And more than anything else, the one who had changed the most lately was Calid.

The way he looked at Irene had become noticeably softer, and whenever few people were around, he openly spoke to her and expressed himself through actions.

And that wasn’t all.

At some point, women’s clothes had gradually started filling the room connected to Calid’s bedroom one by one.

When the room was nearly full, he simply gifted the entire room to Irene.

Though she unexpectedly gained a luxurious room filled with expensive items, she could only stare longingly at things she could not even wear.

‘What exactly is Calid trying to do with these gifts? I can’t even use them…. Is he just telling me to look at them? Is he teasing me?’

On top of that, from morning until night, Calid never let Irene leave his side.

No matter where he went, she accompanied him and shared his daily routine.

And another quiet change slowly arrived.

“Your Highness, your complexion has improved greatly lately.”
“Has it?”
“Yes. More importantly, haven’t your headaches and insomnia improved? You also seem much more relaxed these days.”

The aides and retainers who knew Calid’s condition quickly noticed the changes in him.

Since they had always watched helplessly beside his suffering, this change filled them with relief.

“Your Highness, it’s fortunate that your health seems to be improving. Your health comes first, so please continue resting like this for the time being.”
“And don’t you think Your Highness looks even more handsome lately since he’s not constantly frowning?”
“He was always handsome, but now that he smiles sometimes, he looks absolutely radiant!”

At Assistant Henry’s words, the other retainers glanced suspiciously toward Calid with doubtful expressions.

A smile?
From Calid, who always maintained a cold, expressionless face?

Receiving the intense stares from Sebastian, Henry, and the retainers who had come to report, Calid awkwardly touched his own face.

‘A smile? Ha…. Looks like I’ve completely been consumed by peace.’

Perhaps because he had unconsciously adapted to this peaceful daily life, the sharp edge honed by years of war had softened considerably.

Part of the reason may also have been that the insomnia and headaches that always tormented him had lessened greatly compared to before.

While reading the open book beside him, Irene listened to their conversation and carefully observed Calid.

‘Hmm… now that I think about it, Calid really hasn’t suffered much from headaches or insomnia lately.’

Remembering the days they had spent together recently, Irene quietly nodded in agreement.

And watching Whitey react like that, Calid gently smiled.

“You think I’ve gotten healthier too, don’t you?”

‘Of course! That’s because you didn’t have to see yourself suffering like before.’

Though she sounded grumbly, Calid could somehow sense joy hidden within Whitey’s actions.

However—

The people inside the office suddenly froze completely while staring at Calid smiling and talking to an empty chair.

With bewildered expressions, they exchanged glances and silently tried to understand the current situation.

One of the retainers hurriedly opened his mouth to change the subject.

“W-Well then… the full moon will be arriving soon.”

Unfortunately, the new topic was not much better.

The full moon.

The time when Calid’s mana became the most unstable.

Even though Calid’s pain had lessened recently, the full moon was a completely different matter.

The other retainers shot sharp looks toward the man who brought it up, but Calid calmly answered without his smile fading.

“There is no need to worry. Judging by my condition right now, I think I’ll be fine.”
“T-That’s good to hear then.”

Calid estimated the current state of his mana and concluded that this full moon would likely pass relatively peacefully.

Then his gaze returned to Whitey once more.

After the topic of the full moon came up, Whitey suddenly seemed strangely depressed, almost as though she was worried about him.

For some reason, that made his heart stir oddly.

“There truly is nothing to worry about.”

‘But still…. It’s not like you won’t hurt at all.’

Calid gently comforted the completely drooping Whitey and assured her he was fine.

Meanwhile, the retainers could only continue exchanging nervous glances in confusion.

It was certainly something to celebrate that their lord’s health was improving.

But ever since some point, Calid had started muttering to himself, leaving books open beside his work documents and occasionally flipping through pages while working.

Every time they witnessed his strange behavior, they began worrying in an entirely different way.

However, among all those confused and anxious people, one person remained relatively calm while observing the situation.

The butler, Sebastian.

Sebastian came from a family that had served the Grand Duke’s household for generations, and despite his age, he possessed a sturdy physique and sharp senses.

Because of that, lately he occasionally felt as though he could vaguely see that mysterious existence.

No—
he could see it.

Though he could not make out a clear form, he could definitely tell that something was there.

Even now, it sat in the chair beside Calid, and Sebastian could tell that his master cared deeply about that existence.

Since Sebastian trusted Calid completely, he simply remained silent and watched quietly without showing it.

Still, he worried that if these scenes continued appearing often, unpleasant rumors about Calid might begin spreading.

Ignoring the confusion, shock, and worry of his retainers, Calid simply spent the day as usual—reading documents and occasionally turning the pages of Whitey’s book for her.

Several days later, the long-awaited full moon finally arrived.

Yet contrary to everyone’s tense expectations, the night passed quietly.

‘Calid, are you okay? Aren’t you hurting?’

From morning onward, Irene stayed glued beside him, anxiously checking his condition while staring at the full moon hanging in the sky.

But unlike her fears, Calid remained perfectly calm.

‘You’re not secretly enduring the pain, right? You really are okay?’

“I’m fine. This level is manageable.”

It was true.

Compared to every full moon Calid had suffered through before, this one was almost painless.

Even Calid himself found it strange how unusually stable his mana felt compared to normal full moons.

‘It’s probably because I’ve been spending more time with Whitey….’

At that moment, Calid became convinced his suspicions were correct.

The woman he saw during his previous mana instability had absorbed his mana while emitting warm energy.

Already suspecting Whitey possessed some special ability, Calid had intentionally increased the amount of time they spent together.

And just as he expected, the more time he spent with Whitey, the more his headaches and insomnia faded, and the more stable his mana became.

‘Ha…. It seems Whitey possesses the ability to calm mana. Then she truly does have magical abilities. Her transformation into a woman might also be some imitation of human form. Magic from a monster….’

Once again, Calid revised his definition of Whitey.

From a mere insignificant monster…
to a monster with unknown magical abilities.

Unfortunately, she still failed to escape the category of “monster.”

Completely unaware of Calid’s inner thoughts, Irene remained entirely focused on worrying about him.

‘Calid, I’ll definitely stay beside you tonight too. Being alone while you’re hurting feels so miserable. Even someone like me is better than nobody at all.’

Irene moved closer beside the thoughtful Calid and once again silently prayed that he would not suffer tonight.

Clinging tightly to him, the faint protruding part of her blurry form gently touched the top of Calid’s hand.

Watching Whitey quietly stay beside him, Calid found it difficult to suppress the smile slowly spreading across his lips.

For the first time in his life—

Calid peacefully fell asleep during a full moon.

But that peace shattered the moment morning arrived.