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Chapter 2
When Tiya was four, she drew a picture called “Our Family.”
There were always four people in it.
First, her second brother, Lev Vladijev, who was weak and sickly.
He would jump at the smallest noise, but to Tiya, he was the bravest person in the world—because he could swallow bitter medicine without a single complaint.
Not only that.
“Shh. You have to stay quiet. I’m giving this only to you.”
Whenever Tiya visited him, Lev would secretly hide candy and slip it into her mouth when adults weren’t looking.
The candy was warm and sticky from his hand, but to Tiya, nothing in the world tasted sweeter.
Second was her eldest brother, Rodion Vladijev, seven years older than her.
On the day Tiya left for the North, Rodion had hung onto the carriage window and promised over and over again:
“Tiya, while you’re living with Grandmother in the North, I’ll come to get you. Until then, you have to be really, really happy, okay?”
Tiya kept that promise close to her heart, like saving the last cookie to eat slowly.
Every night, she thought about her brother’s words to endure her strange, lonely life in the North.
Third was her mother, who had passed away due to illness.
Even while her body was weak and fading, her mother had held her close and told her stories about her father.
“Your father is actually a big crybaby. On the day you were born, he cried so much.”
But unlike her mother’s stories, Tiya had never seen her father smile—let alone cry.
Still, whenever she drew his face, she always drew him smiling, using her imagination.
Now that Tiya was eight, her picture of “Our Family” had someone new—her grandmother.
Grand and enormous, like she could swallow the whole family in one bite, but warm and strong.
Tiya hugged the picture to her chest the whole ride to the capital.
Maybe it was the excitement of finally seeing her family again, but the long journey didn’t feel hard at all.
At last, Tiya arrived at the capital. But instead of her family, she was greeted by…
“Master is currently at the palace. He’ll return around dawn.”
“First Young Master has extended his stay at the Academy. He’ll return in a month.”
“Second Young Master is unwell and does not wish to see anyone for the time being…”
Only unfamiliar servants welcomed her.
‘I guess everyone is really busy.’
Tiya didn’t feel too disappointed. Instead, she explored the house.
It had been four years since she left, and many things had changed. There was so much to see.
But on the third day, she started to wonder.
“Are they… avoiding me?”
Rodion was still away. Lev was sick. But what about her father?
She hadn’t seen his face even once—not even his shadow.
Why?
The answer came quickly.
‘It’s because I’m still not a Spirit User.’
Tiya pulled out a necklace with a Spirit Stone from under her collar.
They said Spirit Stones could summon spirits.
But, as always, no spirit appeared.
‘It’s okay! I’m a Vladijev child too. One day, I’ll become a Spirit User for sure!’
She reassured herself with courage, like always.
If she became a Spirit User, her father would be proud of her.
He would come see her. He would praise her.
And maybe…
That night, while wandering the mansion, she stopped suddenly.
‘That room…’
“The one where a ghost appears?”
She had heard about it many times from the servants, whispering as they pointed.
“That’s the room where the ghost lives.”
“A ghost? Really?”
“It’s true. You know Sofia, right? The maid who used to serve Madam? She said that room is haunted. You must never go inside.”
It was always locked. But tonight, the door was open.
At that moment, Tiya didn’t think about the ghost.
She remembered what a maid named Erin had secretly told her last night.
“You know, young lady? They say there’s something very precious hidden in that room.”
“Precious?”
“Yes. A Spirit Egg.”
A Spirit Egg—something said to turn whoever possessed it into a Spirit User.
Tiya had dreamed about it for so long.
Even after four years of searching the northern forests, she had never found one.
‘I want to see what it looks like.’
She knew she shouldn’t go in, but she couldn’t stop her feet from moving.
Tiptoeing into the dark room, past dusty furniture covered with white sheets, she saw it—
Inside a glass-like magical barrier, glowing faintly—
The Spirit Egg.
Tiya stared at it, captivated. She felt like she could watch it until morning.
“Wow…”
Tiya wanted to touch it, but she clenched her fists tightly and held herself back.
“Why did they put the Spirit Egg here? Well, I heard it can be used for medicine in the future.”
Still, she couldn’t stay still. She made a little megaphone with her hands and whispered to the egg.
“Spirit… could you introduce me to just one friend? I’m really a good kid, you know?”
Right at that moment—
Click. Clack.
The door behind her closed, and she heard the sound of a lock turning.
“H-Hey! Tiya is inside here!”
She ran to the door and shouted, but it was already tightly shut.
It was late at night. The servants were too scared of the ghost stories to come near this place.
In other words, she was trapped.
Inside the room where a ghost was said to appear.
At night.
All alone.
“Hmph! T-There’s no such thing as ghosts anyway.”
Tiya snorted and looked around the dark room, then crouched in a corner.
When would someone notice she was gone?
Probably Erin, the maid who tucked her in every night, would be the first to notice.
‘So I just have to wait until then.’
She waited and waited.
Sleep time came, and her eyelids grew heavy.
She buried her forehead into her knees and mumbled like a child fighting sleep.
“Erin, are you coming soon…?”
<…Did you just say Erin…?>
“Huh? Yes, I’m waiting for Erin…”
The next moment, Tiya’s sleepy eyes flew wide open.
‘Erin came to find me!’
She quickly lifted her head.
Right in front of her were winter boots.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she looked up along the tall figure to see their face.
“…!”
Goosebumps prickled all over her body.
It was a face half-hidden by a black veil—like the one she saw at her mother’s funeral.
The tall figure stood like the god of death, dressed in pitch-black clothes.
But most of all…
‘I-I can see through them!’
Through the faint figure standing under the moonlight, she could see the room behind them.
Just like a…
<Why now of all times…? Things just got complicated.>
…just like a ghost from the rumors.
“Kyaaaaa! A g-ghost!”
Tiya screamed and scooted back on her bottom.
The ghost simply clicked its tongue and spoke.
<There’s no time, so I’ll keep it short. You’ve fallen into a trap.>
“Kyaaaa! A trap!”
<Tonight, a thief will come to steal the Spirit Egg.>
“Kyaaaa! A thie— Wait, did you say thief?”
Her instincts caught onto that unfair word. Tiya suddenly stopped screaming and looked back at the Spirit Egg.
Thankfully, it was still there.
<For now,> the ghost added, as if reading her mind.
<If I hadn’t woken you up, tomorrow morning they would’ve found an empty display… and you asleep right beside it. You’d be accused of stealing it.>
A ghost. A trap. And now, a thief’s false accusation.
Tiya pinched her cheek to check if this was a dream.
“Ow!” It hurt a lot.
Rubbing her red cheek, she asked,
“H-How do you know all that?”
She didn’t have to wait for an answer.
Clack. Click—
From beyond the locked door came a faint rattling, like a mouse gnawing… or someone secretly picking the lock.
The ghost was telling the truth!
