NOVEL NEXT Chapter 97
“You…”
“This way, no one will suspect anything, right?”
Rania—or rather, the person now mimicking her appearance—spread her arms like a model on a runway, spinning in place. Camilla could only gape in stunned silence at the surreal sight before her.
“…Wow.”
In all her life, Camilla had never seen anything so bizarre. The process of a human body grotesquely melting and reforming into a new shape was easily among the most horrifying things she’d ever witnessed.
“If you’re going to pretend to be me, what about Rania?”
If Rania suddenly disappeared, wouldn’t people start looking for her?
“I’ll just make one.”
“Make one?”
“You saw, didn’t you? It’s not exactly difficult.”
“……”
“If I can live perfectly as you, then who cares about Rania? I’ll just create a corpse that looks like her, throw it into the river, and that’ll be the end of it.”
Does she think human lives are some kind of disposable commodity?
Camilla couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
“Well, I’m off.”
The imitation waved cheerfully before walking out. Only after her figure vanished completely did Camilla let out a long, weary sigh.
‘What am I supposed to do now?’
She had pretended to remain calm in front of them, but in truth, she was overwhelmed. What could she possibly do in this situation?
Her eyes drifted to the side.
Standing there was the water ghost, Bess, staring blankly at the boy who was now following the imposter outside.
“Bess.”
Camilla called her name, but there was no response.
“Bess!”
[…….]
It wasn’t until Camilla raised her voice that Bess finally turned her hollow gaze toward her.
“Go find Derin.”
[…Derin?]
“The old ghost at my house. Tell him what’s happening right now. And Arsi—”
Camilla stopped mid-sentence.
At the moment, contacting Derin or another ghost to inform Arsion was the only plan she could think of. At the very least, Arsion was capable of sensing ghosts.
‘But would it work?’
There were far too many potential complications.
‘Would Arsion even leave Derin alone?’
Arsion wasn’t the type to tolerate ghosts lingering near him.
Moreover, Derin couldn’t communicate directly with him. Bringing Arsion to where Camilla was now would be no small task.
‘But if Derin learns about this situation, he won’t just sit back.’
He’d undoubtedly try to contact Arsion, hovering around him persistently. And if that behavior annoyed Arsion enough to lead to Derin’s destruction…
“Haah.”
Camilla shook her head, quickly discarding the plan.
“Where’s Rania?”
The Duke of Sorpel, seated at the dining table for breakfast, noticed her empty chair and voiced his confusion.
“Oh, Rania didn’t come back last night.”
“Didn’t come back? What do you mean?”
“I’m sorry, Father. You arrived late yesterday, so I couldn’t inform you.”
“Are you saying she spent the night elsewhere?”
“Yes.”
“Where is she now?”
“She said she met an old friend she was close to as a child.”
“A friend?”
“Yes, and she asked me to let you know that she plans to stay at their house for a few days.”
“Hmm.”
Though his expression remained composed, his brow furrowed slightly. No matter how close the friendship, the idea of staying at someone else’s home for several days unsettled him.
“Rania will handle it responsibly, I’m sure.”
“…Very well.”
With a quiet sigh, the Duke finally settled into his seat and picked up his utensils.
“Father.”
His hand froze mid-motion as Camilla called out to him.
Why…
A shiver ran down his spine. Her voice carried a weight that unsettled him, though he couldn’t understand why.
“Do you have something to say?” he asked, masking his unease with calm indifference.
“Where’s Brother Ludville?”
“You didn’t hear?”
The question was answered by Ravi, who sat across from the Duke, his tone tinged with mild annoyance.
“He said yesterday he’d be away for a few days for training.”
Camilla tilted her head slightly, a curious smile tugging at her lips.
“Did he?”
“Yes, you were right there when he told you.”
“Oh, I must’ve forgotten.”
“…Why are you smiling like that?” Ravi pressed, narrowing his eyes.
Camilla’s radiant smile deepened.
“It’s just… I’m in a good mood today.”
“…Weird.”
Ravi muttered under his breath, unsettled by her uncharacteristic cheerfulness.
“Enjoy your breakfast,” Camilla said, turning her attention to the steaming stew in front of her, still smiling.
***
“Arison!”
At the training grounds, Arison had just finished sparring and was washing up at a nearby water trough when he heard the familiar voice. He turned to find Camilla approaching, a towel in hand.
“Here. You’ll catch a cold with wet clothes.”
“…Thanks.”
He took the towel and began drying his hair slowly, his gaze fixed on her.
“Hot day, isn’t it?”
“…”
“Training in this weather must be tough.”
With a sigh, Arison finally spoke.
“Yeah, it’s exhausting.”
“Want me to grab you a cold drink?”
Before he could respond, she had already darted off with a cheerful “Wait here!”
“…Damn it.”
Arison lowered the towel, revealing a face twisted in frustration. His hand clenched the fabric as his irritation boiled over.
“What’s going on?”
Suppressing the surge of murderous intent that threatened to escape, he took a deep breath to steady himself.
“Arison!”
Camilla returned moments later, holding a fresh fruit juice.
“Here, drink this!”
Arison accepted the drink but merely held it, his sharp gaze locked on her.
“What were you doing yesterday?”
“Yesterday?”
“I heard you skipped your afternoon classes.”
“Oh, I had something to take care of.”
“What?”
“Just meeting someone.”
“Who?”
“An acquaintance.”
“From where?”
“…Why do you ask?”
Realizing his voice had risen, Arison caught himself and sighed deeply, but his expression remained tense.
“Hey, it’s Petro!”
Camilla suddenly called out, spotting someone behind him. She hurried toward the figure, leaving Arison to scowl after her.
“Petro!”
The approaching swordsman paused, his surprise flickering across his face before he softened into a gentle smile.
“You look overheated. Would you like some of this? I haven’t touched it yet.”
“Ah…”
Petro’s smile deepened as he alternated his gaze between the drink and Camilla.
“I must demand compensation.”
“Pardon?”
“For making my heart flutter, even for a moment.”
“What do you mean?”
“The price will be steep…”
Swish!
The sound of a blade cutting through the air filled the space.
“…!”
Camilla gasped, the juice slipping from her hands as her gaze fell to her severed strands of hair, fluttering to the ground.
“Who are you?” Petro asked, his tone calm but laced with deadly precision.
“What… what are you saying?”
“Recently, she hasn’t called me by name so sweetly. For a moment, I was deceived.”
“Petro, what are you talking about—”
Shing!
The edge of Petro’s sword pressed against her throat, silencing her. His gentle smile only made the threat more chilling.
“Let me ask again: who are you?”
“Hey!”
A new voice cut through the tension. Arison stepped between them, his dark expression betraying his usual composure.
“Arison!”
Tears welled in her eyes, thinking Arison had come to defend her.
“Petro was—”
“Shut it,” Arison interrupted. His cold words made her falter, and the tears in her eyes froze in place.
“We need answers,” Arison growled. “If this thing is running loose, it means something’s happened to her.”
“I agree. Trash like this shouldn’t be walking free.”
“What if it refuses to talk?”
“Plenty of ways to make it talk. Torture, for instance.”
“You’re insane.”
“Hey, it works.”
The woman’s face grew pale as the tension between the two men grew thicker.
“Speak.” Petro’s blade pressed harder against her skin. “Where is she?”
“I-I…”