HH Chapter 25

“Yes, come in.”

Knock, knock. 

Chahyun responded to the knock at the door, and it clicked open.

“Guest, your meal is rea…….”

“…….”

“…….”

Yur’s jaw dropped, her words trailing off as her eyes met Haylan’s, who was sitting on Chahyun’s lap.

Our Young Master, why is he here…?!

Her eyes darted between the two, silently screaming. Haylan, feeling strangely embarrassed, avoided her gaze. He felt a bit wronged, but he didn’t feel the need to explain himself. Actually… it would only make the situation weirder if he spoke up now….

“…….”

“…….”

The door closed amidst the awkward silence. Seeing Chahyun, the cause of this whole situation, looking so unconcerned made him feel irritated.

“……Burn that trashy book.”

“Burn it?”

“There are too many errors.”

Haylan took his frustration out on the book, whose author he didn’t even know. The book was truly nonsensical. He found serious errors on every page.

‘Did he even understand what I was saying?’

Haylan looked up, scrutinizing Chahyun’s expression.

While Haylan corrected the errors, Chahyun kept readjusting him in his lap, grinning whenever their eyes met. Haylan often wondered if he was even paying attention.

It was the same now. Haylan narrowed his eyes and asked,

“Why do you keep smiling?”

“Because I understand it well.”

He said cheerfully, nuzzling his cheek against Haylan’s hair. There wasn’t a trace of pity in his affectionate gaze. His constant grin was suspicious.

Chahyun was two-faced. He knew about Haylan’s past and real age, yet he was sometimes incredibly rude, while at other times, he was surprisingly maintaining a certain level of respect.

Sometimes, he seemed to be treating him like a child, but the way he always addressed him formally made Haylan feel like he was being treated as an equal.

‘Make up your mind.’

He was different from other people. Too different. Haylan found Chahyun’s presence unsettling because he was the first person to treat him so casually.

In short, he was an odd person.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

The servants returned to the annex at 10 PM.

‘Wahaha, I’m invincible tonight!’

Armed with the defensive scroll Haylan had helped me create as my insurance, I left my room a little before midnight, when the ghosts would appear.

‘The library key….’

Found it! It was here, as expected.

I lifted the mirror on the wall and groped around behind it until my fingers brushed against something cold and metallic. The weak adhesive tape came off easily, and the key clattered to the floor.

[Main Story Progress: 2%]

“Wow.”

The gauge increased slightly as soon as I picked up the key. It was strangely fascinating to see the progress update in real-time.

I belatedly looked around, worried that someone might have heard the sound. Fortunately, I didn’t sense anyone’s presence.

Anyway, I knew all the information I could obtain from the library in this house. Firstly, the fact that Haylan was a half-vampire, and secondly, ‘Orthrus,’ the true name of the guardian spirit protecting his family home.

In other words, while they’re considered starter pack clues, I didn’t need any information from the library now.

‘When should I use the key?’

Just then…

[A new quest has occurred!]

[Sub Quest: Search for Books
Shall we look for books in the library that might help with casting defensive magic?
*To Do: Find books
*Time Limit: 6 days 5 hours 29 minutes…
*Reward: 50 Solra]

“Find books?”

The system was leading me beyond the door. Judging by the location pointing to the library, it seemed to be a follow-up quest to the one I completed in the morning.

‘What’s going to pop out from there….’

I sighed deeply. I wasn’t as excited about the new quests anymore. This clearly meant there was something in the library that I didn’t know about. Following the quest only increased my anxiety about what I might find.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Click. 

I inserted the key into the lock and turned it, and the door opened easily with a satisfying click.

“Cough…!”

Dust puffed out from the door frame, settling on my head.

‘As usual, the unused rooms in this house are filthy.’

I waved my hand, dispersing the dust. Entering the library through the second floor, I held up the lamp and looked around.

‘Surprisingly, there’s not much dust inside.’

The scent of paper was pleasant. For a neglected space, it felt like a proper library. I descended the stairs to the first floor, staring blankly at the towering bookshelves.

“Wow, when will I ever find it….?”

Countless books were randomly placed on the shelves. They didn’t seem to be organized by subject, nor were they in alphabetical order.

“Haa….”

After taking a deep breath, I placed the lamp down and began scanning the nearest bookshelf, one book at a time.

“What kind of books are these…?”

Some books had no titles on their spines, forcing me to pull them out and check the covers individually.

I was so engrossed in running my fingers along the spines of the books that I didn’t even notice the sound of a bookshelf opening behind me.

How much time had passed?

“……?”

Tap. An ice-cold hand gripped my shoulder tightly. Startled, I dropped the book I was holding, and…

“…Fancy meeting you here.”

“…….”

The voice behind me sounded familiar. I stiffly turned my head, and there he was, the ghost from last night, staring down at me.

And he was holding… cookies in one hand! 

He was holding the cookies I had given Haylan!

This time, I was truly speechless. My mind went blank, and my legs weakened. I stumbled and barely managed to grab a bookshelf to steady myself. His emotionless face felt like a death sentence from the Grim Reaper.

“Sneaking in at this hour just to be in the library?”

The ghost said sarcastically. He bent down and picked up the book I had dropped.

“The Master’s Secret Outing.”

He murmured the strange title in a gentle voice. I then noticed that the book he was holding had the same title printed on the cover.

‘No way.’

Why is there porn here?!

“I was wondering what you were up to, sneaking around, but I see you have this kind of peculiar taste.”

The corners of the man’s lips curled up into a smirk. I couldn’t respond, even though I knew he was mocking me. I was too flustered by this unexpected encounter.

“Not answering…?”

At his chilling tone, I blurted out whatever came to mind in a timid voice,

“Y-You’re wearing clothes?”

Although it was just a loose robe, it was still better than last night, when he was practically naked.

“Disappointed?”

He taunted me, waving the book I’d dropped.

‘Even if I wasn’t actually reading that….’

He didn’t seem to believe me. I realized he was just teasing me and decided to just kept my mouth shut. This type of person enjoys it more when you react.

“And you’re… eating something.”

“I’m hungry and weak, what do you expect me to do?”

He grumbled.

‘Do ghosts feel hunger?’

Besides, those were the cookies I gave Haylan.

You jerk… how can you steal a kid’s snacks? 

The man seemed to read my thoughts and sharply popped a cookie into his mouth, saying,

“Everything in my house is mine.”

“Ah, yes….”

As a veteran lackey, I knew when to back down. My survival instincts told me that this was the time to be quiet.

‘Why isn’t the defensive scroll working….?’

Is it another fail? I felt like crying….

I discreetly slipped my hand inside my cardigan and tightly gripped the scroll, my only hope.

But the ghost, instead of attacking, just tilted his head slightly and crossed his arms.

“And what exactly are you doing here alone without the homeowner’s permission?”

“…….”

Well, of course, my presence in this room wasn’t exactly above board. I had secretly picked the lock and entered the library without permission to snoop around.

“What’s it to you? You’re not the owner anymore.”

I retorted timidly. Those words were something I would say to Haylan, not to a ghost who had been dead for a while.

“Is that so….”

The man tilted his head slightly and folded the empty snack bag. I flattened myself against the bookshelf and gulped. I felt like he was about to snap my spine just like that snack bag.

“By the way, it seems you’re not begging for your life today.”

Oh, please spare me…

I wanted to drop to my knees and beg, but it didn’t feel like the right time, so I refrained.

The man chuckled, looking down at my terrified form.

“I thought you were sneaking around here like a rat, trying to steal something.”

…Steal? Here?

Losing my fear at his absurd accusation, I snapped,

“What are you talking about? Take a look around. Is there anything worth stealing in this house? Even if you sold the whole place, it wouldn’t be worth much.”

“…….”

He stared at me indifferently. I had just insulted the owner of the house. I gasped and quickly added an apology,

“……Please spare me.”