Chapter Text
“Ghosts are real, this much I know. There are things that tied them to a place, very much like they do to us. Some remained tied to a bunch of land, a time and date, a spilling of blood, a terrible crime... There are others, others that hold on to an emotion, a grief, a lost, revenge, or love. Those, they never go away.”
-Edith Cushing, Crimson Peak
“…the house from which no one who enters ever returns, down the road from which there is no going back.”
- The Epic of Gilgamesh
Nunnally stared up at the old house from her hiding space partially behind Euphemia. She glanced at all the windows, half expecting to see someone staring down from one of them. All of the windows remained black, their curtains drawn over them. If Nunnally hadn’t known all the stories about the place, she would have thought that it was just another of the mansions built in old Pendragon. She doubted that the Aries Villa was even open, not when most of the royal family and its branches were being housed in the royal complex and their townhouses scattered around Pendragon. Nunnally couldn’t think of any living person that would be in Aries Villa, which made her shiver.
She squeezed Euphemia’s hand, relieved when her cousin squeezed back. She glanced up at her cousin, watching as Euphemia gave the building a long look before stepping forward.
Nunnally found herself dragged forward a step, resisting the urge to dig in her heels. As long as she was with Euphemia she was safe, although Nunnally would have preferred if her brother had come along. Then again, if Julius had been around when Pollux had started talking about the ghost that haunted the Aries Villa he would have laughed and then dragged her off to bed. Her brother wasn’t one to believe in ghosts.
Nunnally wished that she could laugh it off, but it was hard when she was staring at the house itself. She swallowed and tugged on Euphemia’s arm, hoping to get her attention. Nunnally was relieved when Euphemia looked back at her.
Euphemia nodded, careful to not let go of her hand. “We’ve seen the place, and there’s no sign of the ghost. We should get back.”
“Why? Are you scared?”
Nunnally flinched behind Euphemia as Carine turned to grin at the two of them. Pollux wasn’t far behind, resting his hands on his hips. She hated how Pollux looked pleased with himself, it made her want to shrink behind Euphemia. They were only out at the mansion because Pollux and his brother had demanded that they go. Neither of them had believed the stories about the ghost in the villa. Then again, neither of them had visited Pendragon enough to hear all of the stories.
At least Euphemia didn’t look intimidated. She just sighed and squeezed Nunnally’s hand again. “No. You’re the one who wanted to see the house. We should get back. You wouldn’t want your parents figuring out that you snuck out.”
Pollux looked uncomfortable for a moment before he shook his head. “Not yet. We haven’t even been inside."
“Can we even get in?” The question came from Maribelle, the girl standing at the back of the group. She shrugged and gestured at the door. “It looks like the place is locked up. The owners probably don’t want people sneaking into their house at night.”
Carine huffed and stamped her foot. “But we own it. So we should be able to go inside whenever we want.”
Nunnally glanced up at Euphemia, hoping that she would just turn away. It would be easier for the rest of them to walk away then. Nunnally didn’t want to be the first to move, not when Carine would remain behind. There were still three weeks before they returned home, and Nunnally knew that Julius and Euphemia wouldn’t always be with her. Carine seemed adept at finding those moments, making the three weeks left feel like forever.
She flinched behind Euphemia as Carine shot a look her direction, only peeking out when she heard Carine walking away. Her eyes widened when she saw that Carine was storming up towards the house, but she didn’t do anything to stop her. The house would be locked and they would be able to go back home.
Nunnally shivered as Carine mounted the stairs, not sure if it was because of the night or because her cousin looked so vulnerable on her own.
Carine hesitated on the front porch for a moment before she tugged at the door. Nunnally felt like the breath was punched out of her when the door swung open with Carine’s tugging. Her cousin stood on the front porch for a moment more before waving them closer.
Pollux and Castor were the first to rush over, Nunnally surprised when Euphemia started walking towards the front porch. She yelped and dug her heels in, trying to pull her cousin back. “No.”
Euphemia stopped, Nunnally seeing a hint of a blush as Euphemia turned to look at her. Nunnally shook her head, tugging on Euphemia’s arm. “We have to go back, right?”
“We do…” Euphemia bit her lip, swaying in place before reaching over to touch Nunnally’s hand. “But I just want a peek. I’ll be right back, and you can stay here if you want.”
Nunnally shook her head. Going inside of the house would be bad, but staying outside of it alone would be worse. There was no telling where the ghost would appear, and maybe being so close to the house would be enough. Nunnally was sure that it would show up as soon as the others left, and they would. Even Maribelle was starting to inch towards the open front door and she had never believed the stories either. Nunnally would be left alone, which was the worst thing to be.
She stuck close to Euphemia, not daring to let go of her cousin’s arm, not even when they moved up the stairs. Euphemia didn’t seem to mind, her attention was on what little they could see of the house as they approached. As Nunnally peered out from behind Euphemia, she could see why.
The front hall of the Aries Villa was impressive. It looked like something that Nunnally had seen in the period shows that were sometimes on the television. It was ornate, but in the complicated patterns and less in the stuff that was cluttered around the room. Or maybe the stuff would have helped, it was hard to tell when most of it was covered up.
There were large piles pushed to the sides of the room, tucked out of the way of the doors and staircases. Each pile had a white sheet thrown over them, rendering the whole thing nearly shapeless. Nunnally stepped out from behind Euphemia, shuffling to the doorway before stopping herself. She thought she could see the glitter of something that was just peeking out from the sheet, Nunnally tempted to reach out and see what it was, but she jerked her hand back. Checking underneath the sheet would mean stepping into the house.
She took a quick step back, stopping at the edge of the porch. The house was beautiful, temptingly so, but she didn’t want to give into it. Nunnally rubbed her hands together, glancing around at the yard. She felt like someone was watching them, but she couldn’t see where it was coming from. She craned her head back, looking for someone in the windows, but they were as blank as before.
Nunnally jumped at a loud thud from the house. She took a quick step forward, sucking in a quick breath when she saw Castor and Pollux wandering into the center of the room.
The twins remained still for a moment before Pollux moved over to one of the sheets and tugged it off. Nunnally flinched back when the sheet fluttered to the ground, fully expecting something to jump out, but there was nothing but a pile of furniture underneath. Nunnally stared at the ornate chairs carefully placed on the table and tied together. Pollux didn’t seem to be impressed by it. He pulled at the rope before rolling his eyes. “This isn’t frightening. It’s just a bunch of old stuff. Where’s the ghost?”
The last word echoed in the hall for a moment, Nunnally stepping to the side. She stopped herself from slipping behind one of the piles, not wanting to chance pulling the thing down on her. None of them looked too sturdy. She curled her fingers into one of the drop cloths, looking around. She could see her cousins doing the same thing, but she couldn’t see anything. There were nothing but the piles of stuff as far as she could see.
Nunnally leaned to one side, trying to see down the main hallway, but she could only see the suits of armor that were lined up down the hall. She could vaguely see something at the end of the hall, but Nunnally was sure that it was another one of the suits of armor. There was nothing in the house but old furniture and things that had been moved out of the royal palace. She edged away from behind the pile, reaching out for Euphemia’s hand. “There’s nothing here. We should get back before anyone notices we’re gone.”
“But I want to see the ghost,” Carine whined. She crossed her arms and sat down on the floor. “I’m not leaving until I see it.”
“Carine’s right. We came all this way.” Castor shrugged. “We might as well look for the ghost.”
“Nunnally’s right too.” Maribelle spoke up from where she was peeking under one of the sheets. “Aunt Sofia will throw a fit when she figures out that the two of you snuck out.”
Castor looked cowed, but Pollux managed to puff out his chest for a moment, although Nunnally saw how nervous he looked. Her cousin rubbed at his wrist before dropping his hands to his side.
“Then we’re going to have to make this quick.” Pollux glanced around before walking over to the grand staircase. He patted the ornate carving at the end. “It’ll be faster if we split up.”
“What?!”
Nunnally wasn’t the only one to nearly shout the question. She jerked her head to look over at where Carine was sitting on the floor. Her younger cousin looked just as shocked, but Carine was quick to snap her mouth shut. She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. “We have to go in groups. It’s no good if we’re alone. If someone else finds the ghost, the rest of us won’t get to see it. At least more of will get to see it like this.”
Pollux nodded, reaching out to tug his twin brother closer. “Then you, me and Castor will look in one place. Maribelle, Euphy and Nunnally can look somewhere else.”
Nunnally nodded, scuttling back to Euphemia’s side. She was relieved when Euphemia immediately reached out for her, holding onto her hand tightly. Nunnally looked back up at her cousin, surprised to see Euphemia starting to look frightened. All the way over to the old building Euphemia hadn’t seemed to be anything other than just interested in seeing the place; now she didn’t seem too sure. She leaned closer to Euphemia, having to rise up onto her tiptoes to get close to her cousin’s ear. “Don’t worry, we don’t have to do anything.”
A squeeze told her that Euphemia had heard her. Nunnally glanced over at Maribelle, watching as the girl continued to look at the pile of furniture that she had pulled the cover back from. Maribelle didn’t look too interested in going deeper into the house, which was fine with Nunnally. They could head back to the royal complex or just stay in the front hall of the house. The others could go as far into the mansion as they wanted, they would stay nice and safe in the entrance hall.
She watched as Carine, Castor and Pollux took off for the staircase. Nunnally was more than happy to let them explore the upper floor. It might not look as cluttered as the floor they were on, but Nunnally didn’t feel comfortable farther away from the door.
She was about to turn so she could peek under one of the sheets when she saw Carine stop at the base of the stairs. The girl stared at the three of them before pointing at her. “She’s going to tell.”
Nunnally shook her head and stepped back, surprised when Carine started towards her. The girl reached out for her arm, stopping when Maribelle stepped away from the pile of furniture that she had been looking over. Carine curled her hands into a fist and nodded at Nunnally. “I mean, she doesn’t want to be here in the first place. What’s to stop her from running back and telling everyone?”
Nunnally shook her head. “But I won’t.”
“How do we know for sure?” Carine leaned forward before glancing over at Euphemia. “Nunnally should come with us.”
“But I don’t want to.”
“I agree.” Pollux spoke up from his place halfway up the stairs. “Nunnally will come with us.”
“Then Castor comes with us.” Euphemia stepped forward, Nunnally seeing a hint of a grin cross her cousin’s face. “It’s only fair.”
Pollux swayed in place, Nunnally hoping that he would just give in and let them spread out in the groups that had already been formed. Pollux never wanted to split up with Castor.
Apparently the pull of the house was too much for Pollux to ignore, because he nodded. He nudged Castor away from his side, motioning towards Nunnally with his free hand. “Come on. We’re wasting time.”
Nunnally watched as Castor trudged over to them, trying to calm the way that her stomach flipped. She glanced up to where Carine and Pollux were gesturing impatiently. Nunnally swallowed and shuffled over to the base of the stairs. The sooner they were satisfied that there was nothing in the house, the sooner that she could get back. That knowledge didn’t stop her from looking over her shoulder at where Castor was sulking in the middle of the entrance hall.
Euphemia gave her a nod before reaching out for Maribelle’s arm. The two of them conferred about something before starting down one of the halls, Castor lagging after them. Nunnally leaned out to watch them go, sighing when they were out of sight. She curled her fingers around the railing, using the wood to steady herself before starting to climb the stairs.
Euphemia hunched her shoulders as she walked down the hallway. The suits of armor seemed to loom over them, Euphemia eying the weapons that they held. She fully expected one of the swords or maces to fall down in front of them, it was the sort of thing she expected from an old house, especially one with so many stories about it.
She looked up to where Maribelle was walking ahead of them. Maribelle seemed to be more interested in looking at the artwork in the halls than looking in the rooms. Sometimes she would glance into the rooms, but Maribelle was usual quick to move on and continue poking around at the things that interested her. Euphemia didn’t think that Maribelle’s search would get them anything, but she didn’t really mind. Just looking around the old house was spooky enough for her.
Euphemia rubbed her arms, wishing that she had brought a thicker jacket. The night had been nice and cool. Even with the walk to the Aries Villa, it wouldn’t have been enough for her to wish for a thicker jacket. The house itself wasn’t cold, but the dark hallways were making a chill run down her spine. Their flashlights helped keep them from bumping into anything that was in the hallways but they also just seemed to be making the dark shadows of the hallways worse.
She twisted around to see how Castor was doing, watching as her cousin tapped on the chest of one of the suits of armor. Euphemia opened her mouth to tell him to stop, quickly snapping it shut. She didn’t think that looking at the suits of armor would anger the ghost, especially since the Demon Emperor had died in 2018. Castor could do what he wanted to the suits of armor, they probably weren’t haunted, or so she thought.
Euphemia swallowed nervously, glancing up at where Maribelle was wandering to the next picture half hidden behind the suits of armor. Sure that she hadn’t lost one of their team, Euphemia looked back at Castor. Her cousin had moved away from the armor and started walking back down the hall again. She waited for him to catch up, glad for the light from his flashlight in addition to her own. She glanced over at one of the suits of armor, watching the shadows that their lights threw on it before tearing her gaze away. “So…are there any other ghosts in the house?”
Castor spend a moment thinking over her answer, Euphemia watching as he curled in on himself before shrugging. “I don’t know. It would make sense if there were. But no one has said anything.”
“So we might run into someone other than the Demon Emperor?” She thought she saw Castor mouth something, unable to catch what he said. She flicked the beam of her flashlight ahead towards where Maribelle was staring at a series of doors towards the end of the hall. “So, how will we know? I don’t think I’m going to be able to just stand around and really look.”
Castor gave her a relieved smile. “Neither do I. Pollux was the one who came up with the idea.”
“I thought so.”
“Well, he was bored. Everyone else is so busy that they don’t seem to have much time for us. Pollux gets bored easily.” Castor rubbed his hand against the seam of his pants, Euphemia trying to ignore the motion. They were all bound to be nervous in the old house, especially with all of the stuff that had been crammed into it.
Castor cleared his throat, Euphemia jumping at the sound. He gave her an apologetic smile before raising his flashlight slightly. “I heard that his majesty considered putting the overflow up in here, but he ran out of time to clear it out.”
“I can see why.” Euphemia caught the flutter of another dust sheet in the room that Maribelle opened. She stepped away from Castor, hoping to get a better look at the room only for Maribelle to close the door. Euphemia sighed and slowed down again, looking at the doors that lined the halls. “This place is huge.”
“Yeah, but they’ve probably filled all the rooms with junk. Or they haven’t touched what Emperor Lance left behind.” Castor tipped his head to the side before shivering violently. “Do you think he’s here?”
Euphemia bit her lip as she thought it over. Emperor Lance was before her time, the one hundred and first emperor of Britannia, the one who wouldn’t give up the Areas like his mother had promised. There were plenty of rumors about him, about his parties and the way he had tried to pull Britannia back into the way it had been under his grandfather, Charles zi Britannia. She had read a few of his speeches and they were filled with the glory of Britannia and how the empire should strive for her former greatness. It sounded like the ravings of a madman now, someone that Euphemia would hate to run into in the mansion.
She glanced up at Maribelle, relieved when the girl shook her head. Maribelle had paused at the next door, her fingers tracing over some design there. When she was done, she looked over at them with a smile. “No. The Aries Villa was more of a place that parties were held. He preferred to live in the imperial palace, or Vizcaya. He allowed all his friends to stay here though. They say that this was the last place that Lionel Strickland stayed.”
Euphemia shivered, rubbing her arms as Maribelle mumbled an apology. Her cousin pushed away from the door to face them. “It’s just a story. People like telling stories and some people take it too seriously.”
“Like my brother.” Castor sighed and moved to join her by the door.
Maribelle didn’t say anything, she just pushed the door open. The hinges creaked, Euphemia hating the way that the sound echoed in the corridor, but that didn’t stop her from rushing up to look into the room.
It was a big one, extending out from the wing of the house. On one wall there were a series of windows, Euphemia squinting to see if they were plain or stained glass. She lifted her flashlight, raising an eyebrow when she saw that the stained glass windows were all made to glorify Emperor Lance in some way or another. Her flashlight moved across an image of Zero with their trademark helmet, images of the emperor proclaiming laws and a window made out of triangles of yellow stained glass, a few of them with flaws in their center that almost looked like an eye.
The floor was a chessboard pattern in light and dark wood. There was a tight roll on the floor, Euphemia assuming that it was a carpet rolled up for storage. She could see a huge table pushed against the wall opposite the stained glass windows, the wood that the table was made out of almost matching the wood paneling on the wall. The table itself just barely ended before the grand fireplace that took up most of the wall.
She nearly dropped her flashlight when she was jostled, glancing over in time to catch Castor’s apologetic glance. Her cousin just nodded towards the other end of the room. Euphemia followed his gaze to the dais at the end of the room, rolling her eyes at the twelve seats that surrounded the elaborate throne at the far end of the room. The whole set up looked medieval, which seemed just like what Emperor Lance would have done.
It was no wonder that King Richard never wanted to stay in the Aries Villa, the whole thing just seemed to be a testament to the greatness of the Britannian Empire. The whole thing needed a redesign, but Euphemia didn’t see how King Richard would get the time. It was easier to just stuff the house full of the rest of the unwanted junk from the royal family.
Euphemia turned away from the room, wandering a bit further down the hall before stopping at a door. She glanced over her shoulder at where her two cousins were waiting before yanking open the door.
She expected another room created for the glory of the empire, but she found a library instead. Euphemia stepped into the library, craning her neck to look at the second story of bookshelves. Some of the shelves were covered with dust sheets, but some had fallen off to reveal the books that were placed on the shelves. Euphemia walked over to one of the uncovered shelves, running her fingers over the books.
Euphemia picked one up at random, thumbing through a book of old laws before putting it back on the shelf. She turned slowly in place, smiling to herself as she saw the old desk close to the fireplace and the rounded tables that were evenly spaced in the center of the room. The whole room looked comfortable, and Euphemia felt herself relax for the first time since she had entered the Aries Villa. Whatever still lingered in the house, whether it was the ghost of the Demon Emperor or Emperor Lance’s ego, it hadn’t pushed as far as the library.
She leaned on the desk, looking around the room as Maribelle and Castor entered. She heard Castor laugh, watching as her cousin rushed over to one of the bookshelves. He started scanning over the titles, even pulling down one of the sheets to look at what was beneath.
Maribelle was more composed, looking over the books on one of the shelves before going to stand by Euphemia. She crouched by the desk, pulling open the drawers. Euphemia heard Maribelle huff, looking to see that her cousin had found all the drawers empty. Maribelle stood up to lean against the desk, raising one shoulder in a shrug. “I tried.”
Euphemia nodded, keeping her attention on Castor as he bobbed around the shelves. “Everything interesting has probably already been brought back to the imperial palace or the caretaker has put it somewhere safe.”
Maribelle hummed, Euphemia taking the noise as agreement until the girl shook her head. “The caretaker lives in the villa, right?” Maribelle waited long enough for Euphemia to nod before she spoke again. “So, why haven’t we seen her? We haven’t exactly been quiet.”
“They’re having a night out?” It wasn’t the best answer, but Euphemia couldn’t think of another one. Maribelle was right, there was no reason that they shouldn’t have been caught. Euphemia glanced up at the ceiling, listening for footsteps, but she couldn’t hear any. Maybe the caretaker was out, or maybe they were dealing with the group that had headed upstairs, but Euphemia hadn’t heard anything. She shivered as a chill ran down her spine. “We shouldn’t be here.”
She saw Maribelle nod out of the corner of her eye, taking the motion as a promise of support. She hadn’t minded when Pollux had suggested going to the Aries Villa, her mother had never let her go anywhere near the house whenever they had visited Pendragon before. Then again, she had thought that he would stop on the outside. She had been interested in the front hall but going further into the house had just been worse, save for the library itself. She swallowed and pushed away from the desk.
It didn’t matter if they found the ghost of the Demon Emperor or not, her gut feeling was telling her to get out. Besides, the party that King Richard was holding couldn’t last for too much longer, and then their parents would come to check on them. Euphemia didn’t want to think about what would happen if her mother didn’t find her there.
She tugged on Maribelle’s arm before going around to where Castor was peering at something on one of the bookshelves. She walked over to the boy, tapping on his shoulder. “Come on, we have to go.”
Castor nodded, although he didn’t look away from the think on the shelf. Euphemia frowned and stepped around him to get a better look, her mouth dropping open at the small object that was sitting in a small box. “Is that…”
Castor nodded, Euphemia seeing a smile cross his face. “It has to be. I never thought I would see one, especially since only the UFN uses them.”
Euphemia let out her breath slowly, staring at the Knightmare key. It was worn and part of it was burned, but Euphemia could still see places where the metal gleamed gold. She marveled at it for a moment more before shaking her head. “We should get back. We’ve wasted too much time.”
Her cousin didn’t act like he heard her. He reached out for another book, frowning when it didn’t slide out easily. He grabbed the book with both hands and yanked it forward, Euphemia hearing a click before the bookcase swung inward.
Euphemia grabbed onto Castor’s shoulder and yanked him backwards, the two of them stumbling into the center of the room. She glanced over at Maribelle, watching as her cousin darted around the desk to aim her flashlight into the passage that had been revealed.
Maribelle glanced back at them, a quick smile crossing her face. “They did say that Emperor Lance was paranoid.” She turned back to stare into the passage. “I wonder where it goes.”
Euphemia leaned towards the passage before shaking her head. “We can’t go down there, not without the others. We don’t even know how far down it goes.”
“Right.” Castor reached around to push the book back into place, the bookcase clicking as it swung back into place. He reached out to pat the bookshelf before stepping away. “We’ll just have to come back some other time, but during the day.”
Euphemia nodded in agreement, not sure that she would ever come back to the house. If Castor and Pollux wanted to come back and risk getting caught by both their parents and the caretaker then they could. Euphemia was going to stay away from the house while she could.
She walked out of the library, freezing in the hallway at the sound of footsteps. She turned around to look behind her, trying to hold the flashlight still as she tried to figure out where it was coming from. Euphemia couldn’t see anyone coming from behind her, but there was a corner that blocked her view.
Euphemia took two steps back, grunting as she knocked into Castor. She bit her lip to keep from making another noise, keeping her eyes locked on the corner.
She jumped when Castor tapped her shoulder, looking back at him when he did it again. Castor pointed to the ceiling, Euphemia tipping her head back. Now that she was looking up, the footsteps were louder. Euphemia swallowed and looked back at Castor.
There was every chance that the caretaker had finally come to investigate what they were hearing, but there was also a chance that it was something else.
Euphemia felt her stomach twist as she looked at the expression on Castor and Maribelle’s faces. The two of them were probably thinking the same thing, and it was up to one of them to actually take action. It didn’t matter which one it was, the others were in danger either way.
She cleared her throat, the sound too loud in the hallway. Euphemia winced, throwing a quick glance at one of the suits of armor before swinging her flashlight back the way they had come. “I think-”
Screams interrupted her before she could say anything else.
Euphemia went still, staring down the hall as the sound of the screams echoed weirdly around the house. The echo had just started to fade when Castor shoved past her, rushing back towards the entrance hall. Euphemia was a few strides behind him, sprinting faster when the screaming started again.
Nunnally kept to the side of the hallway, eyeing the red carpet that ran down the hall. The floorboards creaked under her feet, Nunnally worried that they would give out if she walked in the center of the hallway.
Pollux and Carine didn’t seem to have the same worry, they were just walking down the center of the hall. Carine would sometimes dart ahead to pull open a door, peering into the room before moving on to the next one. Pollux barely glanced in the rooms and Nunnally tried to do the same. She didn’t want to see any more of the house than she had to. Maybe if she tried to keep herself from poking her nose where it didn’t belong, the Demon Emperor wouldn’t appear. Then, they could just go back.
She swallowed and stepped out into the center of the hall to get around the door that Carine had opened. The quick glance she got of the room showed that it looked like another guest room, just like all the others she had looked at. It felt like all they had found were guest rooms with all of the furniture covered up. Sometimes they would get rooms packed with what looked like junk, but those were rare. Nunnally supposed that most of the things in storage had been taken up into the attic, something that she was glad about. She didn’t like be startled by the piles of stuff in the rooms, especially when they looked like humans in the dim light.
The door clicked shut, Nunnally breathing a sigh of relief. So far they hadn’t run into anything spooky, something that she was happy about. It was bad enough to be sneaking through the old house filled with weird shadows, she didn’t want to have to deal with what they were actually looking for.
She looked ahead to where Carine was opening another door. Her cousin huffed and slammed the door shut, Carine leaning against it and glaring at Pollux. “You said there would be a ghost. Where is he?”
“He should be here.” Pollux didn’t sound too sure. He stopped in the middle of the hallway and crossed his arms. “Everyone says that the Demon Emperor haunts the Aries Villa.”
“Well he obviously doesn’t. We would have run into him by now.” Carine huffed and pushed away from the door. “This is stupid.”
“No it isn’t!” Pollux didn’t bother to keep his voice down, Nunnally wincing as his voice rose. “There other ghosts here too. There has to be. The Demon Emperor has killed plenty of people in here. There was that lord guy…and the baby.”
The answer seemed to satisfy Carine. She continued to move down the hall, peeking into the doors. “Good. I want to see plenty of ghosts.”
Nunnally shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, going back to walking down the side of the hallway. She didn’t want to see other ghosts, she barely wanted to see the Demon Emperor. She rubbed her arms, glancing quickly over her shoulder.
She expected to see the Demon Emperor looming over her shoulder, the man reaching out for her. After all, he had been ready to kill the rest of his family before Zero had assassinated him. It would make sense if he came after the rest of them, especially her. She had been hearing that she looked so much like Empress Nunnally all weekend. Nunnally rubbed her arms, glancing warily around the hall. She wasn’t sure that the ghost would be able to tell the difference between the empress and her, which meant that she was likely to become the next victim. Then she would be just another ghost wandering the halls of the Aries Villa.
She jumped as Carine opened another door, the creak of hinges sounding too loud in the hallway. Nunnally edged closer to where her cousins were staring into the room, surprised when they walked into the room.
Nunnally jogged around to the doorway, staring into the room. There was nothing different about the room compared to the other ones, at least not that she could see. The only thing that stood out was the fact that the furniture wasn’t covered like the other rooms. Nunnally stepped inside, reaching out to run her finger over the dresser. It came away covered in dust, Nunnally quickly wiping it off on her skirt.
She stepped away from the dresser, sneezing when her feet stirred up clouds of dust from the old carpet. Nunnally glanced down at the carpet, seeing their tracks in the dust. She carefully stepped across the carpet to the bed, stopping herself before she sat down on the covers, not liking the uniform grey color. Although, now that she was close to the bed she could see some of the designs that had been woven into the canopy.
Nunnally reached out to brush her fingers over one part of the canopy, ignoring the dust that came off in favor of staring at the design. She could see the dim glitter of gold among the thread as well as the royal coat of arms. She traced the shape of the snake before pushing the canopy away. “What is this?”
Neither Carine nor Pollux seemed to hear, they were too busy poking around the room. Pollux had stepped into the in-suite while Carine had ducked into the closet. Nunnally walked around the bed, looking for her own answer. There had to be a reason that the room had been left alone, but Nunnally couldn’t imagine anyone using it now. There wouldn’t be as much dust in the room if it was in constant use, but the house couldn’t just sit on its own.
She rested her hand on the wall, staring at the slightly lighter places on the paint. It was probably where paintings had hung at one point before being taken away, maybe to another part of the house.
Nunnally let her hand drop from the wall, taking a step back. She turned around in time to see Pollux walk out of the bathroom, her cousin looking annoyed. “There’s nothing here.”
“No.” Carine backed out of the closet, waving something over her head. She grinned at the two of them before throwing it on the floor and shining her flashlight on it. “Look at this.”
Nunnally knelt down to stare at the jacket that had been thrown on the floor. She pulled the sleeves away, frowning at the dark stain that covered the bottom of the jacket front and back. She jerked her hand back, glancing up at Carine and Pollux. Both of them seemed to know what they were looking at by the way their eyes widened and Pollux darted forward to grab the jacket.
He held it up to himself before scrambling at the lapel until he managed to flip it back into place. “Look at this!”
Nunnally squinted in the dim light, just able to make out the crest that was on the pin. There was a knight on a black and purple background with gold around the edges. She could just make out a few letters on the edge, T-C-K-N-D. The rest was obscured by a dark brown stain. Nunnally curled her fingers in towards her palm, not wanting to touch the pin.
She glanced up at Pollux as he made a soft sound before whipping the jacket away. “This must be where Lionel Strickland died. They say he was stabbed in the night, but they could never find out who did it. That must be the very bed he died in.”
Pollux and Carine scrambled to their feet to stare at the bed, Nunnally hearing them mutter something about a bloodstain. Nunnally shivered and got to her feet. She glanced at the jacket left on the floor before shaking her head. She didn’t want to stay in the room anymore, not when there could be one of the ghosts haunting it.
She backed away from the jacket and the bed, yelping when she felt something against her back. Nunnally jumped forward before turning around to look at what she had bumped into. She blushed when she realized that she had backed into the wall. Nunnally rubbed the back of her neck, wincing when she saw that Carine and Pollux were staring.
Pollux huffed and strolled over to her. “What’s the matter Nunnally? Did you bump into a ghost or were you actually scared by the wall?”
Nunnally ducked her head as Pollux continued to laugh, sighing when she heard Carine join in. She saw Carine walk over to where Pollux was standing out of the corner of her eye. Nunnally dropped her gaze to the floor, staring at the dust covered pattern. She could still hear the two of them laughing about the wall. She scuffed her foot across the carpet, stopping when it raised a cloud of dust. Nunnally coughed and backed up, waving her hand in front of her face to clear the dust.
She rubbed at her eyes, trying to clear the dust from them. Nunnally looked up at her cousins and blinked, freezing when she realized that there were three people standing by the wall.
Carine and Pollux were there, the two of them patting at the wall and pretending to freak out before laughing, but there was a third person. The other person was taller than the other two and dressed in all white. Nunnally felt her mouth go dry when she saw the stain on the person’s back. It wasn’t dark like the other ones that she had seen in the room, it was blood red.
She took a quick step back, feeling something catch in her throat as the man turned to look at her. She couldn’t meet his gaze but she found herself staring at the bloodstain. Nunnally wasn’t sure if it was because of the light from Carine’s flashlight or if it was part of being a ghost because she was sure that she saw blood leaking out of the wound. She looked down at the floor, expecting to see the blood dripping onto the carpet, but it there was nothing but dust.
Nunnally cleared her throat, relieved when Pollux stopped talking. Her cousin turned around, focusing on her for a moment before his gaze darted over to the ghost that was standing close to them.
Pollux’s mouth dropped open as he stared at the ghost, Nunnally listening as he tried to stumble through words before he just ended in a squeak. A glance showed that Carine wasn’t in any better condition. She was shaking so hard the flashlight was jumping around.
“It’s…it’s…” Pollux snapped his mouth shut when the ghost pivoted to face him.
Nunnally felt like the air was suddenly sucked out of the room. She gasped for air for a moment before it flooded back in, but it was frigid now. Nunnally shivered and stared at the ghost’s shoulders, watching as they straightened. If he had been alive, Nunnally was sure that he would have taken a deep breath.
The room was quiet for a moment, Nunnally sure that the sound of her own breathing was too loud. She felt one breath catch in her throat from the cold.
The sound must have drawn the ghost’s attention before he spoke, his words echoing strangely. “Get out.”
Nunnally wasn’t sure that she could move, not with the cold air or the horror that froze her in place. Her cousins were in no better shape, but they were staring at the ghost’s eyes instead of the horrific wound in the ghost’s back.
The ghost twisted slightly, Nunnally sure she would have to meet its gaze if she looked up. She swallowed and started to look up only to stop when the ghost bellowed, “Get out!”
She ran for the door before she could think about what she was doing. All she knew that she needed to get out of the room.
Nunnally stumbled when she hit the hall, catching herself against the opposite wall and catching her breath. She glanced over her shoulder to see Carine and Pollux dashing out of the room with the ghost just a step behind them. They didn’t bother to look back at her, the two of them rushing for the staircase. Nunnally pushed off the wall and followed them, just barely rushing in front of the ghost.
She felt a gust of cold air, Nunnally ducking instinctively. She didn’t know if the ghost had reached out for her, but she wasn’t about to look behind her. Nunnally ran for the stairs, her breath coming in gasps as she watched her two cousins running ahead of her.
Nunnally reached out a hand when she saw Pollux look back. “Wait for me.”
She wasn’t sure if he really shook his head or if she just imagined it. All she knew was that he turned his head and ran faster, passing Carine before he disappeared around a corner. Nunnally reached helplessly for Carine only to watch as her cousin turned the same corner. She heard the two of them shouting for help as they rushed down the stairs, the light from Carine’s flashlight quickly disappearing as she went around one of the twists in the grand staircase.
Nunnally whimpered and glanced over her shoulder, her eyes widening as she saw the ghost striding after her. It seemed like he was just a step behind her no matter how fast she pushed herself, always reaching out for her. Nunnally screamed and turned back around, staring at the corner.
She could hear Carine and Pollux’s shouts still echoing, but she was sure that she heard other voices. Nunnally didn’t care if they were the voices of the others who had come with them or their parents, she just wanted someone who could make the ghost go away.
She bumped into the corner with her shoulder, Nunnally sobbing at the flare of pain, but she didn’t slow down. She took the stairs two at a time, hopping down towards the first landing.
She could see the bob of Carine’s flashlight out of the corner of her eye as her cousin darted for cover. The sight of the light alone was enough to make her go faster, eager to get to where there was light. Nunnally didn’t think that it would dispel the ghost, but it was better than the darkness that she was running through.
A long creak made her look up, Nunnally feeling her next scream catch in her throat.
The ghost was on the other set of stairs, keeping the same pace as her as she worked down her flight. Nunnally looked up at the ghost’s face, seeing a flash of red in his eyes. She flung up an arm in front of her face, tipping towards the banister as she moved.
She yelped and lowered her arm, grabbing for something that would help her keep her balance in the dark. Her fingers skimmed over the railing just before her foot slipped off the step she was jumping off. She flailed her arms for balance as she tumbled over, Nunnally screaming as she slipped from the step.
She instinctively curled into a ball as she fell, feeling the hard stairs smack into her legs and back as she tumbled down the staircase towards the first landing. The back of her head smacked against the curve of the railing, Nunnally uncurling slightly in pain.
Her lower back hit the edge of the last step, Nunnally hearing something crack just before pain overwhelmed her. She tried to scream, but it felt like all the air had been knocked out of her. Nunnally went limp as she tumbled down the rest of the stairs, her head reeling from the pain.
She fell on her back on the landing, Nunnally trying to arch to get away from the pain, but any movement she made just hurt more. She grabbed at the carpet, sobbing as she tried to drag herself backward.
The cold was still there, creeping along the marble of the staircase and up her legs. Nunnally shivered, gritting her teeth against the involuntary motion. She couldn’t move if she was shivering and she had to get away. But moving hurt too much and her legs weren’t working right. They were so cold that they were nearly numb.
Her arms shook, Nunnally managing to pull herself back a few more inches before she dropped to the ground. She panted for breath, her vision blurring with tears. She knew that she was in danger but she couldn’t think beyond the pain in her back. Nunnally reached out, whimpering when her hand closed around nothing.
“Please…help me.”
She stretched her arm out further, sobbing in relief when she felt someone grab it. She squeezed the hand tightly in hers, feeling the person squeeze back.
Nunnally bit her lip, trying to roll over onto her stomach to get off her back. She felt another hand on her side, guiding her carefully through the move.
As she was lowered onto her stomach she got a glimpse of familiar purple eyes and a kind smile. Nunnally tried to smile back, closing her eyes as the pain overwhelmed her.
“Julius…”