Dearest Anonymous, Let Me Be

Chapter 40: ARC 2 - The Woman in the Painting

Days after their first meeting, Lucian had eventually realized that the wonderful Miss Ivy was somewhat reclusive.

The woman seemed to prefer being alone. On rare occasions, she would accept a few foods that he specially prepared for her, and those were the only times that they ever got to converse.

The lady might be depressed. She seldom goes out, but nowadays, she seems to have developed an odd hobby of sitting alone in the grand foyer while acting out a strange play that he couldn't comprehend.

Nevertheless, she was still as kind as before.

"Lucian, here are a couple of coats I got from my room's closet. I have sewn these to fit your size. Try them."

Truth be told, Umi only gave the coats to him because of the growing chilliness that can already be felt anywhere inside the manor. It was kind of her fault since she was the one who brought several ghosts here. Moreover, she couldn't risk getting him sick, for she still hadn't found any alternative source of Spiritual Energy yet.

However, the youth may have received the wrong signal. "Thank you, I will surely wear these." Not able to conceal the reddening of his cheeks, he gave her the best smile he can offer and asked her with much anticipation, "What do you want for dinner, Miss Ivy?"

Umi crinkled her nose, already feeling nauseous with the thought of human food, "You go eat on your own...I'm not hungry."

"Yet, Miss Ivy! You haven't been eating for quite a long time now. You must eat!"

Umi was conflicted. She was fairly appreciative that the young man didn't pose questions about her strange behaviors, and he even seemed to fully trust her, but human food is honestly disgusting to a ghost like her ah.

"Do you dislike my cooking, Miss Ivy?" the smile on the youth's face vanished and was replaced with a concerned look.

Eventually, Umi gave in to his pleading. "Very well, I want to eat chicken a la king. Would you be able to do it?"

Lucian's face brightened up, "Yes! I'll go buy the ingredients now!"

With those words, the youth was finally gone from Umi's sight. The hollow can only shake her head, a strange queasy feeling brewing in her tummy shortly after.

Umi then reprimanded herself for continually forgetting to change into her Spirit Form whenever she leaves her room. Generally, she preferred staying in her Corporeal Form for she felt comfortable that way, but since the auditions are still going on presently, she might be spending more time in the grand foyer for a few more days.

"Miss Vera, here is the list that you requested me to write. These are all the auditionees, and I grouped them as per their levels," Robert was out of breath as he spoke.

"Very good," Umi praised. With a brief pause, the woman then turned to glance at the long queue outside. She then soon stroked her chin as she mused, "It's the fifth day of the auditions, right?"

"Indeed, Miss Vera."

"I suppose we need a break sometimes, especially you, Robert. You look like you've faced death a couple of times now."

"That might be because you're overworking, Miss Vera," the bearded man asserted.

"Oh, am I? Tell me more about that then." Umi's eyes glinted dangerously.

Robert immediately smiled bashfully. "It's nothing for you to worry, Miss Ivy."

Umi shrugged her shoulders. "Then we shall call it a day, auditions will resume tomorrow. Announce it to the line outside."