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Chapter 14

‌‌‌‌‌
Early in the morning, Charlotte and Bianca supported Aunt Elicia between them as they strolled along the Forest Path, as they always did. Since they ‌had walked this same route the previous ‌‌‌evening, with each step Charlotte found herself recalling the enchanted night she had spent with Leopold.

If I ‌‌‌‌venture beyond this path and turn the corner, that magical Forest Ballroom will unfold before me.

Charlotte gazed down the Forest Path she had traversed with Leopold yesterday, lost in thought.

Just before dawn broke, we walked this path again, ‌‌and His Highness escorted me home.

Leopold's luminous eyes, the way she had finally danced her first dance with a magnificent gentleman at the end ‌‌of summer—Charlotte's cheeks flushed crimson as she dwelled on the romantic night before. Gazing at the ethereal mist that had unfolded through the forest, it seemed ‌‌‌as though Leopold's composed face might emerge from anywhere, parting the fog itself.

Just then, Aunt Elicia, who had been humming beside ‌‌Charlotte, spoke.

"Ah, children. Look there."

Aunt Elicia pointed with her finger toward something as she spoke.

"This path looks rather like one where ghosts wander, doesn't it?"

"Ghosts?" ‌‌‌‌

Bianca, with a bored expression, asked without much concern. But Charlotte was ‌different. The place Aunt Elicia had indicated was the path leading to the Forest Ballroom ‌‌where Charlotte and Leopold had danced the previous night.

Charlotte's eyes widened as she asked. ‌‌‌‌

"W-what do you mean, Aunt? A path where ghosts wander?"

"Charlotte, look carefully. Doesn't this place seem like a path where ghosts visit their beloved ones in the dead of night? The way the mist clings, the way ‌‌‌‌the white flowers sway in the breeze...."

Elicia's eyes gleamed with a brightness that belied her wrinkled face as she continued.

"The living ‌‌sometimes catch glimpses of ghosts, you know. I myself have encountered my departed husband ‌a few times. Especially ‌‌‌once a year, on All Hallows' Eve*, ‌‌the bonds of love between ‌‌‌the living and the dead may be realized...."
(*All Hallows' Eve: the night ‌‌before All Saints' Day, which commemorates all saints, on October 31st. It evolved into the Day of All Souls wandering in purgatory and became the origin of what is ‌‌known today as Halloween.)

Charlotte brought both hands to her lips, her expression growing even more astonished as she studied Elicia. A ghost visible even to the living? Was her aunt truly aware of something she wasn't sharing?
‌‌‌
Yet Bianca, Charlotte's younger sister, rolled ‌‌‌‌her eyes as if hearing ‌‌the most absurd nonsense imaginable and whispered to Charlotte.
‌‌
"Aunt's been saying strange things more often lately. She was always a bit odd, but this is getting worse."

Bianca had spent the morning walk through the misty, damp forest wishing instead that she were at home enjoying the warm cookies Collin had baked.

"You shouldn't say things like that, Bianca."

Charlotte admonished her sister with an unusually mature tone. Had ‌Aunt ‌‌‌truly seen the ghost of her deceased husband before? And All Hallows' Eve—Charlotte had only ever known October 31st as the day of the masquerade ball. She found herself contemplating these mysteries.

Charlotte approached Aunt Elicia with a question.

"What exactly happens on All Hallows' Eve, Aunt Elicia?"

But instead of answering, Elicia gazed quietly at the meadow where Charlotte and Leopold had danced, a gentle smile playing across her face.
‌‌
The meadow swayed its grass softly in the breeze, as if remembering the secret ball from last night, moving just as it had then.

It was then that Bianca urged Charlotte forward.

"Let's go home now, Charlotte. Helena's leaving for London today, remember? She's always trying to drag me ‌‌along, so if I don't do it ‌‌now, I won't have time to bake pastries with Collin."

"But..."

Charlotte hesitated, wanting to speak more with Aunt Elicia. Yet Elicia was already humming softly ‌‌‌to herself as if nothing ‌‌had happened. Unable to resist Bianca's persistence, Charlotte had no choice but to return home with Elicia.
‌‌
***

The scent of ‌‌pastries baked by Collin and Bianca wafted throughout ‌‌the Augusta Family House. Yet Charlotte did not follow the aroma downstairs; instead, she remained in her room, lost in reflection about the dance and conversation she had shared with Leopold the night before.

That was when someone suddenly burst through her door without knocking.

"Charlotte, are you free right now?"

"Oh, you ‌‌‌‌startled me! Helena, how can you just walk into my room without knocking?"

Charlotte looked up at Helena standing in the doorway, her expression one of surprise. Regardless, Helena spoke with an ‌‌‌air of displeasure.

"Bianca is busy baking pastries with Collin and ‌‌refuses to go to London with me. So you'll have to accompany me instead today."

"Me?"

I tilted my head in confusion. ‌‌‌Helena made weekly ‌‌trips to London, but she had never once taken me along. Apparently, I had a talent for causing accidents wherever I went, large and small.

Helena spoke with a displeased expression.

"Yes. You know perfectly well that Mother and Father won't let any of us go to London alone. Jane is at our aunt's house, and with Bianca occupied with her baking, what other choice do I have? And if I took governess Sydney along, she'd be bedridden for days afterward."

I recalled Sydney's aversion to London and nodded knowingly before asking.

"What about Katie?"

"She's in an etiquette lesson with Maria. So come on, Charlotte."

Helena urged me forward, clearly impatient with further questions.

"While I'm in London acquiring sheet music, you can simply sightsee. Besides, it doesn't take nearly as long to reach London anymore. There's a shortcut through the Rochefort Baronial Hunting Grounds...."

'Rochefort Baronial?'

I lifted my head at the familiar name. Rochefort—wasn't that the man I'd failed to meet at the ball yesterday, the one who'd ‌‌‌been drunk and shouting ‌‌loudly? The mysterious gentleman whom Leopold called an "old friend" and whom Philip had described as a "philandering wastrel" according to the rumors.

"Helena, how do you know Monsieur Rochefort?"

Helena replied to my question as ‌‌‌though I'd asked something obvious.

"How do I know him? The Rochefort Family is the nobility that patronizes the most musicians. I've never met the baronial family members myself, but I've certainly heard of ‌‌‌their reputation." ‌

I narrowed my eyes. Philip had said Rochefort was merely someone who flaunted his connections to the royal family, but I suspected Leopold's suggestion to cultivate a relationship with him had deeper reasons.

'And he said it himself at the ball yesterday—that he knows about Prince Leopold's hidden enemies. Though he was drunk at the time....'

I had intended to ask Leopold more about Armand Rochefort yesterday. But then ‌‌‌Leopold and I had suddenly found ourselves dancing ‌romantically in the middle of the forest, and my mind had gone completely blank with questions.

Just then, Helena's irritated voice rang out again.

"Charlotte, are you coming or not? The path through the baronial hunting grounds only opens in the morning. So we need to leave now...."

I spun around decisively. Perhaps before meeting Leopold today, ‌‌I could cultivate the rapport with Armand Rochefort that I'd failed to build at the last ‌ball.

"So you're ‌‌‌saying if ‌‌‌‌‌I go with you, we'll end ‌‌‌up crossing ‌‌‌‌through the Rochefort Baronial Hunting Grounds?"

"Charlotte, that's what I'm telling you. But why do you keep—"

I nodded ‌‌and cut off Helena's words with my ‌‌‌answer.

"All right, Helena. I want to go to Armand Rochefort's ‌‌‌estate—no, to London!"

My eyes sparkled. ‌‌‌‌‌They always did whenever I was hatching some outlandish ‌‌‌‌scheme.

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