Laila, startled, abruptly raised her head. It was such a sudden movement that a cracking sound came from the back of her neck.
“Eustar?”
“Laila, what’s wrong? Where are you now?”
“Where are you speaking from?”
“The ring, Laila.”
The ring? Laila looked down at her right hand with a confused expression. The sapphire sparkled brilliantly in the light.
Laila stuttered.
“This… This, could it be a magical item?”
“Yes. It was originally just a ring, but I tweaked it a bit in case something happened to you.”
She wanted to argue that he should have told her about this beforehand, but now wasn’t the time. Laila said,
“I’m trapped in a strange place, Eustar.”
There was a moment of silence. A faint noise… Laila, flustered, took off the ring and shook it vigorously.
“Eustar?”
“I’m listening. Trapped in a strange place, what do you mean? Where are you now?”
“I don’t know where. I was walking down a corridor… and saw something strange. A woman, no… It must be a dead person. The bust…”
“The bust?”
Laila nodded as if Eustar was right in front of her.
“Yes, the bust. There were five busts of women… Women with their hair tied up.”
After a moment, Eustar replied in a slightly subdued voice.
“I know where it is. I’m coming.”
“Wait, Eustar! You won’t be able to come. Because there’s a wall here…”
But no more sound came from beyond the ring. Laila stared into space with a dejected expression, her hands hanging limply. Somewhere, there was a hissing sound of wind. It was from beyond the corner where the woman had disappeared.
Laila, frowning in contemplation, got up. She put the ring back on her finger, making sure it was securely in place, and gathered up the cumbersome folds of her dress.
As she walked with long strides, the hissing sound grew closer. It was a sharp sound, as if someone had accidentally left a window slightly open…
I can’t do anything. Laila thought. She didn’t have abilities like Eustar. Although she was said to be a powerful medium, whether she could control spirits or not was another matter.
That required learning, and Laila’s mother couldn’t teach her such things. Because she herself wasn’t a medium.
So it was best to give up the idea of barging in recklessly. It was too rash and dangerous. But…
‘Overlaying is possible. Even by myself.’
Seeing the core of the dead. Through a few experiences, Laila understood the necessity of ‘overlaying’ that Eustar had mentioned. Though she hadn’t received a precise explanation, it was something she could intuitively grasp.
Everyone has things they don’t want others to see… While there are some who don’t, most people have at least one secret they’ll keep until their dying day.
But what if someone you don’t even know clearly knows that secret?
It would be disconcerting. Laila repeated the question and answer to herself. When disconcerted, logic breaks down first.
In the case of the living, they would start rambling incoherently. Their thoughts would become scattered, and not knowing how to handle the situation, they might get angry or blush, breaking out in a cold sweat.
But ghosts, the case of ghosts was different. They didn’t have logic to begin with.
Even if some of them retained consciousness, it was only faint. They couldn’t sweat or blush. They just became scattered. The once solid castle walls crumbling like sand.
Laila realized that she could disarm spirits in this way. No matter how deeply hidden a secret was, her eyes could accurately find it. And forcibly bring it out.
As the corner came into view, the hissing sound became even clearer. Laila realized that someone’s hand was caressing her shoulder. It was cold and eerie, like rubbing ice crystals on bare skin…
“Laila!”
It was just as she was about to turn the corner. A strong force gripped her right wrist, and her body was suddenly pulled backward.
“Ah!”
A short scream escaped Laila’s lips. Simultaneously, something solid bumped against the side of her face. Warmth, and a scent were felt. It wasn’t a wall… It was a person. The body heat of a living person.
Looking up, she saw Eustar looking down at her, breathing heavily.
“Are you alright?”
Laila stared at him as if wondering what was going on, then quickly looked around.
The mysterious wall that had appeared before her was nowhere to be seen.
The number of busts hadn’t changed, and the ominous hissing sound and eerie feeling were gone. Instead, a calm fragrance and small everyday noises filled the space.
Eustar carefully examined Laila.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Laila nodded. Her gaze was still fixed on the busts. There was no change… None of them were smiling.
“I saw this woman.”
Laila said, pointing at the bust.
“It was definitely this woman. The number of busts… increased. And their expressions changed too. They were smiling, but that smile…”
“Looked malicious, I suppose.”
Laila, taking a breath, nodded. That was it. Malice. The busts, with their smiles gradually becoming more grotesque, were overflowing with malevolence.
It wasn’t an emotion that could be expressed through a still object. It was a vicious emotion that only a living, moving human could reveal.
Eustar said,
“I didn’t know you’d come this far. I should have told you beforehand. Let’s go somewhere else for now.”
His hand enveloped Laila’s fingers as if covering them. Laila looked down at their joined hands for a moment, then silently followed behind him.
Eustar took Laila outside. As she felt the real wind instead of the ominous hissing noise, Laila felt her mind becoming clearer. The irregular pounding of her heart also stabilized.
Laila said,
“When you say you didn’t know I’d go that far, it means you knew about its existence too. Right?”
Eustar’s eyes moved for a moment, searching for an appropriate answer, then he sighed.
“Yes. I encountered that person when I was young. Fortunately, I was able to escape, but… That corridor is strictly off-limits, Laila. Of course, we can’t notify all employees that something ‘appears’ there, so it’s only implicitly… forbidden. Sometimes, people who forget this rule disappear there.”
It was an incredible story. Seeing Laila’s expression, Eustar gave a bitter smile. As if he knew what she wanted to say without hearing it.
“I know how absurd this must sound to you. We’ve tried various methods to prevent people from approaching, but nothing worked. Even magic was useless. We couldn’t keep guards nearby either. They would become entranced.”
“That… What exactly is that woman?”
A complex emotion reflected in Eustar’s eyes.
“That woman, she is… my grandmother. That is, she was the queen of this country. Not only was she the daughter of a noble family, but she was also a magician. When she was alive, her power wasn’t that special… But after she passed away, things changed.”
Now it was Laila’s turn to be surprised. That woman, the soul that seemed to have gathered all the malice and killing intent in the world, was Eustar’s grandmother?
“What on earth happened to her…”
Eustar immediately shook his head, cutting off Laila’s words.
“That’s unknown. I told you, didn’t I? I can’t see their ‘core’. The reason I was able to escape was… I can’t say exactly, but it was thanks to someone else’s help. If not for that, I too would have been trapped in that maze and disappeared.”
“Then let’s go back and check again.”
Laila said.
“I can do the overlaying, right? I’ll see her core. Then, Eustar, you…”
“No, we can’t do that.”
Laila made an expression of incomprehension.
“What do you mean we can’t? Why?”
“It’s too dangerous. Especially for you, it could be dangerous. She… I only heard rumors circulating in the palace about how she passed away. But, Laila. Believe me. It was truly a horrible death. And she also killed many people brutally.”
“But…”
Eustar cut her off again with a resolute attitude.
“Such a spirit is dangerous. The malice she had while alive, and the resentment that would have condensed at the moment of death… No. I can’t let you see such things yet. You could be damaged.”
Her throat felt parched. Laila swallowed unconsciously, but it only made her thirst worse, providing no relief.
After hesitating, she said,
“Then… Then are we just going to leave it like that?”
Eustar answered,
“For now, that’s the best we can do. I’ll notify the managers of each area once again. Tell them to make sure people don’t approach.”
Something felt unsettling and bothered her, but Laila gave up and closed her mouth. This was where the king of Sirow resided. There was nothing here that she should involve herself in…
Eustar spoke in a lighter tone,
“I’m glad nothing happened to you. Shall we take a walk?”
“…Alright.”
Laila nodded and looked back at the palace corridor once more.
She saw young employees, seemingly still apprentices, laughing and chattering as they crossed the corridor. It was an utterly peaceful scene, but the stain that had formed in her heart remained undiminished.
[This is the timeline separator]At dinner, Eustar, Laila, and Duchess Himierd were seated together. Eustar and the duchess freely exchanged political talk at times, but Laila didn’t have much to discuss with the duchess.
She merely listened to their conversation with one ear and let it out the other, mechanically swallowing luxurious foods whose names she didn’t even know.
“What kind of place is young lady Laila’s hometown?”
Laila, who had been chewing a piece of meat at a slow pace, suddenly raised her head.
“My hometown?”
The duchess nodded. It was a simple yet elegant gesture.
Laila looked at Eustar once. When he showed no particular reaction, Laila answered.
“It’s a place called Lizigkus. A very small village.”
Top Celebrity Younger Brother Bears Her Child (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: Forced to live stream romance with a top celebrity in a female-dominant world.
Yan Jin transmigrated into a brothel, with a fellow transmigrated junior beside her.
Hearing the obscene words coming from outside, the unfortunate junior covered his ears tightly, his cheeks flushed red, and whispered to comfort her, “Don’t worry, I will definitely help you escape.”
“Don’t worry, I will definitely defend your chastity.” Yan Jin looked at the flawless and delicate features of the unfortunate junior and gently comforted, “Because we have transmigrated into a female-dominant world.”
※※※
Top celebrity Yu Shu suddenly fell into a coma during a concert.
Research scientist Yan Jin fainted in the lab after working overtime.
Two people with no connection were rushed to the same hospital.
Three days later, neither of them had woken up.
Suddenly, the entire nation discovered that a live streaming app had been forcibly installed on their phones.
Upon opening it, they heard the two discussing how to escape from the brothel.
The entire internet was in an uproar.
After the two successfully escaped from the brothel, Yu Shu’s fan group rushed to make a banner and sent it to the hospital overnight.
“Big sister bravely took action to defend the chastity of our idol!”
※※※
When Yu Shu was diagnosed with pregnancy, Yan Jin stared at his belly for a long time.
Covering his stomach, he muttered gloomily, “If you don’t like it, I’ll go get an abortion.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it.” Yan Jin hugged Yu Shu and said softly, “I just feel like I’m not human.”
Yu Shu comforted Yan Jin, “I was already an adult when we got together.”
Yan Jin hesitated, “But you won’t be of legal marriageable age even after giving birth to the child.”
At the same time, a flood of bullet comments appeared in the live streaming room that the two couldn’t see.
[Although it’s inappropriate, I also want a young and handsome boyfriend to have my child.]
①Male pregnancy (highlighted)
The female lead is five years older than the male lead, and the male lead is already an adult when he appears.
