The Haunted Duke’s Daughter

Prologue

[Excerpt from the Diary of a Maid in a certain Residence]

A long day has finally come to a close for today as well. It has been three years today since I started working at this residence, but the work here is really tough. The Master and Madam are kind, but the Miss is a very relentless and unreasonable person. If there is something that displeases her, she immediately yells and hits me. She takes the fact that I cannot lay a hand on her as a good thing and acts as she pleases.

This young Miss had a strange disposition today. I don’t mean that she has become kind, or scary or anything. It was truly odd.

From her rising in the morning, to retiring at night, she continued to mutter to herself. We worry that something had happened, because occasionally she even shouted unexpected. However, those shouts were not aimed at us, and she immediately came to her senses and turned away as if fleeing from our gazes.

This is something that she wasn’t inclined to do until now. She would criticise us if we didn’t respond when she was expecting some kind of reaction. She would get into a conflict when we didn’t want one, and still condemn us. As a result of our discussions with each other, we decided not to allude to the young Miss’s eccentric behaviour of today.

Even afterwards, the young Miss’s eccentric behaviour was very conspicuous that whole day. She continually mutters, and shouts out abruptly. We felt uneasy, but we did our best to be able to respond whenever we were called.

At the end of the day, the young Miss retired to bed without a word. In conclusion, it was a more peaceful day than usual, apart from her eccentric behaviour.

 

 

A spacious room decorated with gaudy ornaments. There were many furnishings in that room. All of these things were forcibly collected by the owner of this room. Items collected through cheating people, flourishing the authority of her position, and occasionally speaking of father’s influence, were lined up in this room.
Falling prostrate at a large table in the corner of that room, was the owner of the room. She was a girl with long, blonde hair wearing a gorgeous dress, and she appeared to be in her early teens. That girl wore an exhausted expression and muttered to herself. She repeats remarks such as, ‘why did such a thing..’ and ‘really noisy’.

――Well, well, calm down.

The voice resounding in her head is that of a young girl. This voice is one that can only be heard by her, and for the whole day today, she continued to be manipulated by this voice ever since she first heard it all of a sudden.

――Hey, don’t ignore me, Lilia.

The girl called Lilia opened her eyes wide and stood up vigorously.

“That is quite enough noise! Saying this is no good, that is no good! You have no right to be ordering me around!”
――No, no, I wasn’t commanding, okay? It’s advice.

That voice did not change its tone no matter how angry Lilia got. On the contrary, it held nothing but cheerfulness.

“I’ve asked this over and over since the start. What is the advice for? I don’t understand the meaning of that in the first place.
――How many times have I said it? If you continue like this, Lilia will fall. You will fall. To prevent that, I’ve come to save you, okay?
“Ha! Fall? Please don’t make me laugh. I haven’t done anything wrong. Besides, do you really believe that this duke’s household will be crushed so easily?”

She was the first-born daughter of that duke’s household. Excluding the royal family and her own family, everyone would be sensitive to her mood. At the least, she would be the second most influential person of her generation, after the prince.
Such a person like that would never believe that the duke’s household will fall.

“How would you know about such things in the first place?”
――How? Um…… I’m an angel and can see the future. Be grateful.
“Now then, what shall I do tomorrow?”
――Ignoring me is mean! It’s true I’m not an angel, but I do know a little bit about the future.

The voice was always aloof, but only this one phrase was tinged with solemnity. Although Lilia harboured surprise in her heart, she spoke without showing any signs of it on her face.

“If you are going so far as to say that then predict something for me. If it comes true then… That’s right. I shall have some faith in your words.”

Lilia could affirm that it was absolutely impossible. This voice was mysterious, but even so, it shouldn’t be someone who possessed foresight. However, the voice laughed delightedly at Lilia’s words.

――Really? It’s a promise. In that case……

The voice sunk into silence, as if it was thinking of something. She let out a small sigh at the peacefulness that had finally come calling. She continued waiting like that, and soon the voice spoke.

――Well then, a prediction for two years later. The time is spring, I guess.
“That’s a considerable while away. I will tell you this though, I won’t accept it if you say ‘I said this’ then.”
――Yeah. That’s fine. Because I won’t be wrong.

She asserted that the incident would occur in two years. Lilia genuinely worried about that subject and waited for the continuation of those words. The voice coughed, and then declared.

――Two years later, in spring. After entering a high class school, you’ll incur the wrath of the prince and be hated.

“What……!”

Lilia opened her eyes widely. She was the fiancée of the first prince of this country. To be hated by that prince, what did that mean?

“There are some things you can say, and some things you can’t.”

Lilia’s voice was filled with anger. However, it didn’t reach the voice in her head, and it remained cheerful somehow.

――I already know that sort of thing. Since it would be better for Lilia if it doesn’t come true, there’s no need to get angry, right?

‘Indeed,’ Lilia thought. She could say that she had confidence in this prediction being wrong. And if it turned out to be false, the voice would surely disappear. Lilia nodded in understanding.

“In that case, stay silent until the results are known. Alright?”
――Ehh, I’ll be lonely…… But, okay. That’s right. It would be troubling if you worried  about my words too much and avoided the course of events, so I’ll be quiet.

At that way of talking, she remembered a small problem she would encounter. However, she shrugged of that sense of discomfort and continued.

“Well then, good bye. Don’t come out a second time.”
――How cruel. Yeah, I get it. Good bye. I’ll talk to you again in two years.

When Lilia frowned in displeasure, the voice laughed and then faded away.

 

After that, the mysterious voice she heard non-stop the whole day became completely inaudible. The words of the voice remained on her mind for a while but after a month, she had forgotten that the voice even existed.

 

And then two years later.
Lilia was told by the prince that the engagement was broken off.