If You’re Being Held Hostage, Wiggle the Carrot! - Chapter 73 - Friendship by the Bonfire

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Ruby stared at Jack, feeling strangely concerned. The other spirits standing behind the child couldn’t approach Ruby, but Jack had been holding onto her sleeve the whole time.

“…This is different, isn’t it?”

But even she found it challenging to grasp what was different. There were as many spirits in the world as there were living beings. They all had their own stories, emitting different colors and scents.

The remark she made earlier about Jack not having a corrupted smell was due to the fact that spirits harboring malicious intentions often gave off foul odors.

“A smell…”

As she pondered for a moment, she realized that even the spirits that were about to approach Ivan didn’t emit any distinctive smells.

Why did they show such attachment then?

Unable to find a clear answer to her questions, Ruby stopped mulling it over and stood up. The sun had begun to set.

Although it was regrettable that she couldn’t fulfill Louis’s request today, she had to go inside before it got too late. There was no need to worry about Ivan due to the protective barrier, but it felt awkward not seeing his face even once today.

Yeah, it’s not because I miss him. It’s just that unfamiliar situations make me uncomfortable.

Having convinced herself, she approached John and lightly tapped his shoulder. Suddenly, the traces of the spirits that had clung to him, including Jack, disappeared cleanly.

“Huh?”

He suddenly felt his shoulders becoming unexpectedly light, and he looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“I think I should go in now.”

“Ah… Yes, Miss. We won’t say a word about what happened today.”

It didn’t really matter to Ruby if word got out about her seeing spirits, but she couldn’t bring herself to say that with John having such a serious and determined look on his face.

As she stared at him, wondering how to respond, three other servants gathered around John. They, too, had serious faces and spoke in unison.

“We promise you, on our lives, that we will never reveal the lady’s secret.”

“…Uh, sure. Please do.”

“Yes, you have our word.”

With four determined expressions like that, she couldn’t possibly say it wasn’t really a secret. Their resolute faces sealed her lips.

She nodded vaguely, but Jack was still holding her sleeve and looking up at her. Ruby gently patted Jack’s head with her hand—the one that wasn’t wearing her spirit-warding bracelet. Jack’s face lit up with joy.

“I’ll have to see you again soon.”

‘Ung…’

Ruby’s expression softened very tenderly, just like when she looked at the village siblings.

Witnessing her expression, the servants blushed, not knowing why. It was then that Ruby turned to John.

“Do you think you could find out if there’s someone named Beryl in town?”

“Of course. However, ‘Beryl’ is quite a common name. If you could tell me where they live, I’ll look into it.”

“Ah. She’s a woman…”

“What does she do for a living?”

Ruby, about to explain to John, snapped her head around at the sudden interruption.

There stood Ivan, soundlessly approaching, looking displeased, with Liam behind him.

“Oh, Your Grace.”

Ruby quickly rushed over to Ivan. Even in this mansion, if there was someone she was most familiar with, it was undoubtedly Ivan.

“…I came to find you since you didn’t return.”

Ivan’s anger eased up a bit as Ruby came to stand beside him. Although he wasn’t even sure why he had been so upset in the first place.

Not wanting to see her so close to the other male wolves, Ivan quickly grabbed Ruby’s arm and pulled her closer to him.

Jack, who had been holding onto her sleeve and following her, finally stepped back. Not only Jack, but also all the spirits nearby started to back off.