Night had fallen, and I sat silently by Raquel’s side, gently stroking his hair to help him sleep more soundly. He looked peaceful now, his small chest rising and falling with steady breaths, unaware of the storm still raging inside me.

The anger from this morning—what they did to him—still hadn’t faded. If anything, it had settled deep into my bones, burning colder than before. As a ghost, I wanted to terrify those women who dared to hurt him. I wanted revenge.

But I was bound to Raquel. I couldn’t stray too far unless I asked for his permission. And now, he was fast asleep. I didn’t want to disturb his rest, especially not after everything he’d endured.

Still… maybe there was a way around it.

I leaned in and whispered softly, “Raquel, I’ll leave for just a bit, alright? There’s something I want to check. I’ll be back before you wake up.”

His eyelids fluttered. Barely awake, he murmured, “Okay…” and slipped right back into sleep.

I smiled gently and brushed a hand over his bangs. “Thank you.”

Not wanting to make a sound, I passed through the wall of the cottage and ascended into the night sky. From above, the forest stretched endlessly, cloaked in soft moonlight. My eyes scanned the landscape until they locked onto a grand mansion not far from here, its silhouette rising like a shadow of forgotten wealth. Only one window glowed faintly with light.

Curious—and furious—I flew toward it.

As I drew closer, I peeked through the illuminated window. Inside were two figures. One was unmistakable: that elegant, cruel woman Raquel had called his aunt. The other was a man—older, with loose, shoulder-length blond hair and a strong, commanding presence. He was well-built, and though seated, his posture exuded authority. He looked tired, hunched over a stack of paperwork while the woman stood across from him, arms crossed and fuming.

Their voices slipped through the window like bitter wind.

“That boy is dangerous!” the woman snapped, her voice sharp and shrill.

The man sighed heavily without looking up. “You went to that cottage again, didn’t you?”

The woman paused, clearly caught. “I—he summoned a spirit!”

That got the man’s attention. He froze, then slowly looked up at her.

“He did a summoning?” he asked, brows furrowing.

“Yes! And that thing—his summon—attacked me and my maids. He’s dangerous! We need to act now!” Her voice cracked with desperation, like she was trying to convince herself as much as him.

The man set down his pen, his grip tight, jaw clenched. “You knew he was dangerous… and yet you still went.”

His voice was low and exhausted—but filled with restrained anger.

“He killed my sister. Your wife,” she said through clenched teeth. “Someone has to monitor him. Someone has to make sure he doesn’t do anything again!”

Her words echoed in my head: your wife. That meant… this man—he was Raquel’s father.

I pressed my hand to the glass, furious. These were the people who blamed Raquel for his mother’s death. These were the people I wanted revenge on.

“No matter how much they loved his mom,” I growled under my breath, “how dare they blame him—a child. Raquel wouldn’t even hurt a rabbit.”

I slipped through the window for a better look. From up close, Raquel’s father was undeniably handsome—his blond hair falling over tired eyes, face chiseled like marble, his shirt loose enough to reveal broad shoulders and a toned chest. He had a narrow waist cinched by a belt, his whole form giving off an aura of both nobility and restraint.

Will Raquel look like this when he grows up? I wondered.

My gaze drifted to a picture frame on his desk. A beautiful woman stared back at me with silver-blue hair and kind, downturned eyes. Her smile was gentle, motherly.

Raquel looked just like her.

“She looked so kind…” I whispered. “And they punish her son like this?”

I didn’t understand. What do they want from a child?

“I know he’s dangerous, but you don’t have to concern yourself with that boy,” the man said coldly. “Nyssira entrusted you to my care so don't go throwing yourself in dangerous situations. I’ve assigned special maids to watch over... that boy.”

They couldn’t even say his name, I realized bitterly.

“But those maids you assigned weren’t doing their jobs! Look what happened! He summoned... a Guardian! his more dangerous than ever now!” she shouted.

“That’s exactly why I hid him in such a place—far from people. So if he does anything dangerous - there will be no other victims, those maids I assigned on him have orders to eliminate him. So stop involving yourself.”

Eliminate?

My blood ran cold.

They were planning to kill him?

My hands curled into fists. My rage was almost too much to contain. No. Not now. Anything I did would only draw more attention to Raquel. They already knew he had a spirit—me. If I caused more chaos, it might accelerate their plans.

They're already are planning to kill an innocent child – I can’t tell how many strikes there are left before they finally pull the trigger on Raquel.

The woman bit her lip, eyes trembling with frustration, but said nothing more.

“Get some rest,” the man said tiredly. “You’ve had a bad day.”

She left.

I watched him for a while, but he said nothing more. Just continued his paperwork like nothing had happened.

So I left and floated through the mansion, passing through empty halls and dusty, unused rooms. Servant quarters, a kitchen, an art room, and finally… a quiet room tucked away in the back. It was dim, well-maintained, yet cold—like time had stopped here.

There were more photos on a nearby dresser.

One showed the same woman from before—Nyssira—smiling gently beside a blond man who had a warm and tender look in his eyes as he looked at her. And another photo next to it captured a sleeping infant - Raquel.

My heart ached. I stared at the baby’s peaceful expression.

Then, without hesitation, I slid the picture into a drawer. If they were going to try to kill him, then they don’t deserve to keep see this picture.

Looking around the room again, something soft caught my eye. An unfinished teddy bear, its face still missing. Next to it, a small sewing kit. 'Someone clearly planned to complete it… but never did.'

I sat down to finish it since I could sew. 'TLE class was a useful subject.' I thought.

It took some time, but I finished it.

There were no toys in Raquel’s cottage, and I thought this would be nice to give him, since its just being left unused in such an empty room. At least, a child would be able to play with it.

I couldn’t make objects pass through walls, so I opened the window, slipped the bear outside with one hand, then phased halfway through the wall to close it from inside and completely phased out of the room. I paused once more, glancing back at the lit window from earlier.

Raquel’s father was still at his desk.

Still working.

I said nothing. Just flew back toward the cottage, the teddy bear clutched tightly in my arms.

A gift for a boy who never deserved any of this.