Dante sat at the end of the stairs that led to the first floor of the holiday mansion. He was trying to understand what he had done to deserve such loud laughter. Four ghostly figures floated around him.

  “Sorry, young master, but that’s...hahaha…” the ghost of a man in his thirties with small glasses and a big moustache grabbed his own round belly while laughing.

  “What Darvin wanted to say, young master...it is that…” the ghost of an elderly woman in a maid’s uniform giggled before speaking again: “It’s clear that this Kelit is your admirer.”

  “Though I have to say the fact that Iza suddenly felt pain is rather disturbing,” added the third ghost of a chef. They had once been an amazing beauty and even claimed that it was what got them killed. The gardener ghost, Darvin, said that they exaggerate, and all of them died while a robbery took place in the mansion a long time ago.

  “Yep, Veyra’s right. If our Gloomy Prince didn’t have a cool aura, it would still hurt. Do you have any idea what that could be?”

  “Could it be mana?” guessed the elderly woman.

  “Nah, I don’t wanna argue Agnes, but mana doesn’t work on us. Otherwise it would be so hard to stay here with the living,” Darvin explained. “Maybe if someone had an enormous amount of it,” he continued after some thought.

  “Not that guy, his spell was a total flop,” Iza sighed, still unable to get an answer on her sudden condition.

  “It was?” Dante asked, remembering how Kelit said that he had little mana himself. Iza nodded her head. Then someone cleared his throat. Dante then realised that his butler, Ron, was standing in the dining room entrance. The old man had a strange smile on his face again, the one that mixed pity, amusement and protectiveness. The kind that Dante grew to like, but only when it showed on Ron’s face. He must have heard Dante speaking to ghosts, which, in his eyes, looked like he was talking to himself.

  “Young master, dinner’s ready. Are you alright?” Dante nodded as red embarrassment crept on his cheeks. “That's great, let’s eat before your dog decides to devour us along with our dinner.”

  Dante chuckled, too accustomed to cold expressions to really smile. Ron never minded that. Since there were only two of them, they always ate together. Around a month ago, Lady decided to take the physical form of an enormous dog, almost as big as a bear. She was accompanying them during meals. Ron was still wary of her, as she listened only to Dante.

  That large ball of fluff waited for Dante under his seat. She looked fierce and dangerous. When Ron asked him what breed she is, he wasn’t sure what to tell him. She really didn’t look like any existing breed of hound. It was more like a dire wolf had a child with a very shaggy bear. Her nose was long, her ears pointed, and her eyes unnaturally clever. It was good that she didn’t decide to smile while in physical form. Even if Ron loves Dante, he would run after seeing it

  When the butler brought the dishes, the entire dining room filled with a delicious aroma. Then he sat next to Dante, and looked at his young master. He was trying to assess what humour Dante was. If it was all right to bring up the academy.

  “How was the start of a new semester?” He asked at last.

  “As usual,” Dante sighed while cutting his steak into small pieces.

  “As usual?! You joke! Tell him about Goldy!” Demanded Iza, as she was the only ghost that would approach Lady. The dog was scary even to them. She was after all a very powerful, corrupted spirit. Lady got some respect for Izodora but only after a lot of barking, not from the black dog side. Dante cleared his throat:

  “Someone sat next to me.” He watched as Ron’s face went through different expressions all at once. Shock, relief, confusion, and then relief again.

  “That’s great, young master, you’ll…”

  “He annoys me,” Dante cut Ron off and watched as his face dropped again. He looked defeated and massaged his temple as Dante took a bite of the meat.

  “Why, if I may ask?”

  “He’s cheeky, smiles too much, uses backhanded compliments, and I have strange feelings about him.” Dante put down his fork, ready for more questions.

  “It’s surely a lot, but is it a crime to smile?” Dante started fidgeting with teal and violet stones on his small bracelet. “And maybe he just doesn’t know how to approach you?”

  “No, everything he has done was deliberate,” Dante sighed.

  “Tell Ron about the doodles! Goldy has some talents!” This time, he ignored her suggestion with an eye-roll.

  “I didn’t say I don’t like him, Ron...at least not yet. He’s just...how to explain it?… Well, too clever, maybe, and too sure of himself. Not like a commoner, not at all.” His companion looked relieved again. It was like he cared more if Dante had friends than Dante himself.

  “Please try to be at least a little gentler. Just a tiny bit of a young master.” Ron smiled gently, ready to eat his portion now.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Only if he decides to harass me again.” Ron coughed, not sure if he should scold Dante or just leave this topic eternally. That child in his hands was a stubborn one, almost as much as his great-grandfather.

  When they ate, Ron went to the kitchen to put away the dirty plates. “I’ll take care of them!” announced Agnes, when the butler returned with envelopes in his hands. Dante wanted to stop her, but he decided against it. She still wanted to help even after death. Also situations like this happened so often that Ron started suspecting that he has early-stage dementia.

  “A few letters came to you this morning. I didn’t want to bring them during dinner. One is from young Lady Rose, the other from young master Edward...” Dante smiled at the mention of his siblings, especially Rose. She was only ten, but so ridiculously cute that his mask always cracked when she was around. “...and the last one from the Duke.” Dante’s face returned to the cold expression. His mask falling back into place.

  His father wrote to him at least three times a month. The letters were always short, usually without questions, so he didn’t feel the need to answer. He took the envelopes when Ron handed them to him and opened the one from his father first.

  “Son, I hope you're well. I wish you great luck this semester. Maintain your high score. Don’t shoot anyone we can’t silence. Father, Cassian Crimson,” he read out loud. At least he didn’t sign the letter as Duke Crimson.

  “That man certainly has a way with words...” Commented Iza, peering at the letter over Dante’s shoulder. Dante and Ron sighed in unison and the butler chuckled realising that.

  “His Grace cares for you… in his own ways. Don’t take it as coldness.” The thing was Dante knew that, but it was hard not to be affected. He and his father were always distant, even when his mother was still around, before Rose was born.

  “It’s alright. At least I have permission to shoot annoying people.” He joked, though his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

  “Please don’t, young master.”

  The next letter he decided to open was from his brother. They were quite close, or at least they liked to think so.

  My dear LITTLE brother! – Dante rolled his eyes. Edward loved constantly reminding him that he is the younger one.

  Don’t roll your eyes, I know you are! – corners of his mouth raised slightly – How’s the new semester? When will you return home? Rose can’t wait till you come back. She mentioned something about braiding your hair, you’re doomed. She also still insists you're the scarier one of us. I told her it’s impossible. How could a younger-younger-younger brother be considered scarier than the oldest? – Dante could nearly hear Edward teasing him – When I find time, I’ll come by. Be ready whenever. You don’t know the time or date! (Me too, to be honest. I have sooo much work…) When the semester ends, I’ll come for sure to drag you home at least for Winter Fest, whether you like it or not!

  Stay safe, Ed

  Iza, who was still peering at the letters from behind his shoulders, giggled. She liked Edward and even flirted with him. Too bad he wasn’t able to see or hear her.

  “How’s young master Edward?” asked Ron curiously, content to see Dante even half smiling.

  “Great, whining about his work as always.” Ron laughed in reminiscence. Dante opened a third letter. The mask vanished instantly upon seeing the dried flowers in the envelope. His little sister has a habit of sending him strange things, she gathers around the garden. Once it was dirt.

  Danti! – Next to it were childish doodles that were probably supposed to be him.

  You won't believe what happened to me! Mary (my Handmaiden, if you forgot) showed me great-grandfather’s portrait, when he was a little older than you. YOU TWO LOOK EXACTLY THE SAME!! But when I said that, it crashed to the floor! Could the old man be angry?? – Dante couldn’t help but snicker.

  “Of course, the old man would throw a tantrum over that,” he muttered to himself, while Iza laughed. His great-grandfather was one of the ghosts that stayed in the mansion. He was more of a father to him than the real one. When Izodora tagged along with him, for the first time, for the break between semesters, those two got along a little too perfectly.

  Ed broke the bracelet I made! And he dared to say he didn’t like yellow! I made him a new one (using only yellow). Now he has to wear it forever. – Dante chuckled, looking at his own bracelet – Father keeps his on constantly just like you. And he read me a book...It was sooo boring! He didn’t do voices like Mary does. Please come home soon, I want to braid your hair!

  Your sister Rose

  P.S. Give one flower to Ron.

  Dante handed a dried periwinkle to the butler, who smiled brightly upon receiving the present.

  “I guess the young lady still roams the gardens,” he tucked the flower into his breast pocket. “Soon she will start sending us leaves.”

  “Or rocks, don’t forget about rocks.” After that, they’ve fallen into a comfortable silence. Dante didn’t really have any plans for the evening. Tomorrow was another lecture day. He should write back to his siblings. He decided to head to his room, and when he stood up, Ron said:

  “Night is going to be cold, so light a fireplace before you head to sleep, young master. Also, if you're going to go anywhere besides the academy, take that bear…” Lady growled, what made butler shudder, “...I mean beautiful hound, with you. Someone was attacked by a monster near the town.”

  “Monsters?” repeated Dante. “Haven’t Florent’s war-mages performed a cleansing a few weeks ago?”

  “They did, but that’s what I’ve heard. Better safe than sorry, young master. It nearly killed that unlucky fellow.” Dante nodded his head, wished Ron good night, and walked up the stairs. Lady and Iza went with him.

  “You can always ask Lady Florent yourself. She has most classes with you, she’s in a magic major like Goldy,” crimson-eyed man shuddered. Izodora wasn’t sure if it was because she mentioned the other Duke’s daughter or Kelit.

  “I would rather drink poison than talk to her.”

  “Oh, but she likes you!” she teased. “She calls you darling! What translated to normal means she thinks you're alright. And you were kind of maybe friends, according to the old man,” Dante already forgot that grand-duke Severin Crimson, his great-grandfather, gossiped about his childhood with her. “Well, a long time ago, even ages, when you were still capable of smiling,” he rolled his eyes at her.

  "Only because our mothers were friends and wanted us to marry." She started laughing.

  "I can't imagine you marrying a girl. Especially one like her."