I'm The Only Granddaughter Of The Strongest Duke
Ch. 28

-Come here, quick. Baby, come here....

That mysterious voice was very warm and gentle. It was a loving and compassionate voice, like a mother calling for her daughter or an elder sister calling for their younger sister. 

Eve pulled the blanket off and climbed out of bed in a daze. She had just woken up when the languor took hold of her as if pulling her back to sleep. 

She couldn't care less about her messy bed. It was rather rare because Eve was a neat person who always made her bed after waking up. 

Eve blinked in a daze and slowly walked toward the voice. 

Step, step. 

The sound of footsteps echoed in the quiet room. 

But Nial Royce didn't wake up, and the door of the room they stayed in opened slowly as if willing her to come. 

But at that moment,

[Where are you going, brat?!]

Ex, who was placed in a basket with a soft cushion next to Eve's bed, woke up and called Eve in a surprised voice. 

[Hey! Eve! Where are you going?! Take me with you!]

Ex shouted vigorously, but Eve walked out of the room without looking back as if she didn't hear anything. 

[...What's wrong with her?]

Leaving Ex bewildered, Eve slowly walked down the mansion hallway alone.

It was late after midnight. 

Eve didn't cross paths with anyone since everyone in this mansion was dead asleep. 

-Come here.

Despite not knowing much about the mansion's layout, Eve walked without hesitation as if she had lived here for a long time.

After walking through a long hallway, she climbed up the stairs. At the end of the stairs, she encountered another long hallway. 

Passing through countless rooms, she stepped into a hallway with a row of dragon statues on both sides.

-Yes, come here. Good girl...

Her knee-length white pajamas fluttered as she walked. 

A cold wind blew through the gap of the open window, tickling her soft cheeks as if someone was stroking her cheeks to wake her up. 

At that moment, 

"...Huh?"

Eve, who had been in a trance state the whole time, finally opened her eyes.

The cold wind brought back her consciousness, and her blue eyes regained vitality. It was very different from a while ago when she walked down the hallway as if sleepwalking. Eve, who was awake, looked around in a daze. 

"W-What's going on here? Where am I...?"

A very long hallway and a long row of dragon statues on both sides.

The dragon statues were carved uniquely with a highly realistic visual. 

Most eight-year-olds would be spooked out and burst into tears seeing that. But Eve didn't cry or faint because she wasn't just an ordinary eight-year-old girl. 

But she flinched and looked around clumsily. 

"Why am I here??"

She was sleeping in her room until a moment ago. She recalled falling asleep after watching the back of her sleeping dad. She clearly remembered that. 

'Why am I in this hallway?'

But she couldn't remember when she woke up and came all the way here. 

'Let's go back first.'

Eve thought to herself after barely snapping out of it. 

A guest can't walk around the residence without the lord's permission. Not to mention, there was something dangerous and creepy about this hallway. 

Especially the statues of dragons that had their mouths open wide and their wings outstretched, seemingly scaring everyone who approached.

It wasn't hard to conclude that she must've come to the wrong place, although she didn't know how she ended up there.

Just as she was about to turn around and go back.

-Come here, Eve. I'll show you what you are most eager to see right now....

It was the voice that led her all the way here. 

Eve Royce turned and glanced in the direction of the voice as it called to her again.

The voice coming from the door at the end of the hallway. 

"...Who are you?"

Eve asked with all of her senses on high alert. But the voice persisted as if not taking a hint of her cautiousness. 

-Astrid Ferdinand. The heir of Theobold Ferdinand. The Young Duke of Ferdinand Duchy, and also....

"....."

-Eve Royce's mother. 

The voice that enunciated the word "Astrid Ferdinand" was sweet and gentle.

That voice brought a shiver down her spine. 

But the voice didn't miss a beat to once again touch Eve's heart with compassion and spoke. 

-The face that you want to see the most is inside, Eve.

'The face that I want to see the most?'

The one whose face left her in constant wonder...]

The one she always longed for....

-Come here, Eve.

'Mom.'

Eve walked past the dragon statues that perched there menacingly. 

Her pace grew faster and faster as she approached the door. Eve was practically sprinting without even realizing it. 

She ran in a hurry and held the door handle.

The voice that she heard was clearly coming from that room. 

"I'm sure of this!"

The huge door creaked as she tried to pull it back with all her might. 

Creak-

Creak, creak-

'Huh? Why can't I open it? Is it locked from inside?'

She tried to pull the handle but to no avail. 

The door didn't budge. 

'Why are you calling me if the door is locked from inside? How absurd...'

She took a step back and examined the door. 

A dragon was incised on the door. On both sides of it were another dragon and a sword that symbolized the Ferdinand family.

It was a very important room from the look of it. 

'I guess they locked it since it's an important room...but who's calling me from inside?'

She put her ear close to the door in hopes of hearing the voice again, but it was silent. 

'Hmm...what the hell...'

She was upset that nothing could be heard, but a voice was heard when she was about to turn away and leave. 

-Your temper is exactly like Astrid's.....Don't just leave. Wait a bit here.

She didn't miss the chance to ask. 

"Will you open the door, then?"

-Yes, I will open it for you....I wasn't going to bring you here like this....

I heard the mysterious voice sigh as soon as it stopped speaking. It was a deep sigh that could make the ground collapse.

But she ignored the loud sigh as she waited for the door to open.

Screech-

Eve took a step back in surprise when the huge door began to slide open by itself.

'A door that opens by itself....?'

Ex also unsheathed himself, was it a trend or something to do everything alone?

The door that wouldn't budge, no matter how much she pulled or pushed it, opened on its own. 

She looked at the door with a puzzled expression. 

-...Come in.

A voice from the inside could be heard again, so she carefully pushed the door and stepped into the dark room.

There was no light seeping into the room, so she couldn't see anything at all.

'It's kind of scary....'

She had no idea who called her. It was scary to enter the room willingly in such a situation.