"Come on, sit down. Let's talk."
Lynn pulled out two chairs and motioned for Lily to take a seat.
Under the watchful gaze of David's spirit, Lily sat down and removed an iron tag from around her neck.
It was identical to the one clutched in David's hand—even the name engraved on it was the same.
"My father joined the circus when he was sixteen," Lily began quietly. "Later, I was born, and like David, I grew up in the circus."
"In the eyes of my father and Uncle Wilson, David and I were the circus's brightest prospects—the best candidates to inherit the trapeze and contortion acts."
She handed the tag to Lynn, sorrow filling her eyes. "But the truth is, David and I both hated the circus."
"Because of the feud between our fathers, we could only love each other in secret. It wasn't until three months ago that we finally confirmed our relationship."
"Mr. Lynn, David and I both knew that if our fathers found out, they'd do everything to tear us apart."
Her eyes shimmered with tears as she looked up at him, her expression raw and full of emotion. "But we couldn't let go of each other—just like Romeo and Juliet."
"Half a month ago, we even secretly performed a circus version of Romeo and Juliet."
"I was hanging upside down from the ropes as Juliet, and David reached up from below, playing Romeo… but halfway through the performance, my father caught us."
Lily wiped her tears with the back of her hand and gently took the iron tag back from Lynn. "David made this himself. He said it was a token of our love."
"Our fathers' interference made it impossible for us to be together openly," Lily said, her voice trembling. "So we decided to… to recreate the ending of Romeo and Juliet."
As she spoke, Lynn glanced toward David's spirit. The ghost was instinctively reaching out, trying to wipe the tears from her face—but his hand passed straight through her cheek.
"You mean… you planned to commit suicide?"
"Yes."
Lily nodded hard, taking a shaky breath. "We agreed to die together. Only then could we truly be together."
"So during last night's show, David said he would suffocate inside the box, and I was supposed to fall to my death during the trapeze act."
"But during the performance, when my father and I were doing the aerial relay—at the moment I was supposed to fall—I panicked. I grabbed my father's arm instead."
She clutched her right arm, still sore from the strain, her voice breaking. "When I rushed backstage after the show, I found that David was already gone. He'd really suffocated inside the box."
Tears streamed down her face as she covered it with her hands and wept.
After a long pause, she managed to speak again between sobs. "I was devastated… I didn't know what to do. So I pushed the box—with David's body inside—into the Hudson River."
"Mr. Lynn… that's the whole truth."
As Lily's trembling voice faded, the red glow of obsession in David's eyes began to dim.
He looked toward Lynn, whispering softly, again and again—
"Romeo… no blame… Juliet."
Lynn understood immediately—this was David's final obsession.
With that thought, he stood, pulled a tissue from his pocket, and handed it to her. "Here. Wipe your tears."
"Thank you," Lily whispered, taking it and dabbing at her eyes.
For a moment, Lynn said nothing. Then his voice softened. "You know, Romeo never got Friar Lawrence's letter. He thought Juliet was dead and poisoned himself at her tomb."
"But if Romeo's soul had known Juliet was only pretending, he never would've blamed her."
"Just like David—he won't blame you either."
Lily froze, stunned, before her composure crumbled. She buried her face in her hands and began to sob uncontrollably.
Beside her, David's spirit bent forward gently and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
A moment later, his translucent form began to fade, dissolving into light.
His lingering obsession disappeared completely—and with it, a wave of Death Energy surged into Lynn's body.
In an instant, he felt a rush of heat spreading through him, vast power pouring into every nerve and organ.
✨💀~~~~[Grace of Death]~~~~💀✨
[Host: Lynn Hall]
[Age: Twenty-two]
[Identity: of Death (1%)]
[Supernatural Abilities: Three times peak human physical fitness, Secret Potion Creation (LV1), Phantom Spirit (LV2), Super Senses (LV2), Bone Shield (LV1), Undying Body]
✨💀~~~~~💀✨
Glancing at the system panel, Lynn noted his physical strength had increased to three times that of an ordinary peak human. Both Phantom Spirit and Super Senses had advanced by one level.
More importantly, the previously inactive identity of of Death had now reached one percent activation.
A thrill surged through him—he truly hadn't been disappointed by a red-grade spirit.
Now, he couldn't wait to see what kind of transformation awaited him once the Harbinger of Death title fully awakened.
"Hey, Lynn!"
Leaving the circus tent, George Stacy had been searching around until he finally spotted Lynn and Lily behind the stage.
Lynn was standing with one hand on Lily's shoulder, speaking softly to comfort her.
Seeing that, George frowned and called out sharply, "Lynn!"
Hearing George's shout, Lynn gave Lily's shoulder a reassuring pat before walking over to him.
He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered one.
Before Lynn could even say a word, George let out a helpless sigh. "I swear, could you stop turning on that damned charm of yours for five minutes? We're in the middle of an investigation, Lynn. The case isn't even closed yet, and you're already—"
"The case is solved," Lynn interrupted casually.
"What?"
George blinked, caught off guard. "You already know the whole story?"
"Of course," Lynn said with a smirk. "What, you thought I was just chatting up a girl?"
He slung an arm around George's shoulder as they walked out together. "George, times are changing. You've got to change that old-school mindset of yours too."
"Come on, how many times have I been to your house for dinner? Gwen talks to me a few times and suddenly you look at me like I'm some predator."
"Relax, George—I've got standards. I don't touch girls who are seventeen. I still have that much restraint."
"Even if Gwen happens to like me, don't you trust my integrity? I'd swear to God!"
"Shut up, you damned bastard!" George barked, his face darkening. "Don't you dare mention my daughter's name! And don't think I don't know—you don't even believe in God!"
"Alright, alright," Lynn said, laughing as they walked.
"Just tell me what really happened with this case!" George demanded, glaring at him.
The two continued down the road, their bickering fading into the distance as the setting sun cast long shadows behind the car.
...
Love makes poets of the living and ghosts of the faithful.
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