My Body Has Been Possessed By Someone - Chapter 153

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 153
Her voice trembled so faintly that it was nearly imperceptible.
“Leave together? What are you talking about?”
“I understand you are suffering in this place.”
His eager breath scattered across the nape of her neck. He spoke faster than was characteristic of him.
“I have always hoped that one day you would trust me. When that day comes, I wished to take you somewhere you could live in peace.”
Kanna turned his words over in her mind. The day when she would trust Raphael.
‘He hoped such a day would come?’
All this time, Ju-hwa had been dwelling within this body.
Ju-hwa despised and loathed him so thoroughly, yet he harbored such a wish.
I felt a pang of pity for Raphael, who must have circled around me with such pitiful hope.
Yet I did not let it show, and asked quietly instead.
“A place where one can live in peace? Have you found such a suitable location?”
“Yes.”
“But I am the daughter of the Duke Adis family. I have never lived without a certain level of wealth and luxury.”
“Please do not worry. I have prepared everything so you can live without hardship.”
“Prepared? Surely you haven’t earned money just for me?”
“Yes.”
How could a defrocked priest earn money?
No matter how hard he tried, it could never compare to the wealth of the Duke’s family.
He probably simply didn’t understand the vast fortunes of the nobility. I felt laughter threatening to bubble up at his naivety once more.
But his sincerity was touching, so I did not mock him openly.
Instead, I spoke sweetly to him, as if rewarding him for the hardship he must have endured.
“Thank you. I’m moved.”
“…Does that mean you consent?”
“Of course.”
No.
“I’ll go with you.”
That will never happen.
You are Silvien’s friend, and moreover, you are being hunted by the Grand Temple.
If I were to stay with you, my location could be exposed someday. I refuse to fall into danger again because of compassion.
So it’s impossible.
I will never see you again.
‘And sacrificing my life to save myself is something I alone must bear.’
Raphael, burning away in the flames.
I never want to see such a sight again.
But this man was far too naive, unable to forget the kindness from childhood. He would risk his life for me at any moment.
I hated that.
“Thank you for making such a proposal.”
But since Raphael was someone who could find me like a ghost, I had to deceive him.
So I uttered words that were pleasant to hear.
“Let’s depart after my leg has fully healed. Until then, I think I’ll take some time to recover.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll return soon. I’m doing well.”
“I will wait for you.”
I silently hoped he wouldn’t have to wait too long. I wished that in my heart.
This was the end.
This was my last moment with Raphael.
Perhaps it was the weight of that word—”last”—that made his presence feel somehow sorrowful to me.
But that was all.
‘I’m sorry.’
I closed my eyes. I bid him farewell in my heart.
‘Goodbye, Raphael.’
* * *
Crescent Izaberg’s prophecy had come true.
This incident was recorded as the worst conflagration in Imperial history, one that would never be repeated.
The Second Prince, a leading heir to the throne—Crescent. He perished in the flames, meeting a violent and untimely death.
But that was not all.
The Adis knights who had visited the palace also died. Though Kanna Adis survived, she was crushed beneath the collapsing debris of the building, sustaining injuries to her legs.
As a small mercy, only Amelia, the palace’s mistress, emerged unscathed. The only injury she sustained was a light bruise from her escape through the window.
Days later, Crescent Izaberg’s state funeral was held.
The Empress did not attend.
She could not possibly attend.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
At last, all the medicine had run out.
The pain she had forgotten during those days came rushing back. The agony consumed her from head to toe, occupying every inch of her being.
“Ahhh, aaaahhhhh!”
The Empress screamed within her chamber. Tears streamed down her face.
Her skin, scratched raw in her frenzy, bled profusely, and her nails had long since broken.
Yet none of it hurt.
The burning itch that consumed her entire body made such pain utterly insignificant!
Tormented by an unbearable itching, the Empress could not even attend Crescent’s funeral.
The grief of losing her son, combined with her physical suffering, had completely shattered the Empress’s sanity.
In the end, the Empress went to find Kanna.
Whether she knelt before her or seized her by the hair, she would do anything—anything—to obtain the medicine!
But.
“Forgive me. Duke Adis has directly commanded that Her Majesty the Empress not be admitted.”
What came back was a refusal at the gate.
“What did you say!”
The Empress shrieked, her eyes bloodshot crimson. She had long since abandoned all dignity.
“How dare you ignore the Empress’s command! Open this door at once! Bring the Duke Adis’s daughter before me immediately!”
Yet the mansion’s door remained unmoved. As her orders were repeatedly defied, the Empress shifted her approach.
“Please! I beg you, let me see the Duke Adis’s daughter!”
“Your Majesty.”
The Empress’s head snapped around. Finally, the master of the house had emerged in response to the continued commotion.
“I cannot open the door. Please return to the palace.”
“Duke Adis! I implore you, allow me to see your daughter. I am begging you!”
“Kanna’s condition is grave and requires rest. Please, I ask that you depart.”
This news soon reached the Emperor’s ears.
“What did you say? The Empress is begging the Duke Adis?”
She hadn’t even attended her own son’s funeral, so what was she doing? Pleading before the Adis Mansion?
The Emperor, thoroughly enraged, issued an order.
“Where are the Knight Guards? Go at once and escort the Empress back!”
* * *
In the end, the Empress was dragged away by the Knight Guards the Emperor had sent.
“Have you lost your mind? What are you doing at a time like this!”
Yet the Empress was not in her right mind.
It was not merely an expression of insult—she truly appeared mad.
“Empress, what in the world is the meaning of this?”
At this point, the Empress could no longer restrain herself.
She had kept it hidden, knowing it was her fatal weakness. Only Crescent Izaberg had known of it.
But Crescent Izaberg was dead, and now no one could help her.
“Your Majesty, I beg you to issue an imperial decree! Without that medicine, I cannot bear to live!”
The Empress prostrated herself beneath the Emperor’s feet. And for the first time, she pleaded.
“…You need medicine from the Duke Adis’s daughter?”
Having heard the full account, the Emperor muttered with displeasure.
He had known that Kanna possessed talent in medicine, but he had not realized the Empress depended on her to this degree. However.
‘What profit do I gain from helping this woman?’
The Emperor calculated coldly. His mind worked swiftly.
What could he extract from the Empress?
He found the answer quickly.
“That arrogant Duke Adis will not yield to an imperial edict alone. Unless I personally go and persuade him, he will not budge an inch.”
This wretched bastard!
The Empress’s eyes, streaming with tears, blazed with fury. She knew her husband all too well.
This Emperor of the Empire, her own husband, would not move without payment—he was acting like the most contemptible scoundrel, demanding something in return!
The Empress, unable to bear the anguish, cried out shrilly.
“Then what do you want? Speak plainly!”
The Emperor’s lips curved into a smile.
Perhaps because she was a woman just like him, they understood each other well.
He intended to use this opportunity to thoroughly ensnare the Empress’s maternal family, the Merci Family, so they could never escape his grasp again.
‘There must be a way to make him have no choice but to stand with me in the long run.’
The easiest way to be on the same boat.
It was investment.
“I intend to undertake a major state project soon. A grand initiative to rehabilitate the Empire’s waterways and utilize the resources of the rivers. However, the national budget alone is woefully insufficient to proceed.”
The Emperor spread both hands before him and smiled benevolently.
“Persuade Marquis Mercy to have the nobility invest in this project. Of course, I am hoping that Marquis Mercy will be the most enthusiastic.”
“If I do that, will you issue an imperial decree to Duke Adis to procure the medicine for me?”
“I shall.”
“You’ve made a promise! You must obtain the medicine by any means necessary, Your Majesty!”
“I will show sincerity equal to what Marquis Mercy demonstrates.”
Truly, a man who thought only of his own gain until the very end. The Empress wanted to flay the skin from his face. She despised him that much.
Yet in this moment, the Emperor was her only path to survival.
And the Emperor would come to regret this moment later.
He should never have done it.
* * *
I used my injury as an excuse not to attend Crescent’s funeral.
However, I did attend the funeral of the fallen Adis Knights.
After Crescent’s state funeral concluded, Amelia came to visit me while I was ill. But I refused her, just as I had refused the Empress.
‘I don’t want to make any more mistakes.’
The critical moment was at hand. I feared that if I let emotion cloud my judgment, I might ruin everything.
Tomorrow had finally arrived.
Tomorrow morning, I would depart for Rivensum. Tonight was my last night at the Adis Mansion.
That night, after finishing the organization of the Research Laboratory, I made my way back to my Bedroom.
In the dark Corridor, I encountered Alexandro Adis.
‘What is he doing awake at this hour?’
Just as I was about to pass by.
“You’re leaving?”
I stopped in my tracks.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————