My Body Has Been Possessed By Someone - Chapter 314

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Special Side Story Episode 2
1. Claude (2)
“Well, good day to you, Lord Kalen? I must say, your expression has grown kinder in our time apart. Though I suspect your heart remains as dark and sinister as ever.”
“And you seem well-suited to rural life, Lord Claude. Your complexion looks splendid. Though I suppose it would, earning vast sums without lifting a finger.”
As expected, a man who never loses an exchange.
“Lord Claude, how does my father fare?”
“Quite well, naturally.”
“Still, he must grow lonely in that rural village. I hope you’re attending to him properly.”
“Anyone observing would think you a paragon of filial devotion, Lord Kalen.”
“I speak in earnest. Father must be lonely—it would be wonderful if you could introduce him to a suitable woman.”
“I have attempted such introductions, but he shows no interest whatsoever.”
“Then you must learn to match his preferences precisely.”
“His preferences?”
Alexandro Adis’s preferences in women? My ears perked up at this.
Kalen then gestured for me to come closer and spoke in a hushed voice.
“My father favors women with strong spirits and fierce temperaments. Women strong enough to match him, to bend his will.”
“A woman capable of bending Alexandro Adis?”
Remarkable. Where on earth could such a woman—such a person—possibly exist?
“Search for her. She must be somewhere.”
Kalen’s expression was utterly serious.
“As for appearance, he prefers tall, slender women with eyes that hint at untold stories—an enigmatic aura. And facially, he favors sophisticated, urbane beauty. Ah, if a woman has a single striking feature—a beauty mark, perhaps—he becomes absolutely entranced.”
“….”
“His taste runs toward glamorous, cosmopolitan features. A single distinctive mark on the face drives him wild.”
This is disturbingly specific. Rather unpleasant, actually.
“How do you know Alexandro Adis’s preferences in women so precisely, Lord Kalen?”
“Because I’m his son, am I not? Of course I know him well.”
Kalen placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled with the confidence of a seasoned politician.
“So find a woman matching the temperament and appearance I’ve described. I assure you, such a woman exists somewhere.”
“….”
“My father should remarry. Don’t you agree? For his own happiness.”
Good heavens. And he expects me to believe this.
* * *
“Ah, Claude. You came?”
That evening, I received an invitation from Duke Orsini Adis.
“Come, sit. Let’s share a drink.”
“Of course. I’m honored.”
My relationship with Orsini runs quite deep.
The Adis Knights have benefited tremendously from his generosity with wine—he produces rare vintages without hesitation, making him immensely popular among the knights.
“But Lord Orsini—or rather, Duke now. You truly look like the head of the Duchy. Did you attend a meeting at the Imperial Palace today?”
Indeed, he had.
Orsini was dressed in a perfectly tailored formal suit that fit him like a glove. Gone was the wild, untamed appearance he once carried.
Though I must say, he had loosened his cravat with a rather dismissive air.
He smiled crookedly.
“So? Does it suit me?”
“Yes. You look like Alexandro during his days as Duke.”
“….”
“Goodness, now that I see you both together, you really do look alike. People might mistake you for twins if you walked around together.”
“Shut it. I’m sick of hearing that I look like him.”
His expression was displeased, yet somehow pleased at the same time. How fascinating—to feel contradictory emotions simultaneously. Humans truly are complex creatures.
In any case, after we exchanged pleasantries for a while, the conversation shifted to another topic.
“So? How is Father doing these days?”
Why would these brothers suddenly take such interest in their father? As far as I know, both of them are terribly unfilial sons.
“He is well. His health remains sound, and he enjoys his hobbies in modest ways.”
“What about women?”
“Pardon?”
“Women. Does he have any?”
This is suspicious.
First Kalen, and now Orsini as well? This question again?
“He does not.”
“Damn it. What are you doing? Find him a woman and introduce her. That statue of a man won’t make the first move himself, will he?”
“….”
“Father should remarry soon. You must have heard—my mother remarried too. To a man eighteen years her junior.”
“Ah, you mean Chloe? I had heard the news.”
“Exactly. Mother remarried, so what’s stopping Father?”
Orsini spoke with a contemptible smile.
“Want to know what kind of women Father likes?”
Just like Kalen had done moments before.
“Father, you see, presents himself to the world as though he’s the most superior being alive. But deep down, he harbors a secret desire to be conquered by someone.”
“….”
“Do you understand? Father likes women who are cunning and wicked. Women who look like they could devour him whole—women who would grip him tightly and make him bend to their will.”
“….”
“If I were to compare him to a beast, I’d say he wants a black panther of a woman. Find someone like that and introduce her.”
“….”
“Hey. Are you listening?”
“Yes, yes. I shall remember.”
In that moment, I made a decision.
‘I must never introduce him to a woman.’
Whatever these brothers are plotting, I must stop it. I’m not sure why, but it feels like something that would harm Alexandro.
But that aside.
“Duke.”
“Why?”
“Should I reinstate myself?”
“What? To the Knight Order?”
“Yes.”
“Good. The position of Knight Commander is still vacant.”
I had merely thrown it out as a casual remark.
I never expected him to accept it so readily.
“All the useful ones died on Paeylon Island. Damn it, even thinking of that cursed island makes my blood boil.”
“….”
Suddenly, memories of the past came flooding back.
Paeylon Island, where madness had ravaged, where countless Adis Knights had perished.
“So? Will you reinstate yourself?”
As I hesitated, Orsini took out a cigarette and drove the point home.
“Come back, Claude Azel. You’re too good to rot away in the countryside.”
Then he handed me a cigarette as well.
I smoked in silence for a while, then found myself imagining.
A life without Alexandro Adis….
I don’t know. I’ve never imagined such a thing.
* * *
Was I seventeen years old then?
In the throes of adolescence, I was far rougher than I am now.
To be honest, I was quite twisted. I picked fights often and brawled frequently.
Yet I never once defied Alexandro Adis.
Of course not.
Even Orsini, who beat up anyone and everyone, maintained at least basic courtesy before Alexandro Adis.
Standing before Alexandro Adis felt like my adolescence was temporarily cured.
But outside his sight, it was different.
“Following around like a duckling.”
“Pardon?”
“You, Claude Azel. A lowborn following the Duke of Adis around like a duckling. Tell me the truth. Are you the Duke’s secret lover? Or his secret son?”
One day at seventeen. I got into a quarrel with a gentleman at the Racetrack. He was the heir to the Merci Marquis House.
Such juvenile provocation—I would brush it off smoothly now.
“What did you just say, young lord?”
But I was an adolescent then.
“Care to get a taste of what a duckling can do?”
I beat him senseless.
Thud, thud. Only after I’d reduced him to a bloody pulp did I feel a twinge of regret.
“You dare, knowing who I am! I won’t let this slide!”
He wasn’t wrong.
Merci was a great noble house that had produced the Empress herself—one of the most powerful families in the Empire.
What was I to do, having beaten the heir of such a prestigious house?
For a moment, I felt overwhelmed, but I soon forgot about it. That’s simply how the audacity of seventeen-year-olds works.
But I didn’t know then.
That this incident would become a massive storm bearing down upon me.
“The arrogance of Adis knows no bounds. The heir of the Merci Marquis House was assaulted, and yet they offer no proper apology!”
“Who is it? Surely Orsini Adis hasn’t caused another disturbance?”

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