My Body Has Been Possessed By Someone - Chapter 46
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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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Chapter 46
“Oh.”
How thoughtless of me.
Kanna Adis assumed he wanted the seat and hastily rose to her feet.
“Forgive me. I shall take my leave so you both may speak freely.”
“Allow me to escort you.”
“….”
Pardon? Escort me where?
“Shall we, madam?”
No, really, that’s not necessary….
Yet Crescent rose without hesitation and extended his hand to her.
Kanna Adis placed her hand in his with reluctance.
* * *
“I had no idea the Duchess possessed such skill.”
Crescent spoke quietly as they walked down the long corridor.
“My sister hasn’t scratched herself even once. Moreover, the affected areas on her face appear to have faded considerably compared to before.”
“That is thanks to Princess Lilienne’s dedicated commitment to treatment.”
Ugh, how uncomfortable!
Perhaps because I now knew his true nature differed so completely from his appearance, the walk felt entirely different from when we’d strolled through the Garden before.
“My sister has always been proactive. She accepted any treatment without hesitation.”
Whether it was my imagination or not, Crescent’s pace felt deliberately slow—as if he were intentionally prolonging our conversation.
“It seems you’ve grown quite intimate with my sister recently.”
“Yes, that is so.”
This is no illusion… his pace is slowing even further….
“Since things have come to this, I intend to hope for my sister’s complete recovery.”
Is this a threat?
Is he warning me that failure would be disappointing? Or is he fishing for something else?
I steeled myself to avoid being swept away by his words.
“Then I shall place my trust in you, madam.”
“Yes. I shall do my utmost.”
At that, Crescent smiled gently.
“You must.”
So it was a threat after all!
Once I finally boarded the carriage, I leaned my back against the wall and exhaled deeply.
How did I become entangled with the Imperial Family and end up in such situations?
‘Seon-hong, your sister is living like this. Being threatened by a boy your age.’
Perhaps because I’d witnessed siblings at odds, I suddenly missed my younger brother Seon-hong terribly.
While I was enduring these life-or-death crises, what could Seon-hong be doing?
‘He must be preparing for the competition.’
The gold medalist from the last Olympics. He must be struggling hard to maintain that honorable position.
I’ve already come in first once, so I hope they won’t obsess too much over the color of the medal.
Perhaps it was thinking of my family—my mood brightened.
* * *
Two weeks passed in that manner.
In merely a fortnight, the Capital had grown quiet.
The uproar over Princess Lilienne’s death and my execution seemed like something from over a decade ago.
Others’ misfortunes are quickly buried beneath the tide of daily life.
And Amelia’s complexion was improving remarkably.
My father, Kalen, and Orsini were nowhere to be seen.
They had left the estate once more on Black Mist business.
I crossed paths with Chloe and Isabel a few times, but Chloe treated me with cool distance, and Isabel ignored me entirely.
For me, it was a blessing.
No one was laying a hand on me.
How wonderful it would be if things could continue flowing so smoothly.
It was around the time I harbored such thoughts that a Knight Guard from the Valentino Family arrived.
* * *
To be precise, it wasn’t a single Knight Guard—it was Knight Guards, plural.
“Count Josephine Elester has commanded that you return to the family estate.”
They sent ten Knight Guards just to deliver that message?
I was flabbergasted and asked again.
“Count Josephine Elester wishes for me to return?”
“Yes.”
A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
That cursed name, Josephine Elester, surfacing whenever I thought it forgotten—like a wretched mother-in-law.
When did she cast me out, and now why is she summoning me back?
Whatever the reason, it couldn’t be anything good.
“As you can see, my health is poor. You must understand—I was imprisoned on false charges not long ago and have only recently been released.”
“Duchess.”
The Knight Guard cut me off with finality.
“The Valentino Family has excellent Physicians. You will be well cared for there.”
I swallowed hard. That stern, unyielding expression made it clear they intended to take me by any means necessary.
So that’s why they sent so many Knight Guards.
If I didn’t cooperate, they would drag me out by force. Just then—
“Kanna!”
The door flew open and my stepmother Chloe entered.
“Don’t be difficult. Go home at once. Your mother-in-law is calling for you, isn’t she?”
Chloe forcibly lifted me to my feet, urging me on.
“Running away has its limits. It hasn’t even been a few months, has it? You must return home.”
I tried to protest, but Chloe spoke quickly.
“Your mother-in-law is summoning you—don’t even think of defying her. You must go, regardless of your health.”
“….”
“Even if it costs me my life, I must die within the Valentino Family. That is a daughter-in-law’s duty.”
‘She’s determined to cast me out.’
Whether it was the contract with Kalen or something else, she seemed intent on driving me away by any means necessary.
And right now, there was no one who could stop Chloe.
The patriarch and his son were both absent.
“Please escort the lady back at once.”
“Thank you for your cooperation, Duchess Adis.”
I exhaled slowly. Resisting would be futile.
“Fine. I’ll go, but give me a moment to prepare.”
* * *
The sharp crack echoed as my cheek snapped to the side.
“You are a disgrace to the Valentino Family!”
Josephine Elester was a woman of fiery temperament.
I’d half-expected a blow, so I wasn’t particularly surprised.
Josephine breathed heavily, her voice trembling with rage.
“Do you understand how you’ve dragged the Valentino name through the mud!”
A member of the Imperial Family nearly died because of my mistake!
Though whispers of physician error and misdiagnosis circulated, the fact remained that I had been entangled in the affair and subjected to a public trial.
The Valentino Family had become a laughingstock!
Because of this incident, Josephine had endured relentless gossip at every social gathering. Her fury was justified.
“Do you have any idea what people are saying about the Valentino name because of you? Do you understand what you’ve done!”
Her anger was warranted, so I simply resolved to bear it in silence.
But then.
“Don’t you dare set foot outside for a while! Guards, confine her to her room at once!”
“Pardon?”
I hadn’t anticipated this.
“For a while? Are you saying you’ll lock me away?”
“Ever since you started gallivanting about outside the estate, you’ve done nothing but tarnish the Valentino honor. Don’t even dream of going out!”
“I must continue treating Princess Lilienne.”
But my words only poured fuel on her fury.
“Stop this instant! What other mistakes do you plan to make!”
“But——”
“Silence! I will speak to the Empress myself. Never presume to practice medicine again!”
* * *
Josephine truly did lock me in my room.
For months, I was forbidden from leaving the house.
‘This woman is absolutely extreme. What would I have done if I hadn’t prepared for this?’
In the darkness of night.
I scattered a sleeping draught to lull the guards outside my door, then slipped away.
It was fortunate I’d hidden something on my person—had I arrived empty-handed, I would have been trapped without recourse.
‘The Empress will find a way to extract me eventually, regardless.’
But since I’d given her a generous supply of medicine days ago, she wouldn’t come searching until it was depleted.
I had no intention of languishing in captivity until then.
‘As if that weren’t enough—she confiscated every last piece of my outdoor clothing.’
Josephine, that wretched mother-in-law, had stripped me of my wardrobe when she locked me away.
It was a precaution against my sneaking out. As a result, I was dressed in nothing but a thin slip, just as I had been in the Underground Dungeon.
“How am I supposed to leave looking like this?”
Troubled, I glanced toward the far end of the corridor.
The room closest to my bedroom. Silvien Valentino’s quarters lay in that direction, but….
‘Surely I can find a cloak somewhere?’
It was highly probable he wouldn’t be in his room. Over the past seven years, the days he spent at home were exceedingly rare.
‘I’ll steal a cloak.’
Having made my decision, I crept forward with bated breath.
Slowly, I turned the door handle. The gap widened inch by inch. The room beyond, bathed in moonlight, was indeed empty.
‘No one is here!’
Only then did I exhale in relief and step inside.
Click—as I closed the door and began to move forward….
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“…!”
My breath caught in my throat.
Right behind me.
A chilling presence pierced the air at my back. That quiet, frigid aura made the fine hairs on my nape stand on end.
Like a broken doll, I turned stiffly. And then I saw him.
“Kanna Adis.”
Silvien Valentino stood leaning against the wall.
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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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