My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 109

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

Gabriel looked directly at the Emperor. The Emperor swallowed. He had never been this nervous since his coronation ceremony. He knew well what words would follow.

“Only the imperial family knows about the tattoo, don’t they?”

The blue light traveled straight without losing its way and reached the Emperor. The Emperor, Mater, was caught by the blue and could not turn his gaze away.

Black hair, blue eyes. The Emperor could find many similarities between Gabriel and the dead Crown Prince. It was natural that they resembled each other. They were blood relatives, after all. And both resembled the husband the Emperor had loved.

“You already knew that I am Your Majesty’s child.”

Gabriel spoke with a tone that was certain the Emperor already knew. And through the Emperor’s reaction, Gabriel put an end to his speculation. Gabriel was the child the Emperor had abandoned. A child who had been abandoned by his parents and survived alone.

“…I haven’t known for very long.”

“I suspected as much. If you had known from the beginning, I wouldn’t have been able to reach this position.”

He meant the Emperor would have killed him before he could even become a Holy Knight. His tone, as if stating something obvious, carried neither resentment nor hatred.

The Emperor felt the same way. He did not regret trying to kill young Gabriel. He only regretted not killing him completely, leaving behind this trouble that had now grown up and returned to meet him again.

“So, why are you revealing this now? Are you asking me to give you the Crown Prince’s position since he’s dead? Did Bishop Marik incite you?”

There was hostility in the Emperor’s mention of Bishop Marik. The Emperor was misunderstanding that Bishop Marik had hidden Gabriel and secretly raised him in the Temple.

“Bishop Marik?”

From what the Emperor was saying, it was clear that Bishop Marik also knew Gabriel’s identity. Gabriel had only realized it after hearing Jeremiah’s words, but how did Bishop Marik know…

Gabriel recalled the maid who had worn a scarf around her mouth while helping him dress. Since she was Bishop Marik’s person, if she had seen the scars remaining on Gabriel, it would make sense that Bishop Marik knew.

“Are you not Bishop Marik’s person?”

It was a situation the Emperor could reasonably misunderstand. Gabriel had helped Priest Jabaniya in every way to repay his debt, and Priest Jabaniya was now following Bishop Marik. Although he was now on hostile terms with Priest Jabaniya, thanks to that, he had been able to live while avoiding the Emperor’s eyes until now.

“If I could belong to anyone, it would only be Lady Rohanson.”

Gabriel sincerely denied it. If not before, then from the moment he met Evangeline in the forest last night, Gabriel had steeled his resolve. The Emperor seemed to believe quite easily that Gabriel was not affiliated with Bishop Marik. Perhaps he just didn’t want to think about it more complicatedly and let it pass.

“…So, if not Bishop Marik, why did you bother to reveal that fact?”

Neither of them would have good feelings toward each other. The Emperor swallowed his following words. Shouldn’t Gabriel have more bitter feelings than himself?

“If you grant my request, I will bury whose child I am and live with it for the rest of my life.”

“Are you daring to threaten me? If what you say is true, then I am your birth mother.”

The Emperor showed displeasure at Gabriel’s impudent attitude and spoke sarcastically.

“If you don’t grant my request, I really will end up calling you mother.”

“Who would believe it if you said so? If I don’t acknowledge it, that’s the end of it.”

“Isn’t that enough? Your Majesty abandoned me out of fear of scandal. Lady Rohanson said I quite resemble His Highness the Crown Prince.”

The sword I had discarded came up under my chin. My head was already throbbing from dealing with Bishop Marik alone, and now the son I thought was dead had appeared to turn everything upside down. This is why one shouldn’t leave behind future troubles.

“So, what is it that you wish to ask of me?”

The Emperor questioned sharply, turning his blade toward his son.

“Please pardon Lady Rohanson.”

It was truly a shameless request. However, he could not refuse to accept the deal with Gabriel. The Emperor could not act directly. Instead, it would be enough to create a plausible situation.

***

Gabriel waited for the Emperor’s promise. While waiting, the funerals of the Crown Prince and Tenebray ended, but there was still no sign that Evangeline would be pardoned.

Gabriel couldn’t even go back to find the Emperor. He was tied up at the Temple.

‘Princess Tenebray used sorcery to murder the Crown Prince.’ The impact of that single sentence shook the Empire. Chaos arose as heretics they thought had been rooted out 20 years ago appeared again.

There were also sorcerers who had been living in hiding for a long time and quietly revealed themselves again after hearing the rumors.

Some of those who participated in the banquet were enchanted by the patterns and drew sorcery circles. However, since these were sorcery circles drawn slightly differently by Saraka and Azazel, they could not possibly summon demons. Occasionally, when someone had too vicious a wish, only dregs would begin to seep out as if responding.

After waiting and enduring until sorcery became a topic again, Saraka began the purge.

The Pararos Knights led by Gabriel, instead of participating in Bishop Marik’s heretic massacre, mainly took on the task of dealing with the remnants summoned by sorcery. At best, they could minimize casualties before Bishop Marik’s faction stepped forward.

While Gabriel and the Pararos Knights were busily moving about, finally the opportunity for Evangeline to be naturally pardoned as the Emperor had promised arose.

***

“Toten Madam, you’re back?”

“Melek. Please call me mother.”

“…Yes. If there are people around, I’ll definitely call you that.”

Kinder hadn’t meant it that way, but it seemed too early to hear the word mother from Melek, so she didn’t press further.

“Did you play well with Weder?”

Kinder stroked Melek’s head. Though Melek wasn’t young, perhaps because it was her son’s body, Kinder always treated Melek like a young child. Melek was embarrassed but couldn’t push away the hand stroking his head. It was a materialistic thought – when would an orphaned child have another chance to receive an adult’s affection?

“Yes. I even rode a horse briefly… Oh! I’m sorry. I wandered around the manor without permission… Did anyone see me?”

Usually when Melek wandered around the manor, he would safely leave Rider’s body with Weder and go out to explore. However, after hearing Jelly’s opinion that it wasn’t good to leave Rider’s body empty for too long, he tried to stay in Rider’s body as much as possible. As a result, he unintentionally went horseback riding and played with horses in Rider’s body.

When Melek worried about this, Kinder explained again that he didn’t need to worry.

“It’s fine. Diess is locked up, and who would give you looks in a manor where Rider is practically the master?”

“Toten Madam. The Toten Viscount’s Estate belongs to you, not me.”

Kinder smiled slightly at that answer. Because Melek’s words just now weren’t drawing a line but acknowledging her.

“Then as the master of the manor, I give you permission to wander around freely. Just don’t go to the basement, as you know.”

Melek nodded earnestly at Kinder’s words. The reason she specifically told him not to go to the basement was because there was a scene unfolding underground that Melek wouldn’t welcome.

Kinder had locked Diess in the basement. The elders who had been picking fights with Kinder with fire in their eyes and acting as if they would pass the marquis title to Diess completely changed their attitude when they learned that Rider had recovered enough to go horseback riding.

The only flaw Rider had was that holy water didn’t work on him, making his body weak, but when Melek used Rider’s body and the child seemed to recover, they seemed to think that even the holy water not working was a misunderstanding.

When compared to the violent and stupid Diess, it was obvious who was deemed more suitable for the marquis title. The elders didn’t stop Kinder when she declared she would punish Diess by locking him underground to reflect on his past actions. Diess was imprisoned in the basement with the elders’ tacit consent.

She spared his life because Melek, who used her son’s body, begged her not to kill him. She hadn’t planned to kill him easily anyway. Even if she tortured and whipped him, one bottle of holy water would heal him completely.

Fortunately, the Toten Viscount’s Estate had plenty of holy water prepared for Rider. Kinder had collected holy water hoping her son would live longer, and now it was Diess’s share.

How enviable that holy water worked so well on his body. For Melek’s sake, who had become someone to rely on instead of Rider, she would not kill Diess.

“Did you have any trouble, Toten Madam?”

Melek asked how Kinder had spent her day, as if trying to change the subject.

“No. I just attended a tea party.”

Kinder was currently going around social circles at Gabriel’s request, observing the movements of sorcerers and the Temple. When she sensed something suspicious, she immediately informed Gabriel, and if she was lucky, it led to rescue operations without being transformed by Bishop Marik.

This was thanks to the performance of immediately cutting ties after Evangeline was captured. Lady Rohanson had whispered to act as if she had abandoned her, and fortunately, thanks to that, she could remain in social circles.

What Kinder was doing now should also help Gabriel and Lady Rohanson… At the Crown Prince’s recent banquet, Kinder hadn’t properly done her part. She had attached a duke to Lady Rohanson, which caused trouble and even led to Gabriel getting hurt. Gabriel was grateful to Kinder for bringing information, but in truth, Kinder was just repaying a debt.

After Kinder finished dinner with Melek, Weder brought letters.

“Madam. Letters for you.”

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