My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 117

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Nigella clutched her head anxiously. Her hair, which was always neatly tied without any loose strands, was now disheveled and made Nigella look even more like a madwoman.

 

Nigella couldn’t accept that she was seeing the same scene as the demented Viscount’s Wife. What Nigella had just been babbling about wasn’t much different from how the Viscount’s Wife had insisted the rats were her daughters.

 

The madness had been transmitted. Because she had served the Viscount’s Wife, the Divine was angry and had punished Nigella.

 

If she had known this would happen, she should have run to the Temple and confessed that the Viscount’s Wife was possessed by evil spirits. From what she had heard, a cook who reported that his master was practicing cannibalism received a huge sum of money as a reward for reporting heretics. Though everyone in that household except the cook was tied up as accomplices and executed…

 

It wasn’t too late even now. The Temple was still in the midst of searching for heretics, led by Bishop Marik. Just as Nigella was regretting not reporting the Viscount’s Wife to the Temple, a sharp rebuke was heard.

 

“You there. Are you going to keep letting Agera stare into that aquarium?”

 

It was a very ladylike tone. With just one sentence, Evangeline had drawn everyone’s attention to herself and was reproaching Nigella with her gaze. Just like before, she might have read through all of Nigella’s base thoughts.

 

Evangeline looked at the preserved replica of herself in the aquarium with disgust and covered the Viscount’s Wife’s eyes. Her hands were white and delicate, not much different from what had been floating in the aquarium.

 

“Agera.”

 

The Viscount’s Wife fumbled and caressed Evangeline’s hands.

 

“…My daughter.”

 

The Viscount’s Wife didn’t push the hands away. Something alive and moving would be closer to a daughter than something dead. The Viscount’s Wife staggered to her feet under Evangeline’s guidance.

 

“Quickly attend to Agera.”

 

When Evangeline gestured, the servants quickly came to their senses and supported the Viscount’s Wife.

 

“You all cover it with the cloth again.”

 

At those words, other servants hurriedly covered it with cloth again. Their coordinated movements made them seem like Evangeline’s limbs.

 

Finally, Evangeline stared at Nigella, who was sitting there dazed. Her red eyes cast a spell on Nigella.

 

“As you know, you must not tell anyone what you saw.”

 

Nigella nodded her head fervently as if what she heard was a divine command. She wanted to answer ‘Yes,’ but somehow no voice came out.

 

When Evangeline, who had quickly organized the situation, was about to leave immediately, Nigella grabbed the hem of her dress. Evangeline sent an unpleasant look at Nigella, making her body shrink completely.

 

“Do you have more to say?”

 

Nigella nodded slightly.

 

“Go ahead.”

 

When Evangeline readily gave permission, Nigella was able to open her mouth. Nigella asked nervously.

 

“…What did you see in the aquarium, Evangeline?”

 

The reason Nigella specifically asked Evangeline what she saw was because among those who saw the aquarium, she was the only one who remained calm.

 

And if Nigella had really caught the madness from the Viscount’s Wife, then Evangeline, who had just arrived at the Duke’s Mansion, would be perfectly fine, wouldn’t she? What Evangeline saw would be the truth.

 

“What I saw?”

 

When Evangeline’s mouth opened, Nigella swallowed nervously. Somehow her throat felt very sore. Evangeline bent down to look down at Nigella. Then she whispered quietly in her ear.

 

“I saw rat corpses.”

 

The answer that followed was truly unexpected.

 

What was in the aquarium was neither a statue nor a person. The rats had never disappeared in the first place. Nigella shed tears of joy at the fact that she wasn’t the only one who had gone mad.

 

***

 

Dealing with someone suffering from dementia is harder than one might think. There’s a reason nursing homes exist. Elderly people whose minds have regressed are very stubborn and selfish. Repeating the same words multiple times is routine, and they can’t even remember what conversation they just had.

 

“What’s the name of this tea?”

 

Asking the maid about the name of tea she had personally chosen and brewed wasn’t strange. The maid explained the tea’s name and effects again, but Agera didn’t listen attentively.

 

“Amaranth, hurry and try it!”

 

Mistaking me for her daughter, or even the fact that I had already emptied my teacup twice, was something I could just overlook.

 

Unable to resist Agera’s sparkling eyes, I took the cup, just wet my lips, and put it down. My stomach was full of liquid and I couldn’t drink anymore. Still, expecting exactly the twelfth reaction, I just dismissed it saying it smelled good. Agera laughed innocently, pleased even with my half-hearted response.

 

Agera wasn’t even my real grandmother, yet I felt melancholy. Seeing how disturbed my heart was, perhaps my grandparents before possession also suffered from dementia…? My mind became hazy. Lately, my memories from before possession weren’t clear, which was problematic.

 

I wondered if it was always like this and tried to recall, but before I had deliberately tried to exclude pre-possession memories to avoid homesickness, so I couldn’t compare. But I didn’t even know how to return, so I didn’t want to think about my original world!

 

I don’t know when my original memories became dim. I remember novels I’ve read well, but I can’t recall my name or age.

 

What I vaguely remember is my mother… Somehow white hair came to mind. It’s not like I was in my forties or fifties before possession, so why white hair? I must have caused her so much worry that she had white hair at a young age.

 

Anyway, my pre-possession memories becoming blurry seemed to be evidence that I was assimilating with Evangeline. If there had been a system window, there would have been a gauge like ‘Assimilation Rate 77%’.

 

Anyway, since one of my grandparents had dementia, that’s why I feel so melancholy, right? Let’s just move on from things I can’t remember.

 

Agera stamped her feet and acted like a child.

 

“I’m so happy to show the greenhouse to my beloved daughter.”

 

I felt like I’d heard her boast about the greenhouse dozens of times. But every time she brought it up, she looked around and was amazed again, so it was truly something to be proud of. Various exotic plants were planted and well-landscaped, making it look like a sanctuary where fairies would stay.

 

The covered tent in the middle was a bit of an eyesore. They said they deliberately covered it with cloth to control temperature? It seems there’s no automatic temperature control system.

 

If I stayed still, Agera kept asking if I wasn’t drinking tea, so I constantly pretended to drink by stirring the cup with a teaspoon. While doing so, I looked around and made eye contact with a maid who was staring at me intently.

 

It seemed like she was glaring at my hands…? Was the sound of the teaspoon hitting the cup too loud? She’s not going to go to the Duke later and report ‘Evangeline’s table manners are absolutely terrible,’ is she? There was enough possibility for that, so I anxiously put down the teaspoon.

 

Moreover, I was worried a report might go up saying ‘She didn’t respond to the Viscount’s Wife with sincerity,’ so I was quietly agreeing with what Agera was saying when there was a commotion nearby.

 

“…Nigella! Get a hold of yourself!”

 

One maid suddenly covered her ears and seemed to be in pain. What’s happening? Before I could assess the situation, other servants came and suggested we should disperse.

 

It seemed they judged it wouldn’t be good to show Agera, whose mental age had regressed, the sight of someone writhing in pain. However, it would be a mistake to think Agera would easily accept such a considerate proposal.

 

“Agera, let’s go out quickly.”

 

“No! Why should I go out? I’m staying here!”

 

“Madam…!”

 

“I’m having a tea party with Amaranth!”

 

Now there was chaos on both sides. The maid seemed to have difficulty breathing from pain, and Agera was full of defiance, stamping her feet and being stubborn. Since I was close to Agera, I tried to calm her down first.

 

I don’t have holy water or anything right now, and my face had been effective on Agera. I thought it would be fine since there were about two people attending to the other side.

 

But apparently not. Suddenly the gasping maid struggled and ran toward the tent. Then she grabbed the cloth and pulled it away.

 

What is it? Maybe a surprise gift? She was acting like she was in pain out of nowhere, so was it all a hidden camera? I was excited, thinking positively, but when I saw what came out from behind the cloth, my heart dropped.

 

‘Rats?’

 

It really was a surprise.

 

I don’t know why rat corpses were soaked in an aquarium instead of formalin. I thought I had entered a science lab reeking of alcohol rather than a luxurious greenhouse. Ugh. It’s a horrible sight that will appear in my dreams.

 

But why were rat corpses brought to the greenhouse in the first place? And why show them like a hidden camera instead of just covering them? Ah, I get it. They’re playing a prank on me because they don’t like me right now?

 

There are maids who torment villainesses by playing pranks with maggoty soup or bugs or rats. Since the Duke dislikes me, the servants are also joining in to bully me. How typical of romance novel residents, their behavioral patterns are so predictable.

 

But isn’t the quantity offensive going too far? The scale is too big for maids to pull off among themselves – surely the Duke isn’t the ringleader? I was dumbfounded and confused, staring blankly at the aquarium, when Agera rushed to the aquarium before I could stop her and cried loudly.

 

She seemed to be saying something, but she was sniffling with a stuffy nose so I couldn’t make it out. She’s probably saying the rats are pitiful. She already seemed to have severe mood swings, and this is absolutely terrible for her mental health.

 

They should just bully me, why involve the Viscount’s Wife? I’d like to teach them a lesson, but causing a scene here would be no different from being branded a villainess.

 

This will all be reported to the Duke later. I need to handle this maturely and build favorability.

 

“You there. Are you going to keep letting Agera stare into that aquarium?”

 

I guess so. Since no one seemed inclined to move, I went and covered Agera’s eyes myself. Really, the civic consciousness of people in this world is just amazing, isn’t it? I experienced it when Donau’s house caught fire and when the knight caught fire at the Temple, but it was really a big problem. Still, I’m glad I know the solution. In times like this, you just need to point specifically and ask for help.

 

‘Someone please help’ is much less effective than ‘You with the black hair, please help.’

 

Since I was covering Agera’s eyes with both hands, I gave instructions with my eyes and chin. As expected, when I pointed specifically, they immediately obeyed. They covered it with cloth and took Agera to her room.

 

“As you know, you must not tell anyone what you saw.”

 

In other words, feel free to talk about it. Tell the Duke how flexibly and generously I handled the situation.

 

If he learns that I magnanimously overlooked the maids’ bullying and even helped keep secret the fact that rat corpses appeared in the greenhouse, won’t the Duke see me in a new light?

 

Of course, there’s still a long way to go. Right now I’m in a position where even the maids ignore me. One maid asked me until the very end if I had properly seen what was in the aquarium. Instead of throwing a tantrum, I handled it maturely, so does she think I couldn’t see the rat corpses? You can have the villainess title.

 

Anyway, I roughly finished organizing the situation.

 

I didn’t want to stay in the greenhouse anymore, so we all came outside together. Agera seemed drained from seeing the shocking scene, so she just walked along as the servants supported her. Midway, we happened to meet Rico, who had come to fetch us saying that cleaning Amaranth’s room was finished.

 

“Agera!”

 

Rico was startled to see Agera walking unsteadily and rushed over.

 

“What happened, why are you so exhausted?”

 

“…Be quiet!”

 

But Agera didn’t even recognize that he was the butler and shook her head wildly.

 

“You all tell me.”

 

Rico asked the other servants, but they all couldn’t say a word as if their mouths were glued shut.

 

Well, they wouldn’t have anything to say. Making excuses would only invite more anger.

 

Everyone just opened and closed their mouths while giving me looks as if telling me to speak, so I stepped forward and told him what had happened.

 

I explained that a maid had pulled away the tent and an aquarium containing rat corpses appeared underneath, and that Agera was quite shocked by seeing it. Rico gritted his teeth.

 

“Just because I was away for a moment, this kind of…”

 

After hearing the whole story, Rico scolded the servants.

 

“You will all be punished for not properly attending to Agera. Especially you.”

 

It seemed he would impose harsher punishment on the main culprit who pulled away the cloth. She didn’t look to be in good condition… but there was no mercy for being sick. Truly befitting a class-based society.

 

“First, let’s escort Agera to her bedroom.”

 

At Rico’s words, everyone bowed their heads and then stepped away. When Agera and I were having tea together, they were whispering among themselves, but in front of the Butler they don’t say a word and are incredibly quiet.

 

Are they looking down on the dementia-stricken Viscount’s Wife and me, who’s not even treated as a granddaughter? Rico only got angry about not properly serving Agera, but didn’t say a single word about me. Isn’t this really too much?

 

Let me endure this. Once the Viscount becomes a granddaughter fool, the treatment will change as easily as flipping one’s palm. Let’s look forward to the future.

 

After everyone helped Agera inside, only Rico and I remained.

 

Where should I go… They said they’d clean up Amaranth’s room, so I should ask to be guided there, right? No. I was thinking of going to the room, but I thought it would be better to see the Viscount’s face first.

 

If we were going to meet and talk anyway, wouldn’t it have been better to have the conversation in the carriage beforehand or go together and talk as soon as we arrived?

 

“You said to hear the details from the Viscount. Can I meet with him now?”

 

“Yes. I will escort you to him.”

 

Rico nodded with a complicated expression.

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