My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 251

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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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I could understand why I couldn’t summon Pudding directly with the magic circle. Originally, I had persistently called for the spirit king, but nothing happened, so I thought I had failed. In fact, even now I’m still half-doubting whether I really summoned Pudding back then.

But the next day, and the day after that, Pudding didn’t appear. Let’s wait a little longer. Even as I thought that, my patience quickly wore thin.

“Hena. Have you seen any cats around the manor by any chance?”

“Cats? …No. I’ve never seen any.”

Hena shook her head.

Originally, Hena was the one who encountered Pudding after me at the manor. Pudding had given holy water to Hena. Now that Kanna was completely healed, maybe Pudding didn’t need to appear before Hena anymore? If even Hena hadn’t seen her, then it was right to assume that Pudding really hadn’t appeared yet.

Was it wrong of me to arbitrarily change the past? If this was going to happen, I shouldn’t have treated Kanna… No, no. What am I thinking? I slapped both my cheeks hard.

Hena was startled by my strange behavior. I must have gone crazy. How could I even think that I should have left Kanna sick? It was Kanna, of all people. I got goosebumps from the discomfort of having such thoughts even for a moment.

But as the days passed, my obsession with Pudding grew stronger. While searching the manor all day like hunting for rats, I happened to hear a cat’s cry.

“Pudding!”

A cat was caught in a trap and dying. The cat cried pitifully as if asking me to save it.

“Why are there still traps left in the manor?”

Hena muttered in confusion and tried to remove the trap to save the cat. I instinctively grabbed Hena.

“…Lady Rohanson?”

I remembered that the Rohanson manor used to kill cats on sight, so I had already given orders not to kill any cats if they were spotted. I had also ordered all traps to be removed. I knew Pudding wasn’t the type to be easily caught, but I couldn’t just stand by and watch something threaten her.

But what if my giving such orders was why Pudding couldn’t be summoned?

“…”

I stared at the cat silently.

The dying, injured cat looked too much like Pudding. The pattern, even the size. Except for not having an eye on its forehead, it looked exactly like Pudding.

So, if originally when I drew the magic circle, this cat should have been caught in the trap and died. And if that way, it could become the sacrifice I hadn’t prepared and allow me to summon Pudding.

‘Then even now, I should let it die…’

“…My, my lady… it hurts.”

“Ah.”

At Hena’s pained voice, I let go of her hand. I must have been gripping so hard that there were finger marks on Hena’s arm where I had grabbed her. It would definitely bruise.

Hena looked at me with fearful eyes. The cat that resembled Pudding did the same. Somehow I wanted to run away from this place.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.”

I found myself making excuses. I too felt strange about myself treating life so lightly.

When I approached, the cat hissed at me.

With animal instincts, it might have sensed that I had tried to harm it. Even though I knew that cat wasn’t Pudding, I was momentarily hurt. Despite the fact that I had, even if just for a moment, tried to let the cat die.

When I freed its paw from the trap, the cat scratched me. Hena was startled, but I dismissed it saying I was fine.

“Sorry.”

My hand stung. I wasn’t sure who I was apologizing to. Whether to the cat, or to Pudding, whom I had given up trying to summon because I couldn’t even kill one cat.

***

“It follows you well, my lady.”

“Indeed.”

Strangely, the cat followed me well.

It didn’t seem unaware that I had almost killed it, yet when I approached, though it would bristle its fur, it wouldn’t leave my side. Even though it was Daisy and the other servants who treated it, groomed it, and took care of it.

“Come to think of it, Lady Rohanson used to like cats before too.”

“Before?”

Daisy muttered as if recalling memories.

Thanks to searching the basement of Ainoah Orphanage and rescuing the children, I had prevented Daisy’s escape early on. But I had gone too early, and Melek wasn’t there yet. When I asked the children, it didn’t seem like the director had done anything wrong. I had attacked the orphanage before the demon was even summoned. After Pudding, I couldn’t meet Melek either.

Daisy told stories of the past while searching her memory.

“Yes. I often found cat hair on your dresses, my lady. The Viscount was very angry, saying the cats were making you sick, and ordered us to catch all the cats.”

As if the Viscount would have worried about me. Being someone who valued external appearances, it was probably just a lie to excuse Evangeline’s inability to get out of bed weakly.

Or maybe since I said I liked cats, he just couldn’t stand me having something I enjoyed. The Viscount was the same trash then as he is now.

“Will you be raising this one from now on, my lady?”

“Well…”

When I didn’t give a definite answer, Hena looked relieved. Hena seemed uncomfortable with the cat. When I asked why, she said she had participated in the cat massacre in the past. Because they paid a lot of money. She said she didn’t regret it since that money helped pay for her brother’s medical treatment, but there was guilt in her eyes when she looked at the cat.

But hadn’t Hena tried to save the cat without hesitation when she first saw it? She was much better than me.

Hena looked at the cat’s bare neck and asked.

“My lady, aren’t you going to put a collar on it?”

She was thinking of the name tag I had embroidered. It was a name I had embroidered in advance thinking Pudding would come. I had embroidered it much more elegantly than before, but the intended recipient had disappeared.

“It has a different owner.”

I couldn’t call the cat Pudding. I missed Pudding.

***

Kanna became my maid. However, perhaps because this first meeting didn’t have the same impact as before, Kanna seemed to find me difficult to approach. For instance, she called me ‘Lady Rohanson’ from the start. Hena was more comfortable with me than Kanna was, which said it all.

Even with Kanna right in front of me, I missed Kanna. The Kanna who would smile and welcome me, calling me Miss.

Besides Kanna, there were too many people I missed. I could at least see Kanna’s face, but even that was impossible with Pudding and Jelly.

I had somewhat expected not meeting Pudding and Melek, but as expected, Jelly didn’t appear either. Just in case, I stayed out in the garden all night on the day Jelly was supposed to come, but I didn’t see a single hair of Jelly. I could somewhat guess the reason.

It was a kind of butterfly effect. Donau hadn’t died, and the magic circle hadn’t spread. Since there was no painting to hang in the temple, there wasn’t a big commotion like before. No one came forward claiming to summon demons, and most importantly, Bishop Marik didn’t step forward.

At first glance, these seemed like very peaceful days. In such a world, it seemed like Gabriel wouldn’t get hurt.

Of course, I hadn’t even met Gabriel yet.

…I miss Count Gabriel.

Honestly, I could have visited the temple if I wanted to. But I just didn’t go. After seeing Kanna, it really hit me that I had returned to the past. I realized I couldn’t build the same relationship as before. I became afraid that Gabriel might not look at me the same way as before.

But Pudding, Jelly, and Melek aren’t here. Even Kanna feels like a different person, so if I lose Gabriel too… what value would this world have for me?

Maybe the regression wasn’t to save Gabriel, but was the price I paid to Lea.

***

And so the day of the Crown Prince’s banquet arrived.

“You look absolutely beautiful, my lady.”

“Thank you.”

Though Hena and Daisy said so, I wasn’t satisfied. It wasn’t the dress I remembered.

It couldn’t be helped. This time I couldn’t commission the dress from Misha. She politely declined, saying her schedule was fully booked, and I couldn’t throw a tantrum about it. It showed how much special treatment my past self had received.

Without Gabriel and Michel as connections, Misha was a complete stranger to me. The friend who had stayed up all night making a dress, hoping for my safe return, was no longer there. Every time I dwelled on the differences from the past, I felt like I had been dropped alone into a strange land.

It felt like I was left alone in the world. At times like this, Pudding would always comfort me by my side… but hadn’t I given up on my cat? I felt like I would drown in the depression I had brought upon myself.

Maybe it was because it was raining outside. It seemed the same that it rained on the Crown Prince’s birthday celebration.

“Who are you waiting for?”

Hena asked, seeing me not getting into the carriage.

“It’s nothing.”

I shook my head and got into the carriage.

Even if I waited, Toten Madam wouldn’t appear.

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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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