My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 265

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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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Azazel said playfully, lifting the corners of his mouth.

With no more pursuers following us, Azazel gradually slowed his pace. As soon as we stood before the estate, the tightly closed gates of the Rohanson Viscount’s estate creaked open with a metallic sound, opening wide. It felt as if we had received someone’s invitation.

“They’re telling us to come in, right?”

I answered Azazel’s words by taking a deep breath and stepping forward.

The moment I entered, a familiar scene came into view. Antique yet somehow gloomy in places, it was exactly as I remembered the Rohanson Estate. Except for one thing.

Under the blooming cherry blossoms, the sight of a parasol spinning round and round was etched into my retina. Soon, the red eyes of the woman holding the parasol gazed directly at me.

“Amaranth…”

My voice trembled.

“Mother…”

Was it right to call her that? My lips were parched dry.

‘To think that Rahel’s other move would be a mother I have no memory of.’

I know well that this isn’t possession, that I’m truly Evangeline, just with lost memories. Nevertheless, the woman before me feels so unfamiliar that even the word “mother” doesn’t come easily.

“Evangeline.”

The woman who died long ago and still had a youthful face called my name and reached out her hand. Her fingertips gently caressed my cheek.

“You’ve grown so much.”

The clear love showing in her kind eyes made me unconsciously lower my guard.

“This will probably be our last chance to talk, so won’t you chat with Mother for a while?”

We sat facing each other at an outdoor table. Tea was poured into antique porcelain cups, and simple refreshments to accompany the tea were neatly prepared. Amaranth was calm and leisurely, and facing her made me feel as if I had been dragged into a wonderland.

“Pakira. Could you pour the tea?”

At Amaranth’s request, an unfamiliar maid poured tea with elegant gestures. Had there been such a maid at the Rohanson Estate? It was a face I had never seen before. When I glanced at the maid, Amaranth added:

“That child hasn’t died. If you return, please take good care of her.”

“Are you… going to send me back?”

This easily?

Wasn’t Amaranth, the ‘mother’ before me, a move prepared by Rahel to bind me?

At my question, Amaranth covered her mouth and laughed like a girl. Her laughter was warm but also seemed distant, detached from reality.

“The merciful Sun God seems to want to embrace you, but I won’t hold you back.”

Amaranth picked up a piece of fruit from the plate.

“Ah- open up.”

I hesitated for a moment, but opened my mouth like a child and accepted what she fed me. The soft flesh melted in my mouth.

“I made two wishes to Lea. One was to give you to me. You were so lovely. My cute baby who looked just like me.”

The story Amaranth told was of a past I couldn’t remember. Amaranth’s eyes were filled with love as she recalled the past.

“But as you grew up, I regretted it. That I shouldn’t have made such a wish. If I was going to make one, I shouldn’t have asked for you to love only me.”

The shadow that crossed Amaranth’s face was deep. Her expression, layered with regret and sadness, was so vivid that it was hard to look at.

“The more I was dying, the more I worried about you.”

Amaranth lifted her head to look at the sky. The sunlight filtering through the trees was warm, but even that light seemed unable to comfort her.

“If you could only love me, what meaning would a world without me have for you?”

It would surely feel like reading a book, detached. As if floating in the world, feeling that I alone was alien. Other people would have no value, seen as nothing more than ants.

“So I asked Lea. If you should happen to follow me in death, please erase all memories of me from you.”

I drew in a breath. Because Amaranth had prayed for this, on the day of Evangeline Rohanson’s funeral, I awakened again having completely forgotten Amaranth.

“Then at least you wouldn’t follow me in death.”

All of this story, heard directly from Amaranth, contained unexpectedly deep affection. My throat tightened.

“I hired a maid.”

The words suddenly burst out of my mouth.

One was already dead, and one was trapped in this ‘dream.’ I knew this wasn’t the time for such everyday conversation. But somehow this story felt like something I absolutely had to tell.

“I have a cat and dog that I’m raising. They’re mischievous, but when we lie down together, I can sleep soundly. Pudding really loves the necklace I made for him, and Jelly obediently shows his back when I brush him.”

Like a child telling about their day, I continued speaking without order.

“And there’s someone I… like.”

My lips trembled. The image of him suddenly visiting the Rohanson Estate and asking me to dance came to mind.

He was someone who craved my affection, risked death for me, and said he revered even someone like me while blushing at the ears. His eyes always held me completely, and unchanging sincerity dwelt within them.

“So I’m okay now.”

I smiled brightly. I felt like I knew what expression I was making without looking in a mirror.

“Really? I see. Yes.”

Because I was surely making the same expression as Amaranth.

“That’s a relief.”

Amaranth smiled gently upon hearing that I no longer loved only her. Though Amaranth in my memories was limited to portraits and what I saw now, somehow it seemed like the brightest smile I had ever seen.

“You’re looking for a way out, aren’t you?”

I nodded.

“Since we’ve had a satisfying conversation, I’ll tell you the method. It’s very simple. Just swim out.”

“What?”

I blinked at the unimaginable solution.

Amaranth pointed to the sky.

“How could there be sky if this is inside a lake?”

Listening to Amaranth’s words, I saw that the cloudless blue sky was rippling like a water surface.

“Go on now.”

Amaranth pushed my back.

“Moth…er.”

“Go, and find your love.”

When I turned my head back, Amaranth and all the flowers that filled the garden had withered. Azazel, who had been quietly looking up at the sky, murmured softly.

“Evangeline. The sky is falling.”

***

The ‘dream’ stopped its plausible act of trying to imitate reality. Whether it was because its identity had been exposed and there was no need to maintain it anymore, it was collapsing, unable to function properly.

The ground cracked and houses twisted. The blue canvas that formed the sky tore, and water poured down like rain through the gaps. Could that even be called sky? As Amaranth said, it was probably closer to a giant lake or sea.

“This is holy water.”

Azazel muttered and trembled. The moment a water droplet fell on the back of his hand, Azazel’s skin began to sizzle and burn.

“Real holy water with guaranteed effectiveness too.”

Azazel proved it directly by sacrificing his own body. Everywhere the holy water touched was melting away.

“Wow. Is this hell?”

Azazel grimaced in disgust. Wasn’t it rather the opposite? Though for Azazel specifically, the scene of being filled with holy water was indeed hell.

Holy water was still pouring down from the sky like a waterfall, and everywhere I stepped, the dream was becoming more and more distorted. Even the ground I was standing on could collapse at any moment.

‘She said I just need to swim out.’

“It doesn’t seem like we have much time left. Isn’t there somewhere the real knight of Evangeline might be, not the fake one in the Imperial Palace?”

At Azazel’s words, a place suddenly came to mind.

The place where Gabriel, abandoned by the Imperial Court, stayed before joining the temple. The location from Gabriel’s nightmare.

“Azazel, remember the temple building built after tearing down the slums?”

“What? There’s no way I’d remember something like… ah, I remember!”

Perhaps Lea hadn’t attached him as a guide for nothing, as Azazel clapped his hands.

“That’s probably the Paralos Knight Building, right?”

The following answer was unexpected. Azazel looked down at his melting body, then led me as if there wasn’t much time left.

“Good. Let’s hurry and go!”

But the path to the Paralos Knight Building wasn’t easy. As soon as we left the Rohanson Viscount’s estate, people swarmed over us like a tide.

“They don’t seem to have any intention of letting us go, do they?”

Azazel gritted his teeth and drew his sword.

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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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