My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 73

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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 had opened the window, so I could hear voices from outside all the way here. But their pronunciation was muffled, so I couldn’t make out what they were saying clearly. Turn around? Something about turning back? Ah, it must be because the coachman doesn’t have an invitation. Hena called over a guard to draw attention this way.

“If it’s an invitation, here it is.”

“No, right now the invitation isn’t the problem, it’s the coachman, the coachman’s neck… What? Did I see wrong? He looks fine.”

“What are you talking about?”

When Hena asked back, the guard tilted his head puzzledly but took the invitation. Then after confirming the Rohanson Viscount’s family name written on the invitation, he asked accusingly.

“Rohanson Viscount? If it’s Rohanson Viscount, he already went inside.”

“Rohanson Viscount departed first, and this carriage carries Evangeline who will make her debut today and Baroness Toten who is serving as her chaperone.”

“Evangeline…?”

The guard looked inside the carriage as if doubting those words, and our eyes met. I tried to smile and nod in greeting, but the guard turned pale and bowed his head deeply.

“I, I, I apologize!”

Just how far has Evangeline’s infamy spread? At this level, she could be called the capital’s most notorious villainess without question. I wonder if I’ve gotten used to people trembling and being frightened when they see me. Right now that guard isn’t burying his head to the ground like the maids at the manor, he’s just lowering his eyes, so it’s actually a relatively mild reaction.

After passing the checkpoint and going through the city gate, we rode a bit more and arrived at the venue where the banquet was being held.

“How splendid.”

“Isn’t it?”

It was truly a castle surrounded by light. The Imperial Palace looked exactly like a building made of gold. The light spread along the river, making it appear even more magnificent. This era doesn’t even have LEDs, so how did they create such lighting? Magic, perhaps?

And finally the carriage stopped. The place where the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet was being held this time was called Saja Palace, and living up to its name, lion sculptures were menacingly opening their jaws.

Hena got out first to escort me, but suddenly another hand popped out. Just from seeing those long, straight finger joints, I could guess the owner.

As expected, when I looked up, I saw a completely different deep blue color from mine. I haven’t seen blue skies lately due to the continuing rainy season, but looking at Gabriel’s eyes made it seem like the weather had cleared up. Ah, the rain really had stopped.

“Count Gabriel.”

“Good evening, Evangeline.”

Since we parted on bad terms last time, it felt like I was seeing him after a very long time.

His long eyelashes fluttered. Perhaps because he was dressed up, his appearance seemed even more striking today. Maybe it’s because his hair was nicely swept back, revealing his features clearly? Anyway, being the male lead, he was annoyingly handsome.

I got out of the carriage with Gabriel’s escort while admiring him. Since it was the entrance, there were many people and carriages were crowded, but fortunately I wasn’t receiving noisy attention like walking on a red carpet. Rather, it seemed deadly quiet.

Suddenly I was grateful that white gloves were mandatory for debutante attire. Gabriel’s hand touching mine through the thin fabric was colder than usual. Had he been waiting outside this whole time?

“Have you been waiting long?”

I arrived much later than the scheduled time because I had stopped by the Viscount’s mansion. He wasn’t this cold from waiting outside the whole time, was he?

“I was waiting after seeing the Rohanson family’s auspicious bird from afar.”

What auspicious bird, more like an ominous one.

For reference, the Rohanson Viscount’s symbol was a phoenix split in half like a decalcomania. The reason it’s split rather than two separate ones is because phoenixes are unique in the world. This was also something my etiquette teacher Dolline taught me.

“Tonight you’re even more dazzling, I thought a star had fallen.”

He’s using the praise he learned from Misha here. I thought he’d be dejected after I rejected his confession, but why is he being so smooth tonight? Gabriel really has thick skin. I thought I made it clear that I have no intention of dating him and this is just leading him on, but he seems fine with it.

“You remember what I said last time, right?”

We’re just having a fling. You know?

“Yes. I remember. But there are many eyes watching today. Above all, the people from the Temple know that I admire you.”

What? You’ve been spreading that rumor around? Really, Gabriel sometimes acts like there’s no tomorrow. This man who only knows how to accelerate…

Well, I did originally decide to stick with Gabriel to somewhat neutralize the harsh rumors about me and avoid the Temple’s suspicion. And also to catch those who illegally stole and used my summoning circle, taking advantage of my rock-bottom spirit affinity.

“Then I’ll gladly play along.”

I pushed last time, so now it’s time to pull. I need to maintain a proper push-and-pull so Gabriel in my fish tank doesn’t run away and stays attached. Time to use the special training I received from Dolline. And time for my old romance fantasy knowledge to show its true value.

I smiled brightly with sparkling eyes. Since he was shocked seeing me smile last time, I practiced smiling intensively in front of the mirror for two days. I asked Daisy if my smile looked similar to Evangeline’s, but Daisy hesitated and said she had never seen me smile. Was it because she was a villainess that she never smiled? That’s why her facial muscles are so stiff.

It must have been shockingly pretty to Gabriel who likes Evangeline’s face, as Gabriel froze and lost his words. Oh my, this fool. I tapped his arm to tell him to snap out of it and pointed to Toten Madam who was getting out of the carriage behind me.

“Count, Toten Madam has come.”

Gabriel looked at Toten Madam getting out right behind me and welcomed her warmly without showing surprise.

“It’s been a long time, Toten Madam. I was worried since there was no contact.”

“I’m sorry. There were circumstances…”

Gabriel didn’t pry into her circumstances, seemingly trying to be considerate of Toten Madam. Or maybe due to his character setting of only being warm to his woman, he might genuinely not care what happened to Toten Madam.

“Now that Toten Madam is here, we won’t need Bishop Marik’s help.”

Since I came with Toten Madam, I don’t have to feel threatened for my life while having dangerous companionship with an exorcist, right? I’m a romance fantasy possessor, so it might be different from cases like Melek who was possessed by a ghost, but that’s just a hypothesis. I’m scared I might get physically exorcised without anyone knowing while being complacent.

“Is Bishop Marik inside the banquet hall?”

“No. He already left before you arrived.”

“He left?”

“Yes. It seems the Archbishop called for him. He said since you would come with a chaperone, we could be together next time when there’s an opportunity.”

“…Bishop Marik must have known that Toten Madam was coming as a chaperone.”

So that’s why Gabriel wasn’t particularly surprised to see Toten Madam.

How did Bishop Marik know that? He said he had put surveillance on me, and that seemed to be true. But Jelly and Pudding kept getting rid of all the suspicious people who attached to the manor… I don’t know how the information got through their surveillance network. As expected, exorcists can’t be trusted.

Maybe he put surveillance on Toten Madam’s side rather than mine. He had seen through Toten Madam’s seclusion, and also knew that she readily agreed to be my chaperone.

“Bishop Marik…?”

Toten Madam quietly recited the name. Are they acquainted? Then maybe they contacted each other rather than surveillance.

“Are you acquainted?”

“You could say that. That woman was the one who ordered me not to sell holy water.”

However, contrary to my expectation, Toten Madam revealed her hostility without reservation. She hadn’t shown such fierce anger even to Diess who was wielding an axe, but her hatred for Bishop Marik was clearly evident.

“Bishop Marik prohibited holy water?”

“Yes. As soon as bad rumors about Rider spread, considering public opinion, she said she could no longer give holy water to the cursed.”

This was a story I had briefly heard from Gabriel before. So Bishop Marik was the one who blocked the distribution of holy water. As expected, Bishop Marik was indeed an exorcist who was suspicious and merciless toward evil beings, just as I had analyzed her character.

I completely understood why Toten Madam showed disgust just hearing Bishop Marik’s name. Just looking at all the various religious artifacts decorating the manor showed how much Toten Madam believed in the Sun God, but a bishop of the Sun God, instead of actively revealing the truth and providing explanations, branded him as a ‘cursed child’ as if rumors were truth without properly investigating the facts.

“She said holy water wouldn’t work anyway so it wasn’t needed. Looking back now, Bishop Marik’s choice seems to have been right. Rider eventually…”

Toten Madam laughed self-deprecatingly and lamented, then as soon as she unconsciously called Rider’s name, she was startled and glanced at Gabriel. It seemed like a slip of the tongue because saying holy water was no longer needed implied Rider’s death.

“Rider will eventually become so healthy that he won’t need holy water. Right?”

“Yes, yes… That’s right.”

When I quickly added words to cover the mistake, Toten Madam agreed.

We had coordinated on the way in the carriage, and decided to keep it secret from Gabriel too since news of Rider’s death shouldn’t spread.

Honestly, I briefly considered whether it might be okay to tell Gabriel, but Toten Madam seemed to want as few people as possible to know the truth, so I decided to just hide it. Above all, Gabriel was a holy knight, and he didn’t seem like he would take kindly to the story of a ghost possessing a child… Gabriel’s blue eyes were quietly unreadable. Gabriel, who had been maintaining silence, opened his mouth.

“Rider is…”

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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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