My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 80

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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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Because everyone kept their distance, there was a circular open space around Evangeline, making the hem of her blood-stained dress particularly visible. Evangeline was covering her mouth, but if she moved her hand away, it seemed like the corners of her mouth would be curved upward.

“Lady Evangeline….”

Kinder called out to Evangeline, biting her lips. Unlike the others who had averted their gaze, Kinder was looking only at Evangeline.

There was no way Lady Evangeline would kill the Crown Prince, especially not in such a way that confessed her guilt as the culprit. This was definitely a trap. Count Gabriel hadn’t warned her to be careful for nothing! But who would believe Kinder’s defense?

Evangeline’s white dress was stained red. The commotion from her argument with Hosaquin Duke had been quite loud. She had almost been soaked in wine because of it, but thanks to Gabriel shielding Evangeline instead, only a few drops of wine had splattered on her white dress. This meant her clothes weren’t stained just before the lights went out.

“I was careless.”

Evangeline’s eyes flashed as she boldly voiced her observation. Her tone was eerily cheerful.

The banquet hall doors opened belatedly. No one had noticed when they had been closed. A few people only recalled that the doors had been wide open when Gabriel left to change his clothes.

The one who entered through the doors was Muzeta, the Crown Prince’s escort knight who had forgotten his duty and left his post while the Crown Prince died, leading his master to death.

“Your, Your Highness!”

Muzeta began to handle the Crown Prince’s corpse and organize the situation. He reported the Crown Prince’s death to the Emperor and protected the confused imperial grandchildren, sending them back. The girl with the green jade stood dazed for a long while, getting blood dripped on her from the Crown Prince hanging from the chandelier, before being led back to her quarters by the twins.

***

The maid with a scarf wrapped below her nose watched without blinking as Evangeline drank all the wine. Only after receiving back the empty glasses from Evangeline and Kinder Toten did she move again.

How strange. Holy water had no effect on Evangeline Rohanson. Wasn’t she a demon?

From watching her swallow, it wasn’t some trick—she had really drunk all the wine mixed with holy water. Drinking the wine in one gulp seemed like she was showing off that holy water wasn’t her weakness. As she was handling the empty glass, the supervising maid snapped at her.

“You there! What are you doing just standing around? Where do you have time to rest? Hurry up and serve more wine!”

Nodding her head, Saraka picked up another plated tray. She mixed holy water from her apron pocket into every glass. While walking, several wine glasses were taken from her, but she didn’t stop them. Holy water wasn’t poison, so it didn’t matter who drank it.

“Give me a glass of wine too.”

Fortunately, she reached the person she had business with before all the wine glasses were emptied. Saraka handed a glass to Viscount Hükel and conveyed her request.

Contrary to his public reputation, Viscount Hükel was quick-witted and tight-lipped, making him one of Saraka’s frequently used pawns. Recently, she had been using him effectively by having him build friendship with Rohanson Viscount.

“Really? You want me to subtly provoke Hosaquin Duke? Ha, well. How did you know that’s my specialty?”

Hosaquin Duke had bad habits and a fiery temper. Especially when angry, he couldn’t make rational judgments. By provoking the Duke through Viscount Hükel and giving him the option to throw a wine glass at Evangeline, he would follow through with the action.

Drinking it didn’t work. Then what about when holy water was poured on her? What about on wounds? Saraka vividly felt her heart racing like when dealing with heretics imprisoned in the underground prison.

Evangeline and Kinder soon approached Hosaquin Duke. The Duke threw and broke a perfectly good glass, then grabbed more wine to throw. But she hadn’t expected the Captain of the Knights to shield Evangeline and take the glass instead. She had made Marquis Muzeta briefly leave his post to avoid interference, but he had returned in the meantime.

Viscount Hükel avoided eye contact while glancing at Saraka nervously about the slightly twisted plan. But at that moment, Saraka was too filled with ecstasy to pay any attention to Viscount Hükel. Under her scarf, her scarred mouth stretched into an eerily wide smile.

Viscount Hükel thought the Captain of the Knights had been hit with regular wine rather than holy water, but the second glass Hosaquin Duke threw was also mixed with holy water.

“Ouch!”

The maid cleaning up the glass on the floor had definitely cut her hand. Even she dismissed it as a mistake, but Saraka clearly witnessed the moment her hand was cut. It healed immediately since the wine was mixed with holy water. But the Captain of the Knights’ wound showed no signs of healing despite taking a direct hit of holy water.

‘Found you….’

She had tried to uncover Evangeline’s secret but ended up discovering the Captain of the Knights’ weakness instead. It was an unexpected gain.

Seeing his wounded and wine-soaked state, Evangeline sent Gabriel out to change clothes quickly.

Saraka followed Gabriel outside. No one cared whether a maid came out or not, so movement was easy.

Servants aren’t treated as fellow humans by nobles. Even covering half her face with a scarf didn’t seem strange to anyone.

Except for Kinder Toten. The fact that she bothered to speak and ask about her situation showed how considerate Kinder Toten’s nature was. She was truly a regrettable person. If not for her son, she would have become a perfect believer of Lady Rahel.

Saraka’s heart ached when she recalled when ‘That Person’ ordered her to stop supplying holy water to Kinder Toten. Still, if they openly gave holy water to a cursed person, the temple would be accused of being blinded by money, so it was an unavoidable choice. After that, Kinder Toten seemed to despise Saraka, or more precisely, ‘That Person’ whom Saraka represented, calling them hypocrites.

Saraka quietly followed the Captain of the Knights.

“Count Gabriel! How did you end up covered in wine?”

“Something happened. Could you bring me some clothes to change into?”

“Yes! I’ll bring them right away!”

The knight disappeared to find clothes to change into and quickly returned with neat clothing. Saraka, who had been waiting nearby, extended her hand as if to deliver them instead.

“You’ll deliver them to Count Gabriel? Then please do.”

Saraka took the clothes and entered the room where Gabriel was waiting. Gabriel had removed his wet clothes and was shirtless.

“Are you delivering them for me? Thank you.”

Unlike other knights, Gabriel didn’t speak casually and politely received the clothes. Saraka glanced at Gabriel while pretending to be shy and hiding her face. Actually, it was because her mouth was stretched too wide in a grin and she didn’t want to be caught. She hurried out of the room, worried her pounding heartbeat might be heard.

She had seen it clearly with her own eyes. Gabriel had a round scar on his chest.

When ‘That Person,’ no, Bishop Marik, could still speak clearly before he could barely breathe now, Bishop Marik had shared past memories while putting Saraka’s hand in the brazier.

“Seeing the fire reminds me of old times. Haha, not from when my entire family burned to death in a fire caused by evil heretics and I barely survived alone. Much later than that. Saraka, have you ever heard about His Majesty the Emperor’s youngest son?”

At that time, her cheek and chin burn scars were festering, making it painful even to open her mouth, so she shook her head instead of answering. Bishop Marik continued his explanation while putting Saraka’s hand in the brazier, not even considering her screams.

“They say he died before his first cry, but that’s not true. How do I know? Because I spirited the prince away.”

Saraka needed to hear everything from Bishop Marik. Even while wailing as her hand burned, she listened intently to focus on the explanation.

According to Bishop Marik, though not publicly known, imperial family members had markings carved into their bodies to prove their noble blood. The pattern of a dragon biting its tail in a circle. The tail-eating dragon symbolized infinity and meant the eternal prosperity of the imperial house.

Carving the marking was a glorious task entrusted to the most trusted priest. During Emperor Mater’s reign, that role belonged to Bishop Marik.

A brand was burned into the newborn imperial family member’s body with fire, then treated with holy water while bestowing blessings. The flesh would heal immediately, but the brand would remain like a tattoo.

“But holy water didn’t work on the youngest prince. Don’t be surprised, Saraka. Sometimes such people are born into the world. Pitiful, unfortunate, and ugly beings who are shunned by Lady Rahel even after rebirth because their sins from past lives were too deep.”

Such people could only be cleansed and welcomed back into Lady Rahel’s embrace after being reborn several times to atone. So until then, one must never show them mercy. The youngest prince was like that, and so was Kinder Toten’s son.

The Emperor ordered the child killed, but instead of killing the infant, Bishop Marik entrusted him to a couple to raise. Later, when the Emperor discovered the child had been spirited away, he was greatly enraged, but Bishop Marik said he hadn’t kept the child alive to hold leverage over the Emperor.

“He must live and breathe for a long, long time until his fate ends, atoning for his sins.”

Only then could he receive Lady Rahel’s love a little sooner.

But the ignorant Emperor, who knew nothing of faith, raged that Bishop Marik was trying to gain leverage over him, and secretly sent knights to kill the youngest prince.

However, what the Emperor found were the foster parents who had abandoned the child and were enjoying a dissolute life with the child-rearing money received from Bishop Marik. The child’s whereabouts couldn’t be found, so in the end, the Emperor only killed the foster parents.

People who don’t receive Lady Rahel’s blessing usually die young. Even though he had saved the foster parents, it seemed the youngest prince couldn’t escape his fate either. Bishop Marik prayed that the child would continue to survive somewhere, suffering.

“Now not just your face, but your hands are exactly like mine too.”

Bishop Marik, who pulled Saraka’s hand from the brazier, smiled benevolently seeing their matching hands. Saraka also moved her mouth to smile following Bishop Marik.

“Saraka… now that your face and hands bear the same scars as mine, everyone will be unable to distinguish between us. Seeing only the lower face and hands visible under the veil, they’ll think you are me.”

While holding their melted hands together and speaking affectionately, Bishop Marik also told Saraka how to recognize the prince. The youngest prince would have a brand that failed to become a tattoo, remaining as a scar.

Just as the Bishop had said, there was a scar on the Captain of the Knights’ body—wings clipped and claws pulled out, failing to become a dragon and remaining a snake. Having been abandoned in childhood, he seemed unaware of the scar’s meaning. That’s why he didn’t hesitate to show it.

Saraka tried to calm her pounding heart and headed not to the banquet hall, but to the room provided by the prince. In the room the prince had given to Saraka, a knight who looked pious on the surface was standing guard.

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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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