My Possession Became a Ghost Story - Chapter 83
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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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“Evangeline is not a criminal, so it’s fine.”
“Not a criminal? You’re so blinded by love that you can’t even assess the situation properly. I don’t know how such a noble knight ended up in this state.”
The palace knight mocked and belittled Gabriel. Gabriel stared coldly at the knight and replied icily.
“I suppose I was just overrated before.”
“Yes! That seems to be the case! My eyes were clearly mistaken.”
With those words, the knight never spoke to Gabriel again. I think that knight was definitely a fan of Gabriel originally. He must be furious that his favorite idol has fallen into romance instead of focusing on his main duties. I can somehow understand that feeling… However, Gabriel didn’t just leave the palace knight who was glaring at him alone.
“I’d like to have a private conversation with Evangeline for a moment. Would you please give us some space?”
“Do you know that you’re currently under surveillance? No, never mind. Please have your conversation comfortably. I’ll go report to Marquis Muzeta instead.”
Now to that knight, I’ve become a witch who bewitched a knight, and Gabriel has become an accomplice to a witch who abandoned his beliefs.
The knight left the prison with his colleagues, grumbling angrily. Gabriel watched this and continued speaking as if he had no thoughts about it. This guy really doesn’t care about anyone who isn’t his person.
“The eyes that were watching you were useless.”
“Well, the lights went out so no one could see ahead.”
Even though there were so many people in the banquet hall, once the lights went out, no one could see how the situation unfolded. Ah, now that you mention the lights going out, I suddenly remember something strange when I think back to that time.
“When the lights went out, I bumped into someone. Even though you couldn’t see an inch ahead, the other person knew that the person they bumped into was me. The red stains on my dress were made then.”
I didn’t even open my mouth at that time, so the hypothesis that they recognized me by my voice doesn’t make sense either. If someone deliberately got blood on me, wouldn’t that person be the culprit?
“Do you remember the voice?”
“Yes. It sounded like a girl around her teens.”
It was definitely different from Bishop Marik’s voice. Then is the culprit not Bishop Marik? I was suspicious of him because he was wearing a veil and seemed like a mastermind.
He seemed to have a terrible relationship with Marquis Muzeta, and probably didn’t get along with the Crown Prince either, but would an exorcist kill someone just because they don’t get along? Is he confident that even if they come back as a ghost for revenge, he can handle the ghost too?
I also thought of the maid who was wearing a scarf, but she couldn’t speak at all, so I’ll skip that.
“Rather, the culprit might be close by. For example, Jeremiah could be the culprit.”
Gabriel brought up a different name instead of Bishop Marik. Jeremiah, the one with the green necklace who was dancing with the Crown Prince until the end? The Princess instead of Bishop Marik?
“Are you talking about the Princess?”
“Yes, we must keep all possibilities open.”
It was refreshing that I was the only one excluded from those possibilities. Even though we weren’t together, he believes that I didn’t kill the Crown Prince. A little touching, isn’t it? It seems the love triangle management I’ve been doing wasn’t in vain.
“The banquet hall doors were closed, so it wouldn’t be an external intruder, and since it happened in a short time, even the Princess who was closest can’t escape suspicion.”
But when I recall how she stood there in shock from her father’s death, blankly taking the blood drops falling on her face, it’s hard to see her as the culprit…
But nevertheless, as Gabriel said, Jeremiah had the best conditions to commit the crime. She was closest to the Crown Prince, and it would have been easy for her to steal the dagger. The reason I excluded her from the suspects was because the two were father and daughter.
If Jeremiah is really the culprit, then is Gabriel investigating the truth behind a case where his niece murdered his brother? Really, wherever you go, the imperial family is more dramatic than a morning soap opera.
Wait. Before that, Gabriel must know the secret of his birth, right…? He looks so much like the Crown Prince that everyone must know it implicitly. Surely he doesn’t not know?
In a situation where he has to reveal that his niece killed his brother to clear my false accusation of love triangle management, shouldn’t I tell him in advance…?
While I was pondering, the conversation topic changed. I’ll tell him next time he visits. First, even I need to prepare mentally for the birth secret since it’s shocking…
“Toten Madam and Hena safely escaped the palace. I attached Uriel and trusted knights as escorts. However, Evangeline’s coachman…”
Gabriel paused in the middle. The coachman? He must be talking about the beastman coachman who stepped in as a substitute for Melek.
“He was found with his head severed. It seems they prepared this in advance in case Evangeline tried to escape.”
It seems the person who framed me killed the coachman too, considering that Evangeline might escape. No, coachman! Did he die because of me after coming to help for no reason? He just came as a substitute today because Jelly called him…?
Guilt grew rapidly. How do I send a death notice to his family when he wasn’t even officially employed? I should tell Jelly about this. I don’t know how many people will die in just one day. Even though this is inside a novel, I feel uneasy in one corner of my heart.
Gabriel continued explaining how the situation outside was unfolding, and when the palace knight who had returned at some point sarcastically urged him asking how long he would chat with the criminal, he finally got up from his seat.
“I’ll make sure you can get out soon.”
After Gabriel left, investigators appeared as if passing a baton and conducted questioning. The investigation ended only after I said a hundred times that I didn’t kill the Crown Prince.
It was only after midnight that I could finally rest alone. After checking around for any presence and confirming no one was there, I quietly called Jelly.
“Jelly.”
“Yes.”
An answer popped out from where no one had been. You came! My secret weapon! Teleportation really is the best. The reason I could maintain some peace despite the anxious future of possibly being executed was all thanks to Jelly. If worst comes to worst, I’ll just grab Jelly’s hand and run away.
“I was wondering when you’d call me.”
It seems she was waiting after I sent word through Pudding to come when called. But why did Jelly come alone?
“Where’s Pudding?”
“He’s reflecting on his powerlessness. What did that Pudding even do after going through the trouble of disguising himself?”
Jelly giggled and mocked Pudding. Really, so petty. A young cat transformed into a human and infiltrated the palace to protect me, so even if the results weren’t great, I should praise him for being admirable.
Actually, I didn’t recognize him at first because I was only looking at his face. When I saw him the second time and got a little used to his striking appearance, I noticed the collar. The collar had my embroidery so obviously on it, how could I not notice it right away when we first met.
“Humans are really amazing. To think they’d actually arrest you, Master… No wait, in this case you let yourself be arrested.”
When Jelly snapped her fingers, the bleak prison interior became bright and cheerful. A bed, sofa, and even a brazier – it was just a room with bars for walls, but comfortable enough to live in without inconvenience. Is this some kind of prison hotel?
“Kanna said we should prepare at least this much since you’d be cold and uncomfortable, Master… But it still seems uncomfortable, so can’t you sleep at the manor and come back?”
Honestly, I wanted to teleport to Rohanson Estate and come back too. But what if someone comes and sees the empty prison and thinks I escaped? It’s better to have suddenly random furniture appear.
When I said I’d stay in prison, Jelly even brought clothes to change into. I returned the blood-stained dress to Jelly. Misha will be horrified seeing those clothes… I decided to keep the blanket Gabriel gave me. When I said I was hungry, she brought dinner after a while.
After finishing the late dinner enjoyed in prison, I quietly brought up a topic.
“Jelly, about the coachman who drove the carriage today. I think we should notify his family of his death.”
Since an acquaintance died tragically after getting involved in my affairs, it would be natural for Jelly to be angry. But Jelly calmly responded while eating sherbet.
“You mean we need to file an official death report? You don’t need to worry about that. A death report has already been filed.”
What? How? Jelly wagged her tail and continued explaining.
“That human was actually living a double life.”
The coachman was apparently quite a womanizer. His wife, who had been turning a blind eye to his cheating, recently realized he had set up another household when he stopped coming home and angrily filed a death report. She even held a funeral, so the neighbors in that area think the coachman is already dead.
I should have known from when Jelly, Daisy, and the three of them were making memories together. The coachman apparently just liked love triangles.
“How about it? It’s okay for someone who had a reason to die to die, right?”
“I suppose so.”
Of course, the shock that he died because of me remained, but relatively speaking, the guilt seemed to lessen a bit. Right, it’s not like this is the first or second time I’ve seen someone die after I possessed this body, and this is a world with a particularly strong class system, so such things will be common in the future. I just have to adapt.
“Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”
It seemed like Jelly brought up that story to comfort me and tell me not to be weighed down by guilt. The kid who’s always been lazy is asking me to give her errands for the first time. Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask.
“Could you pick some cherry blossom petals from the garden and take care of Melek’s meals? And while you’re at it, could you look after Toten Madam too?”
“Can I make Pudding do it?”
“Go together.”
“…Yes.”
As if she didn’t expect me to actually make her do it, Jelly puffed out her cheeks and reluctantly agreed.
***
The nest that Plauros had carefully built was without its master.
It was all because Plauros had failed to fulfill his role. He couldn’t even properly face Astaroth, and even had to watch helplessly as the knights took Evangeline away.
He wanted to immediately tear apart everything that had touched Evangeline. He would cut out the tongues that insulted her to till the fields, and pluck out the eyes that glared at her to hang them and cultivate an orchard.
“Stay put until I call you, Pudding.”
The reason he couldn’t do so was because Evangeline didn’t want it. He loved Evangeline enough to forcibly suppress his rising hunger and murderous intent and get along with humans. It was fine to be called by the insignificant snack name of Pudding. He transformed into a cat to be held in her arms and acted cute. He was desperate to receive affection.
How lovely she was. How pitiful and heartbreaking. That’s why his pride was shattered from only acting cute. Unlike long ago, Plauros, who hadn’t preyed on humans for a while because he was following Evangeline, naturally couldn’t match Astaroth.
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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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