The Cowardly Baby Saint Sees Ghosts - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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# Chapter 12
That’s the thing—he hasn’t broken free yet.
I patted the sobbing Crown Prince’s shoulder with a sullen expression.
Meanwhile, my gaze kept drifting to the cat prancing about beside me.
The slightly translucent feline brushed its tail against my legs, and when its soft fur grazed my calf, my lips quirked up without my noticing.
“Time for you to achieve Spiritual Ascension too.”
I tickled the cat’s forehead with my finger, and it let out a small meow before hopping onto my shoulder.
“Whoa…!”
Its frame was heavy, and my head tilted downward of its own accord.
The cat, now smaller than before, nestled against me and purred.
“You’re not going to achieve Spiritual Ascension?”
Suddenly chosen like this, I felt oddly grateful.
“Who on earth have you been talking to this whole time?”
The Crown Prince stared anxiously into empty space and asked.
But perhaps thanks to the Status Window’s effect, or perhaps because my nonsense had gained credibility somehow, he didn’t press further.
Tap. Tap. Its tail struck my shoulder as the sound of purring reached my ears.
With the silence inside, I heard a knock. A few attendants shuffled in and bowed their heads.
I instinctively realized I needed to leave now.
Before I went, there was something I needed to say.
“Your Highness. Please remember what I’ve told you.”
……
“You must replenish your Spiritual Power regularly. Understood?”
He nodded obediently. Perhaps he’d opened the window to air the place out; his eyes curved gently in the light.
Whoosh.
The pages of books sitting on the desk were turning in the wind.
Papers scattered across the floor suddenly lifted into the air in a flutter before settling back down.
In that glimpse of the Crown Prince, I saw none of the sharp edge from when I’d first met him.
An upright posture and an unburdened expression, from which a natural smile bloomed.
His face, which had been nothing but gloomy until now, finally began to glow with life.
His eyes, which had been like stagnant blood rotting away, now gleamed brilliantly, shining as prettily as rubies.
“I’ll come find you.”
The Crown Prince spoke in a gentle voice.
“You saved me, after all.”
……!
Embarrassing—what kind of thing is he saying?
I nodded vaguely and followed the attendants’ guidance, slipping out through the door.
Perhaps that is what the true Crown Prince really looks like.
Had he not been possessed by a ghost, had he lived an ordinary life, he probably never would have become a tyrant.
“I hope now that we’re growing closer, he won’t think about killing me.”
* * *
Several days passed since I returned to the Sacred Temple like that.
Scratch, scratch.
A laugh escaped me unbidden.
Indifferent to my reaction, the sound of pen scraping paper continued without pause.
Scratch, scratch. On the surface it might look strange that I’m glaring at someone diligently doing their work, but.
‘This is my room!’
“Hmm?”
The Crown Prince, who had gracefully lifted his teacup and taken a sip, tilted his head inquisitively.
“What’s wrong?”
“Your Highness.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
His demeanor—chin propped up, gazing at me—was utterly galling.
He clearly disliked me, yet the moment I seemed useful, his intent to exploit me to the bone became painfully obvious.
“This is my room.”
“Right.”
“It’s hardly proper etiquette for you to linger so long in a lady’s private chambers.”
“Hmm?”
The Crown Prince shrugged and removed his Spectacles, setting them on the desk.
Leaning back into the sofa, he grinned, showing all his teeth.
“What if I lose my grip again when I’m separated from the Saint? What will I do then?”
There hadn’t been time to adjust to how drastically his manner had changed. It was like a seven-year-old suddenly putting on airs and pretending to be grown.
But I knew.
A person who culls without mercy anything that fails to serve him.
Diane Irenne. Me. The one destined to kill us both.
“It should be fine for now.”
“……I don’t like it.”
“Pardon?”
“Since I was born, I’ve never had my mind this clear. You’re the first to give me that.”
“…….”
Strangely, I found I could understand how he felt.
‘I was saved by Liam too, after all.’
The moment he’d kicked through that door remained vivid in my memory. Perhaps I would never forget that scene, not in a lifetime.
“So you’re not going to kill me?”
“……?”
Had I misheared? His eyes blinked slowly. Ruby-bright eyes not yet darkened by corruption gleamed round and luminous.
“Why would I kill a saint?”
Without meaning to, I exhaled the breath I’d been holding with a soft gasp.
He rubbed his ear as though he’d caught some sound I hadn’t meant to make, then let out a muffled laugh.
“Why would you worry about that? I’m actually a very obedient, kindhearted imperial prince. ……Really.”
The way his voice trailed off suggested he knew the rumors about himself. To know and yet be so brazen about it—what a shameless little crown prince.
The unfortunate crown prince, seized by madness daily, unable to live a normal life.
If I simply replenished his Spiritual Power on a regular schedule, possession would become far more difficult. Strategy successful—heh!
“I believe you. You promised back then.”
“Hm?”
“You asked me not to kill you in exchange for fixing you.”
He murmured blankly.
“That wasn’t a dream, then.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re so…… No, never mind!”
His face flushed suddenly, red as a ripe apple. No matter how I looked at him, he didn’t seem like someone destined to become a tyrant. He was just a bashful child.
Apparently he’d slept well in the meantime—no dark circles beneath his eyes, and his lower lashes were longer than mine. In a word, he was beautiful, like a doll carved with meticulous precision in a workshop.
Feeling oddly irritated, I turned away from him and puffed out my lips sulkily.
“You only need to replenish your Spiritual Power once a week, so you should go now.”
“Shouldn’t you do it more often? What if I start acting strange again?”
“Then I’ll come find you again―”
“No.”
His voice was firm. Startled, I looked at him, and the crown prince sighed with an oddly weary expression. What could he have to worry about so much? He seemed like an old soul in a child’s body.
“I can’t go back to that state again. I don’t have time to recover my image.”
Then again, life in the Imperial Palace probably wasn’t easy either.
“There are many nobles who view me unfavorably. While I’ve recovered, His Majesty the Emperor intends to eliminate those men entirely.”
Unable to refuse, I nodded along and rose to my feet.
The crown prince also sprang up abruptly. His chair scraped backward with a sound.
His cheeks seemed a bit flushed.
I looked up at him—he was a full head and a half taller than me—and sighed deeply.
At that, he gave my cheek a gentle pinch.
“Why does a little child sigh so much?”
“…….”
He was treating me like a baby. As if you’re not a baby yourself! It was unfair. I puffed out both cheeks and grabbed his hands.
‘Let me finish this and send him away.’
As though he’d read my thoughts, the crown prince grinned and slipped his hands free.
“By the way, Saint.”
“Yes?”
“How unbecoming. Is this how you speak to the crown prince?”
Yet the teasing lilt in his voice made it seem strange somehow.
‘Could he be possessed again?’
Some mischievous spirit, perhaps.
But since the Status Window didn’t appear, it seemed this really was his true nature. Unbelievable, truly!
“Do you know my name?”
“……Your Highness doesn’t know it yourself.”
“Demian.”
His sudden call jolted me awake. My heart lurched, as though plummeting from a great height.
“Diane Irenne, isn’t that right?”
“Yes.”
I mumbled softly, hesitating.
“I’m sorry.”
It made sense that I wouldn’t know the Crown Prince’s name—I’d been cut off from the world until now. Still, I felt inexplicably embarrassed, my ears burning hot. They must have turned crimson.
Even though he couldn’t possibly know my circumstances, I found myself mortified anyway.
“It’s Demian.”
Demian smiled brightly and finally squeezed my hand firmly.
“Remember it, Saint.”
“…Yes.”
Just as I closed my eyes to channel my Spiritual Power, a sudden thought made me open my mouth again.
“Did you perhaps investigate my background?”
“…!”
“I thought so.”
When I shook my head, Demian bit his lip. His eyes wavered visibly—he was guilty as charged.
Caught red-handed, this bastard.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you first. But you’re the first person who’s ever healed me, so—”
“I understand.”
It was strange that he knew my full name when I’d never told him. That much was true.
On the other hand, it would have been even stranger for the Crown Prince not to know who he’d admitted to his private chambers.
I was just… a little disappointed, that’s all.
But Demian was watching my expression carefully—like a large hunting dog lowering its tail, afraid of being scolded by its master.
The fact that the Crown Prince was concerned about me, a penniless orphan until recently, still didn’t feel real.
“From now on, I’ll ask you directly. We’ve gotten to know each other a bit, after all, haven’t we?”
“Have we?”
Demian fell silent.
Stay quiet and accept the Spiritual Power.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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