Chapter 73

Chapter 73

“Priest, you’ve misunderstood. I never meant to be possessed. I was just standing there when a ghost came at me and possessed me.”

“…Is that true?”

“Yes, of course. I know how to look out for myself!”

He stroked his chin, lost in thought, then met my eyes with a serious expression.

“Then the situation is even worse.”

“Huh?”

“If possession happened unintentionally, it could easily happen again. And you, Young Lady, have a constitution prone to it, don’t you?”

“Oh… Then what should I do?”

His words carried weight. As sudden as today’s incident had been, I couldn’t be sure it wouldn’t happen again just as abruptly. That put me in a dangerous spot.

“…I have no perfect solution. But do visit the temple sometime. I’ll look for a way to share some Divine Power with you.”

“Divine Power…?”

“Yes. Divine Power can push souls away. It won’t be a clear fix, but it’s better than nothing.”

He nodded, arms crossed. I sat up straight in bed and bowed to him.

“Thank you, Priest.”

We weren’t close—this was only the third time we’d met. Still, he seemed genuinely concerned for me. I found it quietly moving.

“Ah, the doctors here thought you were overworked. They couldn’t know about the possession, so that diagnosis makes sense.”

He continued.

“Is that so. I suppose I’ve troubled the Imperial Family.”

“It’s only natural to care for a banquet guest. In any case, the doctor advised rest, so take your time recovering. I’ll take my leave now.”

He rose from his seat.

“Ah, I’ll come with you.”

I swung my legs off the bed to follow him. But my gaze caught an old man in the corner of the room, wearing a pitiful expression—the very ghost who had possessed me earlier.

In my memory, she had been draped in expensive accessories. But now, anyone could see she wore nothing but rags. Her hair was a tangled, unkempt mess. I didn’t know what had befallen her—the woman who had once been queen—but the full scope of her ruin was plain to see.

[Burn Luision to the ground, or kill him! One or the other!]

For a moment, her voice rang sharp and clear in my ears. But she couldn’t have burned Luision, nor killed the founding king.

According to the historical records, Luision had never suffered a great fire, and the founding king had lived out his full natural life.

So if she had tried anything to vent her rage, it had all ended in failure. And perhaps that very grudge was what kept her tethered to the land of the living.

“I’m sorry.”

In that instant, she looked at me and her lips moved as if to whisper. Then, like smoke, she vanished in a single puff.

Huh?

Bewildered, I stared at the spot where she had disappeared.

‘Sorry? She just said she was sorry, didn’t she?’

Come to think of it, she had said she was sorry once before, too.

‘What is she sorry for?’

But that memory of hers had been filled with nothing but rage. So I couldn’t quite grasp what it was she wanted to apologize for.

“Young Lady, aren’t you coming?”

Just then, the priest interjected. I turned my head and saw him waiting for me by the door.

“No, let’s go.”

I forced the questions crowding my mind aside and walked toward him. But just as I was about to step out the door, I found myself stumbling backward without meaning to.

“The—the Duke and the Young Marquis are coming this way!”

I’d spotted two figures approaching from the end of the corridor at a brisk pace.

“And what’s the problem with that?”

The priest asked back, puzzled.

“Isn’t it obvious?! They’re coming here because they heard a redhead collapsed! They’re definitely going to think that redhead was me. But I still don’t have the courage to tell them I was possessed!”

I nearly sobbed the words out, my unprepared heart feeling cornered.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well… actually… I’d agreed I wouldn’t be possessed anymore. So I think he’ll be worried… and angry, too…”

“But you asked me to help because there was a soul whose memories you needed to read?”

“…Ah… there was a need for the possession… so that’s why…”

I fidgeted all ten of my fingers and stammered out an answer. Looking back, my behavior was a little ridiculous. But I couldn’t help it. Even under the ban on possession, I still wanted to help Shion—the child in the Cuvershaiden mansion—ascend.

“Well… it’s not like she did it on purpose this time, is it? It was an accident. Someone like you wouldn’t get angry over something like that.”

The priest shrugged in reply. My heart was heavy as lead, but his response felt almost flippant, as if he was acting like it was nothing at all.

“Of course. I know. But still…”

Knock—

That was when a knock sounded from beyond the door. I fumbled and shuffled my feet, then dove back into bed and squeezed my eyes shut. A moment later, the door opened, and I heard footsteps approach the bedside.

“What’s going on?”

The Duke’s voice was thick with bewilderment. Feeling a twinge of guilt, I cracked my eyes open just a sliver, searching for his face. That’s when I met the gazes of both the Duke and the Young Marquis looking down at me. I immediately feigned sleep, as though I always slept with my eyes half-open, pulling off a natural act.

“The Young Lady was possessed, so I pushed the soul back out for her.”

“Possessed?”

“Yes. It wasn’t intentional on the Lady’s part—more of an accidental possession. And please don’t worry too much. The soul slipped out without any trouble, so the Lady should be fine.”

The priest defended my situation earnestly, speaking the words I myself had found hard to voice. I felt grateful to him for that, and in my heart I swore a vow of friendship.

Let’s stay close for a thousand, ten thousand years to come.

“An unintentional possession? Is that even possible?”

This time, the Young Marquis asked him.

“To be honest, this is my first time encountering such a case, so I’m not entirely sure. It could be that, because Her Ladyship has been possessed so often, a kind of passageway for souls has formed.”

Our friendship was shattered. He’d blurted out things he didn’t need to say, and so easily too—such terrifying words at that. And this possession today might’ve just been a one-off coincidence. So his words struck me as a bit excessive.

“…That’s dangerous.”

The Duke pressed his lips together, worry deepening on his face. I felt a pang of guilt, because I hadn’t meant to make him anxious at all.

“But that’s only speculation. Still, just in case, I’ll look into a way to share some Divine Power with the Lady.”

The priest replied in a calm tone, the same thing he’d mentioned to me before.

“I’m grateful.”

The Duke gave a short reply of thanks, then lowered his gaze to look at me.

“Come back.”

“Ah—Yes…!”

I quickly sat up from where I’d been lying. It seemed he’d already known I was awake all along.

Huff… and here I thought my acting was flawless…

“Then I’ll take my leave first. The High Priest is likely looking for me.”

In that moment, the priest offered us a bow. The Duke gave his acknowledgment, and the man withdrew from the spot. Our party followed close behind him, slipping out of the Imperial Castle.

“You must have been startled, Laura.”

The young marquis sidled up beside me and asked. I did my best, waving both hands as if nothing was wrong.

“Well… I’m fine.”

“There’s no way that’s true.”

But my act didn’t fool him. At my words, the Duke snapped in a voice that seemed to sink low with gravity.

“When we get back, I’ll give you leave. Go somewhere ghosts won’t show up. You can even go home if you like.”

He dragged a hand down his face and murmured as if talking to himself. A deep furrow carved between his brows as he winced faintly.

“No. There’s no need for that…”

I shook my head quickly in reply. Of course, leave sounded nice, but it seemed premature. After the banquet ended, the Duke would be swamped beyond belief. I didn’t want to face his exhausted face again. Instead, I was filled with a desire to offer even a small help.

“I just need to be careful at night. You run into ghosts wherever you go. If you want to avoid them entirely, you’d have to hide in one spot.”

“Then stay in your room until we find a solution.”

Stay in my room? What nonsense was that?

I understood his concern, but this was a bit excessive. Being tied down like this made no sense. Even he couldn’t impose such a restriction.

“That’s too much, isn’t it? Even in Cuvershaiden, where ghosts are everywhere, nothing like this has ever happened. Today was just an accident. Accidents aren’t that common, are they?”

“Don’t take it lightly. You need to be more careful.”

He let out a small, frustrated sigh. But the frustrated one was me. Clutching his sleeve, I tugged at it, as if to protest his unreasonable words.

“Hold on.”

Just then, the young marquis cut in, stepping between us.

“Fighting will only make you grow fonder. Let’s compromise.”

He glanced from me to the Duke, then fixed his gaze on me. And he gave a faint smile.

“You admit it’s better to be careful too, Laura?”

“…”

“But you can’t stay locked in your room. Still, Laura, understand that I can’t help but worry. If you don’t want leave, how about adjusting your work hours for now? Come back to your room by sunset. It won’t take long if we find a solution.”

He was proposing a curfew at my age. It rankled, but since it came from concern, saying no felt awkward. Damn it—this was all because that priest made things sound so grave.