I’m Trying to End This Possession Chapter 154

Carl, having spotted Dana, smiled brightly and stood up from his seat. He walked toward her with steady steps.

 

“As I thought, it really is you, Dana.”

 

For a moment, Dana almost turned around and ran away at full speed. Even though there was no reason to do that, she instinctively almost did that. Right, there’s no need for that.

 

It didn’t matter if she got caught. Rather, she kind of wants to be caught. After all, one of the reasons she chose Ignis was to ruin that person’s mood.

 

Dana smiled at Carl, who had now come close. “Uncle.” However, she couldn’t help but feel conscious of the traces of the previous night left on her body, causing her to grip her hands a little tighter. “You startled me, Uncle. What brings you here?”

 

“…”

 

Carl simply looked down at her with a smiling face. He stood silently, quietly, without saying a word.

 

“…Uncle?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I asked what brings you here…?”

 

“Hmm.” Instead of answering, Carl closed his eyes. He took a deep breath in and then slowly exhaled. Only then did he open his eyes again. “I just stopped by on my way.”

 

His eyes were as clear as always.

 

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Dana. It’s a coincidence, isn’t it?” Carl reached out and gently tucked some of her disheveled hair behind her ear. “Did you just wake up?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“I see. Even just waking up, you’re still cute, Dana.”

 

His gentle touch, his warm gaze, and his soft time. His kindness looked the same as always, which only made Dana feel more uneasy.

 

Had he not noticed anything suspicious? Or was he pretending not to?

 

Dana carefully asked. “Did you sleep here too, Uncle?”

 

“No. I couldn’t sleep.”

 

At that moment, Dana was thrown into confusion. He couldn’t sleep? Does that mean he couldn’t sleep here? Because there were no vacant rooms? Then when did he arrive here? When exactly did he get here?

 

The flood of questions made her head feel like it was about to explode. Yet her tongue felt like it had turned to stone, preventing her from uttering a single word. She felt she shouldn’t say anything. And she couldn’t understand why she felt this way.

 

It doesn’t matter if I’m caught. But why was she shrinking back like a woman caught cheating behind her lover’s back? 

Don’t be foolish.

 

Dana quickly asked. “You said you were just passing by. Where are you headed?”

 

“I have some business nearby.”

 

“I see.”

 

Now, Carl will ask, won’t he? Questions like ‘Why are you here, Dana?’ Dana planned to hesitate for a moment before telling the truth. ‘Actually, I stayed here with Ignis. We spent the night together. I couldn’t help it because I love him so much,’ she would say those words to turn this man’s world upside down. That was Dana’s plan.

 

“Shall we go then?”

 

But the response she got was unexpected.

 

“…Huh?”

 

“It’s time to go home, isn’t it?” Carl ruffled her hair with a smile. “Let’s go back together, Dana.”

 

Dana stared at him blankly. What she saw was Carl smiling brightly. And that was it. No further questions, no curiosity.

 

“No.”

 

She was confused. Why wasn’t this man asking anything?

 

“Go on ahead. I still have some things to take care of.”

 

“Do you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Alright, do as you wish.” Carl, who had spoken so agreeably, suddenly paused as he was about to turn around. He then looked at her intently as if he had just noticed something.

 

What’s he looking at?

 

It wasn’t her face he was looking at. Was it her lips? No, that wasn’t it. Her chin, no, below her chin… Her neck. He was looking at her neck.

 

“Well then, Dana.” Carl moved his lips with a smile still on his face. “I’ll see you at the mansion later. Come back safely.” This time, he truly turned around. He walked briskly to the inn’s door and opened it. The bell above the door rang clearly.

 

Once the door finally closed, Dana let out a rough breath. Only then did she realize that she had been holding her breath with all her might.

 

Carl Windsor had left. Without any questioning or nagging… Had he really not noticed anything? He did have a strangely dull side at times.

 

It was like when they had visited the Retillan mines. Even with Retillan right in front of him, he hadn’t noticed it until she led him to it. He could be incredibly sharp at times but surprisingly oblivious in other instances. Maybe that obliviousness was at work now…?

 

Then why did he come here? It can’t be a coincidence. He clearly came to find me. If he came to find her, shouldn’t he have done something other than just leave? Yet he simply patted her on the head and walked away.

 

Dana couldn’t understand Carl at all. I don’t know. I should just get moving. There was no time to waste. She had to return quickly and prepare for tomorrow’s holy trial. She immediately went to find the innkeeper.

 

“You’re saying the water isn’t working in the bathroom?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“That’s strange. Let me check and get back to you.”

 

After a short while, the innkeeper returned after checking the pipes with a puzzled expression on his face.

 

“How odd. The water pipe connected to that floor is broken. This has never happened before…” He then handed her another key with an apologetic look. “This is the key to an empty room on another floor. I’m sorry, but you could just use the bathroom there.”

 

“…”

 

For a moment, a flood of suspicions washed over her. But without making any judgments, Dana quietly accepted the key. Just before she turned to leave, she asked. “Do you know when that man arrived?”

 

“What man?”

 

“The tall, very handsome man with platinum blond hair.”

 

“Ah, I’m sorry. I just started my shift… Someone else was here during the early hours, so I’m not sure.”

 

“I see.”

 

In the end, she couldn’t find out when Carl had arrived. Feeling uneasy, Dana headed to the new room. In the bathroom there, the water gushed out without any issues. She felt unsettled. The bedroom she had shared with Ignis—was the broken water pipe really a coincidence…?

 

Ah, right. Her neck. While the tub was filling, Dana stood in front of the mirror. She remembered how Carl had looked at her neck.

 

“Ah…”

 

As soon as she looked in the mirror, Dana’s cheeks flushed. There were blatant marks of last night’s intimacy on her neck. Red, swollen marks, and even dried traces of fluids. Oh gosh.

 

Carl must have seen them too. But he saw them and still just left…?

 

She felt even more uneasy. Something was definitely off. I should just clean up and return to the mansion quickly.

 

Dana was about to take off her clothes when she paused. It would take quite some time to wash up. If Ignis woke up, he’d look for her.

 

I should go back to the room where Ignis is first. Before washing up, it seemed better to return and leave him a note.

 

* * *

At that very moment, Ignis was deep in sleep. Even while he slept, a headache struck him. It was the same pain that had occasionally come since the day he was cursed by the sorcerer.

 

Damn it, it hurts.

 

And whenever this pain came, faint memories would flicker before his eyes, just like now.

 

“You’re no longer the Red Dog. I bought you from your master, so forget your old name.”

 

A very distinguished-looking middle-aged gentleman had become his new master.

 

“My name is Rodrigo Windsor. I want to adopt you.”

 

And then, he became his father.

 

“You’re now my son, Ignis Windsor.”

 

For the first time in his life, he had a father, and Duke Windsor turned him from a fighting dog into a human. Then he took him to a grand mansion.

 

At that time, Ignis thought. Is this heaven? If not, it didn’t make sense.

 

“Carl, say hello. This is Ignis, who will become your brother from today.”

 

There couldn’t be such a place, such people.

 

“Hi, Ignis. I’m Carl Windsor. I’m so happy to have a cute little brother like you.”

 

He was a shockingly handsome noble boy. Hair that shone like sunlight, skin as if sculpted from white jade, and a face as delicate as a porcelain doll. He looked like an angel who had just descended from the clouds. And such a boy extended his hand to Ignis.

 

“From now on, call me older brother. Let’s get along well.”

 

Older brother? Such a radiant person is going to be my brother?

 

As Ignis hesitated, Carl Windsor playfully smiled.

 

“Hurry and give me your hand, Ignis.”

 

“…”

 

“Come on, shake hands with your older brother. Okay?”

 

And he reached his hand even closer.

 

Ignis stared at that hand approaching him. Closer and closer… His older brother’s hand.

 

“…”

 

Suddenly, Ignis felt like he was suffocating. He couldn’t breathe, and it felt like his throat was being crushed. The sudden pain jolted him awake. He was instantly out of the dream. The dream shattered. But he couldn’t see anything. It was as if something was covering his eyes; his entire vision was pitch black.

 

“Keugh!”

 

And an overwhelming force was pressing down on his throat. Ignis quickly grabbed what was choking him. It was a wrist. A man’s wrist. Some man was strangling him!

 

Ignis tried to push him away, but it wasn’t easy. The man had incredible strength.

 

“…”

 

The next moment, a searing pain flared in his abdomen, and Ignis stifled a choked scream. Cold metal was stabbing into his stomach! And then he heard a voice.

 

“So, your memory really has returned, hasn’t it?” The assailant, the owner of that wrist, whispered as he slowly pushed the knife into Ignis’s stomach. “That’s why you seduced that innocent girl, isn’t it? Isn’t that it? Right?”

 

Stab.

 

“You shouldn’t do that, Ignis. No matter how much you hate the Windsors, you shouldn’t do something like that.”

 

The voice was as smooth as silk. It made Ignis’s skin crawl.

 

“Why are you using a sweet, innocent girl for your revenge? Hmm?”

 

The blade, deliberately stabbing slowly, made his mind go hazy. It was unbearably, chillingly painful.

 

“Oh my. It must be hurting so much.”

 

Damn it, why does his voice have to be so gentle!

 

“But remember, Ignis, this pain is nothing compared to the emotional wounds you’ll inflict on her.”

 

Ignis was certain. This wasn’t just an act of violence; it was intended solely to cause him pain. And the assailant, like a skilled torturer, knew exactly how to inflict the most extreme pain.

 

What kind of b*stard is this!

 

Ignis grabbed the man’s wrist with all his strength. And then he crushed it. He could vividly feel the man’s wrist bones shattering. But shockingly, the man didn’t utter a single scream. The grip on his throat remained just as tight.

 

This man was no ordinary foe. If he didn’t kill this man, he would die.

 

As Ignis resolved to commit murder,

 

“Lord Ignis?”

 

Dana’s voice came from outside the door.