I’m Trying to End This Possession Chapter 166

* * *

The trip with Dana was delightful.

 

“Uncle! Try this on!”

 

Their first destination was Tulip Village. Dana personally put a headband full of tulip decorations on him.

 

 Then she let out a laugh as clear as a bell.

 

“Doesn’t it look perfect on you? You look like a flower fairy, Uncle!”

 

Because she looked so pleased, Carl wore the tulip headband all day long. The sight of Dana, laughing like a young girl, was truly adorable.

 

Their second destination was the Coastal Village.

 

“Uncle, the sea’s still cold! Come out, quickly!”

 

Dana had jokingly asked, “Since we’re at the sea, would you like to go in?” and Carl had gladly entered the sea.

 

“Hurry and come out, Uncle!”

 

Flustered and panicked, Dana tried to pull him out. Carl, finding her reaction cute, floated around in the water a little longer on purpose.

 

“Are you two married couples?”

 

That question was thrown out when they were in their third destination, which was the empire’s largest amusement park.

 

“May I draw a picture of you two?”

 

On their way out of the Ferris wheel, a portrait artist mistook them for a married couple.

 

“No, we’re not married.”

 

Carl corrected the artist immediately, but Dana tugged at his arm and whispered quietly, “They think we’re married.” She winked at him, as if sharing a funny secret. “I guess we really look that way to others.” Then she gave a radiant smile.

 

“Oh my gosh, Uncle! This is so delicious!”

 

Their fourth destination was the remote rural village. Dana’s eyes widened in amazement as she tasted food Carl had cooked himself.

 

“You’re this good at cooking?”

 

“Ahem.”

 

“It’s so, so, so good!”

 

It was the moment when the <50 Ways to Make Women Happy> series of books truly shone.

 

Carl was happy. Dana seemed happy, too. Like that, they traveled all around the empire, and the journey lasted longer than expected. Even after a week, two weeks, three weeks, and into the fourth week, Dana never said she wanted to go home. Carl had worried that she might ask to return early, even before the period required for her to inherit her assets was over. But unexpectedly, Dana never said such a thing. Instead, she said, “I wish this trip would never end.” She even said, “I wish we could just run away together.” And, “How about we live under different names, just the two of us?” Though she said it playfully, her words carried a hint of seriousness.

 

Each time, Carl thought. Dana is really adorable. He pondered it deeply and seriously. No. She’s beyond adorable. Dana’s charm surpassed all limits. Words like ‘cute’ or ‘adorable’ simply weren’t enough to contain her. He needed a new word, but he hadn’t found a suitable one yet.

 

How could he describe this feeling? Is there even a good word for it?

 

That night, Carl fell asleep trying to invent a new word to praise Dana. He had a dream.

 

“What is this, Uncle?”

 

In his dream, Dana discovered his travel bag, containing the chains and handcuffs.

 

“What were you planning to do to me?”

 

Dana’s eyes were filled with hate and fear.

 

“I hate you. I really hate you, Uncle!”

 

There was no affection left in her eyes. Instead, they swirled with loathing.

 

“I hate you more than anything in the world! You’re a bug! A pest!”

 

“Ahhh, I’m sorry for being a pest, Dana!” Carl shouted in despair, bolting upright in bed, gasping for breath. His whole body was drenched in cold sweat.

 

Carl looked around frantically. He was in a bedroom. On a hotel bed. A dream?

 

Yes, a nightmare. Thankfully, just a nightmare. But—If I’m unlucky, I could get caught for real. It was something that could happen at any time. If it did, Dana would look at him with those eyes of disgust, call him a pest. And not just that,

 

“I hate you more than anything in the world!”

 

This won’t do. He felt his blood run cold.

 

Carl jumped out of bed. He had to get rid of it. Before he got caught. Before he heard her call him a pest!

 

He took out the travel bag hidden away, the one containing the chains and handcuffs, and ran far away to throw it into the river. The travel bag splashed loudly and sank out of sight. With that, all the evidence was gone. Dana would never see it. Only then did relief wash over Carl. He finally felt like he could breathe.

 

“Uncle? What are you doing at night?”

 

On his way back to the hotel room, Carl ran into Dana in the hallway.

 

“Huh? Aah, just taking a walk.”

 

“What if you run into a robber? Aren’t you scared to be out so late?” Dana naturally linked her arm with his, her fresh scent softly enveloping him.

 

At that moment, Carl felt a strange urge. He wanted to bite Dana. Her peach-like cheeks, her pointed nose—anywhere, really. It was a feeling he’d never had before, and he couldn’t identify what it was.

 

“Kyaa! That puppy is so cute, I want to bite it!”

 

Come to think of it, Allice had once said something like that.

 

“Look at that baby. I want to bite their cheeks.”

 

Dana had said that too.

 

Ah, I see. When something’s too cute, you just want to bite it. Carl guessed that’s what he was feeling. Just like wanting to bite a puppy or a baby’s cheek, he wanted to bite Dana.

 

Dana then asked a question. “Uncle, are you really not afraid of anything?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Walking around alone so late at night—I’d be scared. But Uncle doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything.”

 

How could every word she said be so cute? Carl looked down at her round forehead and smiled. Then he answered, “I wasn’t.”

 

It was in the past tense.

 

“I wasn’t, but…” He paused briefly, then continued, “I think I am now.”

 

Dana tilted her head and looked up at him. “Of what?”

 

Good question. What is he afraid of, exactly? His feelings were too raw to be put into words. It was something primal and unrefined—he couldn’t quite identify it. So instead of answering, Carl just patted her head.

 

That was the truth of his heart.

* * *

The next day, Dana realized that one of Carl’s travel bags was gone. He threw it away. She had a pretty good idea of what had been inside.

 

Carl must have been preparing to kill her. Now that it was gone, she understood. It’s the time now. Of course, he would kill her someday to obtain the treasure map. Dana had seen this truth with her own foresight, and she never doubted it.

 

Carl Windsor was not someone who would forget his goal. But it was clear that by getting rid of his travel bag, a small gap in his guard had been created. Dana had been acting especially affectionate to him for just this opportunity.

 

I have to do it now.

 

It was time to put her plan into action. The plan to cut off Carl’s finger.