I’m Trying to End This Possession Chapter 167

* * *

Their next travel destination was a region famous for its wineries. Dana enjoyed a hands-on wine-making experience at a local vineyard.

 

“It was so much fun!” And she truly meant it. Since it had been such an enjoyable time, Dana asked him with a bright smile, “What about you, Uncle? Did you have fun?”

 

“The cutest creature on earth…”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Huh? What did you say?”

 

“I asked if you had fun today, but what did you just say?”

 

It sounded like he mumbled something strange. But Carl laughed it off as if nothing had happened.

 

“Aah, I said I had a great time too.” That wasn’t true.

 

Dana gave him a suspicious glance but soon let it go. There were more important matters at hand.

 

“Uncle, did you know there’s a lake called Lake Arene in the next village over?”

 

“Yes, I know it.”

 

Lake Arene was known as the most beautiful lake in the empire.

 

“And tonight is the full moon, right?”

 

There was a superstition that if you made a wish by the lake under the full moon, it would come true. Because of this, many tourists visited the lake on such nights.

 

“Shall we go have some wine by Lake Arene tonight?”

 

In short, it wouldn’t be strange for her to suggest going there at night. Of course, they wouldn’t actually make it to the lake. Tonight is the night. The entire journey up to now had been in preparation for this very moment. Every step of the month-long itinerary, the dates they stayed—it had all been a carefully aligned mechanism leading to tonight.

 

Tonight, Carl Windsor’s finger would be cut off. Not at Lake Arene, but in the forest they must pass through to reach it. There, a carriage accident was scheduled to happen. During the delay caused by the accident, Carl would lose a finger.

 

If everything went according to plan, that’s how it would be. No, it must go exactly as planned. There would be no next time if she failed. Dana steeled herself. Everything was riding on tonight.

 

“Sure. Let’s do as you wish, Dana.” As always, Carl agreed without resistance.

 

* * *

Everything went smoothly according to plan afterward.

 

“Kyaa!”

 

The carriage wheel snapped while speeding down a deep forest path, causing the carriage to tilt sideways.

 

“Dana!”

 

Carl quickly pulled Dana into his arms. Thanks to that, even though the carriage toppled and the corner was smashed, Dana wasn’t hurt in the slightest.

 

“Oh gosh! A-Are you alright?” The coachman, who had been bribed by her beforehand, rushed over nervously and spoke the lines as scripted. “I-I’m sorry! I-It’s so late, and my night vision is poor. I took the wrong road. T-This isn’t the right way!”

 

That coachman would likely be fired upon returning. But he had been paid enough by her to support three generations without lifting a finger, so it was a good deal.

 

“Is that what you call an excuse…?”

 

Dana was startled by that. It was rare to see Carl get angry.

 

“Dana could’ve been hurt, and you’re calling it a mistake?”

 

That wasn’t in the plan. Seeing Carl’s face turn frighteningly cold, Dana quickly intervened. She couldn’t afford to waste time here.

 

“Uncle, I’m fine.”

 

When she held his hand, Carl finally relaxed. His gaze softened again.

 

Dana gently suggested, “Let’s send the coachman back to the village to bring a new carriage. That’s the priority, right?” Yes, because time was limited!

 

Carl sighed and nodded. “Okay. Let’s do that.”

 

And so, the coachman rode back to the village, promising to return quickly with a replacement. Fortunately, he exited the scene on schedule.

 

“Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

 

Of course, the coachman wouldn’t return. Carl, unaware of that fact, was solely focused on her well-being. He turned her face in all directions, inspecting her cheeks.

 

“Let me see. Hm?”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“You’re really not hurt? Nothing hurts?”

 

“I’m okay, Uncle.”

 

“Poor thing. What should I do with you?”

 

What exactly was so pitiful? She wasn’t injured at all. Carl seemed heartbroken just by the fact that Dana had tumbled roughly in the carriage.

 

What a ridiculous man. He was planning to kill her. He wanted to claim the treasure map, and for that, he would take her life. That much hadn’t changed.

 

“I’m just glad you’re okay.”

 

And yet, he kept looking at her with such loving eyes.

 

He’s being extra kind because I’m about to die, right? She wouldn’t be fooled. Dana kept repeating that to herself. She had to. Because Carl was too handsome, too kind. If she wavered even for a second, she might fall for it. She promised herself that she wouldn’t be swayed by that fake affection. Never.

 

“My throat’s dry.” Swallowing her hatred toward Carl, Dana mumbled.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Maybe because I was scared. Uncle, do you have any water?”

 

“Ah, yes. Just a second.”

 

Carl walked over to the overturned carriage. Dana waited patiently. She had already loosened the water bottle’s cap before the accident. By now, it should’ve all spilled out.

 

“Ah, the water’s all gone.”

 

Just as expected.

 

“What should we do?”

 

What should they do, indeed. Carl wasn’t the type to leave Dana, who said her throat was dry, unattended.

 

“Ah, right. We have wine.”

 

Naturally, he’d think of an alternative.

 

“Dana, would you like some wine instead?”

 

Exactly. Just like this.

 

Dana gave a faint smile. “Yes, that sounds good.”

 

The wine bottle had been securely packed in Carl’s travel bag, so there was no risk of it breaking. He retrieved it himself and brought it over.

 

“Would you like some too, Uncle?”

 

“Yes, sure.”

 

Carl, ever obedient to her words, drank the wine as well. Dana watched closely as the red liquid flowed into his mouth.

 

I thought about poisoning it, but… Both Carl and Ignis were extremely resistant to drugs. She once had to use a dosage strong enough to knock out an elephant just to make Ignis sleep briefly. The Windsor men were clearly immune to most poisons. Plus, if she added too much, Carl might smell the poison. Just because Ignis fell for it didn’t mean Carl would. Everything must flow naturally. Absolutely natural. Carl had to walk into the trap on his own.

 

Dana pretended to sip the wine, then stood up as if remembering something. “Uncle, I brought some sandwiches. Let’s eat together.”

 

“Oh, then I’ll—”

 

“No. It’s in my travel bag, so I know where they are.”

 

It was a natural excuse, so Carl, who had been about to get up, sat back down. Dana retrieved her bag from the overturned carriage.

 

“Ugh.”

 

She placed the bag near a patch of yellow daffodils and pulled out the sandwiches. They were crushed, with juices dripping from them.

 

“Oh no. These are inedible.”

 

Dana tensed up. It was coming from the bushes behind her bag. The scent of meat juice had lured the spiders in. Her skin crawled, but she held firm. She needed to get bitten. By those spiders that went crazy for this juicy scent. The venomous forest spiders she had had planted here in the thousands through her accomplices.

 

“Dana! Watch o—!”

 

“Huh? Kyaaa!”

 

A red spider bit her juice-stained finger in a flash. It hurt. As expected, it was notoriously painful.

 

“Dana!” Carl rushed over, knocked the sandwich from her hand, crushed the spider, and carried her to a safe distance. “Oh no, are you okay?!”

 

“U-Uncle.”

 

He inspected her finger—her right middle finger was bleeding slightly. Carl quickly checked the spider. It was a red one. He recognized it and sighed in relief. Thankfully, it wasn’t a deadly venomous spider. Of course, it was still dangerous enough to cause immediate paralysis, but it’s not life-threatening.

 

“I-I can’t move my body…”

 

However, Dana was scared and whimpered. Carl was certain that, without a doubt, she wouldn’t know much about the spider species.

 

“W-What to do? My body, it won’t move. If I die…”

 

“It’s okay, Dana. You’ll be fine.” Carl gently sat her on his thigh and let her rest against his chest. “The red spider is venomous, but it’s not fatal. You won’t die.” He kindly explained, “You’ll experience temporary paralysis, but the effect will wear off in four to five hours. Don’t panic, okay?”

 

I know that already. Dana kept those words to herself and dutifully cried.

 

“H-Hic, I-I’m s-scared…” She had no intention of calming down. “I-I can’t move.”

 

Any noblewoman would panic in this situation. How could one stay calm when their limbs suddenly failed them?

 

“I’m scared. What should I do…”

 

As her heavy tears fell, Carl’s face twisted with anguish. He looked utterly helpless in the face of her pain.

 

Yes. That’s it. Do something. There was no way Carl could just watch her cry.

 

Dana sobbed as pitifully as she could, like someone utterly terrified. And Carl, in desperation, lifted her hand. He brought it to his lips. He was going to suck out the venom.

 

Dana knew it, and so did Carl, that sucking out venom this way wasn’t very effective. But it wasn’t completely useless either. If even a small amount of poison could be removed, the paralysis might progress a bit more slowly. Apparently, Carl decided this was something he could do to comfort her.

 

“D-Don’t.” But she couldn’t let him do it so easily. That might raise suspicion. Pretending to realize too late what he intended, Dana paled and shook her head. “Y-You could get poisoned too, Uncle.”

 

Carl looked touched. Did he think she was worried about him even in this state?

 

“It’s okay. Poisons don’t affect me much.”

 

I know. If they did, I wouldn’t be doing something this troublesome.

 

“R-Really?”

 

“Yes. You know I’m strong. I promise I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

 

With that, Carl put her finger in his mouth, just as Dana intended. He sucked the venom from her wound. He would inevitably ingest a small amount. And then…

 

Ah. Dana bit her lip. Her finger slipped into his warm mouth. And it was surprisingly soft and moist. Carl held her finger to his lips and sucked deeply once. Dana nearly moaned from the sensation, but she clenched her lips shut.

 

“Are you okay?” After spitting out, Carl looked at her worriedly. Perhaps he mistook her frozen expression as a sign of progressing paralysis. He brought her finger to his mouth again. Her fingertip, her knuckles—every part was wrapped and pulled gently by his soft tongue.

 

Dana almost pulled back reflexively. The sensation was so strangely intimate that it sent a chill down her spine.