I’m Trying to End This Possession Chapter 203

* * *

It was aboard the ship bound for the empire. Rumie Rolland leaned against the bow, gazing out at the endless ocean. Finally, leaving that wretched sanctuary.

 

Rumie had successfully completed the task given by his grandfather, Duke Anton Rolland. To go to the sanctuary, find his younger sister, Danaena Rolland, and bring her back.

 

It was quite troubling when she said she wanted to become a priestess of Daiana Church. Fortunately, she had given up on becoming a priestess and decided to return to the empire with him. Yet Rumie’s mind was not at ease. Because…

 

“Brother.”

 

Rumie straightened up and turned around.

 

“So here you were.”

 

“Danaena.” He greeted his sister with a smile.

 

“I’ve been looking all over for you.” Danaena approached, brushing back her hair as it fluttered in the sea breeze. “When we arrive in the Empire, we’ll finally get to meet our family, won’t we?”

 

“Are you looking forward to it?”

 

“Yes. I heard my mother was married to Lord Carl?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“Isn’t it strange? Lord Carl was my guardian for the past year… Do you think he knew?”

 

Who knows. Rumie couldn’t guess what went on in Carl’s mind. But one thing was certain, that Carl Windsor had taken good care of Danaena for the past year.

 

At the Grand Cathedral, Carl had been accused of kidnapping Dana, but Rumie didn’t see it that way. I heard her adoptive father cared for Danaena like a princess.

 

Carl had simply protected her, keeping her from being tainted by the disgusting, filthy ideologies of the Daiana Church. But, well, it didn’t seem he’d protected her perfectly…

 

“Dana, you’re going to marry Viego Windsor when we return to the empire, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Are you alright with that? You were initially Noah’s fiancée, weren’t you?”

 

“Yes.” Danaena smiled brightly. “It’s just a political marriage, anyway.”

 

“…”

 

But Dana, I heard it, you know. The sound of your meeting secretly with Noah.

 

A few nights ago, Rumie had gone to Dana’s room and frozen in place. He’d heard faint voices inside. It was a male’s voice he recognized. Noah Windsor, his cousin…

 

As he listened, Rumie calmly drew his pistol and thought rationally. Was this something Danaena agreed to? If Noah were forcing her, he would go in right now and shoot him in the head. He had both the right and the duty as her brother.

 

But soon, Rumie realized that wasn’t necessary. It wasn’t forced—far from it. If anything, Dana was…

 

“Brother, why are you looking at me like that?”

 

Rumie gazed quietly at Danaena.

 

To top it off, the very next day, Dana announced she would marry Viego, Noah’s brother. After spending such intimate time with Noah, she acted as if nothing had happened. It was remarkable. She looked so innocent, yet acted like a temptress…

 

“No. It’s nothing.” Rumie patted her head. “If anything’s difficult, tell me. My wife and I will help with anything.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

It didn’t matter to him. Whether Danaena was promiscuous or not. Whether she enjoyed illicit relations among kin or not. Rumie wasn’t particularly bothered. If his wife had been like Danaena, it might have been troublesome, but she was just his sister.

 

“Brother, um…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Do you remember anything about Danae Windsor?”

 

“Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

 

“I heard you had some memory problems, so I was worried. I heard you two were close?”

 

“You don’t have to worry.” Rumie laughed lightly. “If we’d really been close, I wouldn’t have forgotten her like this. I’m not concerned.”

 

At those words, Danaena lowered her head, then answered softly after a while. “…I see.”

 

* * *

Dana collapsed onto the sofa as soon as she returned to her cabin. She’d tried to confirm it one last time, and just as she expected. As I thought, Rumie still remembered nothing. He still couldn’t remember anything about ‘Danae Windsor’. Nothing at all. Moreover, he didn’t even seem to regret that loss.

 

“If we’d really been close, I wouldn’t have forgotten her like this.”

 

No. Dana had to suppress the urge to argue with that. If you remembered, you’d never say something like that.

 

They were close. He had loved her. He once broke military law over a single letter from her that just said, ‘I miss you.’ He even abandoned his life’s honor as a soldier, his brilliant future, threw it all away, just for her. And that’s not all. Before that, they were even closer. Before before that, they were….

 

“Ah, damn it.” Dana rarely swore, but now she covered her face with her hands. I shouldn’t have dredged up those memories.

 

Before leaving the sanctuary, Dana had tried to gather as much information as possible about Yeon Dana’s body and her repeated lives. She’d been very busy.

 

The Holy Mother Chapel, known as the Daiana Church’s laboratory, was completely empty. It was to the point as if they had anticipated Dana’s arrival and hurriedly moved their research elsewhere. But they left this behind.

 

They’d left many research records behind. Whether by accident or on purpose, she didn’t know, but she obtained their experiment logs.

 

Dana had gotten the key from Noah, so she was able to sneak in. There, she tried to recall earlier memories. Memories from ‘before.’ To be exact, from her previous lives.

 

I wanted clues about my repeated lives. Anything—I just wanted to know. But even with her insight, that realm was so hazy. She couldn’t see it clearly. Perhaps because it wasn’t this timeline but another. Then she saw it.

 

Her first life, as far as she could tell. In that first life, Dana was lovers with Raios. But upon learning they were siblings, she broke up with him. Afterward, she fell in love with Rumie and promised to marry him… I already know that much.

 

For a while, those memories made things hard. Her memories of loving Rumie were so vivid, but he’d forgotten everything. She barely managed to calm herself.

 

But then, of all things, her insight showed her those moments in detail. How her marriage to Rumie was destroyed. What had happened the night before their wedding.

 

It was the night before her wedding to Rumie. Overwhelmed with excitement, she spent the night with him for the first time.

 

“I’ll make you happy.”

 

That night, as he held her close, he’d sworn that to her.

 

That late night, everything was engulfed in red flames. The mansion had caught fire. It was hell itself.

 

“Dana, are you okay?”

 

But Dana was unharmed. She alone was safe. Because Rumie had shielded and protected her from every ember.

 

“I’m alright, but Brother…”

 

Rumie then pinched her nose gently.

 

“Why call me brother? You promised to call me by name now, Dana.”

 

She sobbed.

 

Despite mischievously smiling, Rumie’s body was burned to the point of melting in places. Some areas exposed his bone. It must have been excruciating, yet he never uttered a groan. Instead, he smiled to reassure her.

 

“I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

 

“That’s not something to be glad about!”

 

Dana burst into tears. It wasn’t just because his body was burned, but because his body was riddled with bullets too.

 

“Those monsters, those monsters did this to you, Rumie!”

 

The arsonists who set the fire. They were monsters. Though they looked like humans, they weren’t actually human. They came through the flames without a sound, and even when their arms or legs were severed, they didn’t fall.

 

Dozens of those monsters tried to kidnap Dana. Rumie fought to protect her in the burning mansion. And this was the result. Burned, melting flesh, bullets embedded in his body, and a long iron rod piercing his stomach.

 

“I’ll be fine, so get out, Dana. If you stay, the mansion will collapse.”

 

Rumie had spent too long dealing with them. Parts of the mansion had collapsed, blocking the escape routes and leaving them trapped. But fortunately, they found one last way out.

 

“Go, Dana. Okay?”

 

It was a small ventilation duct. Through there, one could escape the mansion. But only Dana could fit. The vent was too narrow for a large man like Rumie.

 

“No. I’m not leaving alone.”

 

“I will find another exit and follow you soon. Just go first…”

 

“I said no!”

 

“Danae Windsor. Listen to me.”

 

Rumie grabbed Dana’s shoulders.

 

“This mansion will collapse any minute.”

 

He looked her straight in the eyes and continued.

 

“You know I don’t die easily. But you’re not like me. If you get hurt…”

 

“…”

 

“If anything happens to you, I’ll die too.”

 

In the end, Dana nodded through tears. Rumie smiled and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

 

“I’ll be at the wedding tomorrow. I won’t be late.”

 

Dana choked back tears and whispered,

 

“If you’re late, I won’t forgive you. You have to come. Promise me.”

 

“I promise.”

 

But they couldn’t keep that promise. That was their last moment together. The moment Dana escaped the mansion, it collapsed with a deafening roar.

 

“No!”

 

Dana screamed and ran.

 

“No, no!”

 

Rumie was down there. Buried under the rubble of the fallen mansion, in that hellish inferno…

 

“Lady Danae Windsor!”

 

“You can’t!”

 

“Get yourself together!”

 

“Escort the lady to the carriage!”

 

Rescuers, servants from the Windsor family, grabbed her. They all but shoved her into the carriage.

 

“To the Windsor mansion, quickly!”

 

As the carriage sped away, Dana covered her face with both hands and burst into tears.

 

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

 

Nothing. She didn’t have a scratch. Not even a minor burn. Because Rumie had protected her perfectly.