I’m Trying to End This Possession Chapter 210

* * *

After pouring Allice her final cup of tea, Sandra quietly returned to her own chambers. Then she summoned that man, Allice’s biological father.

 

“If you ever need to call me, just tear this piece of paper.”

 

It was a plain, white paper he’d given Sandra long ago. When she ripped the plain paper, a strange light tore from the torn edges, curling through the air like smoke.

 

Would he really come with just this? Sandra waited anxiously.

 

Tap, tap, tap. Just then, something tapped at the window. It was a crow. Sandra knew exactly what it was. One of the chimeras made by the anti-church leader faction of the Daiana Church. A messenger crow. When she opened the window, the crow flew inside.

 

[Sandra, I never thought you’d call on me again—]

 

“I just have one question. Is Danaena Rolland actually Danae Windsor?”

 

Truthfully, Sandra was already quite sure. After all, she felt some strange sense of fate from Danaena. An ominous premonition that this person would destroy her life. And it was the very same feeling she’d gotten from Danae Windsor. Surely there couldn’t be two people in this world who made her feel such dread!

 

[Yes. They’re the same person.]

 

Just as she expected. Sandra clenched her fist tight, her mind sharpening to a knife’s edge. She had to be careful. Danae Windsor had already ruined her life once before. She wouldn’t be fooled a second time.

 

“In that case, you must know what I’m going to say. Kidnap Danaena. I’d like you to make sure she never appears in front of me again.”

 

[That’s impossible.]

 

The crow shook its head firmly.

 

[As long as Carl is with her, it’s impossible.]

 

Rage surged up inside Sandra. No matter how talented Carl had once been as a soldier, he was ultimately nothing more than a washed-up retiree who quit under the excuse of some vague aftereffects. What was there to be afraid of?!

 

Though annoyed, Sandra calmly offered a compromise. “Fine. In that case, I’ll take care of luring.”

 

[How?]

 

“There’s a temple I visit regularly. It’s a forbidden zone for me, so no males can enter at all.”

 

Though it was called a temple, in reality, it was a women-only secret club. A place where the continent’s most powerful women exchanged hidden interests and confidential information.

 

Apparently convinced, the crow’s eyes sparkled. [Alright. If you lure her there, we’ll take care of the kidnapping.]

 

“Wait. I have one more request before that.”

 

[What is it?]

 

“Sell Danaena to the Red Ship.”

 

The crow’s eyes shifted strangely.

 

Sandra deliberately smiled wickedly. “I said, sell Danaena to the Red Ship.”

 

The Red Ship. It was a sl*ve ship belonging to the barbarians, people who worshipped demons.

 

“You’re connected with the barbarians, aren’t you? So selling Danaena to the Red Ship shouldn’t be impossible.”

 

[That’s true.]

 

“I absolutely need to see Danaena become a sl*ve on the Red Ship. There are rumors that even royalty from other kingdoms have been taken as sl*ves there.”

 

It was probably a rumor, but the Red Ship had such a notorious reputation that there were stories of even royalty never being rescued from it.

 

Sandra knew the Red Ship well. There was a time when Rumie had desperately wanted to chase that ship. But it seemed that mission was always assigned to other admirals.

 

[That’s not possible. Dana is a very precious experimental subject. I can’t hand her over to a filthy place like a red-light district.]

 

“Just a week, no, even three days is fine. Show her hell. After that, you can reclaim her as an experiment if you want.”

 

[Do you really have to go that far? Why not show a little mercy?]

 

“Don’t take me lightly. That girl already ruined my life once. You want me to show mercy to an enemy? Can you still call yourself a soldier after saying that?”

 

[…]

 

Was he at a loss for words? After a brief silence, the crow parted its beak and let out a laugh.

 

[You’re right. I’ll do as you say.]

 

With that, the conversation ended.

 

[Oh, Sandra. It’s fortunate that Rumie lost his memory, isn’t it?] With those last words, the crow flapped its wings hard and soared away. Flap, it quickly disappeared into the dark sky.

 

Sandra watched the bird fly away. And at that moment, she was not the only one watching that bird.

 

“Hmm.”

 

It was in a room far away from Sandra’s bedroom. A man gazed up at the sky through a half-open window.

 

“What a wicked crow.” Carl Windsor smiled.

 

* * *

At that very time, Rumie was heading to his bedroom. Until just a moment ago, he had been standing in front of his adoptive father’s bedroom, but at some point, he’d decided there was no need to listen anymore. He hadn’t heard the entire conversation. But one repeatedly used title had clearly reached his ears.

 

So they really aren’t biological father and daughter, after all. Still, it didn’t seem like a relationship that would warrant calling him an uncle either. Why did she use that term? Could it be some kind of fetish? He’d heard there were perverts who get sexually excited by certain titles. If it’s Danaena, she might well be into that sort of thing…

 

Anyone with a normal sense of sexuality wouldn’t fool around with Noah and then plan to marry Viego. And as if that weren’t enough, she even reached out to Carl Windsor.

 

Rumie sighed. He just felt pity for his little sister, who was chasing after so many men. It must be because she was raised in the sanctuary. That must be why she’d become so steeped in lust, unable to be satisfied with just one man. Or perhaps she had inherited too much of Sandra’s blood.

 

“Rumie, you’re back.” His wife greeted him as he arrived at the bedroom.

 

“Did you not sleep?”

 

“No. I was worried about you, so I waited up.”

 

“You should sleep first. I couldn’t fall asleep, so I was going to get some night air.” As he turned toward the terrace, Ingria grabbed his arm.

 

“Rumie. Is the reason you can’t sleep because of me?” She looked as though she’d made a serious decision. “Is it difficult to fall asleep next to me?”

 

“What?”

 

“I’ve heard that for men who suppress their sexual desire for a long time… suffer greatly. Especially in a marriage like ours.”

 

At that, Rumie let out a small laugh. “Where did you hear such things?”

 

Ingria blushed. “F-From Mother-in-law. While you were at the sanctuary, she took me to various gatherings.”

 

“Ah, from Mother.”

 

“It’s because of me, right? Because I said we should only consummate our marriage when we’re ready for an heir…”

 

What she said was true. They hadn’t consummated their marriage yet. It was Ingria who had avoided it. To be precise, she had said she wanted their first time to be when it was time to produce an heir.

 

Because of that superstition.

 

In Kingdom Lucile, it was believed that if a married couple’s first union involved no contraception, they would produce an excellent heir. The people of Lucile believed it wholeheartedly. Princess Ingria of Lucile was no exception. So before the wedding, she’d proposed it to Rumie, and he’d willingly accepted. It wasn’t difficult. For a man who had lived his entire life as a soldier, abstinence was routine.

 

“Rumie, I thought a lot while you were in the sanctuary. At the gatherings Mother-in-law took me to. I-If we just use contraception properly—”

 

“Ingria.” Rumie gently cut her off. “Do you want a child?”

 

“If you’re alright with it, I’d like to have one in two or three years. But I don’t want you to suffer because of Lucile’s superstition…”

 

“Though it’s just a superstition to us, you believe it sincerely, don’t you?”

 

“Still…”

 

“Don’t push yourself. I really am fine.” After comforting his wife, he tried to head to the terrace again.

 

“Um, Rumie. Just one more thing.” She grabbed him tightly again, her grip oddly persistent. “Did you ask the church leader if I can enter the sanctuary?”

 

Come to think of it, she’d asked him to do so when he went to the sanctuary. Ingria wanted to visit the sanctuary as well.

 

“I spoke to him about it. I think I’ll have good news for you soon.”

 

“Oh my. Thank you so much, Rumie.”

 

Smiling sweetly at his grateful wife, Rumie finally managed to go out onto the terrace. After closing the terrace door, he picked up a bottle of whiskey from the nightstand. He drank straight from the bottle until he was out of breath, then set it down. Then he fumbled in his pocket for his cigarette case. He took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it…

 

As Rumie smoked, he thought quietly. Or rather, he tried not to think. He didn’t want to think. But despite his iron self-control, a certain sound kept echoing in his mind. That moan, endlessly ringing in his head. That lascivious, seductive sound. The kind that provoked dangerous thoughts…

 

How vulgar.

 

Dana. Danaena. The pitifully vulgar Danaena Rolland. Murmuring her name inwardly, Rumie calmly ignored the arousal in his lower body. He was determined to ignore it, even if it killed him. This was never his desire. Just a merely wretched misfortune and disaster, a stroke of bad luck.

 

Yes, I’m just simply unlucky.

 

His first misfortune was to accidentally overhear his little sister’s promiscuous sex life. And not just once, but twice. The second was that, having abstained for so long, his sexual frustration had built up. And the third one was the fact that Danaena’s moans at the moment of climax were so violently stimulating. Any other man probably would have given in and masturbated.

 

“Disgusting.” Rumie muttered, then quietly closed his eyes and prayed. God, please keep me from being swept up in any more misfortune.

 

Rumie had only ever prayed before boarding a battleship. Prayers for a shining victory and the safety of his comrades. He never imagined he’d be praying again after taking off his uniform…

 

At that moment, Rumie suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. It was as if he’d prayed a similar prayer before. Even though, in reality, he never had.