Killing the Possessor - Chapter 67

“What does it have to do with you, huh, Miss? Are you doing this because I touched your sister?”

“Why wouldn’t it matter? How disgusting it was to hear! If you can’t fix your brain, at least keep your mouth shut!”

The reason I was angry wasn’t just because of what happened with Dahlia. Of course, I was a little surprised, but whether it was due to carelessness or a solid belief in Ren, I had an odd certainty that everything would work out just fine.

But what really stuck with me was Dame Josephine’s calm reaction, even in the face of such cruel words. That’s what kept running through my mind. It boiled me up inside. For someone to respond so nonchalantly to such insults, it was a clear sign that she’d endured a lot in the past.

“Sigh, if you’re going to act like that, just quit. You’ll still take your maternity leave, right? There’s a reason why they don’t hire women.”

And I knew a few more people who threw out those kinds of ridiculous rants. A cruel feast no one enjoyed. In the end, they pushed a diligent and clever woman to the edge.

“Hah, seriously. Take care of your younger sibling! It’s bad luck, honestly.”

Perhaps it was because of my title as the Count’s daughter, or maybe it was because of Dante’s noble demeanor standing so straight, but Charlin seemed to deflate. The tension that made it seem like he was about to raise his fist, completely dissipated. He walked away.

As I watched the man’s retreating figure, I looked down and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Yeah, this was all hypocrisy.

After all, these past events wouldn’t just disappear. Back then, I was hiding, crouching, busy sealing my mouth shut.

“Cowardly bastard.”

A perfect example of the strong bullying the weak. He had poured out everything on a colleague he thought was weaker, but couldn’t say a word when his superior scolded him.

But what I said wasn’t just aimed at him.

“The heroes who defend the empire from evil spirit should, of course, be remembered.”

The Empress, who calls her own people evil spirits to erase the weakness of being from another world. The child who stood by while watching her fellow Asians be denigrated just to belong to a white group.

And me, who only finds the courage to step forward when holding power that exceeds others.

Perhaps, I had no right to criticize Sir Charlin.

We were all, in the end, equally cowardly. It was hard to distinguish any superiority.

Chapter 4 End. The Secret of the Duke’s Family.

The man walked slowly down the dark corridor. The creaking of the floorboards cut through the silence, and with every step, the candlelight pushed the darkness back little by little.

Clink. With every step, the keys in his pocket clinked against the keyring, announcing their presence. The walls, with their deep tones, were devoid of the usual trinkets—no framed pictures, no candlesticks, not even a flower.

There was only a lone wardrobe, its purpose unclear, standing in the barren space devoid of decoration.

The man stopped in front of the wardrobe and pulled on the long metal handle. Inside the wardrobe, large enough to fit three adults, there was a secret door hidden discreetly.

He took a key from his pocket and stepped into the furniture, inserting it into the tightly locked lock. With an unpleasant metal sound, the door finally opened.

Despite the unusual entrance, the room inside was fairly normal, except for the fact that it was dark, resembling the night outside the window. The faint moonlight was just enough to barely make out the surroundings.

The man placed the candle on the side table and approached the bed where one side of the blanket was raised. Without hesitation, he moved closer to the person lying motionless as if unaware of his presence, and spoke.

“Jeong Soo-min.”

There was no response.

The woman, who had the blanket pulled up to her nose, remained still. The man, however, seemed to expect this, and with a smile, he sat on the edge of the bed.

“I met that kid again.”

Her hair, lit by the moonlight, glowed softly. The flicker of the lighter briefly erased the shadows on her face.