Killing the Possessor - Chapter 25
“What, at least she avoided prison because she’s a reincarnator. She still doesn’t get it, though, and occasionally bothers us.”
“That person is also a reincarnator?”
What made Bali Aidepen special wasn’t just her high rank or her position as the leader of Hongik Ingan. She was one of the rare few reincarnators in a world full of possessed individuals.
In other words, she wasn’t a Korean person possessing a noblewoman’s body—she was actually reborn as the noblewoman herself.
Because of this, even though she had been dragged to the Public Security Bureau countless times, she always managed to escape unscathed, carrying herself with the pride of a well-educated citizen of Harent.
I had thought that Bali Aidepen was the only reincarnator in the story, but it turned out there was one more—another reader.
I couldn’t help but think that if I had been reincarnated, life would have been much easier. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have been so afraid of the interrogations for possessing someone else’s body.
“Yeah. Unfortunately, because of that, only innocent possessors are at risk. Bali went through a lot of hardship after that too. Anyway, Bali was harsh on you because of that. I’m sure she wanted to recruit you right away, but she probably wanted to confirm a few things first. Whether you’re really a reader, or if you’re a well-trained spy, and if not, whether you’re useful as a person, and so on.”
“So the reason she made such a ridiculous demand for me to come to Loitri so late at night was…”
“Exactly. She purposely made it a little more dangerous. I’ll admit, it was unreasonable.”
“…Are you admitting that you pushed me into a dangerous situation?”
I had a bad feeling about this, but to hear it was intentional was a shock. After everything, the only person I had trusted was Hongik Ingan, and now this felt like a thunderbolt.
But Hawk just shrugged as if it didn’t matter, offering an explanation without much concern.
“The evil spirit… that was unexpected.”
“It’s not just the evil spirit! You even got me interrogated by the Public Security Bureau!”
“Well, thanks to that, you gained Bali’s trust quickly, didn’t I?”
At this point, the person defending himself was making it even worse. It felt as though he didn’t care at all.
A sense of betrayal made my head throb. Not only did he fail to save my people, but he had also set up a death flag for me? And there was no apology? Were they all insane? I almost died at the hands of that evil spirit that day!
“You told me to join Hongik Ingan, and now this? How am I supposed to trust you guys after this—?”
At that moment, Hawk suddenly held out a small pouch to me. The silk pouch that appeared out of nowhere caught my attention, and my words were cut short as my eyes were drawn to it.
“What’s this?”
“It’s something Bali asked me to give you. Open it.”
I slowly opened the pouch with a puzzled expression. The item inside was larger than I expected and felt quite heavy.
And inside was…
“Wow!”
The dazzling gold coins almost blinded me. The sunlight reflected off them, causing them to gleam beautifully, and I couldn’t help but feel entranced by their brilliance.
Hold on, considering the cost of living here, how much is this really worth…?
“I heard you broke up with the prince, so your funds were cut off. And with your stepmother holding all the power at home, there isn’t much extra money left.”
“…Really? No wonder, when I said I was going to buy clothes, she threw a fit and accused me of being wasteful.”
I didn’t know how much Camilli’s personal wealth amounted to, but if Glinda was in charge of the finances, it was clear that things were going to get tough. Glinda, who had always been scheming to sell me off to another family at the earliest opportunity, had little interest in any inheritance I might receive.
“It’s a token of goodwill. You can think of it as an apology.”
“…Okay.”
Someone once said, ‘It’s too much money to refuse.’
“Let’s work well together from now on.”
Finally, I completely understood why Hawk had followed me into the carriage. I smiled brightly.
If he continued to support me so actively, the bad feelings I’d just accumulated would easily be erased.
* * *
When I got home, I found a face I didn’t want to see waiting for me.
From the front door, I saw Dahlia standing with her arms crossed, tapping her foot as she stared at me. She followed me up the stairs, forcing me to stop in my tracks.
“What’s up?”
“Are you going to the palace ball?”
The debut ball at the palace was coming up soon.
