* * *
“Here.”
Rumie tapped his temple.
“This is the vital point.”
“…”
“Just hit here, Dana.”
“…”
“I won’t die, but I’ll faint for you instead.”
Not ‘I’ll faint,’ but ‘I’ll faint for you?’
Dana was utterly baffled. To tell someone to hit his vital point so kindly, he must be out of his mind.
At that moment she thought like that, Dana felt her palm throbbing. It was completely swollen from slapping his cheek with all her might.
“…”
Was it because of the pain? Slowly, very slowly, her rationality started to return. And she fully realized why Rumie had made such a provocation. And that it had worked. But she was still furious.
“Get off me.” Her words came out harshly because of that.
Rumie obediently moved aside. Not only that, but he also picked up her clothes from the floor and handed them to her.
Dana silently dressed herself.
Ah, it hurts. It wasn’t just her palm that was hurting. Her throat, where Rumie had choked her, ached dully. He must have really squeezed it without mercy.
“How did you know it wasn’t me?”
“It would have been harder not to know.” Rumie chuckled as he buttoned his shirt. “Dana, you stand out too much.”
“…”
What did that mean? She was curious about how he had figured it out, but she couldn’t ask any further. Dana had to bite the inside of her cheek.
Damn it.
The control over her body returned to her. And all the sensations in her body were coming back to life. The pain in her palm, the heat left on her thigh from Rumie’s grip, and… The boiling desire within her stomach.
The lust Jane had suffered from remained intact within this body. Probably because she had been present from the beginning until the end of the special ceremony.
Her breath hastened. But Dana held back. Even if it meant death, she was determined to endure. Surely, Rumie, who had attended the ceremony, must have been in a similar state, but he was skillfully controlling it.
Perhaps noticing her state, Rumie smiled faintly. “Are you okay, Dana?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
She tried to sound strong, but he seemed to see right through her and shook his head.
“Don’t compare yourself to me. You and I are different.”
“What?”
“I often find myself engulfed in such desires. I’m used to enduring and restraining.”
“…”
“But you’re not, are you?”
Impressive. So what, he’s built up some kind of resistance to it?
-Actually, I think your self-discipline is really impressive, Lord Rumie.
“So, what exactly happened? Can you explain?”
“Jane.”
…What was she just thinking?
Dana quickly answered, pressing her forehead. “It’s Jane, that woman stole my body. Gnawing at my nails…” She felt chills anew.
Right, what on earth did that woman do? How could she steal someone’s body? And why would she even do—
-I just wanted to fulfill my mission.
A chill ran down her spine. What was that? That voice just now, what was it?
“Jane stole your body?”
“Yes.”
“You nearly got into big trouble. I thought you were just under some simple suggestion or hypnosis.” Rumie’s face grew serious.
But Dana could no longer respond. The sentences echoing in her head were confusing. What was this…
“Dana, you’ve been affected by a very dangerous spell. It’s an ancient forbidden magic… Wait. That means a sorcerer with that kind of power is currently on this island.” Rumie muttered to himself before suddenly standing up.
“Dana, stay here and rest for a while. I’ll go and check.” He gently stroked her head. “Don’t go anywhere. Okay?”
“…”
Dana looked up at Rumie with a weary face. And she marveled without realizing it. Indeed.
Rumie Windsor was handsome. With delicate and beautiful features that were as if molded from porcelain, he looked more like a poet than a soldier. Perhaps that’s why—his taut chest visible through the open shirt, his firm arms—everything stood in stark contrast, making it all even more alluring.
“Dana?”
Thump, thump. Her heart raced. It had always been so. From the first moment she met this man to now.
Indeed, this man was too radiant. But she would never reach him. After all, the plan had failed. So, just once. Before she completely disappeared from this body.
“I-I love you.”
She wanted to say it. Her lips moved on their own.
“Ever since you saved me from the barbarians’ ship, I-I’ve always loved you, Lord Rumie.”
And at that moment, Dana gasped. Panicked, her mind went blank. She covered her mouth with her hand.
What just happened? What did she just say?
No, that wasn’t me speaking. That emotion, that thought, those words, they were all someone else’s. So… Jane? Is Jane still inside me?
Chills ran down her spine. Was she not expelled from this body? Is it not over yet? The spell that had ensnared her.
I’m still under its control!
The moment she realized that, ding. The church bell rang.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
It was the bell sound that announced midnight, spreading far and wide.
Ding.
Ding.
The bell sound resonated in her ears, her head, her heart…
[This way]
A voice trembled through her soul.
[Come here]
Suddenly, a blurry image appeared before her eyes.
It was a black tower. The old building exists next to the church. The one forbidden to anyone but the priests and priestesses.
[Hurry]
And the voice inside her head. Was it Jane again?
[Come here]
No, this time it wasn’t Jane. It was a voice more powerful and immense than hers, a voice issuing a more fundamental command. Who could it be? Who was calling her like that?
[Come here,]
[Come meet me]
“Dana?”
Startled, Dana turned around.
“Where are you going?”
Suddenly, she had risen from her seat and was walking straight towards the door.
Dana tilted her head. What was she doing? Well.
[Come here.]
The black tower. She must go there. Someone has been waiting for her there. The one who had been waiting for her for a very long time was there.
“Move.” She answered as if entranced.
She had to go. She must go. If not now, she must hurry…
“Dana.”
“Let go.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“Let go!”
The next moment, Dana hit Rumie’s head with the angel statue. With all her strength, at the temple he had indicated.
Thud! Rumie’s head snapped to the side. But that was all.
“No, Dana.”
Drip. Blood trickled down. Yet Rumie still blocked her path with a smiling face.
“I told you. You’ve been caught in a very dangerous spell.”
There wasn’t even a flicker in his eyes. He said he’d pretend to faint, but of course, it was a life.
Rumie sighed as if pitying her. “Poor Dana. Most people go mad or become imbeciles when they wake up from that spell.”
“Let go.”
“Don’t worry. Even if you become an idiot, I’ll take good care of you.”
As he grabbed her elbow, Dana nearly lunged at him, driven by intense lust. But then,
“You’re more dangerous to me.”
A more potent message seized her.
[Hurry.]
She had to go there.
“Disgusting.”
“What?”
“I said you’re disgusting, Brother Rumie. Pretending to be a kind cousin to me all this time, but what were you imagining behind my back?”
Dana sneered fiercely as she glared at the bloodied Rumie.
“Tell me the truth. You wished I became an idiot, didn’t you?”
She spat out those words venomously towards that handsome face.
“All the things you said earlier were sincere, weren’t they? You want to do it with me? Want to impregnate me? Want a child from your cousin? If I became an idiot, you could do whatever you want, right? Can you swear to god that you never had such thoughts?”
Her words poured out like sharp blades. Were these truly Dana’s words? Were these thoughts really hers? It was hard to tell. The only thing that mattered was pushing this person away.
“You can’t swear, can you?”
“…”
“See. Filthy and disgusting. Makes me want to vomit.”
At that moment, Rumie’s grip loosened. Realizing this, Dana immediately turned and darted out of the room. Fortunately, Rumie did not hold her back any longer.
Drip, drip. Blood drops fell from the angel statue in her hand, leaving a red trail as Dana exhaled a weary breath. And then…
[Come here.]
She headed. To that place. Staggering out of the church and into the tower…
[Hurry up here.]
She ascended upwards to the top of the tower.
The views outside the windows grew lower and lower. If she had her usual fear of heights, she would never have climbed so easily.
“You’re here.”
Dana calmly made it to the top of the tower.
“Come on.”
And the woman was waiting there.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
The woman with red hair. The very same woman who had Ignis’s eyes and Danae’s face.
“Sister Danae.”
She spread her arms wide to welcome Dana.
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