I'm Trying to End This Possession

Raios then gently smiled and nodded. Allice immediately ran happily towards us. And then,

 

“Kyaa!”

 

Raios pulled her arm, making her sit on his knee.

 

“Yo-Your Highness! People are watching.”

 

“It’s okay.” He gently kissed Allice’s forehead. “Stay here.”

 

“B-But, it’s embarrassing.”

 

“It doesn’t matter.”

 

“…”

 

I ignored the affectionate scene happening right beside me. It wasn’t worth my attention. Don’t pay attention to it.

 

Right. A man’s love isn’t needed to gain my brother’s trust.

 

Gaining the trust of Viego Windsor, becoming the deputy head of the Windsor family, obtaining the holy relic, and returning to my world. Nothing else was needed besides that.

 

Right. I’m here to play the role of the hostess.  With that thought, I could smile leisurely.

 

I told the servant, “Let’s start. Please call the beneficiaries one by one.”

 

The Night of Sponsorship wasn’t an ordinary banquet. It was a banquet where the imperial family gathered orphans under their patronage to encourage them, and every year, the empress would send out invitations to the beneficiaries. The empress would personally give them a gold mother bird sculpture, symbolizing the nation’s mother taking care of her citizens.

 

But now, there’s no empress to play the role of mother bird.

 

The current emperor is unmarried. Normally, the empress dowager would take over that role, but she was currently touring the continent with the former emperor – Raios’s biological father. That meant there was no imperial woman to lead the banquet for the role of ‘mother bird. That’s why the role was taken by me, the fiancée of the crown prince.

 

“Saintess, thank you!”

 

“I’m not a saintess. Please don’t call me that.”

 

“Yes, Saintess!”

 

“I told you I’m not a saintess.”

 

“Ah, I apologize!”

 

Correcting each title was tiring.

 

“Saintess!”

 

“Saintess, Saintess!”

 

There were too many of them.

 

Ah, I’m running out of energy.

 

Meanwhile, Raios seemed to be enjoying himself.

 

“Kya, Your Highness. You got it on your mouth.”

 

“Then you should have eaten it properly.”

 

Still with Allice on his lap, feeding her cake and chatting. The duty of attending to the beneficiaries was entirely handed to me.

 

But why does she keep stealing glances at me? Allice kept glancing at me, especially every time someone called me a ‘Saintess.’

 

“Umm…”

 

As time passed, finally, the last beneficiary arrived. I, hiding my tiredness, waited for the greeting.

 

“It’s an honor to meet you, Milady.”

 

“What is your name?”

 

“M-M-My name is Bazellan Caravaggio.”

 

“Is that so, Caravaggio. You don’t need to be so nervous… Wait.” I frowned.

 

His name was Bazellan Caravaggio. And if he’s an orphan under imperial patronage, could it be…

 

“…Are you the sculptor Bazellan Caravaggio?”

 

The man looked at me with clear, spring-like eyes. “Do you know me?”

 

“Of course!” I unknowingly responded cheerfully, then quickly lowered my voice. “I didn’t know you’d be attending today. It’s really nice to meet you.”

 

Bazellan Caravaggio. He was a very famous sculptor who gained fame for his genius skills despite not having formal training.

 

Of course, I knew he was under imperial patronage, but… I thought he never attended because he never attended every year.  Was that a mistake?

 

“It’s an honor that you know my name.” Blushing, Bazellan smiled shyly.

 

“It’s not just that. I really love your sculptures.” I handed him the mother bird sculpture, playfully whispering, more excited than usual. “Especially <The Girl of the Sea>.”

 

“Re-Really?”

 

“If you don’t believe me, visit the Windsor estate. I bought that sculpture two years ago.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I have it displayed in the lobby. Didn’t you know?”

 

“No, I didn’t. I heard a noble lady bought it, but…” Embarrassed, Bazellan’s ears turned red. “I’ll come if you invite me. It’s an honor. Thank you.”

 

“Thank you. I ask you to keep creating wonderful works. I truly love Caravaggio’s works-”

 

That moment, cling! The sound of a glass breaking was heard.

 

“My apologies.”

 

Startled, I turned to see Raios calmly pulling out a handkerchief.

 

“Your Highness? Are you okay?”

 

“I’m fine, don’t worry, Allice.”

 

The servants came to clean up the broken glass shards.

 

I clicked my tongue. How clumsy of him to drop a glass. It was an unusual mistake for Raios. Probably because he was drinking with a woman on his lap.

 

“Well then, Caravaggio. Let’s meet again. I’ll send an invitation soon.”

 

“Yes, yes. Thank you.” Bazellan’s face turned even redder.

 

Finally, Bazellan left, and my long role as the mother bird was over. Ah, it’s finally over… Just as I took a breath,

 

“Caravaggio this, Caravaggio that. If someone saw it, they’d think you were flirting.”

 

“…”

 

I doubted my hearing. What did I just hear? Slowly turning my head, I saw Raios glaring at me with contempt.

 

“Becoming the crown prince’s fiancée and now talking in such a nasal voice. You’ve made me quite the fool.”

 

“When did I ever talk in a nasal voice?”

 

“Why? You’ve been doing it all along.” Raios cruelly smirked, taunting me. “To others, it looks like you’re desperately trying to be charming to men.”

 

“Your Highness, I’ve never done that. You must have heard it wrong.”

 

“Heard it wrong?”

 

I flinched involuntarily. It was because he suddenly raised his voice.

 

Everyone’s gaze shifted to us. The orchestra’s music seemed to stop for a moment. Even Allice, on his lap, also shrank back in fear.

 

Raios, realizing this, took a deep breath and spoke more calmly. “You seem to have forgotten your dignity, Danae Windsor.”

 

But the words he said became more brutal.

 

“To others, you look like a woman selling laughter.”

TL/N: It’s an implicit way to say a prost*tute.

 

“…”

 

My fingertips trembled, and my lips paled.

 

“What exactly are you comparing me to?”

 

“A woman selling laughter,” Raios repeated precisely, glaring at me as if wanting to kill, with a rigid face. “Is that all? Inviting him to your house under the pretext of showing her a sculpture? Don’t you realize that’s something only a womanizer would do?” 

 

Has he gone mad?

 

I could barely think with my mind clouded.

 

He must have really gone mad. Otherwise, how could he say such a thing to me…

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