This is truly shocking. I came along because Madam Toten asked for help, but I had no idea the situation was this serious. This wasn't just a succession dispute—Dies, the late Marquis's brother, was wielding an axe and trying to kill a child.
A single maid was hiding in the room, clutching the child protectively, while the butler, the nanny, and everyone else in the mansion made no move to stop the Marquis's brother. With no one in the mansion to rely on, Madam Toten must have sought help from an outsider like me.
"I've returned now, so that's that, isn't it? You must be tired from coming to the Marquisate, so go inside and rest quickly."
"Yes, I will. But still... Sister-in-law, isn't it strange? With all this commotion, my nephew hasn't blinked an eye and is sleeping deeply. He's sleeping as if dead, isn't he?"
"Didn't I tell you? He was ill for five days and has finally fallen into a deep sleep. He must be that exhausted, so he wouldn't hear the surrounding noise."
The Marquis's brother threatened them to hand over the child, and Madam Toten tried her best to calm Dies down. However, he was not someone who could be reasoned with. Dies rested the axe on his shoulder and behaved threateningly, demanding to check the child.
"What exactly does he want with a dead child, really."
Jelly clicked her tongue with pity. What? Who said he was already dead? Rider?
"Jelly, what do you mean by that?"
Hena asked, her voice trembling. That's exactly what I wanted to ask. What was she suddenly talking about?
"Can't you tell? There's no sound of breathing. Ah... you can't hear it? Then look closely. His skin is pale and his hands have no strength, but his jaw and neck are stiff."
I hurriedly looked inside the broken door as well. Rider was wrapped tightly in blankets, so I couldn't properly verify whether Jelly was right. The only thing visible to the naked eye was his complexion. The child's complexion was unusually pale—wasn't that because he was sick? Hena turned pale white, then looked at Madam Toten with worry.
"Madam Toten is..."
Hena's murmur was drowned out by a loud voice.
"Please ask them to open the door. Why don't you verify? Sister-in-law, aren't you worried about your son? Let's go in together right now."
Dies was deliberately provoking Madam Toten. Even with such provocation, Madam Toten didn't say a single word about checking if Rider was safe.
"Madam Toten already knows the child is dead."
Hena sighed. I thought so too. Madam Toten knew Rider was dead, so she wasn't accepting Dies's demand. As I heard before coming here, if Rider died, the succession rights to the Marquis title would go to Dies, not Madam Toten.
Madam Toten was struggling to avoid that.
"That's why she came to find the Master in the first place. To bring the dead child back to life. Since the Master would be the only one in the world who could make someone come back from the dead."
So that's why she came to find me? So that's why Madam Toten asked if I remembered what I had said. When we first met, I think I said something similar when I was deceived by the old butler and made excuses that there was no way to cure him, let alone offer comfort.
"Hey, what are you doing not coming out when your sister-in-law is here? If you don't come out quickly, you're fired. If that's not enough, I'll call the guards. I'll hand you over to the guards for the crime of kidnapping and imprisoning the Marquis's young master, so know that."
In the meantime, Dies changed the target of his threats. He shouted at the maid who seemed relatively lower in status and easier to coerce.
"P-please help me... My Lady."
Madam Toten looked around anxiously. Then, seeming to have spotted me, she reached out her hand. She looked like someone standing at the edge of a cliff. Others would have pulled her in and saved her, but I couldn't. I had no choice but to push Madam Toten's back.
"Madam Toten, do you want to bring the child back to life?"
"Yes... yes."
"Even if what comes back isn't your son? Even if it's someone else borrowing your son's shell?"
Just like me. Madam Toten pondered my question, then gritted her teeth and answered.
"Yes. That's fine."
A dead child cannot be brought back, but the Marquisate can be protected. At the crossroads of losing everything or protecting at least one thing, Madam Toten chose the latter. Madam Toten had also set her resolve after putting aside her grief, so I had no choice but to help her even with a second-best option.
"Jelly, hurry and summon Mellec."
"Mellec?"
I am a possessor. Not a single speck of my will went into possessing this novel's character, and I don't know why I possessed it. Moreover, I don't even know the original work and am finding my way through guesswork alone, so it's impossible to resurrect Rider in the same way as me.
But by coincidence, there was another type of possessor beside me. Mellec, a ghost who could possess empty bodies.
Mellec was immediately summoned by Jelly. Now all I had to do was persuade Mellec.
"Did you call for me?"
"Mellec, see that child? Will you enter that child's body?"
"Huh? But... I, I can't do something like that."
Mellec was extremely flustered by the sudden situation. It was amazing how readable her expression was even with her eyes covered by a pitch-black eyepatch.
Come to think of it, didn't Mellec say she didn't know how she possessed? I don't know the method well either, but... shouldn't a ghost instinctively know how to enter a human body?
And that wasn't the only problem.
"How could I do such a thing to a person. It's a child. Using someone else's body without permission seems like committing too great a sin."
True, this one couldn't even eat animals or kill a single mouse, so she would regard human life with even greater weight and respect. Mellec's body seems to have attached itself by circumstance.
But isn't that a sophisticated way of indirectly criticizing me? I'm the same in using someone else's body without permission. Of course, I didn't do it intentionally, but...
Madam Toten looked at me with desperate eyes. I understand well what Mellec is worried about. She doesn't want to use someone else's body without permission because it seems discourteous to the deceased. Then I just need to make her realize that's not the case.
"Mellec. The child's mother wants it. If things continue like this, Rider will gain the notoriety of having died from a curse. No one will mourn the child, and instead they'll say it's good he died, won't they? But if you put in the effort, Madam Toten can protect the Marquisate. Rider can also be freed from the false accusation."
I said it, but it's too much gaslighting. Trying to over-identify with Evangeline and speak like a villainess after so long must have made me too impulsive. But that actually worked better on Mellec.
"Is that really true?"
"Look at that bastard over there. Even though it's his own flesh and blood, he's desperate to devour his nephew."
While I was whispering with Mellec, Dies was still struggling with all his might to open the door. Thinking Rider was dead, instead of mourning, he seemed like someone desperate to display Rider's death and inherit the Marquis's position now that the successor was gone.
"What a bastard."
Mellec spat out anger as she looked at Dies. Burning with a sense of justice, Mellec seemed ready to enter Rider's body at any moment, but then hesitated again as if something came to mind.
"My Lady. But... how do I act like a child?"
"You don't really need to. Madam Toten knows the truth, and Rider was a mature child. And you don't need to be exactly the same. After all, Madam Toten needs someone who can inherit the Marquis's position to maintain the Marquisate."
Mellec seemed to have gathered her resolve. Mellec's body became hazy. So this is the ghost state. The fact that I can only see it as black smoke must be because I don't have something like the spirit eye that can see a ghost's complete form. It's a bit disappointing that I have no spirit affinity, but I don't envy the spirit eye at all. It's a good thing I don't have it.
The black smoke rippled and seeped into the child. Mellec succeeded in possessing Rider.
"The young master moved!"
Hena shouted sharply, drawing attention. As soon as Hena's words ended, Mellec started moving, twitching her body. Seeing this, Dies was greatly flustered.
"What? Why is he alive?"
Dies asked back in disbelief. This guy must have known Rider was dead too. That's why he was so persistent. See, you bad bastard. Why would he be alive?
Mellec soon opened her eyes and looked around in confusion.
"M-mom..."
Calling her mom looked awkward probably because Mellec was from an orphanage.
"Madam Toten, please move."
Madam Toten was staring blankly at the situation as if her dead son had come back to life. I patted her shoulder and advised her to quickly wrap up the situation.
"Weder, please open the door."
"Yes, yes. I will."
The maid holding Rider opened the door in confusion. Oh right, from that maid's perspective, it must seem like a dead person suddenly came back to life. Since Madam Toten entrusted her son to her, she must be a trusted maid. I'll explain separately later.
The door, half-destroyed by the axe, opened, and Mellec, who had come down from the maid's arms, nestled into Madam Toten's embrace.
"Did you sleep well...?"
Madam Toten's voice was full of moisture. Even knowing it wasn't her real son, seeing Rider moving and alive again must have made her grief flood out.
"I was sleeping deeply for the first time in a while, but strange noises woke me up."
Her complaining was exactly like a young child of that age. She said she couldn't act, but that was method acting right there. Isn't she better at acting than me? It seemed like no one would think the soul had changed.
Ah, except for that crazy bastard running wild with the axe.
"You're lying right now, aren't you? He was definitely dead just a moment ago!"
Dies shouted in anger. He looked around as if searching for the axe again. By the way, the axe Dies was holding had been told to Jelly to remove when it rolled to Madam Toten's feet earlier. I learned something after the Donau incident too.
"What trick did you use? Sister-in-law, you've finally resorted to evil deeds, haven't you?"
Unable to find the axe, Dies asked with twitching eyes. Every time he spoke in excessive excitement, spittle flew from his mouth.
Since a ghost possessed him, strictly speaking, it was evil. Madam Toten was crying and couldn't make excuses, so I had no choice but to step forward. Since I decided to help, I should take responsibility until the end.
"Why are you so certain?"
Dies, who had been distracted by Mellec for a moment, fell silent looking at me. Is he scared of me? Even a lowlife thug like that finds Evangeline's notoriety useful. At times like this, I'm almost glad I possessed a villainess.
"Who are you... This is a family matter, so outsiders should stay out!"
"I'm not an outsider. Madam Toten is my chaperone."
I flashed a raw villainess smile, not the sociable and kind smile I learned from Dollyne. By the way, this smile has the impact of subduing Donau, making the servants at my house faint, and even making Gabriel, who's completely smitten with me, hesitate.
"You didn't directly check if his heart stopped, nor did you see him up close. Then how could you be so certain that the young master Toten was dead?"
"Well..."
"I just thought he was sleeping."
As I deliberately listed plausible reasoning processes and expressed doubt, a few of the watching servants agreed with my opinion.
"Only two people can determine the young master's death for certain. The maid who was holding the young master closest, and the person who desperately waited for the young master to die and finally tried to kill him."
What was the maid's name? I think Madam Toten called her name just now.
"Was it Weder?"
"Yes, yes, My Lady."
"Did the young master Toten die? Did his heart stop and start beating again? Or is there a puppeteer here who ties threads to dead bodies to make them move? You were holding the young master Toten the whole time, so you can answer me."
"No, that's not it. The young master was just tired and fell asleep."
Even though she hadn't received any message, the maid named Weder answered exactly what I wanted with sharp perception. Since Madam Toten entrusted her son to her, she must be a tremendously trusted maid. So she got it right away. For me, she would be in the position of Kanna, Hena, and Daisy.
Now I turned the arrow back.
"Lord Dies, why were you so certain that the young master Toten was dead?"
I thought this might be used to corner Dies for having a hand in it and strip him of his succession rights, but the butler suddenly interrupted.
"I did that."
"Butler!"
"I don't mean to say I had a hand in Lord Rider's death. I simply told him that Lord Rider's health had noticeably weakened lately and there might be a funeral. The young master must have misunderstood what I said."
"R-right. The butler said that, so I just believed it."
He seemed to be taking all the blame on himself to protect Dies. At the same time, the charges became much weaker. It just became a mistake arising from misunderstanding. I thought this before too, but this old man has incredible speech skills. No wonder I was completely deceived by his kindly face and polite manner!
"How presumptuous."
While I was wondering how to respond, a sharp and curt voice rebuked the butler. The identity of the voice was Madam Toten. It was an arrogant and sharp criticism that was hard to believe came from someone who was always polite and full of respect.
"A mere hired servant predicting the young lord's death? And not stopping there, spreading rumors around—truly disappointing. Butler, why did you behave so presumptuously?"
"It was for the Toten Marquisate."
"The butler seems to have forgotten his proper place. You should have been loyal not to the Marquisate, but to me, and to my son."
The Marquis's wife gripped Mellec's hand tightly, stood up, and stood straight. Though her appearance wasn't as perfect as usual, she looked more noble than anyone else. Everyone in the world, please look! That person is my chaperone!
"Lock the butler in the basement. Have three people guard the basement together. I will pass on the butler's position to the one who applies himself most diligently."
Those who had been hesitantly watching raised their hands eagerly at the butler's words. Madam Toten roughly pointed out three people and sent the butler away with them. She seemed to have chosen roughly, but there must be some deeper meaning.
"Lock the nanny and Dies in their rooms for now. They are criminals who could have harmed Rider. Until I return, anyone who helps them will be considered accomplices."
While the nanny quietly accepted her fate and was led away, Dies violently resisted and caused a scene.
"Let go of this! Do you think I'm a servant like you? How dare you try to imprison me?"
It took no less than four adults rushing in at once to finally subdue Dies and drag him away.
Madam Toten finished dealing with the remaining two as well, then finally looked at the maid.
"Weder. You worked hard. I promised to give you a reward, didn't I? Tell me what you want."
"C-can I really say whatever I want?"
Weder's eyes shone as if she hadn't thought Madam Toten would really give her a reward. Her curly hair seemed buoyant, showing her excited mood.
Why is she so surprised? Is Madam Toten usually a bit stingy? Then I should take this opportunity. Madam Toten is someone who walked all the way to my house, so don't hesitate and just ask for something big!
Weder fidgeted with her chapped hands, holding the hem of her worn apron, hesitating. After pondering for a while, she must have chosen what she wanted most, took a deep breath to calm herself, and finally spoke in a determined voice.
"M-my Lady, if you permit it, I want to stop being a laundry maid."
Weder made a very humble wish even after protecting Rider to the point of getting injured. If it were me, I would have asked for gold and jewels... Are all loyal maids like this? The kids at my house were also terribly burdened when I gave them gold coins. Of course, Kanna happily accepted them.
Madam Toten seemed to think the same as me and asked back as if puzzled.
"Is that enough? Not gold bars or jewels? You... my son..."
Madam Toten's voice choked as she trailed off, then cleared her throat, and lifted her head with an elegant attitude as if nothing had happened.
"You're no different from having saved my son. And yet your only wish is to stop being a laundry maid?"
"Yes..."
"Then I'll give you the position of head maid."
"Me? Head maid?"
It was a shocking appointment. After giving out both rewards and punishments, Madam Toten finally dismissed the servants who had gathered like a crowd. Then, taking only the still bewildered maid named Weder, she headed to the dressing room.
Madam Toten collapsed to the floor only after closing the door. Before I could step forward, Weder caught Madam Toten.
"Madam!"
"Weder... you saw Rider die and come back to life, but you're not asking anything."
Mellec, who had entered Rider's body, hid behind me as if ashamed. Mellec, I made you do it, so you don't need to feel guilty.
"Doesn't it seem creepy that I asked you to care for a dead child?"
"Not at all. Madam, in the village where I was born, there was a grandmother who carried a doll on her back. Her son had gone to war decades ago and there was no news. The grandmother has dementia and only remembers her son's name, so she raises the doll like a child. And... she's my grandmother. Even though everyone in the village calls her a crazy old woman, I can understand my grandmother. So you're not strange at all, Madam."
"...Thank you."
Weder comforted Madam Toten and shared her own past. Wait, why does every kid in this romance fantasy novel have such dark backstories? Daisy's trusted orphanage director was a slave trader, Kanna was kidnapped by some weirdo and almost died, and now newly appeared Weder comes with a tear-jerking melodramatic backstory.
Come to think of it, even looking at Madam Toten or Gabriel, their narratives are all gloomy, dark, and bleak. This is all because the worldview is a bleak romance fantasy.
Madam Toten, now relieved, turned to me.
"Thank you, Lady Rohanson."
"I'm glad I could help."
"And, what should I call you? ...Mellec?"
The next person Madam Toten thanked was Mellec. Mellec, who had been hiding behind me, poked her head out and spoke.
"That was the name of the body I was in before. The name Lady Rohanson gave me is Mer...!"
Mellec was about to say something strange, so I covered her mouth. Don't say Mering! It makes me seem like a weird person for giving such a cute name to a ghost! Should I explain it's like the principle of giving childish names to typhoons? No, I don't think I can!
Mellec, meeting my eyes, seemed to catch on and nodded, so I removed my hand.
"Please call me Mellec."
"Alright. Mellec, thank you for helping."
"No, I... I'm, I'm sorry. For taking your son's body..."
"That was my choice. You're a better person than I thought."
Perhaps because the body Mellec is using is Rider's, Madam Toten's gaze was extremely warm, as if looking at her son. Mellec also seemed reassured by Madam Toten's reaction.
I felt a faint sense of camaraderie from having overcome the same ordeal together. I wanted to wipe my nose at the heartwarming feeling, but Hena checked the time and called me.
"My Lady, I think we need to leave now."
Already? I checked my watch too. Wow, only an hour left? If I leave now, I won't be late, right? But I couldn't leave immediately like this—I couldn't take Madam Toten as she was. Hena and Weder hurriedly helped with Madam Toten's grooming. Fortunately, Hena's makeup skills were top-notch, recognized even by Misha.
"Then excuse me."
With Hena's touch, Madam Toten gradually regained her original appearance. Her wet, limp hair was twisted up neatly.
"Do you like it?"
"Yes... thank you."
With color applied to her lips as well, she finally looked alive. Madam Toten said she wanted to keep wearing her shoes as they were, so we only picked out a dress separately. A deep green dress went well with Madam Toten's particularly calm atmosphere today.
"Your maid has excellent skills, My Lady."
"Doesn't she?"
My shoulders rose with pride at the compliment to Hena. And it's not just Hena who's skilled—the kids at home are all top-level too. Seeing our kids recognized outside, the corners of my mouth kept going up.
"Shall we go if you're ready?"
I stood up thinking 'Alright, let's go!' when suddenly Mellec, who had possessed Rider, caught my eye.
"What about Mellec?"
"That's right. We've locked up the butler and Dies, so there shouldn't be any major trouble, but... we can't take him to the banquet either."
Then Weder carefully spoke up.
"Madam, I will stay by the young master's side."
"You will? Weder, you also watched from right beside, so you know well, but this child... is no longer Rider. Is that still alright with you?"
"I'm fine."
At Weder's unhesitating answer, Madam Toten asked back, seeming flustered instead.
"Why..."
"If my father had returned like young master Rider, my grandmother would have been very happy. Isn't that better than a doll?"
Madam Toten smiled faintly.
"Thank you. I'm counting on you."
It was decided that Mellec would be cared for by Weder while attending the banquet. Madam Toten was relieved, but my worry wasn't resolved.
If Mellec stays at the Marquis's residence, who will be my coachman now?
I had gotten used to Mellec driving, and I think I'll get motion sickness if I ride in another carriage. From now on, do I have no choice but to sit in a motion-sickness-inducing box that shakes bumpily and endure my butt going numb while traveling? I don't want that!
And what about my carriage? Should I go to the imperial palace in Madam Toten's carriage? How do I get home? I came outside with a pile of worries, and there was an unexpected person.
Oh! That person is, a beastman, and the coachman who shared memories with Jelly and Daisy!
"Use him as you see fit."
I wondered where Jelly disappeared to after bringing Mellec, but she must have sensibly brought a coachman. This cute thing! Today you're as cute as pudding! It's a secret from pudding!
On the other hand, Mellec was extremely sad that her place was taken. Even though the essence is Mellec, the outer appearance is Rider, so when she teared up, I wanted to soothe and console her.
"Being a coachman is my role though..."
"Right. He's just filling the vacancy until you return."
"Right? ...My Lady, please take good care of Gamicin until I return."
Mellec said tearful goodbyes to the horse. She would have to stay possessed in Rider at least until the Marquisate stabilized, so it seemed sad that there was no telling exactly when she would be back.
"When can I go back?"
"When Madam Toten's position becomes solid. Please stay until the time comes when she can stand on her own even without Rider's existence."
"Yes, I will... Oh right, My Lady. Then what about my meals?"
Ah, right. There's the meal issue too. But why is her first priority the horse and then she remembers meals... Isn't it usually the other way around?
Do ghosts have reversed priorities because they're ghosts? You know how they say ghosts clap with the backs of their hands, and when they eat ssam, they wrap the meat in lettuce. Ssam with meat as the main sounds a bit tempting, but Mellec can't eat anyway.
But didn't Mellec originally possess a cow beastman's body and need flowers? Does her appetite not change even when possessing different bodies... I think I'll have to pick flower petals and send them to Madam Toten while Mellec stays at the Marquis's residence. Goodness, there's more than one thing to resolve.
Since we needed to discuss how to wrap up today's events on the way, Madam Toten decided to ride in my carriage too. Jelly ran away saying she was tired. Originally, I brought Jelly in case something happened at the Marquisate, and I'd found a coachman too, so Jelly faithfully fulfilled her role. Good, you can go back.
"Then I'll go home first."
Jelly disappeared via teleportation. I'm so jealous. I probably can't learn magic either. My spirit affinity is at rock bottom, so what magic could I learn—it's obvious my talent is at the bottom too.
Madam Toten stood blankly in surprise at Jelly's instantaneous disappearance. Oh right. I forgot. I thought I should have hidden it, but in this situation where Mellec had already entered Rider's body... I pretended nonchalantly and gestured to Madam Toten to go.