“Rachel… I might have been possessed by a demon.”
Those were the words of this country’s crown prince—or rather, former crown prince.
He was in a nobleman’s prison cell, a place hardly fitting for someone of his status.
At first glance, the room seemed luxurious. However, its grandeur was marred by iron bars and locks that could not be opened from the inside.
From the other side of the bars, I gazed at the crown prince, an odd juxtaposition of someone impeccably dressed while still imprisoned.
“Otherwise, how else can I explain it? The things I’ve done… they’re things the usual me would never have done. You know me, Rachel. Don’t you?”
Like I’d know!
I was so furious I wanted to shout those words at the top of my lungs. But I was a proper young lady.
So, I held it in.
■
I, Rachel Lindol, was born as the eldest daughter of the Marquis Lindol household. From birth, I was engaged to Edward Venky, the crown prince of this country.
Growing up, Edward and I shared both joys and hardships, and we had a relationship that felt almost familial. It was comfortable, and there was definitely love between us. I liked Edward, truly.
I even thought, What an honor it is to marry this man and help protect this country together.
But cracks began to form in that relationship when the saint appeared.
At the same time, I began to recall something akin to divine revelation—memories of a previous life.
“Rachel, listen! The saint has appeared! It’s a miracle!”
The moment Edward told me that, my past life’s memories came flooding back.
In my previous life, I was a Japanese person born and raised in America. Because of my father’s work, we moved from the United States to Rome, Italy, before eventually returning to Japan. I was what people called a “returnee.”
This world isn’t all that different from my previous one, except for one glaring distinction: the definite existence of both the Demon Realm and the Celestial Realm. (Sadly, there’s no such thing as magic here. A real shame.)
Demons and angels exist, though there’s an absolute rule that they must not directly interfere with humans.
The Celestial Realm has never broken this rule, not even once. However, the Demon Realm has often violated it, hunting human souls. The demons, after repeatedly being eradicated and forced to learn from their mistakes, have devised cunning ways to ensnare souls.
Their method is to invade the hearts of weakened individuals, take over their bodies and minds, and then use them to indiscriminately murder those around them, feeding on their souls.
This sly strategy ensures the demons never directly act, instead making humans willingly offer themselves.
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