The Cowardly Baby Saint Can See Ghosts [Novel] Chapter 20

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Episode 20.

That was a lie.

How could I possibly step back from this? This was literally my lifeline.

But the moment I saw the Pope's grim, resolute expression, any will to argue simply evaporated.

It hadn't even been a few minutes since the priest had rushed out to summon Liam, but the Holy Knight Commander had already arrived at a dead sprint.

"Saintess."

"Liam."

"I will escort you."

I tried to slide down from the bed, only to stumble immediately. Liam instantly caught me, effortlessly scooping me up into his arms.

"Excuse me."

"I can walk by myself, you know."

"You absolutely cannot."

I stuck my lips out in a pout, but I obediently stayed in his arms. It was true that my condition was still terrible.

Even through the cold, hard steel of his armor, I felt strangely secure.

Cheese the ghost cat, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment, scrambled up Liam's shoulder and settled comfortably onto my lap.

Since Liam couldn't see Cheese, he gave me a slightly worried look when I chuckled into thin air.

"Saintess?"

"It's nothing."

The carriage headed toward the Imperial Palace raced at breakneck speed. Every time the wheels hit a bump, my stomach lurched violently.

I sat wrapped in Liam's heavy cloak like a blanket. Cheese sat perched on my knees, his tail standing straight up as he glared out the window.

The closer we got to the Imperial Palace, the harder my heart pounded against my ribs.

I absolutely loathed the fact that I was going to have to face another ghost.

"Please do not push yourself, Saintess."

I offered a half-hearted nod at Liam's request.

Looking out the carriage window, I saw that we were already approaching the Palace grounds.

"Your safety is far more important to me than the Crown Prince's. Therefore—"

"I won't push myself. Really."

After passing through the towering main gates and riding for quite a while, the East Detached Palace finally came into view.

Unlike the sheer, overwhelming opulence of the main entrance, this sprawling courtyard was completely devoid of life.

The trees were withered and drooping, and the grand fountain was completely bone-dry.

The carriage slowly rolled to a stop.

The moment the door opened, a chilling, eerie gust of wind blew inside.

I remained safely tucked in Liam's arms as we entered the detached palace.

The heavy, un-oiled wooden doors let out a spine-chilling groan as they swung open. I squeezed my arms tighter around Liam's neck.

"I am right here with you, so do not worry."

"…"

I looked like I was about to cry, tightening my grip on him even further.

As we approached the room at the very end of the long corridor, a faint sound grew louder and clearer.

Why on earth would a lullaby be echoing through this dead, empty building?

The fact that the voice was so sickeningly sweet and gentle made it all the more horrifying.

A group of Imperial Knights, who were well aware of Damian's condition, were waiting outside the door.

Seeing Liam and me, their faces lit up with relief, and they immediately parted to clear a path.

"Where is His Highness?"

"He is inside. However…"

The knight swallowed nervously, unable to finish his sentence.

At that moment, the sound of something shattering echoed from within the room.

Then, a voice rang out—Damian's voice, but grotesquely layered perfectly over the voice of a woman.

My heart plummeted to the floor.

I could physically feel the goosebumps erupting across Liam's neck.

Gritting his teeth, he aggressively kicked the door wide open.

The room was completely trashed.

Shattered teacups littered the floor, and the heavy velvet curtains were half-torn from their rods.

Through the cracked windowpanes, a freezing draft blew in, sending dust motes dancing eerily in the pale moonlight.

And there, in the very center of the ruined room, Damian sat completely still in a chair.

His head was turned away, hiding his face in the shadows. The sight of his stiff profile filled me with dread.

At that exact moment, a hazy, foggy shape began to waver in the air behind him. As the moonlight hit it, the entity slowly revealed its form.

A woman, her hair floating wildly as if suspended in water, stood behind Damian, covering his eyes with her hands. She was grinning from ear to ear.

Water dripped continuously from her form, making a wet, slapping sound against the floorboards.

Her bloated, soaked lips cracked open as she smiled, and she whispered softly.

Damian's entire body was trembling violently.

"…Your Highness."

Despite my desperate call, Damian couldn't bring himself to look at me.

Even over the sound of my voice, that skin-crawling lullaby continued to echo endlessly in my ears.

"Your Highness!"

At my sharp, desperate scream, Damian's head slowly creaked toward me.

The tears that had been pooling in his eyes finally spilled over, and his clouded, murky red eyes locked onto mine.

His lips moved silently, forming a single, soundless plea.

Save me.

A status window flared to life in front of my face.

The woman, who had been staring affectionately down at Damian, slowly tilted her head toward me.

The sickening sound of her neck snapping backward echoed through the silent room.

Empty, hollow black sockets—where her eyes should have been—locked onto me.

A gurgling voice, sounding exactly like someone drowning, ruptured my eardrums.

I swallowed my scream.

I bit my lip so hard I could taste the metallic tang of blood.

The ghost rested her chin heavily on Damian's shoulder.

Her soaking wet hair slithered down, tangling with Damian's black hair.

One strand, then two. The way it writhed and squirmed like living tentacles was absolutely nauseating.

The wet hair began to coil tightly around Damian's neck and shoulders, slowly suffocating him.

Honestly, if someone had to suffer through this constant paranormal torture, it was a miracle they didn't go completely insane before turning into a tyrant! How was anyone supposed to endure this?

I slapped Liam's chest, signaling him to put me down. My legs were shaking so violently I had to stand still for a moment just to find my balance.

Then, one of the Imperial Knights spoke up.

"Saintess, are you truly capable of resolving this?"

His tone was blatantly condescending. Before Liam could step forward and reprimand him, I intervened.

"I can do it."

I stopped Liam with an outstretched arm.

The emotions swirling in the knights' eyes were crystal clear.

Doubt.
Amusement.
A morbid curiosity to see me fail.

A child was literally dying in front of them, yet they were looking at the situation with such callous, calculating eyes.

I buried my boiling rage and forced my best, innocent, child-like smile.

"But I'm still so young and inexperienced, so I don't think I can do it properly if people are watching me."

Catching my drift, Liam nodded curtly and barked an order at the knights.

"Get out."

At his low, unyielding tone, the knights' faces hardened.

"We respect your rank as the Holy Knight Commander, but we have a sworn duty to protect His Highness."

"Are you intentionally trying to interfere with the Saintess's divine treatment?"

"…!"

"If so, I will report this blatant obstruction directly to His Holiness the Pope."

The atmosphere in the room froze solid.

Liam, without his usual warm smile, was genuinely terrifying.

Reluctantly, the knights backed out one by one, and the heavy door slammed shut behind them.

"…What about you, Liam?"

"I am staying."

"What do you need me to do?"

"You might get hurt, so please wait far back by the door. Only come to me if I'm in real danger."

"Understood."

Liam took up a solid, unmoving stance right in front of the door.

I slowly approached Damian.

One step.

Then another.

"Your Highness. Snap out of it."

There was no response.

The pale, bloated hands covering Damian's eyes were deathly white.

The woman whispered directly into his ear.

"Your Highness."

"Your Highness!"

Suddenly, the woman's face warped violently, instantly appearing mere inches from my own.

"…!"

I clamped both hands over my mouth, trembling uncontrollably.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is not your baby!"

KYAAAAAAAK!

The woman let out a blood-curdling shriek and violently shook her head, sending foul, black water splattering in every direction.

Holding back my tears, I reached out and grabbed Damian's hand. It was freezing. It was so cold it actually made my palm ache.

"I-I'm going to infuse my holy power now."

The moment brilliant white light spilled from my fingertips, the woman shrieked in agony.

The sound was so loud it shattered the large standing mirror in the corner of the room. Within the jagged shards, dozens of the woman's ghostly eyes suddenly materialized, all glaring directly at me.

The broken glass shards were screaming at me.

Liam, oblivious to the supernatural horror but sensing something was deeply wrong, moved to step forward.

"Don't come any closer!"

"Saintess!"

Ignoring Liam's desperate call, I forced even more holy power into Damian. Tears of sheer terror were already streaming down my face.

Just then, a small status window popped up.

Through my blurry, tear-filled vision, I saw the bloated hands covering Damian's eyes begin to loosen their grip.

The holy power was definitely repelling the ghost.

Damian suddenly gasped sharply for air!

"Your Highness!"

"Huuu…"

"Your Highness, please look at me."

But then, the woman began to whisper at a frantic, breakneck pace.

She spoke so fast it just sounded like a sickening, wet hissing noise in my ears.

The murky fog, which had just begun to clear from Damian's crimson eyes, instantly returned in full force.

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