I Possessed the Body of a Sickly Princess

Chapter 3: Rumors and Truth (1)

Amidst the sea of unfounded rumors surrounding the Leonhardt ducal house, a new one emerged.

It was said that a demon had possessed Ariel von Leonhardt.

That the moment the demon took hold, it devoured the soul of her personal maid, Sophia.

The sinister whispers about the young noblewoman spread like wildfire, until even those in power could no longer ignore them.

First, the eldest son of the Leonhardt family took notice.

Then, Duke Leonhardt himself.

There were witnesses—more than one, in fact—lending credibility to the rumors.

"Did you see Sophia's condition?"

"It's like her soul was drained out of her..."

"They say the clergy will be visiting the ducal house soon..."

"Maybe this family is doomed to misfortune..."

It didn't take long for a small suspicion to snowball into doubt, then certainty, and finally, fear.

Sophia had yet to regain consciousness.

Her once vibrant hair had turned stark white, her skin pale as a corpse.

And those who saw her all said the same thing—

"Save poor Sophia, whose soul has been taken by the demon."

***

Knock, knock.

"A-Ah, my lady. M-May I enter?"

"Come in."

A tremor could be felt even through the door, bringing an amused curl to my lips.

A sliver of light cut into the darkened room as the door creaked open.

A maid clutched the handle of a tray with stiff, hesitant movements, her posture stiff and awkward. The moment my gaze met hers, she cautiously stepped inside.

A temporary stand-in for my fallen personal maid.

Normally, one would consider this a fortunate assignment, but the girl before me seemed far from pleased.

"S-Soup. It's apple soup, my lady..."

"I see."

She dragged a small table closer, setting the tray upon it with trembling hands.

The way her fingers shook made her look like she had some kind of palsy—it was almost comical.

The fact that she hadn't spilled a drop despite her nerves was rather impressive.

"T-Then, I'll be taking my leave now..."

"Wait."

"Y-Yes?"

"What’s your name?"

"...D-Diana, my lady."

Diana, Diana, Diana.

The way she reacted so strongly each time I said it made for an amusing little show.

I wasn’t even trying to tease her.

Tapping my fingers against the table, I nodded slightly.

She was free to leave.

"T-Thank you."

"Oh, one more thing."

"...Yes?"

"Give my regards to your dear brother."

Her face went ghostly pale as she scurried out of the room.

Once alone, I turned my attention to the dish before me.

I picked up the small spoon beside it, scooped up some apple soup, and took a sip.

The sweet, tangy flavor filled my mouth, making me grimace slightly.

Too sweet. Too sour.

I muttered like a child complaining about a meal, then wiped my lips with the napkin beside me.

A full week had passed since I had become Ariel von Leonhardt.

And yet, aside from the maids, not a single member of this wretched family had come to see me.

I tapped my fingers against the table.

Once, twice—slow, steady.

Then, the rhythm gradually quickened, reaching its peak before abruptly halting.

"This wasn’t enough, huh?"

The heir to the ducal house. The eldest son of Duke Leonhardt.

I had expected this much commotion to draw his attention, but apparently, rumors of demonic possession weren’t quite enough.

According to my memory, he would occasionally visit just to hurl insults at me.

What was it he used to say? A disgrace to the family? Hurry up and die?

"Die, huh..."

With a body like this, it wouldn't be surprising if I did.

Born with a robust constitution in my previous life, I found this frail frame to be nothing short of bizarre.

Direct sunlight reddened my skin, making it sting.

My eyes, too—if I stepped outside during the day, I had to squint to shield them from the light.

A girl with white hair and red eyes who could not stand under the sun.

An ideal scapegoat for demon rumors.

In the past, my timid nature had kept the whispers from escalating too far.

But after leaving my personal maid in such a state, it seemed I had been fully rebranded as a demon.

The Demon of Leonhardt.

How powerful, how terrifying must such a being be?

"...I suppose it won’t be long before the clergy comes knocking."

The devotees of the Sun God would never let rumors of a demon within the ducal house slide.

***

Sophia's collapse did not remain a mere incident.

With Ariel’s personal maid rendered unfit for duty, someone had to take her place.

And the unfortunate soul to fill that role was none other than Diana.

"That damned girl..."

She cursed both the demon-like youngest daughter and the fallen Sophia under her breath.

It wasn't a complete reassignment, but even temporarily being named Ariel’s personal maid was humiliating.

Duke Leonhardt's brightest star—Lord David.

To think that, not long after she was assigned to serve him, she was thrown into this mess.

For Diana, this was nothing short of a catastrophe.

Pale skin, hair as white as an old man’s, crimson eyes like blood—

Everything about Ariel Leonhardt was unsettling.

Especially those eyes.

They didn’t see people as people.

They regarded everything with a lifeless, inorganic gaze.

They contained something more than just an ominous color.

"How was she?"

"Don't even ask. Her eyes were terrifying..."

"Has she really been possessed by a demon?"

As Diana entered the kitchen with her tray, another maid cautiously inquired.

The fear in her expression made it look as though she had been the one to serve Ariel, not Diana.

Still, Diana knew she wasn’t easily frightened, so she let it slide.

If anything, she was eager to talk about her experience.

"When I set the apple soup down, she glared at me like she wanted to kill me. I thought I was going to die."

"...Was she really like a demon?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

There’s no such thing as real demons in this world.

That brat rarely ate anything besides apple soup, and yet, when I brought it, she dared to glare at me?

She should have been grateful for the bare minimum of kindness I was forced to give her.

Now that Diana thought about it, it was absurd that she had been even slightly scared.

That fragile, sickly girl—what was there to be afraid of?

"It was nothing. She's nothing."

"So... not a demon, then?"

It was then that Diana sensed something odd.

The other maid was showing far too much interest in Ariel.

Everyone else despised her, shunned her.

And yet, just moments ago, hadn't this girl been trembling at the thought of demons?

Even in her usual naivety, this was beyond comprehension.

"Diana."

"...What?"

"The lady’s personal maid position—it’s still vacant, right?"

"Well, yeah? I'm just filling in for now."

Diana frowned at the way the girl’s eyes gleamed.

She already knew what was coming.

And yet, deep down, she didn’t mind.

This was an opportunity to push off this wretched duty onto someone else.

To never have to see that unsettling girl again.

That alone was worth silencing any lingering conscience.

"Maybe I should apply for it."

"Well... that might not be such a bad idea."

"The lady wasn't as bad as the rumors made her out to be, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

At the very least, she hadn't ended up like Sophia.

So, no, it wasn’t a lie.

Diana glanced down at the excited maid, a small smile forming on her lips.

Unexpected fortune had fallen into her lap.

Maybe the world wasn’t so cruel after all.

"You'd do well."

"You think so?"

"Of course."

You'll do just fine, Mana.

***

Mana was the daughter of a maid.

Her grandmother was a maid. Her mother was a maid. And now, so was she.

A family of maids, spanning three generations.

"...Are you sure you want this position?"

"Yes! I really want to try!"

The head maid sighed.

She had no idea what had prompted this request, but it was unexpected.

Had someone put her up to this?

Threatened her?

She didn’t seem scared, but no one knew what might be lurking behind a smile.

"I’ll do my best!"

"...Fine. You may try."

Like her mother and grandmother, Mana was kind and gentle.

But once she set her mind on something, there was no changing it.

Besides, someone had to take the role eventually.

Diana needed to return to her original duties, and Sophia’s condition remained uncertain.

"Thank you!"

Even as Mana beamed with excitement, the head maid couldn’t shake her unease.