Chapter 575 - 573: This Aura Is Indeed Strange

Chapter 575: Chapter 573: This Aura Is Indeed Strange

It was late at night when a cool voice suddenly sounded from behind them, causing the sibling soul bodies to tremble in fear.

The sister’s first reaction was to grab her brother’s hand and hide behind him. She couldn’t help but ask, "Brother, is that a ghost?"

"Don’t be afraid, sister. I’ll protect you."

The brother’s soul body stretched out an arm to shield his sister, then turned to face her with a wary expression.

Seeing this, the corner of Celeste Grant’s mouth twitched.

’Did I just scare two soul bodies?’

’Who are the real ghosts here? Don’t they have any self-awareness?’

Her gaze swept over the pair, and she could tell at a glance that these siblings were not actually dead. This meant their physical bodies were still alive; they were merely in a state where their soul bodies had left them. But since they had been unable to return for so long, their soul bodies were now barely clinging on, almost like those of the deceased.

The soul body in front spoke up.

"Who are you?"

At this, Celeste Grant arched an eyebrow. "Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? What are you two doing, creeping up to the wall of my backyard in the dead of night and muttering about?"

The moment she spoke, the siblings finally seemed to process what was happening. They pointed at Celeste Grant, their voices laced with disbelief.

"Y-you... You can see us?"

"She can see us."

The woman who had been clutching her brother’s arm and hiding behind him let go, waved in Celeste’s direction, and took a few steps to the side. When she saw Celeste’s gaze follow her, the female soul body began to jump up and down, waving her hands in excitement.

"Wow! Brother... she looked at me! She can really see me! *Sob*... This is wonderful! For two years, no one could see us. Finally, someone can see us today!"

Ever since their bodies were taken over by some unknown entity, they had existed as soul bodies, invisible to everyone they encountered. They even stood before their parents, desperate to tell them that the person in their daughter’s body wasn’t her, but their parents couldn’t see them. For two years, two whole years, the siblings had been forced to wander the city’s streets and alleys.

It was agonizing to just watch helplessly as this unknown thing used their bodies to abuse their parents and act like a tyrant, squandering the family fortune that had been built over generations. Now, finally, someone could see them.

The siblings sized up the woman before them. Though it was nighttime, the light from The Prince’s Manor was bright enough for them to see her features clearly.

She had fair skin, a beautiful face, a slender waist, and long legs.

She was an exceptionally beautiful woman; even the imperial consorts in the palace couldn’t compare to her.

’She just said this was the wall of her backyard? Then who else could she be? The answer was obvious.’

She was the lady of The Warden’s Northern Manor—in other words, the Princess Consort who rarely appeared in public. Upon realizing her identity, the siblings exchanged a glance and hastily knelt.

"This humble one, Cora Ainsworth, greets the Princess Consort."

"Clara Ainsworth greets the Princess Consort."

After Celeste Grant and her husband descended to the Lower Realm, they had concealed their auras. To outsiders, the two of them now seemed no different from ordinary people. No one could discern anything unusual about them unless they encountered someone with a higher Cultivation.

Take these two soul bodies, for example. They could only instinctively feel that Celeste Grant was dangerous, but they couldn’t perceive anything specific that was out of place.

Celeste Grant glanced at the two and gave a casual wave of her hand.

"So, tell me. Why were you following my son?"

She had been aware of their existence since daytime. She knew these two soul bodies had followed her son. But she had sensed no malice from them, nor were they tainted by any evil aura. Knowing they had never harmed anyone, she had decided not to intervene.

But they hadn’t left. They just kept lingering around The Prince’s Manor, and now here they were, muttering in the dead of night. She would have liked to pretend she couldn’t hear, but her ears weren’t cooperating.

If Celeste Grant had remained silent, it might have been fine. But the moment she spoke, the two soul bodies began to kowtow to her, their voices rising in a miserable wail.

"We beg you, Your Highness the Princess Consort, to grant us justice!"

"Please, Princess Consort, grant us justice!"

If not for the Princess Consort’s noble status, the two of them would have probably already shuffled over to cling to her legs and weep. They had truly suffered too much, drifting through the streets and alleys for two years.

Celeste Grant paused, taken aback for a moment, then glanced at the siblings. As the two soul bodies cried, chilly gusts of wind began to swirl around them.

She raised a hand to stop them.

"Stop crying for now. Get up and tell me what’s going on."

As her words fell, the siblings rose from the ground. Then, speaking and gesturing animatedly, they told her the whole story.

"Princess Consort, it happened like this," Clara began. "That night two years ago, after my brother and I finished dinner, we went to our separate rooms to sleep."

"Get to the point. Who cares about dinner? Let me tell her." The brother, Cora, interrupted. "Princess Consort, after I fell asleep that night, I heard a voice calling to us. Then I couldn’t move or speak. My head felt like it was splitting apart, and I saw a cloud of black mist appear above me. The next moment, it forced its way into my body. That unknown thing stole my body. I’ve been trying to get back in ever since, but I can’t. What’s more, I can feel the entity occupying my body growing stronger."

"The same thing happened to me," Clara added. "But for some reason, the things that took our bodies didn’t kill us..."

The siblings took turns speaking, recounting the general course of events.

"Please forgive us if we have offended you, Your Highness."

The brother’s soul body spoke up. "Until now, no one could see us. We meant no harm in following the young prince to The Prince’s Manor. It’s just that earlier today, it seemed like the young prince could see us too. So we thought we might be able to ask him for help, and that’s why we followed him. We have offended both you and the Princely Heir, and for that, we beg your forgiveness, Princess Consort."

Celeste Grant waved her hand. "It’s all right. I don’t blame you."

’I’m not an unreasonable person. While these two soul bodies were being sneaky, they haven’t done anything wicked. And I’m not the type to bully the weak.’

’Their bodies were taken by some unknown entity.’

Celeste Grant’s interest was piqued.

It had revealed no trace of its aura, even though she was standing right here in The Mortal Realm. This meant it was no ordinary entity. ’It would be a waste not to capture it for a bit of research. But how could something like this appear in The Mortal Realm?’

Her gaze passed over the two soul bodies as she extended her Divine Sense to cover the entirety of Atheria. In an instant, she had locked onto the entities’ locations.

’I have to admit,’ she thought, ’this aura is certainly strange.’