Chapter 52
The man cleansed his tainted mood for a moment, envisioning that this was only a temporary affliction, and that we would be happy in a world made for us.
The elf kept his gaze on the man’s sideways profile, then pulled his hood back up to hide his worried expression and spoke.
“… But what if it’s life-threatening?”
“That’s why I’m sending you a replacement, and since you’ve used it once before, I’m sure you’ll get used to it quickly.”
The man laughed softly. His tone was so light that it seemed incongruous with the heavy content.
“Well, we can’t rule out the possibility of your soul moving to another body, and what if it ends up in the wrong place like last time?”
The elf’s brow narrowed as he remembered his failure seven years ago.
Her soul should have been transferred to the body had set aside for her then. If all had gone well, the Elves might have risen in stature and regained their former glory.
The plan was foiled when the soul rebelled, and it was only a matter of time before it was recognized that it had landed in the body of a Princess of the Kingdom of Ashtad.
“Then we’ll just have to find her again. As long as she remains in this world, I’ll find her somehow.”
The man muttered nonchalantly, unperturbed by the elf’s concern. If anything, he seemed relaxed.
The Princess’s body had been mobile in the first place because it had been a hollow shell of a soul long since departed, and the chances of finding another body with such a combination of circumstances were slim.
One of the men spoke with a look of anticipation on his face, as if he wasn’t going to bother explaining.
“All we need is her soul, and we don’t care what she looks like on the outside.”
The man’s raspy laugh drifted away on the crisp breeze.
***
“His Majesty demanded an invitation?”
“Yes!”
“And you did indeed send an invitation to dinner?”
“Yes!”
Maud repeated several times, as if to confirm that she had heard correctly. I assured her that it was real, as I’d told her all about yesterday’s events as soon as we’d met.
I checked on Oscar in the distance and stifled the voice that wanted to rise. Thanks to Marie’s help, I’d been sneaking out to meet Maud in the morning, pretending to go for a walk, but I needed to be as discreet as possible.
I didn’t know if it would be okay to just casually meet her since Thierry already knew everything, but I didn’t want to act rashly when I still didn’t know what was going on with him, and I didn’t want to do any harm to him, let alone me.
Of course, it’s better to keep your distance if you don’t want to cause any harm in the first place, but it’s hard to do that, so I’m going to pretend to be friendly with him.
“Isn’t it really weird?”
“Yeah, it’s really weird…”
Maud furrowed her brow and cocked her head.
“You know, I really don’t know what you’re thinking.”
I muttered ruefully and tilted my head back. The sky was so clear today, not a cloud in the sky, unlike the dark clouds inside me.
As I squinted against the sun, I remembered Thierry from yesterday. I had foolishly written the invitation and delivered it to the chamberlain, but why did he show up at dinner with it again?
Is he trying to humiliate me in a different way…? I can’t write an invitation properly?
Suddenly, the image of him fiddling with the invitation on the table flashed through my mind.
Now that I think about it, I might have laughed at him…?
It was ridiculous to think of Thierry from yesterday. He’s not a child, and he’s so insistent on getting the invitation first.
But at the same time, the emphasis on “first” made me think he was jealous. I wondered if he was genuinely interested in me…
Now that I think about it, I think I was being overly self-conscious.
Once I realized it, my face heated up with shame. I hung my head low and rubbed my forehead with my fingertips.
“Maybe we’ve been misunderstanding each other?”
“Huh?”
I snapped my head up at the out-of-nowhere comment. My eyes locked with Maud, who was giving me a quizzical look.
“I’m just saying, the more I watch, the more I think he’s not really being nice to you to take advantage of you.”
“What’s wrong with you all of a sudden… This is not the behavior of someone trying to be nice, you’re trying to embarrass me.”
“Well, I think that’s because we’re looking at it with preconceived notions…”
I was left speechless by Maud’s sincere attitude, as if she was trying to placate a reality denier. I was confused because I had been trying to convince myself that it was just my misunderstanding and self-consciousness.
It’s not just in my eyes, which means that everything Thierry does could be genuine. Does that mean he believes me to be Lari and treats me well, really?
I pursed my lips in thought. I chewed my lip, trying to calmly assess Thierry’s behavior so far.
Before I could linger on the thought, her words interrupted me.
“So, may I ask what you plan to do when you find him?”
“I’m going to clean up…”
Wait, isn’t this the kind of situation where there’s nothing to be gained by revealing whether it’s true or not…?
But I couldn’t think of anything negative to say. I could easily tell Maud who I was, but for some reason I couldn’t tell Thierry.
In a way, I felt that Thierry was the one I was closer to than Maud, but he kept giving me reasons why I shouldn’t reveal my identity. I bit my lip.
“I didn’t mean to reveal it was you right away, but I was just trying to get a different perspective on things… the things you asked for, by the way.”
She said lightly, as if switching modes at my increasingly serious mood. She casually changed the subject, which I was curious about, so I pushed Thierry into a corner and focused on her words.
“I have no way of knowing the day you died. It’s something only the Emperor knows.”
“In the end, is that the only way…”
I had expected to have a hard time finding witnesses, since there was no way anyone would be around the cottage, but the lack of even the slightest possibility was growing frustrating. There was no way in hell I was going to find out why I died and how I woke up in this body.
“Hmm. We’ll have to think about that, and I found the abandoned mine you mentioned.”
“Oh, really? Do you have any idea how much it’s worth?”
“Yep. It’s abandoned, so they’re giving it away for free. But you really want to buy this place?”
Maud shook her head in disbelief. I know I’m buying it because I know diamonds will be mined from the abandoned mine, but to someone who doesn’t know that, it looks like I’m just trying to throw money away.
“Trust me, I’ve got a good feeling about this, and I’m going to make you a fortune you’ll never have to work for!”
“Sure, what… I’ll be grateful.”
Even as she said it, she didn’t look like she believed it. With a wistful look in her eyes and only a faint smile on her face, Maud gave a single shoulder shrug as if she had no choice.
“I’ll buy it then.”
“Ah, but you can’t put my name on it, or it’ll be dangerous for you?”
“Yes. Mine would probably go straight to the Emperor’s ears. I’ll make a second name for it while I’m at it.”
“Then do me a favor. A gift from Ashtad, so I’ll see what it is, and if I can, I’ll get it for you.”
“A gift? Good timing. I’ll buy it for you, though, in case you can’t afford it right away. The land is so cheap that it won’t break the bank.”
“That’s it? That’s too good to be true?”
After staring at me with excitement, Maud turned away with a stern face.
“… Yes, it’s good for now.”
“I get it, but that’s a bit of a reaction!” I whispered under my breath.
“No, you mean it’s going to be really good?”
“Yeah, yeah…”
“What will you do if it works out?”
“I don’t know what I’ll do. If it works out, we’ll celebrate.”
“… That’s true, but you’re getting a little high, aren’t you?”
I tilted my head slightly and rolled my eyes, and Maud clamped her mouth shut as if she couldn’t take it anymore, then burst out laughing.
Haha, the sound of her refreshing laughter echoed through the forest. I’ve been careful to keep an eye on my surroundings, but if I laugh like that, I might get caught.
What is so funny that she’s stealing from me? I was about to say something to tell her to shut up, but before I realized it, a grin was tugging at the corners of my mouth.
Eventually, I buried my face in my hands as I scolded her in a hushed voice.
“Hey, stop laughing. Phew, you’re making me laugh.”
“You’re laughing more than I am, so you need to calm down.”
Her voice was full of laughter, and I pulled my hand away. I gave up and relaxed, laughing as if I couldn’t help it, even as my face contorted.
And we laughed for a long time, looking at each other like we were so happy to be together.
I hoped our days together would last for a long time.
“… Princess, wake up!”
I was so scared to hope for something like this.
“Princess!!!”
Why did I fall down? Why do I feel sick, like my insides are burning?
I stared blankly at the trajectory of the translucent jewel as it slipped from my grasp and rolled across the floor, then closed my eyes as if in a fading consciousness. It was dark.
