“Ahhhhh!”
I screamed at the top of my lungs and scrambled to the edge of the bed.
“What is this?!”
Ghosts appearing in broad daylight? That’s unheard of!
—Oh my.
As I huddled at the edge of the bed in shock, the ghost let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a sigh, covering her mouth elegantly.
This is insane, completely insane.
Was that ghost pitying me just now?
Shaking uncontrollably, I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them again.
No matter how many times I blinked, the woman remained seated, staring at me intently.
“Hah… haaaa….”
Curling up into a ball, I trembled like a leaf in the wind.
I felt like I was about to lose my mind.
As if the strange unease I’d felt all day wasn’t enough, now I was face-to-face with a ghost?
Something was seriously, fundamentally wrong.
I don’t know how much time passed, but eventually, the woman sitting at the edge of the bed burst out laughing as if she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
—A ghost, really? I thought you might not recognize me, but this is a bit much, don’t you think?
“Huh…?”
The ghost is laughing?
I cautiously lifted my head from where it was buried between my knees and looked at the woman.
My gaze wavered as I scanned her carefully, and that’s when I noticed something odd.
Aren’t ghosts usually dressed in white robes, bleeding, or at least looking grotesque?
At the very least, they’re usually Korean, right?
But the woman in front of me…
“Hmm…?”
She was far too foreign.
Her pale, delicate face was framed by waist-length ash-gray hair, and her transparent teal eyes were striking. She was wearing a flowing dress that looked straight out of medieval Europe.
“…A dress?”
Yes, that’s what was most peculiar.
A foreign ghost who appeared out of nowhere, speaking fluent Korean? That didn’t make any sense.
As my expression turned puzzled, the woman covered her mouth and giggled as if finding my reaction amusing.
She was, honestly, prettier than most people I’d ever seen—ghost or not.
—Even so, running away screaming is a bit much, don’t you think? I’m hurt.
Hurt…?
After laughing for a while, she raised her head and looked at me with a teasing smile.
—Do you really not know who I am?
It was strange.
I’d never even been to Incheon Airport, let alone overseas. How could I possibly know a foreigner dressed like this?
Yet, for some reason, she felt familiar—not her, but her face.
I stared at her for a long time before a thought flashed through my mind, making my eyes widen.
“Teal eyes.”
That’s right. This morning, when I looked in the mirror, I’d thought my eyes should’ve been teal.
The woman in front of me had strikingly clear, teal-colored eyes.
“What is this? I feel like I’m missing something really important….”
As I stared at her, unable to speak, confusion written all over my face, she raised her eyebrows and sighed as if giving up.
—Hmm, I suppose it can’t be helped.
Muttering under her breath, she began approaching me.
“Ah, ahhh! D-don’t come closer!”
The fear I’d barely managed to suppress flared up again as her figure loomed nearer.
I waved my hands wildly in the air, terrified, when suddenly—
Tap.
“Tap…?”
She reached out and touched my outstretched hand.
A ghost… touched me.
But before I could even process the shock, a flood of memories came crashing into me, leaving me frozen in place.
At last, I understood who the woman in front of me was.
“El… Eloise?”
—Yes, it’s me. Eloise.
The woman—no, Eloise—smiled brightly as she met my gaze.
—You remember now.
Unlike her, I was overwhelmed with confusion for entirely different reasons.
“How are you… No, how am I here…?”
This was my “original” world.
How had I returned to my original self?
And why was Eloise here, seemingly in spirit form?
Memories I’d forgotten came rushing back all at once, leaving my head spinning.
The sudden car accident.
The moment I felt my life slipping away.
The Cloud Marquisate.
Duke Roger.
The kidnapping.
And then—
“…Ian.”
Ian had come to save me.
As I recalled his face, blurred in my fading consciousness, my heart sank like a stone.
“Was that really the last time?”
It felt as if my thoughts had stalled, and the world was spinning in slow motion.
“Was that the end…?”
“Did I really return here without even saying goodbye? How? By what means?
Did Eloise’s body—no, my body in that world—die again?
Then who is this Eloise in front of me?”
“This, this doesn’t make any sense….”
This can’t be happening.
“Not like this….”
—Are you okay? Wait, breathe. Calm down.
As I clutched my head in confusion, Eloise, seemingly startled as well, gently touched my arm.
Startled, I recoiled and looked at her.
“What happened? Why am I here? Did you summon me?”
—…I’m really sorry. I’ll explain everything.
With a face filled with regret and guilt, she pressed her lips together before speaking in a small voice.
—You might not know this, but… I forcibly swapped your body with mine. To be exact, I didn’t realize there’d be someone whose body I’d swap with when I crossed into this world.
Eloise took a short breath as she explained the spell that had caused our bodies to switch.
—Whatever the circumstances at the start, it’s true that I ran away because I didn’t want to face the reality that someone was suffering because of me. I have no excuse.
“……”
—I’m truly sorry. I’ll understand if you never forgive me.
Eloise clenched her small hands into fists.
It seems the image I had of Eloise running away in my body wasn’t just a hallucination.
—I knew how confused and tormented you must have been in that world, taking my place, and yet I was too focused on escaping on my own.
Her gaze fell to the floor.
—But I finally mustered the courage to face reality. I thought it was only right to apologize, even if it’s late, and return your life to you. That’s why I summoned you.
She mumbled with her eyes lowered, biting her lip slightly. Her voice trembled faintly as if holding back tears.
—I’m sorry for taking your life without meaning to. Truly. I always knew I had to take responsibility for my own life, but I just couldn’t find the courage. Now, at least, I’m trying to set things right….
As she raised her gaze to meet mine, Eloise suddenly froze, her words faltering.
—W-Wait, are you crying?
Her stammering words made me realize that I was, in fact, crying.
“…Ah.”
The blurry vision—it was because of my tears.
Eloise seemed even more flustered than before, clearly not expecting me to break into tears. She hesitated, fumbling as if unsure whether to help wipe my tears or keep her distance.
—Oh no, what do I do? I’m really sorry. I know I was selfish. I know I stole your life.
I stared at her blankly before my lips parted, barely forming faint words.
“…Give it back.”
She froze and looked at me.
Through the haze of my tears, I couldn’t clearly make out her expression, but I could feel her overwhelming guilt and regret.
“Give it… back.”
—Yes, that’s why I summoned you. It might sound like an excuse, but I promise I didn’t do anything strange with your body. Truly. I just….
“Send me back.”
—…Let me explain—what?
“Send me back. I need to see Ian.”
At last, the dam broke, and my sobs came pouring out uncontrollably.
Grabbing Eloise’s stiff dress hem, I shook with suppressed cries.
No. This wasn’t the way I wanted to return.
“Please, Eloise. Send me back. I’m begging you.”
—……
“I need to see him….”
I wanted to see Ian.
• • •
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