Episode 63

 

“How?”

As I asked how she knew, Rosalind dragged me up the stairs.

Of course, she didn’t answer.

Rosalind led me into the second room on the top floor.

Even though I had visited her shop and personal space many times, I had never been in this room before.

As soon as she opened the door, a strange smell filled the air.

There were piles of parchment stacked high, dozens of books, a table in the center, and a cauldron containing something unknown.

The air was thick with dust, as if the room hadn’t been cleaned in a long time.

Breathing in the dust made me cough.

“Cough… cough…”

Rosalind clicked her tongue in annoyance and crossed the room to open a small window, about a handspan wide.

As the light streamed in, the cluttered room and floating dust became even more visible.

She moved busily.

After roughly pushing some things aside on the table, she began placing various items on it.

Mysterious liquids, glittering minerals, glass jars containing the severed tail of some unknown creature…

“Put that up here too.”

Up until then, I had been clutching the leather of the dark beast to my chest.

I took it out and handed it to Rosalind.

As she examined the front and back of the leather, her expression changed.

She tilted her head and inspected the leather carefully.

“Where on earth did you get something like this?”

“I tore it off in the Duke’s mansion.”

“Hah.”

Rosalind let out a dry laugh, as if she couldn’t believe it.

Come to think of it, they did say that the room was built using the leather of a dark beast imbued with magic.

Could it be that the leather used in the magic couldn’t be reused?

“Is it unusable?”

“No, quite the opposite. You’re lucky. You won’t need a mana stone.”

“Ah, a mana stone.”

“Did you forget?”

I suddenly remembered that a mana stone was one of the required materials.

I had nearly put myself in a situation where I’d have to return to the Duke’s mansion.

Rosalind looked at me and scolded, “You’re young, but where have you left your mind?”

After laying out the materials on the table, Rosalind picked up a dagger that had been in the corner.

She set the blade upright and began scraping the leather.

It seemed like she was engraving something into it.

A while later, the leather was covered with white scratches.

Then she placed the leather into the cauldron.

She poured in minerals, finely chopped plant roots, the liquid from a glass jar, and the severed tail as well.

“It’s done.”

She meant that everything was ready.

I peered into the cauldron.

“You’ve read the book, so you know there are some precautions. I’ll skip the side effects since you’re probably well aware.”

I listened to Rosalind’s words with a bitter smile.

“It varies depending on the person and the situation… although the physical body is created in an instant, it takes about a week to ten days for your soul to fully transfer from one body to the other. During that time, you must avoid any external influences to ensure success.”

“What if it fails?”

“Some of your senses or a part of your body might collapse.”

Rosalind spoke of these terrifying possibilities as if they were nothing.

She handed me the cauldron.

“I’ll prepare a room for you. Stay there during the process.”

I wondered why she was being so kind today.

She hadn’t even mentioned money once, which was unusual.

Swallowing nervously, I spoke up.

“Rosalind, this might be dangerous for you. The truth is, I…”

“You ran away? I can tell just by looking at you.”

Rosalind’s gaze quickly swept over me from head to toe.

I could feel her eyes linger on my blood-stained hands, so I hid them behind my back.

“I don’t have anything to give you. Just this…”

Since I had left with barely anything, I didn’t have much on me. All I had were the jeweled clips on my shoes and the jeweled brooch on the center of my dress.

I could sell the dress I was wearing, but the hem was torn. Not only would it be difficult to get a good price for it, but it was also made by the seamstress at the Duke’s estate, making it easily identifiable.

I removed the brooch and handed it to Rosalind.

Her eyes briefly flicked over the clips on my shoes and the brooch. Then, as if it didn’t matter much to her, she turned her head away.

“I’ve already taken plenty. Besides, I’ve been charging you higher prices than other customers.”

“What?”

“Oh, you didn’t know? You really need to be more careful. You’re an easy target for getting scammed.”

I had no idea.

My mouth dropped open in shock.

Rosalind took the brooch from my hand without changing her expression.

“Give me the clips too. I’ll exchange them for other jewels. The ones you have are too valuable, and they’ll be hard to resell, so I’ll take care of that for you.”

I obediently removed the clips from my shoes and handed them to her.

Rosalind frowned as she looked at me.

“Even after hearing that, you still trust me? You’re too naive… But don’t worry, I won’t rip you off this time.”

Rosalind pulled up a floorboard and retrieved a box from underneath. She filled a pouch with gold coins and some outdated jeweled decorations and handed it to me.

“This should be enough for you to claim they’re your grandmother’s heirlooms.”

“How will you deal with those, Rosalind?”

I looked inside the pouch of jewels and then gestured toward the brooch and clips I had given her.

If these items were too difficult for me to handle after changing bodies, it would be the same for Rosalind.

She flashed me a sly smile.

“I’m planning to sell them abroad. Once I finish your business, I’m leaving too.”

“Surely… it’s not because of me, is it?”

“No way.”

Rosalind let out a dry laugh.

“Arteus has returned to the capital. Since he’s a mage, it was easy to find out. It seems like he’s trying to find me, but he’s sharper than he looks, so if I stay here, there’s a risk of being caught. Besides, the building’s owner seems to be eyeing my business, so I decided to get out while I can.”

Rosalind was such an odd person.

I could vividly recall how she hysterically yelled at me, worried that her business would fail because of karmic consequences when we first met.

And now she was easily letting go of that same business because of Arteus?

It was surprising, yet it also showed how much she cared for Arteus.

“So, you understand how busy you are now, right? If you’ve got it, hurry inside and get started!”

Rosalind shoved a piece of chalk into my hand and barked the order.

I was practically pushed into the guest room, and the door slammed shut right in front of me as I turned around.

The unfamiliar room was small and narrow.

It was only three steps from the door to the bed—a stark contrast to the place I had been staying before.

I sat down heavily on the bed and thought about what had happened yesterday and today.

‘You’ll regret it. Someday, for sure.’

It felt like someone was whispering those words in my ear.

I tightened my grip on the chalk.

I couldn’t know what the distant future held.

Maybe I would regret this, maybe I wouldn’t.

But at least for today and tomorrow, I didn’t think I would.

With the chalk in hand, I drew a circle on the wooden floor, where there was no carpet.

Carefully, I filled in the circle with intricate patterns.

* * *

The setting sun’s rays streamed through the half-open window, casting a warm glow in the room.

The red light illuminated a cold profile.

The damp soles of the shoes left marks on the floor as they passed.

Quick, impatient steps dotted the ground.

In an instant, he reached the end of the room and stood in front of the crowded bookshelf.

Slowly, he grasped the now-revealed doorknob and turned it.

The lock clicked open with a heavy metallic sound.

Igon knew that Evelyn had already escaped before he came here, so he didn’t expect to find anyone when he opened the door.

Yet, despite this, he opened the door with a faint, unreasonable hope that he might hear some sign of life, some voice.

As expected, the room was empty.

Igon let out a small laugh.

He rubbed his forehead.

His eyes, which had been closed tightly, opened as he scanned the room with his bright gaze.

The bed was rumpled as if someone had been sitting on it.

On the floor were scattered pieces of torn wallpaper and books, which appeared to be the journals of the former Duke.

Though there was no one there, the room was full of traces left by the person who had stayed.

‘Swish.’

Igon gently touched the wall where the wallpaper had been torn away, revealing the layers beneath.

Seeing the bloodstains on the wallpaper, he could guess just how desperate she must have been.

Some of the dark beast leather that had been layered on the wall was also torn off.

Whatever Evelyn might have thought, merely tearing away that small amount wouldn’t break the room’s magic.

The spell, which could perfectly deceive others’ eyes, remained intact.

So it wasn’t that Evelyn had torn off the leather and broken the magic to escape the room.

Should he be glad that she was able to see the door again, or sad that she opened it and fled?

Igon was caught in the contradiction of these conflicting emotions and lowered his head.

He quietly muttered to himself as he noticed the bloodstains on the carpet that had darkened with time.

“Her hands must be in terrible shape.”

To his surprise, he felt more concerned than anything else.

If she had been by his side, he would have called for a physician, applied ointment, and wrapped her hands in bandages.

But since she had run away, he couldn’t do any of that.

Igon inwardly regretted this.

Why did she tear it off?

It wasn’t simply a matter of trying to escape.

If she had intended to break the room’s magic, the torn leather should have been left on the floor, like the wallpaper.

The size of the torn piece indicated that she had a specific purpose.

She had taken what she needed and disappeared.

His sharp eyes glinted coldly.

After standing there for a long time, Igon began picking up the books that had fallen on the floor.

He put them back in their proper places.

The Duchess’s journal gave him some insight into what Evelyn might have misunderstood before she left.

Evelyn probably thought he had used her.

She must have felt completely betrayed.

It made sense that her thoughts would go in that direction after hearing such things.

Moreover, he had left her locked in the room without any explanation.

Thinking of Evelyn, a bitter laugh escaped him like a sigh.

His mouth tasted sour.

Holding his mother’s journal in his hand, Igon sat down in a chair.

It felt as if someone had deliberately set up this situation.

The items that had once been perfectly arranged now glowed with the light of Evelyn’s despair.

The page that naturally fell open when the journal was pressed flat described, in surprising detail, a gift the Emperor had sent to his biological sister—a sister he probably didn’t even remember.

That part of the journal had a strange sense of excitement, different from the other pages.

It was a sentiment only her true son could feel.

As a result, this journal was his mother’s most intimate secret.

The reason he had left it here, rather than burning it, wasn’t for revenge but to reflect on himself through his mother’s experiences.

To avoid getting too deeply involved with another person.

He had tried, but he had failed.

This was a curse passed down through blood.

Just look at how he had dressed Evelyn in a gown of the same color as the one mentioned in the journal and sent her with the brooch.

It was indeed intended to provoke the Empress.

But it held the exact opposite meaning of what Evelyn might have suspected.

Tap, tap.

Igon tapped the armrest of the chair before putting the journal back in its place and leaving the room.