Episode 66

Kenneth looked at me and smiled.

From the subtle expression he showed, it seemed he was bitterly aware that he had ultimately gained nothing. However, I knew that he was much more magnanimous than he appeared.

It didn’t seem like he would outright reject my request without hearing me out.

“Alright.”

He rummaged through his pockets.

As he took out a cigar case from his inner pocket, his gaze remained fixed on me, and the corners of his lips gently curled upward.

“What is this request?”

“Are you considering granting it?”

“If it’s something feasible, perhaps one.”

He murmured as he lit his cigar.

“But it’s not because I feel I owe you anything.”

“Then why?”

“That day, it wasn’t just me who saved you. You saved me as well.”

That day must have been the hunting festival.

As I retraced the memory I had tried to bury because it was so horrifying and repulsive, I vaguely remembered wielding a dagger for his sake.

“As a beast who understands gratitude, it’s only right that I repay you.”

“I didn’t expect you to remember and dwell on such things.”

Kenneth was the Crown Prince.

It was surprising that someone from the upper echelons, accustomed to being protected, would consider that day something to be repaid as a debt of gratitude.

‘Does he have feelings for me?’

Does he remember that day so specially because he likes me?

That slightly arrogant thought quickly flashed through my mind.

No, that wasn’t important right now.

I shook my head.

I raised my finger and pointed at the decoration attached to the hilt of his sword.

“Please return that knot to me.”

Kenneth raised one eyebrow briefly before it returned to its place.

Without hesitation, he untied the knot and handed it back to me, asking,

“Is that all?”

“No.”

I shook my head from side to side, looking down at the knot in my hand.

The day I made this knot suddenly came to mind.

It wasn’t that long ago, yet visiting the imperial palace felt like a distant memory.

“If, in the future, a young girl holding this knot comes to find you, please help her. Although it’s unlikely, if she does come, it will be because she has a reason. Ask her what she needs, and give it to her. She’s a child who knows her place, so she won’t ask for anything excessive.”

“And who is this child to you?”

Who, you ask?

It’s me.

The urge to say that the girl was me suddenly surged within me.

However, I still didn’t fully understand the fate of my new body.

On top of that, I didn’t want to burden myself with the consequences of revealing too much.

“I can’t tell you in detail. Just think of her as… my family.”

“Is that what your big request is? For someone else?”

He let out a small, incredulous laugh, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“My Lady, live selfishly.”

Kenneth advised me.

I shook my head.

He wouldn’t know it, but I had already been selfish enough.

“No, this is for me.”

Though I couldn’t explain it in detail, I said that much.

Kenneth nodded as if to say he understood.

“Fine. I’ll grant your request.”

“Thank you.”

I bowed my head in gratitude.

Kenneth exhaled a puff of smoke and tilted his head.

“So, what do you plan to do after this?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ve left the Duke’s residence, and you won’t rely on me. What’s your plan going forward?”

A plan…

I had vaguely thought of changing my body and living in hiding somewhere, but I didn’t have anything concrete.

I had postponed all my plans until I understood the fate of this new body.

“It seems the Duke is searching for you. I assume you don’t plan to stay in the capital.”

“…I plan to leave. Though, it’s not fully decided yet.”

“If you drag your feet, you’ll get caught again.”

Kenneth warned me.

He was right.

If I stayed in the capital, Igon would eventually find me.

For now, I had Rosalind to thank for keeping me hidden.

Rosalind had cast a spell over this entire building.

I hadn’t realized it at first, but when I asked why Igon still hadn’t found me, she explained that she had cast a spell to block tracking.

Rosalind had a peculiar habit of acting nonchalant about things she could easily boast about.

She mentioned that this wasn’t an especially advanced spell and that she could remove it at any time, but it seemed to be working well enough.

The fact that Igon still hadn’t found me proved that.

Thanks to Rosalind, I had been safe so far.

But if my soul couldn’t settle into a new body…

If Rosalind, tired of waiting for me, left before I was ready, I couldn’t guarantee my safety after that.

“I think I’ll embark on a long journey.”

That was all I could say.

I couldn’t tell him everything.

“If you ever face difficulty, don’t hesitate to contact me.”

“Didn’t you say you’d only grant me one favor?”

“That was my intention, but as a life-saver of mine, wouldn’t it be too cold-hearted of me?”

I stared into his eyes between his softly curved eyelids.

I could sense his fondness for me there.

“Even though I’ve refused all of your requests?”

“As the father of the people, I must be magnanimous.”

Looking into Kenneth’s eyes, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

After we finished discussing the favor, Kenneth soon left.

“Has he gone?”

As I was tidying up, Rosalind approached and asked. Her hair was damp, probably from having just finished her bath while Kenneth and I were talking.

“Yes.”

“Royals are such uncomfortable beings. They give off unnecessary pressure,” Rosalind muttered as she plopped down in the spot where Kenneth had been sitting moments before.

“Do you feel that way too, Rosalind?”

I found it surprising that she felt intimidated. Given her age and usual demeanor, she seemed like someone who wouldn’t be affected by such things.

“Unfortunately, I’m human too,” she murmured as she opened a small window.

A cold breeze rushed in, carrying out the lingering cigar smoke. The air past midnight was not just chilly—it was freezing. Winter was definitely on its way.

“It seems we need to change our approach.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your soul isn’t attaching to the new body.”

Because of attachments.

Rosalind pointed it out bluntly.

“Let’s move to another room and practice soul transfer alone.”

“Do you think it will work?”

“Or are you planning to just sit here and wait?”

Rosalind furrowed her brow as if she found the situation frustrating.

“If you keep dragging this out, you’ll die as fate originally intended. If you die while in this body, your soul will perish along with it, making it impossible to transfer.”

Though her words expressed frustration, Rosalind’s tone remained calm, almost detached. Her straightforwardness, though cold, had a way of stirring something within me, awakening the anxiety buried deep down.

“Is that what you want?”

At her question, I shook my head.

I quickly moved the constructed body to another room. Rosalind didn’t help; she just watched as I worked, then patted my shoulder lightly and told me to keep trying before heading off to her room.

Feeling drowsy, I too prepared for bed.

I washed as usual, changed into my nightclothes, and lay down on the bed. It felt strange to be lying there alone after having two bodies in the room. Both were me, but now that the warmth of one was gone, sleep didn’t come easily.

I tossed and turned until I finally closed my eyes.

And then, for the first time in a long while, I dreamed.

I hadn’t had any dreams recently, so perhaps meeting Kenneth today had worn me out.

I knew it was a dream because I saw Igon.

Through my hazy vision, I could see him standing beneath the window.

I blinked slowly, trying to get a clearer view, but my vision remained narrow and blurred.

Even though I couldn’t see him clearly, I knew it was Igon. His hair, shimmering as if it were made from the pale light of the blue moon, swayed in the air.

Someone I couldn’t see in reality appeared before me now.

At first, I was shocked, not realizing it was a dream. Even after I understood it was, I remained startled.

I had left that house because I no longer trusted him, yet my subconscious mind kept returning there.

“Eve.”

His gentle voice was so close, it felt as if he was standing right next to me.

Oh my.

Seeing him in my dream broke down the dam I had built in my heart, and a flood of longing surged through.

The barrier I had erected with resentment was useless.

Even though I knew it was a dream, I whispered his name softly.

“Igon, Igon.”

“Eve.”

Hearing his voice again after so long brought tears to my eyes.

Though we had been apart for longer periods before, this felt different.

For some reason, it felt even more distant than back then.

Was it because it was a dream?

“Why are you crying?”

His question didn’t seem like he was expecting an answer.

His figure, already blurry in my foggy vision, grew more indistinct.

“I missed you.”

I said aloud, feeling as if I was raising my voice.

It felt like I was actually speaking in real life too, probably muttering in my sleep.

Igon approached me slowly.

He pressed his forehead against mine.

“Then come back.”

His soft, silken voice lured me with sweet temptation.

Hearing the words I had longed to hear made me sigh.

If I had heard this in reality, I would have crumbled.

Was this the attachment Rosalind spoke of?

“Come back, Eve.”

At his repeated plea, I firmly shook my head.

The reason I came here wasn’t just because I hated him.

It wasn’t merely because he used me.

I needed to understand that.

Igon was not my salvation.

When I considered him my savior, when I closed my eyes and left all the solutions to him, I was miserable.

I was depressed.

Believing I could do nothing on my own made me feel powerless.

“I won’t go back.”

Not like this. I would never return.

He said something in response.

What is he saying?

I strained to listen, but his voice grew more indistinct.

As I heard his low murmur, I slipped back into the depths of sleep.

The dream faded into darkness.

I awoke to the sound of birds chirping.

Sunlight sparkled at the window, and I breathed in the stale air of the room.

I slowly gathered strength in my arms and lifted my upper body.

The sensation of my body reconnecting, as if I were gluing myself back together, came over me.

I ran my fingers through the white-silver hair cascading down to my chest.

It wasn’t Evelyn’s body.

I twirled a strand of hair around my finger, watching as it slipped gently through.

Even though it wasn’t Evelyn’s body, I could move with delicate precision.

The sensations I felt in this body were sharper than on any other day.

Though it still wasn’t the same as when I was in Evelyn’s body, I knew now that I wasn’t far off from reaching my goal.