“…Mmm.”

Though I briefly regained consciousness, I kept my eyes closed and tried to go back to sleep.

I wasn’t tired, but my body felt strangely heavy.

Additionally, I couldn’t hear the faint bird sounds or footsteps in the corridor, so I assumed it was still the middle of the night.

Then suddenly, an unfamiliar scent lingered at the tip of my nose.

‘What’s this smell?’

It didn’t seem like the window had been opened.

As I tried to turn over, I felt something was definitely wrong.

‘My arms and legs feel heavier than usual.’

With that thought, I tried to curl up my body, but it wouldn’t move as I wanted.

‘What’s going on?’

This time, I realized the texture of the pillow and the feel of the blanket covering me were completely different.

‘…..!’

Only then did I sense that something was strange.

Just as I tried to gather my wits and sit up.

It felt as heavy as if a lead weight was pressing down on me.

What’s happening?

Once I recognized things were different from usual, my heart began to pound.

Though I wanted to get up, part of me also wanted to ignore this reality.

Could it be.

‘Let me check.’

I carefully opened my eyes.

“……”

It was as I expected.

I woke up in a completely different place from where I had fallen asleep.

Even so, why was it uncomfortable to move?

I applied strength to both arms and carefully raised my body.

“Mmm.”

Like someone who had been lying down for a long time, my body was extremely stiff and wouldn’t move as I wanted.

If I were a machine, I would have needed oiling.

After fiddling with my hands for a while and slowly rotating my arms, I gradually felt warmth returning to my body.

I slowly sat up and looked down at my hands.

I moved my white, long fingers, pulled at my hair, and touched my face.

“……”

The me from last night and the me now were completely different people.

“I’m back.”

The place where I opened my eyes was an artificial garden.

I couldn’t even think about leaving the bed. I was busy checking various parts of my returned body after removing the blanket.

Though slightly stiff, there were no functional problems. Now I understood why maids had taken turns looking after my body.

I felt both happy and strange, strange yet relieved.

“I’m Sienna Viper again.”

Despite this body holding no good memories, I breathed a sigh of relief.

‘So is everything finished now?’

Though my return was sudden, there must be a reason. It didn’t seem like a coincidence.

Immediately after, my thoughts turned to the situation at the Chadmon household.

‘Has Leonora woken up?’

Being in an enclosed indoor space, I couldn’t gauge the time. Was it dawn, early morning?

Or perhaps afternoon?

Had Father, Brother, and Sabine already met the real Leonora by now?

“Leonora must be quite confused about the current situation.”

I was a bit worried about her.

“She must have missed her father and brothers terribly.”

Imagining them welcoming each other made me feel relieved but also somewhat bitter.

“I’m glad I talked with Sabine last night.”

It was good to sincerely thank her and hear her story.

“Ah.”

…I wonder if Soniel is alright.

She and Leonora had never even met each other.

Though I believed she would handle it calmly knowing the circumstances, she would inevitably be bewildered at first.

These thoughts made my head feel a bit heavy.

“Without any warning like this.”

Well, it was also sudden when I first became Leonora Chadmon.

But unlike before, I wasn’t angry or completely dumbfounded by this situation.

I understood it couldn’t be helped, and I knew Ainberg had no other option.

“Yes, from today I’m Sienna Viper again.”

With a hollow laugh, I got out of bed.

Only then did I take in the full view of the artificial garden.

Though I seemed to be in the middle of a peaceful garden, it was so quiet it was a bit frightening.

“This is eerie.”

What should I do now?

I stepped onto the well-maintained path and walked straight ahead aimlessly.

If I followed this path, I would reach a door.

‘Beyond that door is the imperial palace.’

But I wasn’t sure if going outside now was the right thing to do.

I still didn’t know the exact situation at the palace, nor what had happened to Foil.

Suddenly my steps came to a halt.

“No, I shouldn’t go out now.”

I stepped back.

My appearance might unnecessarily complicate everything.

“I should wait for now.”

I turned around and went back the way I came.

Sitting blankly on the bed again, a face suddenly came to mind.

“I wonder if Ainberg knows I’m back.”

He might not have told me in advance because he needed to move secretly.

As I sat there blankly with such thoughts, the faint sound of footsteps began to approach from a distance.

‘Who could it be?’

Before I could see their face, my heart started racing.

I clenched my fists and pressed my lips together for no reason.

Coming here now meant they knew I had returned to Sienna’s body.

Could it be Ainberg?

Could he be coming to see me now?

My heart began to pound at the thought it might be Ainberg.

‘What expression should I have when I face him?’

It’s been so long since we met with me as Sienna, hasn’t it?

I was extremely tense as the footsteps grew closer.

“So you’ve returned.”

“……”

The person facing me was none other than Millean.

D*mn it.

My excitement deflated, and I nodded with an awkward smile.

“We meet again here.”

Millean bowed to me with slow but elegant movements.

His face was calmer than usual, and his posture was composed.

So it’s because I’m the Empress now, huh?

Seeing my expression, Millean raised the corners of his mouth brightly.

“You don’t seem happy to be back.”

I smiled only with my lips at Millean’s words.

“No, this is a moment I’ve always waited for.”

“Then you’re disappointed I came.”

“No, that’s not exactly it.”

When I scratched the tip of my chin with an awkward smile, he turned his head and cleared his throat.

“Does His Majesty know I’ve returned?”

“No.”

“You haven’t told him yet?”

When I narrowed my brow sharply, Millean spoke indifferently as if it wasn’t a big issue.

“I thought you’d like to surprise him.”

I shook my head slowly and muttered.

“I envy how relaxed you are in any situation. Is it your personality?”

He just smiled without saying anything.

Just then, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

“I’ve been curious about something all this time. Now that there’s nothing to hide, will you answer honestly?”

“Sure.”

“Broin Iris, who worked in the imperial archives, you know him?”

I thought he would be surprised when I mentioned this name, but Millean just nodded once.

He was the one who made me realize Millean was lying to me. Of course, he disappeared overnight.

I occasionally wondered about his wellbeing.

Watching Millean’s expression, I asked again.

“I heard he went to work in his hometown for personal reasons, but I didn’t believe it. Is that a lie?”

“Yes, it’s a lie.”

How can he answer so brazenly that he lied?

I took a deep breath and calmly asked again.

“Then where is he now?”

“He is in his hometown, that’s true. Not for personal reasons, but because His Majesty sent him away.”

“Then can’t he come back now?”

I always felt bad knowing he was demoted because of me. At that time, there was nothing I could do, but now it’s different.

Millean gave a dry smile and said to me.

“Why don’t you ask His Majesty?”

Even if Iris returned, I couldn’t thank him directly.

Still, it seemed I could lighten my burden a little.

“Let’s go now.”

“Go where?”

“His Majesty is waiting.”

I hesitated at the words that Ainberg was waiting.

Though I wanted to face him with my returned body as soon as possible, I still had questions.

“Is it alright to leave like this?”

When I asked, Millean shrugged.

“Yes.”

“…You mean it’s fine if other people see me?”

“It doesn’t matter. As long as you don’t tell people you’ve been living as Leonora.”

Does that mean everything has been resolved?

“What happened to Lord Viper?”

Then Millean spoke again.

“Do you have something you want to say to that man?”