With unbelievable things happening one after another, she felt herself growing increasingly faint. A ringing filled her ears, and the noise around her seemed to recede. While ‘she’ drew near and then passed by and disappeared into the distance, it was as though time itself stopped and not a single sound reached her.

Hailey kept a soundless cry buried in her chest. No one would believe her, but she wanted to shout that the woman over there was her. Not the one standing here in a daze with tears on her face, but the one smiling so brightly over there, that was her, she wanted to scream with everything she had. But sadly, she had no strength left even for that.

“Hah.”

It was hollow and agonizing enough to make her forget to breathe for a moment. She even had the sensation of her chest being torn apart. A hollow laugh broke out of her before the procession even ended.

Now I understand.

“You’re insane, Marianne. You went into my body? You switched bodies with me?!”

Did I normally make an expression like that? Even so, I don’t think I ever looked at people with such contempt. And besides…

‘I never took part in the closing ceremony of the festival.’

‘Fake Hailey’ was doing something Hailey had no memory of, as though the past itself changed. As reality came back to her, the tears that poured out gradually stopped. Her eyes were still wet, but the grief faded and anger rose in its place.

“……”

Just a moment ago, their eyes met, and she muttered something in Hailey’s direction. Her lips moved only slightly, but Hailey saw it clearly.

Hailey Hersen is me… now.

“…!”

Something was very wrong.

‘What are you scheming, Marianne?’

***

“No. This doesn’t make sense.”

Late at night, Hailey sought out a familiar place. It was the ‘Blue Garden’ at the far western edge of the royal palace. The garden was royal property but open to everyone, and perhaps because it felt less ornate than the other gardens, few people came here.

Because of that, Hailey often stopped by to spend quiet, unhurried time. On nights like this, when she had things to think through, she would lie in the garden’s greenhouse and gaze up at the night sky.

‘Something isn’t right.’

She thought and thought, but something didn’t add up. Marianne married earlier than her, and she often heard news that Marianne was living well, even having a child with the count’s family.

‘That means the relationship between Damon and Marianne ended before long.’

And no matter how she thought about it, a soul swap was a kind of magic she never heard of. The most logical assumption was that something happened when she turned back time, but figuring out the cause herself was still beyond her reach.

Going to Ryan at the Ministry of Magic to ask him would be impossible right now too.

‘I’m your twin, do you recognize me?’

She would never get to say those words before Ryan started avoiding her. He always had an intense dislike for Marianne. No matter how she thought about it, getting an audience with the goddess was the only option for now. Frustrated, Hailey let out a deep sigh and turned the compass over in her hands.

To think this one object is all I have to rely on.

“Who’s there?”

Just then, a man’s voice came from a distance.

The Blue Garden was so rarely visited that she came here on purpose, so why was there a voice?

On top of that, she planned to spend the night here, and she already spread out her bedding inside the greenhouse and was lying down.

“Wh, who’s there?”

She startled and jumped to her feet, smoothing her tangled hair.

“That’s what I’d like to ask. What are you doing here at this hour?”

The silhouette drawing closer was quite familiar. His voice was not unfamiliar either.

That voice is surely…

“Your Highness?”

It was Crown Prince Ephnic, first in the line of succession of the Kingdom of Onyx.

***

The Kingdom of Onyx, founded by Shue, the goddess of time. The royals of this kingdom were called ‘of divine blood’ and each possessed special abilities alongside divine power. Shue’s grandson, Crown Prince Ephnic, was also of divine blood. What ability he possessed had yet to be revealed.

Unlike a few hours ago when he wore his formal attire, he seemed to have changed into comfortable clothes, with his hair let down in a relaxed state. She scrambled to rise and offer a greeting, but he already walked right up to her and glanced over her and her surroundings. She barely managed to lift her skirt and greet him without letting her surprise show, but…

“The greenhouse must have been quite warm. Dozing off for a bit makes sense.”

Even knowing she spread out bedding with the full intention of sleeping there, Ephnic spoke to her in a stiff, teasing tone. His expression didn’t change much, but it wasn’t hard to tell he was joking. Hailey served as a lady-in-waiting to the princess from a young age, so she saw him, the Crown Prince, from time to time.

“I came to the garden because I felt a little stifled, Your Highness. It’s as lovely as ever.”

She slipped in a compliment on purpose, and Ephnic nodded and looked around the garden once.

“Is that so? Well, it is a place I treasure.”

He finished speaking briefly and then looked at Hailey again in silence for a long while.

Did I misspeak? I shouldn’t have said ‘as ever.’

But she played ignorant and met his gaze with eyes that asked ‘Is there something you need?’ Eventually, Ephnic was the first to speak.

“Have you forgotten your name?”

“Oh.”

Oh no.

She was so used to being on easy terms with Crown Prince Ephnic that she completely forgot she needed to introduce herself.

“I’m Hers…”

“Hers? Hersen?”

My mouth! What on earth am I rambling?!

“No. Schr… ant, formerly of Count Schrant’s family… no, I mean… Marianne… that’s my name.”

Forgetting to introduce herself was one problem, but introducing herself by this name left a bad taste in her mouth.

“I see, Marianne. I’d prefer if you avoided this place.”

Oh no, please… today has been far too cruel to me.

Hailey’s eyes squeezed shut before she could stop them.

“As I said, it’s a place I treasure greatly. The eastern part of the Blue Garden isn’t restricted, so why not go there instead?”

“Your Highness… I was under the impression this area isn’t restricted either, and also, you and I…”

She nearly said ‘used to play here all the time,’ but caught herself and pressed her lips together.

His piercing blue eyes held a look of puzzlement.

Get a grip. I am Marianne, a fallen noble turned commoner. I’m Marianne.

“No. I’m sorry. I’ll be on my way.”

She lowered her head gently and bid him farewell.

‘So the reason so few people came to this garden was because Your Highness personally kept people away. And yet Hailey and Crown Prince Ephnic used to spend time here together…’

She stepped back, and the quiet thought that he was always warm toward her brought a wave of sorrow creeping in.

What if I can’t go back to being Hailey… do I have to live like this forever?

“Wait.”

Just as she gathered her things to leave in low spirits, Ephnic called out to her without warning.

“Yes?”

She turned around with a faint hope, wondering what it was.

“Pardon me.”

“Wha?!”

Something entirely unexpected followed. The Compass she held was now sitting in the palm of Ephnic’s hand. It was connected to a golden cord, and he seemed to have snatched it right off.

Hailey was baffled. She was the one who lost the compass, so why was he the one looking more startled, glancing back and forth between her face and the compass?

“Why are you doing this? That’s my belonging. Please give it back.”

“It has the royal crest on it.”

“That’s because it was bestowed by the royal family.”

Whether his height was simply that tall or Marianne was simply that short, she couldn’t reach his hand no matter how she stretched. Because of that, she ended up jumping several times right in front of his face, straining and struggling.

But Ephnic only looked down at her in silence and showed no sign of returning the compass at all. It was bestowed to the Hersen family by the royal family, and her mother passed it down to Hailey, so there was no reason he would know what the compass was. For her, it was the one and only object that could confirm she was ‘Hailey,’ so she couldn’t let it go carelessly.

“Please give it back.”

“This doesn’t belong to you, does it?”

“It is mine! Give it back now.”

“I don’t think so. Wasn’t this a royal gift bestowed to the Hersen ducal family?”

…Crown Prince Ephnic knows about this Compass?

***

Crown Prince Ephnic of the Kingdom of Onyx, who always wore his formal attire and spoke in a cold manner, yet showed many different sides of himself to Hailey alone, having been with her since childhood.

‘Why would someone so dazzlingly handsome and full of mischief do something like this.’

This was the first time in her life she resented him the way she did today.

“You just take it like that? You’ll find the owner? I am the owner!”

Ephnic said ‘I know the owner very well so I’ll deliver it personally, don’t worry about being suspected of theft,’ and then strode away with the compass, suspicion written all over his face.

You’re not suspicious? Don’t worry? You’re saying words you don’t mean.