Chapter 53. Once Again

‘It’s dark.’

She couldn’t see or hear anything. There was no sensation at her fingertips either. It felt like she had become a speck of dust floating in the air, simply moving with the flow.

‘I hate the darkness.’

Her mind couldn’t form deep thoughts, as if she had returned to a primordial state. She felt exactly like a small child. Iella was engulfed in fear.

‘I’m scared.’

It felt like she would be swallowed by the darkness. She was terrified of that. Every day since that day……

‘That day?’

Suddenly, her thoughts, which had been flowing like water following the stream of consciousness, broke off. Filled with doubt, Iella slowly opened her eyes. Through her still dim vision, she could see something. It wasn’t clear yet, but it looked like a door.

“……Save… me.”

Iella moved toward the door, crawling. Unlike usual, the door seemed endlessly tall, and as she approached, it looked even bigger. When she tilted her head back fully, something fluttered, brushed against her arm, and fell.

“Help me.”

The moment those words left her mouth, reality flooded over her like a tidal wave. Extreme anxiety, fear, terror, desperation…. Tears flowed endlessly down her cheeks without her realizing it. Iella’s small hands struck the door.

“Sob, ah, —.”

She didn’t know what she was saying. Crying, breathless gasps, and desperately calling someone’s name. That was all she knew.

But she couldn’t tell what that name was or who it belonged to. That part was completely blacked out, as if painted over, and nothing came to mind.

‘Who am I looking for? Who am I calling so desperately?’

Just as she was being consumed by these questions, the firmly closed door rattled loudly and then swung wide open. Bright light poured in, pushing back the darkness.

In the center stood a person with their back to the light.

‘Ah……’

Only then did it dawn on her like a revelation. Yes, it was you. Her hand reached out to him. He also approached her. But before the two could touch, Iella’s eyes snapped open.

“……”

Her outstretched hand pointing toward the log ceiling entered her vision. Bird chirping could be heard from outside the window. After keeping her gaze fixed for a while, she brought her hand back down, and Iella easily recognized it. No one would fail to recognize their own hand.

Once again, she had returned to her original body.

* * *

Perhaps because this was the second time experiencing it, unlike before, Iella quickly accepted the situation with a calm attitude. She then got up from the bed and looked around the room.

This phenomenon was undoubtedly temporary. Last time, she had returned to Ailexia’s body after this. So before that happened, she needed to gather as much information as possible. She couldn’t waste time foolishly like before.

‘The first time could be an error or coincidence. But if it happens again, there must be a reason.’

What could that reason be?

Iella pondered this as she opened and examined drawers, wardrobes, and various places. She wondered what the criteria was for returning to her original body.

‘…Come to think of it, how did it happen?’

Suddenly stopping in place, she tried to recall. She carefully retraced the situation before her vision went dark.

Waiting for the emperor in the greenhouse for over an hour, the pointless conversation with the emperor who appeared late with an unfathomable intention, and finally, the pressure that bore down on her when her voice was about to rise.

The scenes that had been flowing like water were suddenly cut off after she collapsed from eating the financier the emperor had personally given her.

‘It was a warning.’

Iella belatedly realized the emperor’s intention. The pointless conversation wasn’t even the main point. The purpose of this tea party was solely to warn Ailexia.

‘Was it poison?’

Iella quickly shook her head. It wouldn’t have been poison. When poisoning occurs in the imperial palace, things get complicated regardless of who the target is. Even Ailexia, despite being unwelcome and having a poor reputation, was no exception.

Especially since she was staying at the secondary palace under the pretense of being a guest. That was an unchangeable fact. Whether he liked it or not, the emperor would have to at least pretend to investigate.

‘Even if only a small amount was used, an investigation would be inevitable.’

Poison was a tool for murder, but the symptoms varied greatly depending on the type and amount.

If the emperor’s only purpose was to warn her, he likely used a small amount of something with low toxicity. In that case, with luck, it could be easily detoxified and end with just a simple stomachache.

But even if only mild symptoms appeared, the investigation would proceed just the same. Especially since it happened within the imperial palace, in the main palace no less.

Would the emperor, who surely knew this, have pursued such a troublesome method? No, someone like him would have used a more concise and cleaner method. And in secret.

If not poison, then what could it have been? As Iella continued her reasoning, she suddenly recalled his face—the last thing she had seen.

The ripple she discovered for the first time on his face, which had always been emotionless, bored, or cold, was imprinted like an afterimage.

‘……Why would he make that face after feeding me himself.’

Iella couldn’t understand him. The financier was something he had personally given to her. He must have anticipated what would happen after she consumed it, so why did he make such an expression? She couldn’t comprehend it at all.

But soon she shook him from her mind. She also erased the trembling red eyes that had looked surprised.

“Let’s go out.”

After a while, Iella, who had been focused on searching the room, felt there was nothing particularly helpful and turned around. She checked through the window first to see if anyone was outside, but no one was visible.

Instead, she saw lush greenery surrounding the area.

‘Is this a forest?’

She couldn’t tell which forest it was from just this fragmentary view. Iella opened the door, wondering why Ailexia had come here.

The room she was in must have been on the second floor, as there were stairs right in front of her. Iella carefully stepped down the stairs.

‘Is no one here?’

Fortunately, contrary to her worries, there was no sign of anyone on the first floor. Iella shifted her gaze to the kitchen right in front of the stairs. She saw a pot with steam rising from it, as if it had just been boiled.

‘Someone was here until just now.’

Iella realized from this that someone had been there until just before she came down. Looking more carefully, there were traces left everywhere that weren’t very old.

On the cutting board were half-cut carrots and prepared onions, and the sink still had moisture on it.

After checking each detail for a moment, Iella quietly moved again and went out to the living room connected to the kitchen.

The living room gave off an overall cozy atmosphere. The moderately sized patterned wallpaper, the fireplace burning softly, and the plush-looking sofa all blended together surprisingly well.

However, for some reason, it also gave off a dark feeling.

She couldn’t say exactly what it was or why, but that’s how it felt. Even Iella couldn’t understand how that was possible in such a cozy setting.

‘It seems a bit cold too.’

Suddenly feeling a chill, her body shuddered. Iella crossed her arms, hugging herself.

At that moment, the front door swung open.

Startled by the sudden noise, Iella quickly turned toward it and saw an old woman just entering. The old woman must have noticed her too, as she spoke while hanging her hat on the hook beside the door.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

The old woman, after carefully placing her walking stick beside the door, chuckled. As she headed toward the kitchen, Iella could see that her bag contained various mushrooms and herbs, likely gathered from the forest.

Watching the old woman disappear into the kitchen, Iella pondered her situation. What exactly was she facing?

‘Has Ailexia been staying here all this time? Or was she moved here after collapsing like before?’

Beside the bed where she had woken up was a not-so-large bag that was presumed to be Ailexia’s packed belongings. However, that alone wasn’t enough to make a judgment. The old woman might have picked it up along with her.

“What are you doing? Come here.”

The old woman’s voice called from the kitchen. Hearing the call, Iella stopped her contemplation and headed to the kitchen. The old woman was stirring the pot she had seen earlier with a ladle.

She must have added the newly gathered items along with the separately prepared ingredients, as both the cutting board and bag were empty.

The old woman pointed to one side of the table, gesturing for Iella to sit down.

Iella followed the instruction and sat there. After waiting for a moment, the old woman filled a bowl with the stew she had been cooking and placed it in front of her.

“Wandering around the forest like that will only drain your strength. Eat up quickly. Don’t think about collapsing again and troubling this old woman.”

From these words, spoken while clicking her tongue, Iella could fully grasp the current situation.

‘So she brought me here after I collapsed.’

While Ailexia was roaming through this forest, their bodies switched again, causing her to faint, and it seems the old woman found her at that time.

‘If I had stayed in the forest, it would have been dangerous.’

It was fortunate in many ways. Being defenseless in a forest was almost like death. Wild animals could appear at any time, and maintaining body temperature would be difficult. Even if she had woken up unharmed, no one could predict what would happen next in the forest.

Especially if she, who didn’t know the situation at all, had opened her eyes there, she would have faced an even more dangerous and difficult situation.

Iella let out a small sigh of relief. Just as she was about to part her lips to ask how long she had been unconscious, she heard something incomprehensible.

“If you return again, you’ll just wander around the forest, so the original owner of the body should eat well now while she can, don’t you think?”