Chapter 56. The Delayed Reason

“What’s the reason a soul that has returned to its original body goes back again? Is it because the sorcery hasn’t been broken yet?”

“You understand well. However, for a soul to forcibly move again, the body it’s returning to must be empty. If one side hasn’t regained consciousness and has collapsed, the soul can’t escape. So both sides need to be conscious.”

“Then, will I go back immediately when Ailexia regains consciousness? And until then, can I remain in this state?”

The old woman who had been explaining easily with drawings in the notebook put down her quill pen. She paused briefly while contemplating, and to Iella, that instant felt excruciatingly long.

“You can remain in this state until the other side regains consciousness. However, it’s difficult to answer precisely whether you’ll return immediately after consciousness is regained.”

“What do you mean by difficult?”

“Because the soul is an invisible, noble thing. It’s hard to establish it rigidly like a theory. Just as returning to your original body doesn’t happen immediately, the reverse may also have variations. Probably even more so.”

With a thoughtful “hmm,” the old woman organized her thoughts and added an explanation.

“A soul suddenly ejected must quickly find a body to contain it. In your case, the thought of needing to return to your original body adds urgency. So while the former happened quickly, the latter is inevitably slower because the soul resists being forcibly dragged into an incompatible body by the sorcery’s compulsion.”

“I see……”

If those words were true, she was in a state where she didn’t know when she would return this time either. Iella suddenly felt urgent. Ailexia might have regained consciousness at this very moment.

‘What should I do first?’

Iella’s mind raced. Things she couldn’t do as Ailexia, things she could only do now. She recalled them one by one.

“What’s the exact location of this place?”

“There are no addresses in a forest. I can only say it’s near the western area.”

“Then, is there anyone who occasionally delivers mail or such? Or perhaps a nearby village……”

“Who would send mail to a sorceress? Having cut ties with the village, even less so. The nearest village would take several days of continuous travel. Though the forest path is less treacherous than the northern route, it’s more dangerous with more wild animals and swamps scattered about. This place is particularly remote.”

But none of her inquiries yielded the answers she hoped for. Instead, she received responses that left her speechless.

“Moreover, what if your body switches again while traveling in that state? Do you realize what would happen if something went wrong with your physical body?”

Only then did her impatience come to a halt. She knew that acting hastily would only be rash and do no good, but in a situation that could change drastically at any moment, she couldn’t maintain her composure.

Iella took a deep breath to calm herself.

‘Let’s stay calm first. Think carefully at least once more.’

As she slowly regained her composure, the old woman’s voice came from in front of her.

“If you’re looking for mail, are you trying to contact somewhere? I might be able to help a little with that.”

“Really?”

The chair made a loud noise as it was pushed back. Realizing her action from the sound, she pulled the chair back and sat down after having abruptly stood up.

“However, it won’t be perfect. I’m thinking of sending a bird created with sorcery, like you saw earlier, but as I said, my power has weakened considerably.”

“If it’s not perfect, what kind of……”

“Well, it might evaporate if power is depleted during flight, or it might disappear on the way back with a reply. The point is, it’s uncertain whether the delivery can be completed perfectly.”

In other words, success depended on luck. But Iella had no other options.

“That’s fine. Please help me.”

“Where are you thinking of sending it?”

From the moment the old woman said she could help with contact, only one place came to Iella’s mind.

A place where Iella could send a message, a place where it was okay to contact, but a place where Ailexia couldn’t rashly make contact.

‘Though contact is now possible through Nix……’

She hadn’t contacted him since the letter asking for flowers. This was to prioritize Nix’s search for Ailexia’s whereabouts. It was better to return to her original body quickly and meet her family.

She also felt somewhat embarrassed about entrusting a letter with personal content to someone who served her father.

‘I can tell Vanessa and Nix when I return as Ailexia.’

Of course, she hesitated momentarily. She thought that if she contacted them now, they might be able to catch Ailexia before she escaped.

But the Emperor was at the imperial palace. Far from being able to send it secretly, she wasn’t even sure if it would be properly delivered, and if it fell into his eyes… if he read the contents… she really didn’t want to imagine it.

Since she had collapsed in front of him, surveillance might have increased under the pretext of protection. Though it happened after eating the financier he gave her, most wouldn’t know that.

‘In that case, it’s better to send it to Father. I could also have it delivered to Nix through Father.’

That might even be safer and faster. If only it gets delivered properly.

“To Viscount Shua’s residence near the north.”

“If it’s near the north, it will require quite a bit of power. Give me a few days to gather strength. You might return during that time, so you can give me the letter or message in advance. If you’re worried about someone reading it, I can lock it so only the recipient can open it. That’s a simple task.”

“Thank you.”

“In the meantime, continue staying here. You don’t know when you’ll return anyway.”

Iella blinked at the unexpected words.

Of course, she couldn’t go anywhere right now. But staying here wasn’t a given. Though Ailexia had been staying here so it wasn’t strange, in truth, she too was in a position dependent on the old woman’s kindness.

Bluntly put, if the old woman were to drive her out right now, she would have no choice but to wander aimlessly through the forest.

“What’s there to be unable to do? You can’t go into the forest anyway. You can use the room upstairs as before.”

Iella expressed her gratitude once more for the old woman’s kindness. Perhaps, like Nix, Ailexia had an ability to recognize good people.

“Do you know approximately how long it might take for Ailexia to wake up?”

“Well. If I knew the reason she collapsed, I could guess, but do you know?”

“I don’t really……”

“Hmm. Well, she’ll wake up soon. The longer a soul is unable to enter its body, the more dangerous it becomes, so it will continuously try to get inside somehow.”

The old woman, stroking her chin, added one more comment.

“Probably won’t exceed a week at most.”

* * *

When she opened her eyes, a silent darkness surrounded her. Ailexia surveyed her surroundings with still blurry vision. It didn’t take long to realize where she was. It was too familiar.

‘I’ve returned to my original body.’

She brought both hands in front of her eyes and examined them carefully. Then, as she tried to sit up, her vision spun and she felt nauseous. Ailexia hastily covered her mouth and breathed continuously.

Come to think of it, her entire body lacked strength. Her throat retained a mild warmth as if it had once burned, and her fingertips trembled slightly if she didn’t consciously control them.

Ailexia recognized this feeling.

‘Could it be……’

After breathing deeply for a while, the nausea subsided slightly. She touched her forehead and slowly leaned her body against the headboard. Her palm was warm, suggesting a low fever might remain.

Ailexia, who had been lost in thought for a moment, raised her eyes, now accustomed to the darkness.

“……!”

At that moment, her body froze like stone.

In the space she thought was empty, there was another person besides her. In the middle of the dim place where not even a point of light was allowed through the thick curtains, red eyes gleamed eerily.

Ailexia confronted Helios’s gaze, which was staring intently at her, but feeling tired from his cold aura, she finally spoke first.

“Entering a lady’s room as you please, Your Majesty seems to lack even a gentleman’s manners?”

“……”

“Ah. Or perhaps you have a perverted taste for watching unconscious people?”

Her voice was sharp with mockery. But no response came. There was only his gaze, quietly continuing to watch her. As if observing.

Ailexia hated this aspect of Helios.

His leisurely attitude as if he could crush her in his hand at any moment, his contemptible demeanor of just watching her as if bestowing mercy, and his gaze that looked down on her—she hated it all.

“If you have nothing to say, please leave. I don’t understand why you’re here. Since when have we faced each other like this……”

“Why did you eat it?”

Just as Ailexia, overwhelmed with irritation toward the disgusting opponent, was muttering while turning her head away from him. Helios, seemingly uninterested in her words, cut her off and stated his business.

“You must have felt it when you first ate it.”

“What are you talking about?”

Ailexia snapped at his incomprehensible words. Then Helios, who had slowly risen from his seat, approached the bed where she was.

Eventually, he placed his hand on the headboard and bent his waist slightly.