It was an unconscious, habitual remark, but Owen and Jensen’s eyes widened in shock. They spoke simultaneously.

“Siara…?”

Siara hiccupped suddenly and gulped down some water. Then she smiled casually.

“…Do I resemble my master?”

Owen stared at her intently before letting out a small laugh.

“No. Not at all similar. Siara had skin so fair it looked like it would melt away like whipped cream if you licked it, and hair black as ebony. She was taller than you and more elegant. Once you saw her, you could never forget…”

Owen choked up with tears again, and Jensen shook his head.

“Annie. Please stop imitating Siara. You’re disrespecting the deceased!”

“…I apologize.”

Siara bowed her head in apology. She felt sorry for them, but even if she revealed her identity, they probably wouldn’t believe her.

‘These fools can’t recognize the real me standing right in front of them.’

[I’m not Annie Light.]

[I know.]

‘Diego recognized me immediately without me saying anything, but you two can’t? Even after knowing me for so long.’

Suddenly she missed Diego. She longed for his voice and the warmth of his embrace.

[I’ll give it to you enough times until you get used to it.]

‘No, why am I thinking of that now? Still… it was good.’

It seemed it wasn’t only Diego who had become addicted to the act after experiencing intercourse for the first time.

‘I thought I could never fall in love. But…’

Siara’s face turned bright red. She realized she could never return to her former self.

Through Owen’s kindness, she was accommodated in a mansion on the outskirts of town.

The two-story house was quite large for one person, but since all expenses were covered by the royal family, it was essentially free. A butler and servants were provided, and she would receive monthly living expenses.

A carriage and everything else at no cost. These were truly the privileges enjoyed by a royal mage.

‘I haven’t even agreed to become the royal mage yet…’

After conferring with his ministers, Owen seemed intent on keeping Siara, who could perform dimensional transfer magic. However, the Magic Tower remained sealed. Jensen had told her that Owen occasionally went there to cry.

“Annie, I was Siara’s friend. Since I was your master’s friend, I can speak informally with you, right?”

“Go ahead.”

Jensen smiled brightly and chatted about various things.

“I’ve lived for 500 years, but Siara lived for a thousand. That’s why her death is particularly regrettable. But I foresaw in my horoscope that Siara would die.”

“…A horoscope?”

“Yes. It said she would die if she didn’t leave this place. The star representing her had reached the end of its life. …Besides the asteroid problem, I had hoped she would live in another dimension. But it seems fate cannot be avoided.”

‘Fate, huh.’

Fortunately, the dimensional transfer had worked, and she could live inside Annie’s body. Otherwise, her soul might have been wandering aimlessly.

Jensen munched on cookies with a crunching sound before continuing.

“I always wondered when Siara would get married. I once divined her love life because she never even batted an eyelash despite Owen’s persistent courtship.”

“And?”

“The divination showed she would marry someone not from here! What else could that mean? Someone from another dimension, obviously.”

“…”

“My divinations are wrong one out of a hundred times, so they’re not completely accurate.”

“…I see.”

After Jensen left, Siara sipped her tea and became lost in thought.

Here she had a soft bed and could pull a bell cord for a maid to do anything for her without inconvenience. 

But in the other world, she had gone from being a duke’s illegitimate daughter to working as a maid in the imperial palace. Every morning she would wake up to clean and do laundry until her palms developed calluses.

‘If I stay here, I can live without any discomfort. But…’

[Siara!]

Diego’s desperate voice clung to her ears and wouldn’t let go. However, selling her body for money didn’t seem like a good thing either.

‘Marriage, really…’

It was impossible for royalty to accept someone with commoner blood like her. Siara decided to forget everything and live her daily life as happily as possible. She would research magic here and enjoy a life no different from before.

‘A life of work, how wonderful?’

Love could go to the dogs.

Here, Siara was recognized by everyone and faced no obstacles in her magical research. With living expenses and accommodation all supported by the kingdom, she lacked nothing.

After that day, many other mages came seeking to learn from her, now known as the Dimensional Mage.

Among them was the author of the book on dimensional transfer formulas she had seen in the Stana Empire’s Imperial Library. It was a curious coincidence, since she had come here thanks to that book.

“Even if one knows the formula, dimensional transfer is impossible without reaching a certain level of mastery, isn’t it? I want to include that ability in this book!”

“…Alright.”

Everyone was surprised. Many mages refused to share their formulas, but Siara had readily agreed.

‘If not for that book, I would still be Diego’s night companion.’

After sharing all the formulas she knew, the man was moved to tears.

“Such a kind person…! Not only aspiring mages but ordinary people will be able to study from this book. Magic will advance further! Oh, I need to include your name as a consultant…”

“Annie Light.”

“Yes, yes. Understood.”

After speaking, Siara tilted her head.

‘So my name will be in that book? Ah, it will be written as Annie Light.’

It was quite strange. Suddenly she wanted to see that book again in the future. She wanted to check if her name was there or not. Two copies had burned, but one should remain.

‘Should I go back?’

The asteroid was gone, so her task was complete. In future history books, the Kingdom of Estain would remain rather than disappear.

‘If I go secretly, Diego won’t catch me…’

She didn’t understand why a great Archmage should be concerned about Diego. She simply didn’t want to hurt him.

‘Him losing a night companion shouldn’t be that painful for him.’

But what if Diego was looking for her? What if, just like she missed him every night, he missed her too?

“Right, I’ll just go briefly.”

Now that she had mastered the formula perfectly, a quick trip would be like going on a picnic. The Kingdom of Estain had overcome its crisis, and even if enemies invaded, she couldn’t defend it with this body’s limited magical power anyway. Fortunately, this country had many mages.

Siara connected her magical power with both hands. Soon a pitch-black hole appeared before her, and both her body and soul were sucked in.

It was the same space as before. Black whirlwinds raged all around. There was one particularly calm spot, and Siara reached her hand toward that hole.

“Huff.”

Her eyes felt like they would pop out. She gasped for breath several times, checking if her arms and legs were still properly attached. Dimensional travel with both body and soul seemed more arduous than expected. So much so that she never wanted to do it again.

“I feel like throwing up…”

With a pale face, she looked around to see where she was. The smell of old books wafted from all directions. The Imperial Library’s archivist was staring at her with wide eyes. Before he could scream, Siara covered his mouth.

“Mmph! Mmph! How! Mmph.”

“…Please don’t make a scene. I want to see the book with the dimensional transfer formula.”

The archivist nodded. In the book he brought, the name “Annie Light” was written as a consultant. Seeing this, Siara felt a sense of pride.

Since Diego had burned the history books, she asked the archivist if he knew anything. As part of his profession, the Imperial archivist had to read all books. That way he could find them without hesitation when the Emperor requested them.

“Do you know about the Kingdom of Estain?”

The archivist nodded.

“Yes, I do! A terrible plague swept through, and the entire country disappeared!”

“…Really?”

It seemed the Kingdom of Estain was destined to vanish after all. The archivist glanced at Siara with a curious expression.

“Did you teleport? You look similar to the maid who disappeared from here.”

“…Maid?”

“Yes. …The maid who froze Prince Isaac and is now wanted.”

“Oh, is that so?”