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Chapter 04
“……”
Rita hesitated for a moment, then put the shard of mirror aside and released the maid.
The maid, her face on the verge of tears, trembled as she gauged the situation. When Leonhardt gave her a look, she hurriedly fled the room.
After Hanna left, Leonhardt closed the door and turned to face his younger sister.
Compared to him, her body was fragile and barely more than a handful, yet her posture and gaze were like those of a knight who had spent ten years on the battlefield.
What on earth did she go through while she was missing?
His heart ached, but he suppressed his emotions and spoke calmly.
“……You were fast asleep on the way home yesterday. I entrusted you to the maid to be washed and changed, and had you rest in this guest room. That’s all that happened to you last night.”
Leonhardt recalled the night before.
By the time they arrived at the ducal estate, she—who had been riding on his back—had already fallen asleep. She looked utterly exhausted, almost as if she’d passed out.
While the maid washed her and changed her clothes, Leonhardt took the nightdress Lilieta had been wearing when she returned and spoke with his family.
Excluding his mother, who had collapsed at the funeral and had only just regained consciousness, he summoned only his father and younger brother.
“Lilieta has returned.”
“But she seems to remember almost nothing from her childhood. She claims she isn’t Lilieta, but someone named Rita. She insists that while the body may be Lilieta’s, what’s inside is an entirely different person……”
Most noble families possess a magical artifact capable of verifying bloodlines. Because it registers verified individuals, it is commonly referred to as a “family registry.”
The Lascaille family’s registry was a large basin surrounded by bronze sculptures shaped like flowing rivers.
When the maid dropped a strand of the woman’s hair into the water, the surface rippled. Moments later, the family crest and a name shimmered into view.
Irises encircling a purple gemstone, intertwined with sheaves of grain. Above the Lascaille emblem appeared, clearly and unmistakably, the name:
Lilieta del Nysa Lascaille.
Proof that the owner of the hair was of Lascaille blood—and someone whose name had already been recorded in the registry at birth.
Whatever dwelled inside, that body was undeniably Lilieta, the girl they had desperately searched for over ten years.
“Leon, in your judgment, do you believe even her soul is truly hers? That she simply lost her childhood memories and lived as someone else for the past decade, and therefore believes she isn’t Lilieta?”
“Yes. That’s what I believe.”
The Duke of Lascaille trusted his eldest son’s judgment. The second son, however, did not agree.
“Didn’t she say it wasn’t her body? That she died and possessed it like a ghost? I’ve heard there’s black magic like that. What if someone else really took over Lili’s body?”
After a long discussion, they reached a single conclusion.
Leonhardt sat down on the sofa in Lilieta’s room and gestured with his chin toward the seat opposite him.
“Let’s sit and continue talking, Rita.”
Rita slowly sat down across from him. She placed the shard of mirror she’d been holding beside her, within easy reach.
Seeing this, Leonhardt glanced toward the shattered mirror scattered in the corner. Following his gaze, Rita shrank back slightly and offered an excuse.
“I needed a weapon. I’ll compensate for it somehow later.”
Leonhardt was about to say it was fine, but when he noticed her hand, he flinched.
“You’re hurt!”
“Huh?”
Rita looked down at her right hand, startled. Even though she’d been careful, it seemed the shard had lightly cut her palm.
How fragile is this body’s skin, anyway?
She clicked her tongue in disbelief. Leonhardt quickly pulled out a handkerchief and held out his hand.
“Give me your hand.”
“……”
After briefly studying his face—so eerily similar to her own—Rita obediently held out her hand. Leonhardt pressed the bleeding wound and wrapped it with the handkerchief.
“Luckily, it’s not deep. Let’s stop the bleeding for now. I’ll have the family physician come later to treat it properly.”
“Sorry. I damaged your sister’s body.”
Leonhardt paused mid-knot. Rita let out a small sigh and added quietly,
“I’ll be more careful from now on. This isn’t my body, after all.”
“……”
After a brief silence, Leonhardt finished tying the knot and withdrew his hand. Then he spoke cautiously.
“You said you aren’t my sister.”
“That’s right. I’m not.”
“Why are you so certain?”
Rita glanced toward the window. Outside was a fresh world of bright sunlight and clear skies.
“I’ll introduce myself properly from the beginning. My name is Rita Pascal, and I’m twenty-two years old.”
“Twenty-two?”
“Yes. Why? How old is she supposed to be? She looks young.”
“Lilieta is twenty.”
“See? Even our ages don’t match. My original appearance was completely different from this body, too. I had reddish-brown hair and reddish-brown eyes.”
“…….”
“And I was one of the ‘Children of Pascal,’ and the commander of an autonomous squad of the Final Defense Line called Beacon.”
“Pascal? Final Defense Line?”
Leonhardt echoed in confusion. Rita sighed, as if she’d expected this.
“It seems the place I lived is a completely different world from this one. Even the environment is nothing alike.”
“A different world… just what are you saying…?”
“Do you know what a ‘magic beast’ is?”
Leonhardt rested his chin on his hand and rubbed his mouth thoughtfully.
“We have monsters… but this sounds like something different.”
“Monsters? You mean orcs, goblins, trolls?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve only heard of those in old stories. Anyway, those are just species—living creatures, right? Magic beasts are different. They’re monstrous mutations caused by mana contamination. We call them ‘magic beasts’ for short. First time you’ve heard of them?”
“I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
“……So this world doesn’t have them. That’s why… it’s so peaceful. So beautiful.”
Rita looked back out the window. As she stared blankly at the sky, a faint, powerless smile appeared on her face—somewhere between emptiness and bitterness.
Leonhardt rubbed his face and asked,
“Then… were you born and raised in a world where those magic beasts exist? You remember your childhood?”
“My childhood? Of course I don’t remember everything. But I remember enough. I was just a common orphan. That kind of world.”
“Could you be more specific…?”
“Before that, tell me about this place. I don’t even know the name of this country yet.”
“Ah.”
He’d rushed things. Clearing his throat, he introduced himself.
“My name is Leonhardt del Nysa Lascaille. I’m twenty-eight, the eldest son of the Duke of Lascaille. My father is Duke Valdemar del Regis Lascaille, my mother is Duchess Rosetta del Nysa Lascaille, and I have a younger brother, Reinhardt, two years younger than me. Your… no, Lilieta’s family consists of the four of us.”
“Everyone’s names are long and fancy. Must be because you’re nobles.”
Rita shrugged and added,
“In the world I lived in, dukes and nobles only existed in fairy tales. I don’t really know noble etiquette. Please understand.”
“That’s fine. I’ll find you an etiquette tutor. Someone discreet.”
“Huh? Don’t tell me you expect me to learn etiquette?”
“You’re a noble now.”
“What?”
Rita stared at him as if he’d said something absurd. Leonhardt leaned back into the sofa and clasped his hands over his knee.
“Rita, you said you’re from another world. That it seems only your soul entered my sister’s body.”
“Probably.”
“Do you know why this happened?”
“I’m sorry, but I have no idea. I thought I was dead, and when I opened my eyes, I was in a lake.”
“Then you don’t know any way to reclaim your original body or return to your world, do you?”
“……No.”
“Then how about living as ‘Lilieta’ for the time being?”
“What did you say?”
“You don’t know how to go back, and you don’t have anywhere to go in this world either. In that case, you might as well live as Lilieta of Lascaille, according to the status of that body.”
“What kind of—”
“Rita. My sister has been missing since she was ten years old. For ten years, we searched for her desperately, and just a few days ago, we finally gave up and held a funeral with an empty coffin. My mother collapsed at that time.”
“…….”
“If we were to tell her that the body of her daughter, returned after ten years, contains the soul of a complete stranger… I don’t know what would happen to her. And if you were to leave with that body—”
“…….”
“Do you understand what I’m saying? If you’ve truly borrowed someone else’s body, then I want you to at least fulfill the role that body was meant to play.”
“A role…”
“Live as Lilieta, the daughter the ducal family recovered after ten years. In return, we’ll treat you as a true lady of House Lascaille. You’ll be able to live a luxurious, comfortable life for the rest of your days.”
Rita looked around—at the beautiful view beyond the window and the lavish, comfortable room.
A wealthy noble’s life in a world without magic beasts would certainly be easy…
But countless faces flashed through her mind. Juniors. Friends. Seniors. And—
“Don’t! Damn it, don’t do something like that! Rita! Please!”
She remembered the man who had screamed in desperation, trying to reach her in her final moments.
Her oldest comrade. The one who remained after all the children they’d trained with were wiped out, leaving only the two of them behind.
Maybe he couldn’t truly live without her—but even if it was an exaggeration, he would surely be devastated, believing she was dead.
Gide Pascal.
If I survived by luck, I have to go back. Somehow.
“Beacon” was an autonomous squad composed solely of the Children of Pascal.
Orphans who had lived with their lives on the line, fighting on the battlefield since their early teens. With no home to return to, they became each other’s home—bound together more tightly than family.
She couldn’t abandon them to hell and choose comfort for herself.
Rita shook her head.
“No. I don’t intend to keep living in this body here. I’m going back to my original world.”
