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What did that mean? “Barely escaped”?
So it wasn’t just a coincidence that they were flung out of Tiana’s body in that accident? Even if it was a coincidence, it sounded like that possessor wanted to leave Tiana’s body anyway…
That would mean the possessor hated being inside Tiana. The hysterics and constant insistence on showing she wasn’t Tiana—it must have all come from that reason.
But then why target me?
By chance, the accident freed her from Tiana’s body, and she ended up living in another person’s. Even if that new person was just an extra meant to die early on, the character’s fate could change depending on what the possessor did. And in fact, she was changing it now.
Since she escaped the body she hated, Tiana should no longer matter to her. So why cling to me, the next host? Why was she imitating my every move, even retracing my steps?
If that possessor is also someone from the modern world… could she know me? No, impossible…
The world is too wide. What are the odds that someone who knows me got pulled into the very same novel? Besides, I had such a small circle of acquaintances that you could count them on one hand. I couldn’t imagine any of them reading the original novel and ending up possessed. Not to mention, I had always kept my web novel hobby a complete secret.
So there was no way the possessor could be someone who knew the “Kim Ji-won” from modern times.
No way.
“Whew…”
Instead of untangling, the situation just felt like it was getting more and more complicated. My head was full of tangled thoughts. With a stifled sigh, I heard Drek speak up.
“As expected, it seems there is some sort of connection between the two of you.”
“…You mean between me and Lady Even?”
“Yes. Seeing Your Highness’s reaction now, I’m convinced of it.”
“Convinced of what?”
“That just as Lady Even is acutely aware of Your Highness, Your Highness is just as aware of her.”
“…Well, I’m not so sure about that.”
I lowered my gaze, dodging his serious remark. It wasn’t exactly wrong. Right now, more than ever, I was conscious of Lady Even—no, of that possessor.
But she was still an opponent I hadn’t fully grasped, which left me unsettled. To rid myself of that unease, I needed to know her true intentions.
That would mean approaching her directly. Yet for some reason, the very thought left a heavy reluctance in me.
“Ah… so you still don’t trust me?” Drek asked then.
“It’s not about trust. I haven’t even heard what the deal is yet, have I?”
“Ah, ha-ha, true. I almost forgot again. My mistake, I apologize.”
“It doesn’t matter. So—can I hear it now?”
“Of course. Truthfully, I agonized over whether I should say this at all… but as it stands, the only person who could possibly resolve this is Your Highness, the Grand Duchess. So I’ll speak.”
“What do you mean?”
Me? The only solution? What sort of connection could there possibly be between me, Drek, and Lady Even? The only issue I could think of was Lady Even having done something to him.
Before answering, Drek carefully glanced around. His wariness showed how important what he was about to say must be.
Once he confirmed no one was around, he spoke calmly:
“Like Your Highness… I too am under threat of death from Lady Even.”
“…What?”
The words were chilling, belying his steady tone. I snapped my head toward him. Someone claiming their life was in danger should have been frantic, yet he remained composed.
“What do you mean your life is being threatened?”
“Just as I said. Lady Even is after my life as well.”
“Why? What could you possibly have done? Don’t tell me it was because you couldn’t serve her a dish to her liking?”
“Ha-ha. If that were the reason, I’d feel truly wronged. But no. I wrestled with this for a long time, because even while suspecting it was connected to Your Highness, I couldn’t be certain. It simply made no sense.”
“What exactly happened?”
Nonsense or not, what had the possessor done to him? Could it have been more than just demanding modern food? Maybe she caused other kinds of havoc.
It wasn’t impossible to imagine. I focused on his next words.
“Your Highness, do you believe in the existence of the soul?”
“…What? Where did that come from—?”
“If souls and bodies are truly separate existences, could you believe that?”
The sudden question was disorienting, but his earnest gaze compelled me to answer.
“Personally, I do think souls exist. People usually say when someone dies, their body remains, but the soul departs.”
“Exactly. Then do you believe a soul could swap into another person’s body?”
“…Another person’s soul inside my body…?”
Wait. Was Drek really saying what I thought he was?
“Hah… I don’t even know how to explain this. I can hardly believe it myself, yet… I think I may have witnessed such a soul-swap.”
“…What?”
“Lady Even. I believe someone else’s soul resides in her body.”
“—!”
My heart thudded. This was the most shocking thing he had said yet. Because he was speaking of possession itself.
But how could he possibly know Lady Even wasn’t really herself? Even if she had given herself away in her behavior, most would just think she was odd, not that someone else’s soul had taken over.
There had to be a reason Drek thought this. Calming myself, I asked him:
“Why do you think that? Do you even realize how bizarre what you’re saying sounds?”
“Of course. I know it must sound absurd. But I only tell the truth. I’m speaking of exactly what I’ve witnessed.”
“Then tell me in detail. What did Lady Even do?”
If his claim was to hold any credibility, there had to be evidence. Hearing my demand, he looked relieved and continued:
“It began when she asked me to make dishes I’d never heard of. At first, I thought, ‘Well, she must be unusually knowledgeable.’ But day by day her behavior grew stranger, to the point it was unbearable.”
“I can imagine. I would’ve felt the same.”
“Yes. In all my years as a chef, I’d never met anyone so impossible to satisfy. Even His Majesty doesn’t make such demands.”
“Of course. Pleasing His Majesty’s palate is probably easier.”
After all, Reyel would never crave modern food like the possessor did. No chef, not even Drek, could fulfill such requests.
“I tried to keep up with her orders, but it was futile. Preparing unheard-of dishes daily was exhausting enough, but the real torment was her ever-shifting emotions.”
“Shifting emotions?”
“Yes. One day she’d lash out, the next she’d praise me. Dozens of times a day she would change moods. She could be smiling one moment, only to go stone-faced or furious the next.”
“…So her mood swings were extreme.”
“More than extreme. Watching her was downright chilling.”
Drek shuddered slightly, recalling it. Indeed, calling it simple hysteria seemed insufficient. Come to think of it, even in Tiana’s body, she hadn’t behaved normally either.
Edwin, Lennox, Celeste’s household staff—they all said she was quick to anger, dismissive, and reckless. And that behavior carried over into Lady Even’s body too.
So it’s an outpouring of stress from the possession itself… though to an alarming degree.
It was hard to grasp how she could cause stress while being so willful, but for now, that explanation fit best.
Drek sighed deeply and went on.
“I hinted at this to the Marquis, but it was useless. He dotes on his daughter too much. He only scolded me for exaggerating.”
“…Naturally. After all, that young lady has probably given him a great deal.”
“…Pardon?”
“Never mind. Go on.”
He tilted his head, but at my prompting smile, cleared his throat and continued.
“Ahem. So when I finally realized I couldn’t go on, I went to tell her I was quitting. That’s when I saw something I shouldn’t have.”
“…Something you shouldn’t have seen?”
“Yes. She was… talking to herself.”
“Talking to herself?”
So what? People mutter sometimes. Unless it wasn’t ordinary muttering.
“Yes. She was strolling alone in the garden. As I went to call out, I overheard her words. And what I heard only deepened my unease.”
“What did she say?”
“It’s hard to describe. But what I heard was: ‘You are me, and I am you.’ And, ‘Remember—we can never forgive the woman who made us like this.’”
“…What on earth…”
I could understand why Drek found it impossible to explain. If I had overheard such words, I too would’ve thought, What is wrong with this person?
“At first, I was baffled. But then I recalled her past behavior, and realized the feeling I got from her muttering was the same.”
“What kind of feeling?”
“After days of enduring her impossible orders and wild emotions, I thought—no single person could act or feel this way. Perhaps more than one being lived inside her body.”
“…”
“I know it sounds foolish. But how else to explain it? When someone’s personality shifts dozens of times a day, how can you say it’s the same person?”
My silence must have made him think I disagreed, because he poured out his frustration even more desperately.
But I wasn’t disagreeing. I already believed him. His words were so precise, it was frightening.
“And every time she hurled my dishes and cursed, she would mention Your Highness. The vile things she said about you… how could anyone think her normal?”
“…Curses? Lady Even cursed me?”
“Yes. Without fail, every day she would bring you up. At first I thought perhaps she was jealous of your recent marriage, but no… it was something deeper. Words brimming with primal resentment.”
“What exactly did she say?”
“That…”
He hesitated, perhaps embarrassed to repeat them in front of me. But I couldn’t wait. I had to know what had been said about me.
“It’s fine. Tell me.”
“…Things like, ‘That wretch who shouldn’t have survived struts around so proudly.’ Or, ‘She’s just a corpse with flesh, yet her cursed life drags on.’ Or, ‘Shame I didn’t kill her properly. Should’ve caused a bigger accident.’ …I don’t know what they meant, but the tone was unmistakable. And her eyes when she said it—they were murderous.”
“…I see. So she really said such things.”
What a shower of curses. Why not just hold a funeral for me already, instead of wasting breath? Still, from Drek’s account, I gained one certainty:
Lady Even—no, the possessor—had tried to kill Tiana.
The fall from the horse, before I possessed her… that “accident” had been planned from the very start.
