Chapter 9
I stood in front of Klaus’s bedroom. Soon, the steward came out.
“Sir Muzel. What brings you here at this early hour? I believe you have no official duties today.”
“Ah, it’s nothing in particular…”
I was about to tell the steward my business when Klaus’s voice came from inside.
“Muzel? Tell him to come in.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The steward responded quickly and then gestured at me, meaning I should enter.
“…”
Yet I couldn’t move my feet easily.
After all, this was Klaus’s highly private space. There were only a few people who could even enter his bedroom. I wondered if it was really alright for me to go in.
“Sir Muzel?”
“Uh, then… alright.”
At the steward’s impatient prompting, unaware of my inner turmoil, I hesitantly stepped into the bedroom.
To my surprise, Klaus had not yet gotten out of bed. As he was just sitting up, the steward quickly handed him a nightgown.
Klaus slipped his arms into it but didn’t fasten the front. He looked at me.
“Today’s your day off, isn’t it? What’s the matter?”
I had come intending just to say a quick word and leave, but I ended up making a bigger deal than necessary. Still, I got to admire the main character’s well-built torso, so it wasn’t a total loss.
I bowed lightly.
“I thought you might be out of the palace all day, so I came to inform you in advance. I intended to tell only the steward, but I ended up meeting Your Highness.”
“Really? You’re going out far?”
Klaus rubbed his eyes with his fingertips, still half-asleep. Seeing him in this unkempt state made him seem human. Somehow, it felt familiar.
“No, I’ll be at the sanctuary all day. I thought it would be better to let you know my destination in case anything happens.”
“Hmm, the sanctuary…”
Klaus muttered while washing his face lightly.
I waited quietly for him to speak. I didn’t think it was necessary to mention that I had an appointment with Princess Elfriede at the sanctuary.
Slowly, he spoke.
“Understood. Just don’t be too late returning.”
“Yes. I’ll be back.”
Having received official permission, my mind felt much lighter.
As I left the bedroom, the steward whispered to me.
“Very few people are allowed to enter His Highness’s bedroom. It seems, Sir Muzel, you are now one of them.”
“Is that so? It’s an honor.”
I felt quite pleased to have gained Klaus’s trust. For someone who suddenly possessed Muzel’s body and became an aide, it was a decent achievement.
Thinking so, I hurried toward the sanctuary.
The reason I started early in the morning was simple: Lumi hadn’t set a meeting time.
I could have sent another telegram to ask, but it was too troublesome to make an excuse and leave the palace again, so I decided to spend the entire day at the sanctuary.
“What good is sitting in my room all day anyway.”
I stretched lazily on a bench in the sanctuary’s garden. I also brought a book to read if I got bored.
If I went into the prayer room, Lumi might not notice me, so I deliberately chose a scenic spot in the garden, sitting out in the open.
Time passed.
“No…”
I was starting to get irritated.
When on earth is that crane of a person planning to show up? If he hadn’t set a meeting time, he should have guessed I’d come early and come out himself!
Lumi usually stayed at home. Going out at all was a big effort for him. Setting a clear time and place for a meeting should have been obvious.
But somehow, after just one possession, he could change this much!
I was too angry to read. I slammed the book shut with a thud.
“Sigh.”
I leaned back and closed my eyes. The cool air reminded me that winter was approaching.
Having sat outside too long, my body had grown cold. Clearly, waiting for Lumi in the garden was a poor choice.
I went indoors and walked quietly down a corridor, looking for somewhere to sit.
At that moment, a stranger woman saw me from afar and hurried over.
“Sir Muzel?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
My voice came out stiffly.
The woman straightened her chest and spoke confidently.
“My mistress, Princess Elfriede, has called for you. Please follow me.”
I let out a quiet laugh. I understood the need to follow the role in the novel since we were in someone else’s bodies, but I was deeply annoyed. Who did she think she was, ordering me around?
So, I tried to resist.
“Instead, I’ll stay in the prayer room. It would be better for the princess to come quietly. Wouldn’t it be awkward for someone aspiring to be crown princess to be alone with a man where others might see?”
I pointed to the empty prayer room.
Lumi’s maid hesitated for a moment, then seemed to agree with my reasoning and nodded slightly.
“Understood. I will tell the princess.”
I didn’t respond further and entered the prayer room.
Soon after, the creak of the door announced the arrival of red-haired Lumi.
“Why’d you make me come all the way here?”
Lumi frowned, mimicking Princess Elfriede’s elegant brows.
Outrageous. I snapped and answered immediately.
“You’re the one who suggested meeting at the sanctuary. And you didn’t even set a time!”
Lumi lowered his eyes in a sulky manner.
“Anyway, we’ve met, so that’s enough.”
“Right. True, we didn’t set a meeting place, but at least you came to the prayer room, so let’s consider it done.”
When I made my remark pointed, Lumi noticed my displeasure and pouted.
“You, being so prickly… you really are Muzel, huh?”
“Oh, isn’t that obvious? You’re already Elfriede herself, so I need to match your act.”
Lumi irritably removed his gloves. It seemed he decided that continuing this standoff would just waste energy.
“Sigh, fine. Let’s leave it at that.”
He raised his chin arrogantly like a proud princess.
“What about meeting Evangeline?”
“According to the novel, I met the heroine at the sanctuary when her shoe broke, and I helped her. Evangeline promised to repay me.”
“Really? When?”
“No details yet.”
Then Lumi suddenly got angry.
“Then why did you want to meet me? Nothing has progressed beyond the telegram!”
“Hah, unbelievable. You’re the one I said to meet! You told me to come to the sanctuary on my day off. Who made me waste my precious holiday morning here?”
I couldn’t hold back any longer. Enduring Lumi’s subtle bullying once or twice was fine, but constantly indulging him had no end.
Lumi glared at me, his face red, and tears began to form.
What? He’s crying?
“You said you’d help me.”
Wow, this is crazy. I’ve suddenly become the bad guy.
I calmed the anger bubbling inside me. Lumi had extreme mood swings due to depression.
Though frustrated, it was better if I held back. That way, conversation could continue.
“Look. I’m already doing my best to help you. So don’t nag too much. If you rush things, it could go wrong.”
“…”
Lumi said nothing.
I continued, observing his face.
“And Lumi, at least our relationship is different from the novel. I don’t want you treating me like a subordinate when it’s just the two of us. You can behave however you want around others.”
Done. I succeeded in speaking calmly without raising my voice.
Lumi lowered his red-rimmed eyes.
“I left my miserable past completely behind when I possessed this body. But you keep trying to drag my past back.”
Lumi referred to reality as “the past,” which annoyed me.
“It’s not the past. This is reality, clearly existing.”
“I already left that reality behind!”
Lumi retorted, sniffling.
I felt drained. It seemed too early to try persuading him. Did he genuinely consider Elfriede’s life happy?
Lumi wiped his tears with a handkerchief.
“Jin. Either help me achieve a happy ending here, or just leave.”
“What…?”
Leave?
I was dumbfounded by Lumi’s words.
Then what is the point of this possession if I’m supposed to save him?
Honestly, I hadn’t possessed the body just to save Lumi.
I did the ritual drunkenly, on a whim. Only after realizing I was possessed did I grandly set the goal of returning a friend trapped in a novel world to reality. Yet the person himself didn’t want that.
Am I truly helping Lumi right now? Doubt filled me.
“Alright, Lumi.”
I answered with a sad, empty feeling. I said I would help him reach a happy ending, but honestly, I wasn’t confident.
Would my help even matter? According to Lumi, it might be far more useful for me to leave this novel world quickly.
“If I ever feel my presence here is unnecessary, I’ll leave without hesitation.”
“…”
Lumi didn’t answer.
I sensed it was time to ask the most important question—the one I had skipped before in the chaos, the truly serious matter.
“But actually… I don’t know how to go back. I skimmed your mail too carelessly…”
“You looked at it drunk again, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
As expected, a friend is a friend. He noticed immediately that I had acted rashly while drunk.
Lumi made a disbelieving face but answered steadily.
“There’s a gate only someone who’s possessed can use.”
The answer came easily, but it felt strange. If he doesn’t want me here, how does he know how to go back?
