episode_0076

“…Sir.”

The gentle sound tickling her ear caused Eleanor’s eyelids to flutter slightly.

“Ha… Sir!”

As the voice grew louder, a faint crease formed on Eleanor’s forehead. Through tightly closed lips, she let out a soft whimper.

“Uh…”

“Oh my, goodness! Sir Sejuha!”

And in an instant,

Somehow, a familiar woman’s voice resonated loudly in Eleanor’s ear.

“Wow, wow!”

At that sound,

The name that had now become so awkward,

Eleanor, who had been lying with her eyes closed, suddenly sat up and exclaimed, “What, what is it!”

“Oh, Sir… It seems you were quite startled, hehe.”

Behind a graceful smile, sky-blue eyes began to scan the surroundings.

It was a white space in all directions. The color and texture, the peculiar sensation, indicated to Eleanor that this was no ordinary place.

In this strange and mystical sight, the woman approaching her just smiled warmly at Eleanor.

“You are…”

At that smile, Eleanor tilted her head curiously to the side.

The woman before her had a somewhat unfamiliar yet recognizable appearance.

Platinum hair cascading down below her waist, eyes as clear as the autumn sky, flawless and transparent skin, and meticulously arranged features that formed a beautiful smile.

It didn’t take long for Eleanor to realize that the woman in front of her resembled her own reflection in the mirror.

“Hehe. This is our first meeting like this, isn’t it?”

The woman continued to smile brightly at Eleanor. Her laughter was so pure and innocent, making it almost difficult to respond.

She then gently lifted the edge of her sky-blue skirt, resembling her own eye color, and took a step back.

“I am Eleanor Arène de Beauregard.”

Faced with the elegant greeting reminiscent of Madame Loresha, Eleanor found herself repeating the name the woman had uttered.

“Eleanor… Arène de Beauregard.”

Eleanor whispered her name cautiously. At this, the woman in front of her smiled broadly and said,

“Yes, I am you. You are me.”

With a straight posture, the woman approached Eleanor, who was wearing a puzzled expression.

“Well… strictly speaking, you are inside my body.”

Upon hearing this, Eleanor quickly lowered her head.

Beneath her gaze, fortunately or unfortunately, two flesh lumps that still faintly asserted her presence remained attached to her white blouse.

After confirming the softness of her skin by touching it, Eleanor finally realized that her body was indeed that of a lady.

Two people with the same appearance…

“Does that mean I’m dead?”

“Oh, what nonsense!”

Startled by Eleanor’s sudden outburst, Sejuha scolded her, though even her stern expression seemed adorable to Eleanor.

Why does everyone seem intent on teasing me like this…

“You shouldn’t say such things, miss!”

Brushing Sejuha’s nose lightly with her fingertip, Eleanor continued firmly,

“Don’t talk about being dead! You’ve just lost consciousness for a moment, that’s all.”

Eleanor soon took a seat next to Sejuha. Placing her hand gently on Sejuha’s thigh, she intertwined their fingers through the thin gaps between them.

“Then… Eleonore. Did you come to reclaim your original body?”

“Ahaha… It’s not quite like that.”

Eleonore responded with a somewhat lonely smile. She continued speaking as she carefully brushed off the soft back of Serjuha’s hand, which had a ring on it.

“Yes, since we share the same body, it’s a bit ambiguous to call each other by name. Can I call you Serjuha?”

“You can call me whatever makes you comfortable.”

“Then… Serjuha.”

Watching Eleonore, who seemed to abruptly shorten her words, as if she were a noble lady, Serjuha stifled a chuckle.

What followed was a warm and gentle touch. As Eleonore’s hand moved up over Serjuha’s ringed hand, unknowingly, she found herself gazing intensely at her own reflection… No, at Eleonore.

A moment of silence passed.

As she endured the ticklish sensation blossoming in her chest from Eleonore’s gentle touch on the back of her hand, Serjuha waited for Eleonore to speak again.

“Well… how should I start? Um… I’m not really sure about the exact reason why things turned out this way. I’m not as clever as Lady Rochua or my sister.”

With a somewhat ambiguous expression, Eleonore continued speaking.

“To you, this world might just be a world in a novel, but to me, it’s reality. Well, it was reality.”

It was a subtly unsettling past tense.

Serjuha quietly awaited Eleonore’s next words as she chuckled softly.

“When someone in your world starts reading a novel, that’s when my world begins as well. That’s how it ends, and once again, when someone new starts reading that novel, my world starts anew.”

Eleonore looked at Serjuha with a bashful smile.

“It’s like an endless loop, right? In your world.”

“Infinite… loop…”

Ignoring Serjuha’s muttered words, Eleonore continued her explanation.

“But you see, there’s this. I always die in the prologue. Eleonore Arène de Beaune is an existence that dies even before the story begins.”

Smiling gently, Eleonore squeezed Serjuha’s hand that she held.

“So, I always had to watch from below the stage. People who cherish me are shattered by my death…”

Her smile now carried a fullness of melancholy.

“Serjuha, do you know what’s truly wicked about the creator of this world?”

Serjuha shook her head as if entranced.

“The story written down must continue unchanged. Whenever it returns to the beginning, all memories are wiped clean. And only when I exit the stage do I recall the forgotten memories.”

Eleonore’s gaze, which had been meeting Serjuha’s, lowered. She dropped her head and continued speaking with a fading voice.

“That’s why, without memories of the past, I always end up making decisions as I wish, causing the people I love to fall into despair. And this time too, the story began like that…”

She exerted pressure on the hand she was holding for a moment. The sky-blue eyes met again, reflecting their beautiful forms in transparent irises.

“This time, the development was different. Or should I say, it has been gradually changing since the previous chapter?”

“What do you mean?”

“Yes. In the original work you mentioned, Eleonore… I never suffered from a fever. And I’ve never exchanged places with someone like this before.”

So, that fever was the key…

“I’m sorry. This is all I can say.”

With a wistful smile, Eleonore concluded.

“Wait, Eleonore. Just one more thing.”

Seoju halted the advancing Eleonore. Quietly undoing the button, she turned her body to face Eleonore directly.

“Then… how and why did you enter my body?”

Eleonore, taken aback by the sight, raised her lips in contemplation.

“I can’t tell you all the details. But maybe just this one thing is okay.”

“I want to bring happiness to those who love me, even once. You must have felt it living in my body. How much the people around me love me.”

With a lonely smile, Eleonore faced Seoju as well.

“But you will ultimately betray those who cherish me.”

Upon those sky-blue eyes, neatly arched eyebrows gently furrowed. The realization that her emotions were directed towards herself left Seoju speechless.

“Now it’s time to part ways.”

“Part ways?”

Even rising from her seat was graceful. Eleonore then tidied her disheveled skirt and blouse while looking at Seoju.

“Since you entered my body, I shouldn’t be facing you. However, this time, the goddess has given in to my stubbornness.”

Her bashful smile resembled their first encounter.

Staring blankly at that smile, Seoju suddenly voiced the thought that came to mind.

“Do you have any last words? For your family or for Doyeon?”

“Well….”

Gradually fading away, Seoju found Eleonore gazing playfully with a mischievous smile.

“Tell Albrice oppa that I’m sorry for worrying him, grateful, and that I love him.”

“Wait a minute! There are many other people! Why does it have to be that brat?”

“Because, Seoju, you were quite rude to oppa. Since it’s your request, please!”

#.

Albrice, who had been watching over his sleeping sister, noticed Eleonore’s faint frown and widened his eyes.

“Uh, Eli!”

Startled by his own voice, Ailey, sitting beside him, approached Eleonore.

“She seems to be waking up. Please dim the lights over there!”

Responding to Ailey’s urgency, the maid covered the lamp with a white towel. Soon, Eleonore’s dry voice echoed through the room.

“Ugh…. What’s that sound….”

Watching Eleonore raise her eyelids gently, Albrice’s eyes reddened.

“Eli, are you awake?”

Her sky-blue irises moved over the whites, then she approached Albrice, stopping in front of him.

“Oh, Albrice….”

“Yeah, that’s right, oppa.”

Blinking, Eleonore looked at Albrice. Beneath his moist, reddened eyes, thanks to the stubble, his face appeared unusually rugged.

Sighing, Seoju decided to feign distraction and blurt out what Eleonore had asked for.

Gently, Eleonore grasped Albrice’s rough hand, holding his index finger. With trembling lips, she struggled to articulate her words.

“Oppa…. I’m sorry for worrying you. And I love you.”

Her voice cracked and sounded different from her usual self. Even Albrice, along with Doyeon, Sophie, and Manuella behind him, could only stare wide-eyed at Eleonore.

“Eli! I love you too!”

“Wait a moment, sir. If you do that! The lady needs calmness right now.”

Only Ailey stood between Albrice, who was about to explode, and Eleonore, trying to calm the situation.