Volume 7, Chapter 16 – A Predicament Similar Yet Different

After the onset of summer, the days in Blossom grew longer, with the sky only turning completely dark around seven in the evening. Within the city, the warm glow of candlelight flickered from every household, as a tranquil, peaceful atmosphere settled over the streets alongside the bright moonlight.

However, this was merely a facade. While Blossom appeared calm on the surface, the interior was thick with an unsettling aura. The second prince, Kalsey, had vanished without a trace, leaving no clues as to his whereabouts. More distressingly, not a single person in the royal city had seen him. Ever since Kalsey returned to his palace last night, he had not emerged again. The only person to have visited his palace during that time was the First Princess, Fia—yet, by the time she arrived, Kalsey had already been “murdered,” leaving only a Dragon-kin Greater Demon in the room. No one knew what happened after that; even the soldiers who had witnessed the confrontation between Fia and Helian remained tight-lipped, bound by a gag order.

Notably, this order came directly from Erin Slate. When Fia informed Erin Slate that Kalsey was The Sovereign, this frightened Erin Slate into breaking out in a cold sweat, followed by a wave of intense regret. Had she acted sooner when she first sensed something was wrong with Kalsey, she wouldn’t have let The Sovereign slip through her fingers when he was so close. Unfortunately, the past was the past, and it was far too late for regrets now.

The urgent priority now was to frame the scene as Kalsey being “murdered” rather than letting the public know a traitor had emerged from within the royal family. Setting aside the dignity of the royalty, it was just as Anastasia had said—because the fact that The Sovereign was an elf was well-known to the people of the World Tree Continent, those who couldn’t find a target for their rage when disaster struck would inevitably label the elves as the source of calamity. This was far more complicated than the mere disappearance of a royal.

As a result, aside from the few people close to Fia, not even Kalsey’s mother knew that her son was The Sovereign. God only knew when Kalsey had actually been replaced by him—the mere thought of it was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

“Phew…”

Walking alone in the gardens of the Dusk Palace, Anastasia let out a long breath. Thanks to the insect-repelling barriers within the royal city, the early summer garden was free of annoying mosquitoes. The evening breeze brushed against her skin, bringing a slight chill while whisking away the rising heat of the day. Accompanied by the rustle of leaves, the environment felt immensely comfortable.

Anastasia hugged her arms, rubbing her smooth, tender skin as if she were cold, and looked up at the bright full moon in the sky. She wasn’t actually cold; she was simply troubled by her current situation. It felt surreal. The events of this single day had been more dizzying than everything she had experienced in the past fourteen years combined.

First, she had suddenly arrived in a world that was both familiar and strange. Then, she met a familiar yet strange Dofilia—who had even returned from the dead. After that, she discovered she was in a familiar yet strange body, surrounded by countless people she used to know but who no longer recognized her.

Initially, she viewed herself as an intruder. Especially when facing Liti’s interrogation this morning, she felt like she had stolen someone else’s life and couldn’t even hold her head high. But after spending the day here, she suddenly realized that she had actually adapted to it all. Even walking in the garden now felt perfectly natural, as if she had been here countless times before—as if this were a place she knew better than anywhere else.

…That’s right. This was a place she had been to countless times. Just not in this world, but in her original one.

If Anastasia had to describe the feeling, she would say it was like someone who had been away from home for years suddenly returning to an unchanging hometown. Though it felt awkward at first, once the childhood memories resurfaced after a period of adjustment, one would naturally blend back into the environment. She felt the same way now. Fourteen years was not a long time for an elf who could easily live three or four hundred years; she felt as though she had merely run away from home for a few days.

“Haah.”

She withdrew her gaze from the moon and sighed deeply.

She never expected to return to a normal world. Moreover, the way her Highness and those around her treated her was far better than before—even the Sinner’s Mark on her face had vanished.

Anastasia knew the origin of that Sinner’s Mark better than anyone. It symbolized her status as a slave. If the First Princess hadn’t insisted on protecting her, she wouldn’t even be standing here. In the past, Fia had engaged in a cold war with Yelido for several years over this matter. Eventually, as a compromise, Yelido allowed Fia to keep Anastasia in the capital but forbade the removal of the Sinner’s Mark from her face. He wanted Anastasia to remember her status as a criminal at all times—that staying by Fia’s side was an act of atonement for her father’s crimes against the royal family.

Now that the Sinner’s Mark was gone and Veronica was no longer in the capital, it meant that the old grudges had likely vanished into thin air. From any perspective, this world was heaven. There was no war, no refugees, and even the blame she was supposed to shoulder had disappeared. Compared to herself, the Anastasia of this world was exceptionally happy—to the point of making her feel envious.

Both versions of Dofilia had been lost in an ambush, yet while her Dofilia had died, the Dofilia here had been resurrected. It wasn’t fair at all. If the Anastasia of this world were still alive, she would definitely have to say a few sour words to her.

“The problem is, what am I supposed to do next…”

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Anastasia was facing the same problem Fia had encountered.

Should she take over Anastasia’s life and complete the work that belonged to her during this time? Or, as Colita suggested, should she treat herself as a guest and simply order them around whenever she needed something, without doing it herself?

It was a difficult choice.

To be honest, Anastasia wanted to choose the former. Due to the influence of her past experiences, she was the type who couldn’t stay calm unless she was doing something. Especially when she saw everyone around her busy while she sat idle, she felt like she was committing a crime. But to simply take over Anastasia’s life felt quite offensive. The Anastasia of this world wasn’t dead yet; to shamelessly enjoy the life that belonged to her felt like nothing more than self-satisfaction.

But a living Dofilia was right before her eyes. This was the person she had yearned for so much that she even repented in her dreams. If she were told to treat herself entirely as a guest and not approach Fia, she simply couldn’t do it. On one hand, she didn’t want to give up; on the other, she was held back by shame. The contradictory choices left her at a loss.

Troubled by this issue, Anastasia had come to the silent garden for a night walk. She looked up toward the library, where a piercingly bright light was shining. That was Fia researching souls. Since this morning, Claire had been assisting Fia, which specifically involved moving piles upon piles of ancient texts from the Holy Tree Forbidden Archive to the library.

Although, from Anastasia’s standpoint, she shouldn’t say such things, she truly didn’t believe that learning from scratch was a good idea. Magic was profound and mysterious; it took an apprentice months just to go from zero to entry-level. And here was Fia, trying to go from zero to becoming a pioneer in the field of souls. Even though Anastasia had seen Fia’s brilliance—reaching the Seventh Rank before even reaching adulthood—she didn’t believe Fia could complete the research within a century or two. By then, her own world would have long been swallowed by Chaos and fallen into total silence.

She could only take it one step at a time.

On a side note, the mana in this body was slightly stronger than her own. She had already become a true Fifth Rank practitioner rather than a quasi-Fifth Rank. The self who had lived for fourteen years was inferior to the self who hadn’t even lived one. Her past self was truly useless.

Just as the sentiment surfaced, Anastasia heard sparse footsteps behind her. Accustomed to a life of fleeing, she turned around instantly. Then, she saw three figures that caught her by surprise. Panic and tension immediately flooded her heart. Without a second thought, she dropped to one knee, keeping her head lowered deeply, not daring to look up. Long-ingrained fear even made her legs feel weak.

The newcomers, besides Liti and Milu, included the King of Silvar, Yelido Alexia Florence.

“Your Majesty… and Princess Liti, Miss Euphimilu. Good evening.”

“Stand up quickly.”

Before Yelido or Liti could speak, Milu stepped forward to pull Anastasia up. However, Anastasia didn’t dare relax in front of Yelido; she completely ignored Milu.

On the other side, although Liti also wanted to tell Anastasia to stand, she didn’t dare say much out of fear of Yelido’s authority.

Her impression of Yelido remained that of the decisive, taciturn father of the past. The only reason she was with him was that they had happened to cross paths on the road. Yelido had taken quite an interest in Milu and asked the two of them to follow him. Along the way, Milu’s blunt, indifferent tone toward the King had made Liti’s clothes damp with sweat. Fortunately, Yelido didn’t seem to mind and even gave Milu a beautiful bracelet as a gift, which made Liti grit her teeth in frustration.

Yelido tilted his chin, observing the blonde girl before him.

“Anastasia, is it… I heard from Liti that your soul has changed, much like Dofi’s.”

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“Yes. This servant is the Anastasia from another world.”

Anastasia’s cold sweat was pouring down. Just moments ago, she was prepared to be beheaded by Yelido—blamed for failing to protect Fia, much like the enraged Yelido in her own world. However, the current Yelido was extremely calm, appearing as though he were just an ordinary middle-aged noble.

“Another world… To think such a thing exists. Raise your head.”

The golden-haired, bearded Yelido spoke slowly. He scrutinized Anastasia’s beautiful face. In the past, he had loathed this face to the point where even seeing it would ruin his mood. But now, not only did he not find it repulsive, he realized for the first time that Anastasia was actually quite good-looking—especially the lines of her profile, which were identical to his own Dofi’s.

Being someone who also possessed royal blood, it would be strange if she were unsightly.

Noticing the fear and evasion in Anastasia’s eyes, Yelido let out a quiet sigh. This was all the fault of the mistakes he had made in the past. He turned around and waved a hand.

“Forget it. I shouldn’t be here.”

Anastasia remained silent, not daring to utter a word.

“Let the past be the past. I no longer remember what happened back then. However, that does not mean you may neglect your duties as a guardian. Your life was saved by Dofi, so your life belongs to her. If anything happens to her, you will not survive either.”

Wasn’t that a given?

And what was this about “letting the past be the past”?

Anastasia was utterly confused, but she still nodded obediently.

“Yes.”

“I have one more question. Since your world was swallowed by that thing called Chaos, what happened to me then? Did I go into hiding, or did I die in battle?”

“That…”

“Do not hesitate. I only wish to hear the truth.”

Though his voice was filled with an indisputable authority, for some reason, Anastasia felt that the Yelido before her was much more amiable. Her expression flickered as she lowered her head to answer.

“You were always active on the battlefield, leading the warriors of Silvar to reclaim our territory.”

Yelido suddenly burst into laughter.

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“Hahahaha, as expected of me. I have business with Dofi. Liti, Euphimilu, you two stay here.”

“Yes, Royal Father.”

“Mm.”

Only when the sound of Yelido’s footsteps had completely faded did Anastasia dare to look up. She took deep breaths to calm her heart, wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and slowly stood up.

She had survived.

Not only was she not killed, she was even told something that sounded like a reconciliation. If such an incredible thing had happened in her own world, she would have thought the sun was rising from the west.

Anastasia looked toward Liti with lingering fear, only to find that Liti also looked fidgety, as if she wanted to say something.

“Princess Liti…”

“She wants to apologize.”

Milu came to Anastasia’s side, her blood-red slit pupils looking up at Anastasia as she explained on Liti’s behalf.

“Apologize?”

For what?

Question marks popped up over Anastasia’s head. Liti finally spoke, as if she couldn’t hold it back anymore.

“Sister Anna… about this morning… I’m sorry. I was too impulsive this morning. Even if you aren’t the Sister Anna I know, I shouldn’t have spoken to you in that tone… Sister was right, you’re a victim too. I… I hope you can forgive me…”

Seeming too embarrassed to face her, Liti had her hands clasped in front of her waist by the time she finished, looking around and not daring to meet Anastasia’s eyes.

Being able to apologize frankly when she was wrong was one of Liti’s virtues. However, in Anastasia’s memory, she and Liti had been apart for fourteen years. Seeing this younger sister who used to always cling to her apologize like this naturally felt strange. Aside from being moved, she felt a different, awkward sensation in her heart.

She suddenly realized that whether it was Yelido or Liti, both were speaking to her because she was from another world. They both knew she was an outsider, so they were exceptionally polite. Granted, politeness was courteous, but between friends and family, such politeness only brought distance and estrangement, leaving her with a lonely sense of being excluded. She wasn’t the real Anastasia.

She recalled the reason she had come to the garden for a walk and smiled bitterly.

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To think she had actually seriously considered whether or not to integrate into Anastasia’s life as “Anastasia.” How naive. If she had agreed to Fia’s suggestion to keep her identity a secret during the day, perhaps there would truly be a moving reunion now. However, she had chosen the opposite path. Everyone knew her soul wasn’t Anastasia’s soul, so they all treated her as an outsider—this was only normal.

Looking back, Colita’s behavior of treating her as a guest rather than a superior had already proven this point. She never had any room for choice.

It had been too long since she had communicated with decent people; she had almost forgotten how to interact and how to find her own place.

This world didn’t belong to her. She would eventually leave this peaceful world. What she was experiencing now was nothing more than the charity of a “lucid interval” ¹ A lucid interval is a temporary period of mental clarity or normal function that occurs between episodes of confusion or unconsciousness, most famously seen after a head injury (like an epidural hematoma) or in conditions like dementia, allowing a person to make sound decisions or understand their actions, which can have legal significance. or “hospice care.” ² Hospice is a special kind of care that focuses on a person’s quality of life and dignity as they near the end of their life.

But this feeling wasn’t bad. It was better than rotting away in that hopeless world.

Goddess, since I am only temporarily experiencing someone else’s beauty, please allow me to shamelessly accept these things.

Anastasia tilted her head slightly and smiled gently. She stepped forward and patted Liti’s head, feeling the softness of the lavender hair through her fingertips.

“I don’t blame you, Princess Liti. May I ask if you could tell me about what you and the Anastasia of this world experienced together? I’m very interested.”

Liti’s rose-purple eyes widened instantly. She looked up, her bashful face suddenly overflowing with vitality.

“Of course! As long as Sister Anna doesn’t blame me! Shall we head back upstairs to talk? It’s a bit cold out here.”

“Yes, as you command.”

“It’s not a command, it’s a suggestion! Even Royal Father doesn’t mind the past anymore, so you should just do as Sister said and act like my big sister. Milu? Why aren’t you coming over?”

Liti, who had taken Anastasia’s hand, looked back. She saw Milu standing in place, staring intently at Anastasia’s back as if she wanted to say something.

Milu shook her head, her wing-like ears fluttering slightly.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

Amidst Liti’s lighthearted chatter, the three of them soon walked from the dark garden into the magnificent palace.