Chapter 117: Come Back to Me, My Love.
The cramped room felt even smaller with just the two of them sitting face to face.
And with the way Leopold’s gaze burned into Astrid, the space felt hotter still.
"I heard from Veracien. She told me that two souls coexisted in Astrid’s body. I want to know everything. What happened? How did this come to be?"
The what—that, she could explain.
The how—that, she could not.
Even Astrid herself didn’t understand it fully, so how could she possibly explain?
"…Back then, when Astrid was gravely ill."
"Yes, I know."
He knows.
Of course, he knows.
Something about that response irritated her.
He knew?
He had known?
"…And yet, you never visited."
"Th-That’s…"
Leopold visibly flinched.
Astrid’s gaze locked onto him.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but in that stare, he sensed an unmistakable trace of resentment.
And it stung.
"…I-I was busy. Yes, busy. You know how it is. Traveling to Miterien would have taken at least a week—"
"What’s more important? That week, or me?"
I sound just like a normal, ordinary girl, Astrid mused.
And oddly, she found it amusing.
"…Anyway, it was then. That’s when I woke up. And from that moment, I lived as Astrid von Miterien."
"Then… during that time, was the real Astrid also only awake for an hour a day…?"
"No, not back then."
Back then, the real Astrid hadn’t spoken at all.
Not a single word.
She hadn’t even heard her voice.
Not for a second.
"At that time, it was just me. There was no way to communicate with the real Astrid."
"…Then, that day… during our families’ formal meeting, when you made that comment belittling rapiers, that wasn’t the real Astrid who said it, was it…?"
Ah.
So he remembered that.
"That was me. A man using a rapier? That’s ridiculous. Men shouldn’t be using such a weapon."
Astrid’s blunt response made Leopold’s expression twist.
The fact that it wasn’t the real Astrid who had said those words—that it was this Astrid instead—seemed to genuinely shock him.
"…That aside."
"In any case, I was never originally from Einthafen. As you can see, I lived in a place like this. And for some reason… I woke up in Astrid’s body."
She chose not to say it.
That this world was from a novel.
That she wasn’t even supposed to exist here.
Leopold wouldn’t believe her anyway.
And more than that—
She decided not to tell him she had once been a man.
"…So, I wasn’t from Einthafen, nor even from that era. That’s why I needed time—to find a way back. That’s why I insisted on attending the academy."
"Then… did you find any clues?"
Astrid shook her head.
Nothing.
Not a single lead.
She and the real Astrid had discussed it at length, concluding that their best course of action was to eliminate the sorcerer responsible and then tell Leopold everything—asking for his help in finding a way back.
It hadn’t gone exactly according to plan, but at least she had managed to tell him the truth.
Yet, despite that, she felt uneasy.
Every time she said she would return, that she wanted to return, that she was searching for a way back—
Leopold’s face darkened, little by little.
"No clues… I thought the royal archives might have something, but I wasn’t allowed access. I searched every other library, but… nothing."
Was it summoning magic?
Was it possession?
She had no idea.
Not a single clue.
"Astie… Do you want to return to a life like this?"
His words silenced her.
Because, the thing was—
People always longed for what they had lost.
And right now, Astrid was no different.
Her old world—
The more unreachable it became, the more she glorified it, convincing herself that everything about it had been wonderful, that she had been happy.
But—
"…I don’t know."
Now that she was here again, the reality wasn’t so rosy.
This tiny, half-basement room, barely half—no, barely a quarter—of the size of her bedroom at the Miterien estate.
A single window, barely larger than her face, letting in the faintest sliver of light.
A damp, musty atmosphere whenever it rained.
Had there ever really been anything here worth coming back for?
"Astie."
Leopold moved toward her.
The tray between them shifted slightly, and the two cups resting on it clinked together.
Astrid gasped slightly as warmth closed over her hands.
Leopold was close.
"…How about now, Astrid?"
This scene—
She had seen this before, somewhere.
"This must be the third time now."
The first time had been behind the cadet dormitory, on that bench.
The second—she didn’t quite remember, but Leopold did.
Her adorable drunkenness.
And now, this was the third.
Astrid’s mint-colored eyes lifted to meet his gaze.
There was confusion in them.
Or was it—
"Y-Your Highness."
"Stay still, Astrid."
She was right there.
So close that Leopold could see his own reflection in her jewel-toned eyes.
So close he could hear her breath.
So close he could feel her warmth.
Her breath brushed against his lips.
Her face—first startled, then slowly realizing what was happening—flushed with color.
She had always been beautiful, but now… now, she was breathtaking.
"I asked you before. If I got close like this, would your heart race? Astrid, I don’t know about you… but for me, now, it does. I can feel it."
Astrid didn’t answer.
She couldn’t answer.
But her face, now utterly crimson, said everything for her.
"Your Highness, I… I am… a fake… a fake Astrid…"
Her eyes darted everywhere, unable to meet his.
Because she knew she wasn’t real.
Her eyelashes trembled as she lowered her gaze.
‘…Is this really okay?’
But Astrid didn’t pull away.
Or rather, she couldn’t.
She hadn’t truly wanted to return.
This world, even if it was a dream, was hers.
Yet the moment Leopold appeared, everything crumbled.
Golden hair, shining like sunlight.
Eyes, deep blue, no longer cold or disdainful, but gazing at her—only her.
How could she push him away?
How could she possibly refuse him?
"Astie. Come back with me. Come back to where you belong."
"…But my place is here—"
"No, it’s not."
Leopold firmly pressed his lips together and shook his head.
Absolutely not.
This is not where you belong.
"Your place is in the Miterien Ducal House. Your place is in the Einthafen Empire—"
He paused.
His gaze locked onto Astrid’s, unwavering and resolute.
"—And your place is by my side."
Astrid bit down on her lip.
Not here, but with me.
The weight of those words crushed her.
She couldn’t bring herself to respond.
She didn’t know exactly what Leopold was feeling.
But she wasn’t foolish enough to misunderstand the meaning behind his words.
"But, Your Highness… I’m not real. I’m a fake. A fake."
The real Astrid existed elsewhere.
The one sitting here was nothing more than a copy.
A shadow.
A fake that could never truly become real.
"What does that matter? Astrid, look at me."
Leopold, who had been holding her hands tightly, lifted one to tilt her chin up.
Forced to meet his gaze, Astrid’s eyes wavered, dazed and uncertain.
But Leopold held her stare unwaveringly.
"…Real or fake, you are both Astrid. And both are mine. Astrid—both of you, bearing the name Astrid von Miterien—belong to me. You are to be my bride. Stay by my side. Come back to me. Let’s return—together."
He said it so clearly.
He wanted her this much.
How could she possibly refuse him?
How could she cruelly turn him away?
Astrid’s lips trembled.
She couldn’t speak.
She should answer.
She should say yes.
She should promise to return to his side.
To be Astrid.
But no words came out.