Chapter 2
“…My lady! My lady!”
A hurried voice echoed from somewhere far beyond her fading consciousness.
At that sound, Julia’s tightly shut eyes snapped open.
“Gasp!”
She jolted upright, breathing heavily.
The sensation of being burned alive by blazing flames was still vivid.
And yet, instead of heat, all she could feel now was the soft texture of bed sheets beneath her fingers.
Confused, she looked around.
An unfamiliar room greeted her.
“…Where is this?”
The moment she managed to speak, the voice that came out was not her own. It was a stranger’s—young and unfamiliar.
Startled by the strange disconnect from her own body, Julia flinched.
Something was wrong. Just moments ago, she had been confronting Kalus in the garden. But now, she found herself lying on a large, soft bed with a floral canopy overhead.
Though bewildered, Julia forced herself to stay calm and assess the situation.
Looking around again, she saw pink silk wallpaper and luxurious decorations that looked expensive at a glance.
Beside her stood a woman dressed as a maid, watching her with concern.
“You were tormented by nightmares all night. Even when I tried to wake you, you wouldn’t get up for a long time. I was so worried. Are you feeling better now?”
Julia was too stunned to answer.
Everything about this situation was far too strange.
She slowly raised her right hand and touched her cheek.
The sensation was real.
So it wasn’t a dream.
‘What is going on…? I was clearly writhing in pain before I died.’
There was no way all of that had been a dream. Yet somehow, she was alive again.
In someone else’s body.
“…Excuse me. What is my name?”
“…Pardon? What do you mean? Lady Angela, why would you ask such a thing? Are you feeling unwell?”
The maid responded in confusion.
‘Angela?’
As expected, it was a name she had never heard before.
“You must have been pushing yourself too hard lately. My lady, how about you rest today?”
The maid’s face was filled with concern.
“You’re right. After those nightmares, I feel a bit out of it. I’m not hurt anywhere, so don’t worry. You may leave now.”
“Yes, my lady. I will inform the Marquis. Please call me if you need anything.”
After sending the maid away, Julia—now called Angela—needed time to think alone.
A moment later, Julia was the only one left in the spacious room.
With trembling hands, she picked up a small round mirror from the bedside table.
“…This isn’t me.”
As expected, the reflection staring back at her was not her own.
Gone was the mature woman with red hair and blue eyes she had always known.
Instead, she saw a young girl—no more than fifteen—with long, wavy teal hair and clear emerald eyes.
A delicate, pretty face.
When she blinked, the girl in the mirror blinked as well.
‘Did I… possess this girl’s body?’
Something had gone terribly wrong.
‘I suddenly took over her body… I feel so sorry for the girl who originally owned it.’
Even if it wasn’t her intention, guilt weighed on her.
But there was no way to reverse it right now.
Until she found a solution, she would have to live this girl’s life.
As she steadied herself and recalled her final memories, a voice came back to her.
[Julia, I can’t let you go like this…!]
It had been Naiad’s voice.
‘Naiad… you saved me.’
It seemed Naiad, using the power of the Elemental King, had sent her fading soul here.
Using such power must have come at a great cost.
A bitter feeling rose in Julia’s chest at the thought that she couldn’t be there for her friend’s final moments.
‘What about the other Elemental Kings…? And Kalus?’
Thinking of Kalus—the one responsible for everything—rage surged within her.
He had been a disciple she trusted more than anyone.
And yet he betrayed her.
‘Before he causes even greater disaster, I must find him.’
She had to calm the rampaging Elemental Kings and punish Kalus.
That might be the only way to repay both Naiad and the girl whose body she now occupied.
Taking a deep breath, Angela quietly sat down and closed her eyes.
She focused all her senses on detecting elemental affinity.
In her current condition, the best way to gather information was through wind spirits.
They wandered everywhere and often brought valuable information to their contractors.
‘With this body… I can probably only summon a low-level spirit.’
In her original body, summoning high-level spirits would have been effortless.
But now she was in the fragile body of a young girl.
Though her soul still possessed great affinity and mana, this body couldn’t handle it.
Summoning stronger spirits might drain her so much that it could kill her.
She decided to summon a low-level spirit instead.
‘I hope something responds.’
Whoosh—
As she gathered her elemental energy, a gentle breeze began to swirl around her.
Soon, the wind took shape, glowing faint green.
From that light emerged a small spirit—green in color, shaped like a tiny girl.
It was a wind spirit.
A low-level spirit known as Sylph.
“Nice to see you, Sylph.”
[You…!]
Sylph’s eyes widened.
[Julia… it’s you, isn’t it?]
Sylph had been the very first spirit Julia ever contracted with.
Her oldest companion.
“Yes. You recognize me.”
[Your appearance changed, but your soul hasn’t! I’m so glad you’re alive!]
With tears welling up, Sylph flew over and nuzzled her cheek.
Julia gently reached out and stroked her hair.
Though it felt like touching air, she could still sense the wind.
“What happened to the other spirits?”
She asked cautiously, worried they might have gone berserk like the Elemental Kings.
[They all scattered. After you died, the Elemental Kings corrupted even the spirit realm. It’s no longer functioning properly…]
Sylph’s expression darkened.
Julia’s face hardened as well.
[Corrupted spirits started going wild, so humans began to fear spirits. Without you… and separated from everyone… I’ve been so lonely.]
“…It seems things have gotten worse than I expected. How much time has passed?”
[About fifteen years.]
“…What? Fifteen years? It feels like I just woke up!”
What felt like a brief moment had been fifteen years in reality.
Julia fell into deep thought.
“There’s so much to do… but can I even manage in this body? I don’t even know who this girl is…”
[Don’t worry. I’ll help you as much as I can!]
Sylph landed on her shoulder.
“Thank you… and I’m sorry for dragging you into something so dangerous.”
[Don’t be. This isn’t your burden alone.]
Sylph shook her head firmly.
A faint smile appeared on Julia’s face.
Even in this changed form, her spirit still cared for her.
‘I’ve become a completely different person… For now, I need to learn everything I can about this girl.’
If she was going to live in this body, she needed to understand its original owner.
Most importantly, her family.
Acting like a stranger in front of them would be a problem.
From what she had seen, this girl was clearly a noble.
The maid called her “my lady,” and the room was lavish.
“Sylph, please gather as much information as you can with the other wind spirits. I’ll investigate on my own as well.”
[Leave it to me! If it’s information, wind spirits are the best!]
Sylph turned into a gust of wind and slipped out through the crack in the door.
“…Ugh.”
After using spirit power, dizziness hit her.
Her legs weakened.
Even summoning a low-level spirit drained her this much.
This body was far weaker than she expected.
‘First… I should examine the room properly.’
Holding her forehead, Julia steadied herself and began carefully inspecting the room like an explorer.
