Chapter 9

"......Lord Rufus?"

When Eliza mentioned that 'Saidi hasn't given up yet,' I didn't miss the look on Rufus's face, which seemed to suggest he wasn't entirely indifferent. I really think he's an impossible friend.

However, he quickly seemed to recall his position and her misdeeds, and only replied, "I'll be careful."

It's hard to believe that Saidi Arkwright was so attached to the marquis family. Perhaps she was just complacent and only now, after losing her position, is she panicking.

"It seems like she's planning to tell some strange lies. Something like, 'It wasn't me, I was taken over,'..."

I remember she said something similar when the engagement was broken off. Perhaps her recent changes are just to fit her lies. That would make sense. The sewing part is still a mystery, though.

"But it seems her feelings are directed towards Lord Gerald."

"......"

"Even Lord Gerald, who used to be a playboy, is now obsessed with Saidi and only meets with her."

"......I see."

Though it didn't show on his face, he was undoubtedly struggling. The champagne glass he held was trembling.

◇◇◇

"Then, let's start the meeting."

"Yes."

After Rufus left, we rented a private room in the library and sat facing each other.

We prepared paper and pens, trying to create a serious atmosphere, but we couldn't really discuss anything too complicated with each other.

"It's good that Gerald's parents believed us."

"Yes, they've been really kind to us."

It's really great that he has reunited with his family after seven years and is living happily. However, he apparently receives a lot of letters from women every day and is troubled by it.

My letter almost got mixed in with those, but it's a relief that it reached him safely.

"First, what should we start with?"

"Let's try to sort everything out from the beginning."

"Yes, that's a good idea."

So, we started recalling the past that we didn't want to remember, taking notes in our poor handwriting.

──I was taken over by someone else's body ten years ago, in the summer.

While walking through the capital city holding my mother's hand, I suddenly found myself in an unfamiliar shack after bumping into someone. I was then pulled up by a man I had never seen before and forced to walk without understanding what was happening.

Outside the shack, there were only endless fields and forests.

"...It hurts, no... Mother..."

"Shut up, be quiet."

As I walked, I noticed that my limbs had grown much longer. My clothes and shoes were different too. The long, messy brown hair I saw occasionally was not the silver hair my mother always praised.

I started crying in fear, and even my cries didn't sound like my own. I remember crying endlessly, feeling scared and disgusted.

"Are you okay? Did you also suddenly find yourself in that shack and in an adult's body?"

"Yes... Why...?"

"I don't know why, but I'm in the same situation. I've been here for a month. My name is Eliza. What's yours?"

"Sa... Saidi..."

"That's a cute name. Saidi, we're with you."

At that moment, Eliza and Norman, who were already there, comforted me. They stayed up all night comforting me, and I managed to endure because they were there. I wonder how lonely and painful it must have been for Norman, who was the first to arrive.

From the next day, we started living like slaves. We woke up early to do farm work and did sewing and other odd jobs at night. It was a very hard life for a seven-year-old noble girl who had been pampered.

My mental state was worn down, but this body seemed to be around thirty years old and had some physical strength. I didn't collapse and could do simple physical labor.

When I first saw my reflection in the water, I was so scared and disgusted that I vomited several times. For a few days, I couldn't eat properly.

The collar we wore from the beginning was designed to deliver electric shocks, so we couldn't take a break or escape.

There were about twenty people living in that place surrounded by fields and forests, including those who were bought as slaves and those who, like me, found themselves in someone else's body.

Saidi, Eliza, and Norman. A year after I arrived, a boy named Neil also came in the same way.

"Are we dead?"

"Maybe. We might have fallen into hell despite not doing anything wrong."

Every night, before going to bed, the four of us would gather and chat. No matter how much we thought about it, we couldn't understand why we ended up in this situation.

If it was a bad dream, we wanted to wake up quickly.

One day, three years after I was in this body.

During the short break we had every day, I was chasing a cat when I heard voices coming from a shack. Curious, I peeked through the window.

Suddenly, a chubby, bearded man inside put on a slave collar, the same one I was wearing. He seemed very happy.

"It hurts, finally my turn. The noble life I've dreamed of."

"Who are you going to take over?"

"The marquis's son. He had a pretty face and will probably have a lot of fun in the future. And I'll be free from this terrible back pain."

As they continued their incomprehensible conversation, the man's body suddenly twitched. The next moment, he started looking around and said something that didn't match his appearance.

"...Where am I? Why am I here...?"

It was as if he suddenly became a child inside.

The reaction was the same as when I became this body. From their conversation about the "dreamed-of noble life" and "taking over someone," even a child like me realized what was happening.

We weren't dead. This wasn't hell, but a hellish reality.

I don't know how they did it, but they were intentionally swapping bodies with others. Eliza, Norman, and Neil must have been swapped into other bodies in the same way.

In other words, the original owner of this body is now inside me.

Thinking about it made me very scared. Is she living with her beloved parents, pretending to be me?

Will I have to live in this place and this body for the rest of my life?

With these worries, I continued the hard life for ten years until that day when we suddenly returned to our original bodies.

"Hey, Gerald, did Eliza, Norman, and Neil also return to their original bodies? It's not just us, right...?"

"...I don't know. They all said they were originally nobles, so it might be good to look for people of the same age with the same names."

"Right! Maybe there are people who have recently changed."

If the others are still in that place, I don't want to be living comfortably while they are there.

"By the way, there's someone who has been very kind to me recently, and her name is Eliza. She's very beautiful and kind. She believed me when I told her about being taken over and is helping me a lot."

"...Is that so? Which family is she from?"

"The Haines baron family. She's known as the epitome of a lady."

"......"

Gerald seemed to be thinking about something for a while, but then he smiled as usual and spoke.

"Maybe I should meet her once?"

"Sure, I'll talk to Lady Eliza."

It's rare for Gerald to want to meet a woman.

In any case, we decided that Gerald would investigate people with the same names as the three of them, and we would meet with Lady Eliza soon. We then ended the meeting.

◇◇◇

Six days later, Gerald, Lady Eliza, and I gathered in my room at the Arkwright marquis family's house.

"Saidi said you are a wonderful person, and I really wanted to meet you."

"Hehe, that's nice. Let's be good friends."

The two of them seemed to get along quickly, and we spent time chatting about trivial matters and listening to Lady Eliza talk about the recent social scene.

I suddenly remembered something that had been bothering me.

"By the way, Lady Eliza, do you know someone named Lloyd?"

It was the name Rufus mentioned that day. Lady Eliza, who seems to have a wide social circle, might know him.

Lady Eliza said, "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you," and seemed to recall something. She took a sip of tea with her elegant hand and then spoke.

"The person who took over your body was in love with him."

I was speechless, not expecting that answer.

Thank you for reading! I was planning to update leisurely, so my stock is running out soon.

Your reviews and ratings would really encourage me.