She had poured all her magical power into it, so her body wouldn't listen to her until she recovered.
Blie stayed in her room and barely managed to draw a magic circle with trembling hands.
The magic circle floated clearly on the floor and then disappeared.
Blie cried so hard that her cheeks were soaked as she watched the magic circle disappear and then return, and then she laughed like crazy again, repeating this over and over again.
The maids knocked on the door every now and then to ask how she was doing, but she didn't answer and just wrapped her arms around Adrienne.
'I've already done it.'
Blie intuitively felt a connection between her and Adrienne.
Since meeting Adrienne, she's had this constant feeling of her heart pounding.
Adrienne's breath was clearly felt in her lungs.
'I'm sorry, Adrienne. You were my sister.'
Why was that fragile face lingering in her mind, Blie realized.
It was because she was sorry.
It wasn't a funny feeling.
'This way, you too may be in danger for a while. But you will also learn that it is better to know the truth even if you die and come back to life than to live without knowing the truth.'
Because Blie saw her former self in the face of that child who was living like a fool without knowing the truth.
Because Blie knows better than anyone else how miserable it is to live like that.
'I was a bad sister, but please forgive me for atoning for my actions like this.'
Blie felt Adrienne's energy fading away.
A soul-changing spell from an ancient magic book that was read over and over again in Rossi's cabin.
Forbidden magic. Unforgivable magic.
There were many words to describe that magic, but Blie paid no attention to it.
Blie's trembling hand reached out to the magic circle she had drawn beforehand.
A golden magic circle sparkled on the floor.
'I'll give you a chance too.'
A chance to know the truth and be angry.
'Even with that body, you said you would help me?'
Blie laughed in disbelief as she recalled the day she had encountered Adrienne.
“Please help me. You too. Me too.”
I will give you the healthy body you have always wanted.
'Read it just for fun. If you use that kind of magic wrong, you might die.'
Rossi's voice briefly flashed through her mind.
“Damn you, difficult ancient magic. Please exchange our souls and give Adrienne my body.”
Adrienne is smarter than her, so shr can probably figure out anything. Maybe even the fact that the body she's going to have is that of her twin sister.
Consciousness falls into endless water.
Olivia, who she had thought was stupid, only came to understand Blie when she was close to death.
'I was a real daughter to Olivia.'
Adrienne feels an inexplicable feeling that she could give up a better life just because she was raised with love by someone who did not share a single drop of blood with her.
She could feel the lost magical power that had been almost completely poured into the Mana Stone Coffin surging from afar.
Ah.
'I also took something from you.'
As her consciousness began to sink deeper and deeper into the water, Blie began to become more certain.
'This magical power that overflowed without any relation to the subject was originally meant to be shared with you.'
Blie cried now.
Oh really, maybe I...
'I might die.'
She couldn't breathe as if she was falling into really deep water.
But strangely enough, she couldn't stop.
Even though she knew she might die, she couldn't let go of this ancient magic trick that she was trying for the first time in her life.
'I want to save that child.'
Fall into water of unknown depth.
Even if Blie stretches out ht hands with all her might, no one will grab her hand.
But Blie smiled.
Under the water, she saw her younger sister Adrienne Piretta crying out for help.
Without hesitation, she grabbed her hand and lifted it up to her.
“It’s funny. How much do I know about you? I’m trying to save you, even though we’ve never been family.”
“Did you love Noevian?”
I held my trembling heart and barely managed to ask Blie. Blie laughed as if she found it ridiculous.
“I thought I loved him. I would be lying if I said my heart never fluttered because he was born that way. When I found out that bastard tried to use me without consulting me, I lost interest. And when I saw you waiting for him like an idiot, I got angry.”
“...Were you pitying me?”
“Yeah. You were pitiful.”
Blie said, looking straight at me.
“You don’t know anything, and that bastard who is either a Crown Prince or some shit calls you his government, then his wife, and all that crap. You just blindly trust that Noevian bastard and wait for him. It’s so pitiful.”
“What is that ancient magic? Does it swap our souls?”
“That’s right. But it can only be done when one of your souls is far enough from your body to go to Abadelia. Right before you die. That’s when I aimed for it.”
Blie first looked at Rossi's expression, then began to explain in detail how hard she had worked her stupid head.
She said that if she went before her father, she would probably be killed in one way or another, and if she wanted to do something secretly, the only thing she had learned was magic, which is called sorcery, so this was the only way she could come up with.
“...If you had come to me, I would have helped you.”
And at those words, Blie's grumpy expression distorted for a moment before returning.
Blie stared at me intently, then quickly loosened her tense lips.
“That’s my biggest regret. I admit it. I was really stupid.”
When I didn't answer, Blie added.
“I thought you’d be as temperamental and volatile as me before I met you.”
“...You’re not wrong. I get just as angry as you do.”
Our eyes met in the air. Our faces, which had been serious, briefly smiled and returned.
“If you heard how I dealt with those 'sons of a bitch' you were talking about, even you would be afraid of me.”
“Oh, really? Then you’ll be surprised to hear how I prepared Count Acacia to ruin Noevian’s plan. Oh, Count Acacia! Is that old man alive? That poor old man...”
“Stay alive.”
Suddenly.
As I stared at Blie confirming the life or death of Count Acacia, I brought up the words that had been stuck in my heart like a thorn.
“More than that, you...”
Blie raised an eyebrow.
“Were you planning to die?”
I couldn't control my trembling voice and shouted at Blie.
Blie, who had been absorbed in the sentiment for a while, frowned slightly.
“When I tried to change my soul? Why should I die for you? I thought I might just die like this... but I didn’t stop.”
“You should have died originally.”
“I remembered Rossi’s warning about that damned difficult magic. But I already did it. Maybe because we were twins with the same magical power, we were able to survive even if our magic was a bit awkward?”
Blie shrugged.
Seeing that sight, Rossi's hand struck Blie's back without hesitation.
As Blie spoke, teeth marks were clearly visible on her plump lips, showing how much she had endured.
“I! I knew this would happen! Somehow, the books on the bookshelf were also! A little! empty!”
“Ah! Aya! I investigated the Crown Prince’s back for so long! I even stole some books to find out why that bastard was so interested in the Mana Stone Coffin! In the end, things turned out well for Rossi, right?”
“Me! I thought you were dead!”
Rossi stopped hitting Blie on the back, hugged Blie, and started sobbing.
And then the moment.
“Is this all true?”
In an instant, the air in the room became chilly.
Everyone's eyes turned to the door that opened silently.
“Gregory...!”
It was Gregory, Bianca, and Olivia.
"...Is it okay to send it like that?”
“It was a story that you had to know someday, brother.”
Gregory let out a sigh, "How could this happen...?" and then trembled as I started talking and Olivia and Bianca also opened their mouths.
A look of resentment filled his face as he wondered why no one had told him about such a big deal.
He muttered that his father could not have simply abandoned Blie because of his mother's death.
Gregory looked like he was guessing for a while, then disappeared, saying he was going to find his father.
“Brother, brother...”
Blie chased after the afterimage of her brother who looked just like her.
“No, you’re the one who should go, Blie.”
“?”
I started to take off the white priest's robe I was wearing.
Rhodnes, who was nearby, took my outer garment without thinking.
“What? Why are you taking off your clothes and acting like a jerk all of a sudden?”
“We have to change again. The two of us.”
“!”
Only then did Blie pick up the clothes he was wearing and examine them with his fingers.
It was a beige dress that I had changed into in Bardenaldo's basement.
“The one lying down right now should be ‘Adrienne’.”
“Like this all of a sudden? You’ve only just begun to recall what you did to my body? My memory isn’t as good as yours, so I forgot it right away.”
“Jonah knows our situation. For the time being, just act like me. Countess Blie Acacia is still the Crown Princess’ maid, and was also the late Crown Prince’s aide, so things are different than before.”
“What did the Crown Princess’ maid, who will soon be tried and killed...?”
As Blie stood up, staggering, and prepared to change her clothes, Rhodnes eventually left the room. A mischievous smile appeared on Blie’s lips as she glanced at him.
“Then your lover is also me...”
“Don’t even dream.”
“Look at this. Look at that vicious thing. I told you, isn’t that my sister?”
Blie, who had been grumbling, soon put on only an underdress and crossed her legs.
I also handed over the priest's uniform while wearing only an underdress.
“It’ll be a lot different than before.”
“Yeah, well. It would be different.”
“Now that you’ve changed your status, take proper revenge on your father. Do whatever you want. And refrain from swearing. I have an image I’ve built up.”
“This is what it means to tell your sister to do this and that...”
Knock knock.
As soon as Blie put on his priest's attire and started to fuss, a polite knock was heard.
I quickly got into bed and closed my eyes. Through my slightly open eyes, I saw Blie writhing around and then awkwardly straightening her back.
Bam!
As the door opened, the high priest Teln came in, his eyes shining, leading a large group of priests.
Teln, without a shred of doubt, approached Blie in his priestly attire and grabbed her hand. And then...
“I will do my best so that not only Her Highness the Grand Duchess but also Your Ladyship can use the name of the Saintess!”
“What the heck is this...”
“You have received so many accurate oracles, Madam, that you too deserve to be called a Saintess! Am I not a witness? The Marquis of Winston and Prince Ephero have also seen it!”
Blie's head creaked and she turned towards me, who was lying there with my eyes wide open.
“So that you may be recorded as the greatest Saintess in history! This Teln will be by your side to help you!”
Blie's somewhat pale lips silently drew out a harsh curse at me.
I closed my eyes tightly as if I hadn't seen anything.
And then I heard Blie's footsteps disappearing out of the room, almost as if dragged out, amid the cheers of the priests.
Blie stayed in her room and barely managed to draw a magic circle with trembling hands.
The magic circle floated clearly on the floor and then disappeared.
Blie cried so hard that her cheeks were soaked as she watched the magic circle disappear and then return, and then she laughed like crazy again, repeating this over and over again.
The maids knocked on the door every now and then to ask how she was doing, but she didn't answer and just wrapped her arms around Adrienne.
'I've already done it.'
Blie intuitively felt a connection between her and Adrienne.
Since meeting Adrienne, she's had this constant feeling of her heart pounding.
Adrienne's breath was clearly felt in her lungs.
'I'm sorry, Adrienne. You were my sister.'
Why was that fragile face lingering in her mind, Blie realized.
It was because she was sorry.
It wasn't a funny feeling.
'This way, you too may be in danger for a while. But you will also learn that it is better to know the truth even if you die and come back to life than to live without knowing the truth.'
Because Blie saw her former self in the face of that child who was living like a fool without knowing the truth.
Because Blie knows better than anyone else how miserable it is to live like that.
'I was a bad sister, but please forgive me for atoning for my actions like this.'
Blie felt Adrienne's energy fading away.
A soul-changing spell from an ancient magic book that was read over and over again in Rossi's cabin.
Forbidden magic. Unforgivable magic.
There were many words to describe that magic, but Blie paid no attention to it.
Blie's trembling hand reached out to the magic circle she had drawn beforehand.
A golden magic circle sparkled on the floor.
'I'll give you a chance too.'
A chance to know the truth and be angry.
'Even with that body, you said you would help me?'
Blie laughed in disbelief as she recalled the day she had encountered Adrienne.
“Please help me. You too. Me too.”
I will give you the healthy body you have always wanted.
'Read it just for fun. If you use that kind of magic wrong, you might die.'
Rossi's voice briefly flashed through her mind.
“Damn you, difficult ancient magic. Please exchange our souls and give Adrienne my body.”
Adrienne is smarter than her, so shr can probably figure out anything. Maybe even the fact that the body she's going to have is that of her twin sister.
Consciousness falls into endless water.
Olivia, who she had thought was stupid, only came to understand Blie when she was close to death.
'I was a real daughter to Olivia.'
Adrienne feels an inexplicable feeling that she could give up a better life just because she was raised with love by someone who did not share a single drop of blood with her.
She could feel the lost magical power that had been almost completely poured into the Mana Stone Coffin surging from afar.
Ah.
'I also took something from you.'
As her consciousness began to sink deeper and deeper into the water, Blie began to become more certain.
'This magical power that overflowed without any relation to the subject was originally meant to be shared with you.'
Blie cried now.
Oh really, maybe I...
'I might die.'
She couldn't breathe as if she was falling into really deep water.
But strangely enough, she couldn't stop.
Even though she knew she might die, she couldn't let go of this ancient magic trick that she was trying for the first time in her life.
'I want to save that child.'
Fall into water of unknown depth.
Even if Blie stretches out ht hands with all her might, no one will grab her hand.
But Blie smiled.
Under the water, she saw her younger sister Adrienne Piretta crying out for help.
Without hesitation, she grabbed her hand and lifted it up to her.
***
“It’s funny. How much do I know about you? I’m trying to save you, even though we’ve never been family.”
“Did you love Noevian?”
I held my trembling heart and barely managed to ask Blie. Blie laughed as if she found it ridiculous.
“I thought I loved him. I would be lying if I said my heart never fluttered because he was born that way. When I found out that bastard tried to use me without consulting me, I lost interest. And when I saw you waiting for him like an idiot, I got angry.”
“...Were you pitying me?”
“Yeah. You were pitiful.”
Blie said, looking straight at me.
“You don’t know anything, and that bastard who is either a Crown Prince or some shit calls you his government, then his wife, and all that crap. You just blindly trust that Noevian bastard and wait for him. It’s so pitiful.”
“What is that ancient magic? Does it swap our souls?”
“That’s right. But it can only be done when one of your souls is far enough from your body to go to Abadelia. Right before you die. That’s when I aimed for it.”
Blie first looked at Rossi's expression, then began to explain in detail how hard she had worked her stupid head.
She said that if she went before her father, she would probably be killed in one way or another, and if she wanted to do something secretly, the only thing she had learned was magic, which is called sorcery, so this was the only way she could come up with.
“...If you had come to me, I would have helped you.”
And at those words, Blie's grumpy expression distorted for a moment before returning.
Blie stared at me intently, then quickly loosened her tense lips.
“That’s my biggest regret. I admit it. I was really stupid.”
When I didn't answer, Blie added.
“I thought you’d be as temperamental and volatile as me before I met you.”
“...You’re not wrong. I get just as angry as you do.”
Our eyes met in the air. Our faces, which had been serious, briefly smiled and returned.
“If you heard how I dealt with those 'sons of a bitch' you were talking about, even you would be afraid of me.”
“Oh, really? Then you’ll be surprised to hear how I prepared Count Acacia to ruin Noevian’s plan. Oh, Count Acacia! Is that old man alive? That poor old man...”
“Stay alive.”
Suddenly.
As I stared at Blie confirming the life or death of Count Acacia, I brought up the words that had been stuck in my heart like a thorn.
“More than that, you...”
Blie raised an eyebrow.
“Were you planning to die?”
I couldn't control my trembling voice and shouted at Blie.
Blie, who had been absorbed in the sentiment for a while, frowned slightly.
“When I tried to change my soul? Why should I die for you? I thought I might just die like this... but I didn’t stop.”
“You should have died originally.”
“I remembered Rossi’s warning about that damned difficult magic. But I already did it. Maybe because we were twins with the same magical power, we were able to survive even if our magic was a bit awkward?”
Blie shrugged.
Seeing that sight, Rossi's hand struck Blie's back without hesitation.
As Blie spoke, teeth marks were clearly visible on her plump lips, showing how much she had endured.
“I! I knew this would happen! Somehow, the books on the bookshelf were also! A little! empty!”
“Ah! Aya! I investigated the Crown Prince’s back for so long! I even stole some books to find out why that bastard was so interested in the Mana Stone Coffin! In the end, things turned out well for Rossi, right?”
“Me! I thought you were dead!”
Rossi stopped hitting Blie on the back, hugged Blie, and started sobbing.
And then the moment.
“Is this all true?”
In an instant, the air in the room became chilly.
Everyone's eyes turned to the door that opened silently.
“Gregory...!”
It was Gregory, Bianca, and Olivia.
***
"...Is it okay to send it like that?”
“It was a story that you had to know someday, brother.”
Gregory let out a sigh, "How could this happen...?" and then trembled as I started talking and Olivia and Bianca also opened their mouths.
A look of resentment filled his face as he wondered why no one had told him about such a big deal.
He muttered that his father could not have simply abandoned Blie because of his mother's death.
Gregory looked like he was guessing for a while, then disappeared, saying he was going to find his father.
“Brother, brother...”
Blie chased after the afterimage of her brother who looked just like her.
She quickly realized that her head was hurting and asked everyone to leave because she wanted to take a break.
“?”
I started to take off the white priest's robe I was wearing.
Rhodnes, who was nearby, took my outer garment without thinking.
“What? Why are you taking off your clothes and acting like a jerk all of a sudden?”
“We have to change again. The two of us.”
“!”
Only then did Blie pick up the clothes he was wearing and examine them with his fingers.
It was a beige dress that I had changed into in Bardenaldo's basement.
“The one lying down right now should be ‘Adrienne’.”
“Like this all of a sudden? You’ve only just begun to recall what you did to my body? My memory isn’t as good as yours, so I forgot it right away.”
“Jonah knows our situation. For the time being, just act like me. Countess Blie Acacia is still the Crown Princess’ maid, and was also the late Crown Prince’s aide, so things are different than before.”
“What did the Crown Princess’ maid, who will soon be tried and killed...?”
As Blie stood up, staggering, and prepared to change her clothes, Rhodnes eventually left the room. A mischievous smile appeared on Blie’s lips as she glanced at him.
“Then your lover is also me...”
“Don’t even dream.”
“Look at this. Look at that vicious thing. I told you, isn’t that my sister?”
Blie, who had been grumbling, soon put on only an underdress and crossed her legs.
I also handed over the priest's uniform while wearing only an underdress.
“It’ll be a lot different than before.”
“Yeah, well. It would be different.”
“Now that you’ve changed your status, take proper revenge on your father. Do whatever you want. And refrain from swearing. I have an image I’ve built up.”
“This is what it means to tell your sister to do this and that...”
Knock knock.
As soon as Blie put on his priest's attire and started to fuss, a polite knock was heard.
I quickly got into bed and closed my eyes. Through my slightly open eyes, I saw Blie writhing around and then awkwardly straightening her back.
Bam!
As the door opened, the high priest Teln came in, his eyes shining, leading a large group of priests.
Teln, without a shred of doubt, approached Blie in his priestly attire and grabbed her hand. And then...
“I will do my best so that not only Her Highness the Grand Duchess but also Your Ladyship can use the name of the Saintess!”
“What the heck is this...”
“You have received so many accurate oracles, Madam, that you too deserve to be called a Saintess! Am I not a witness? The Marquis of Winston and Prince Ephero have also seen it!”
Blie's head creaked and she turned towards me, who was lying there with my eyes wide open.
“So that you may be recorded as the greatest Saintess in history! This Teln will be by your side to help you!”
Blie's somewhat pale lips silently drew out a harsh curse at me.
I closed my eyes tightly as if I hadn't seen anything.
And then I heard Blie's footsteps disappearing out of the room, almost as if dragged out, amid the cheers of the priests.
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