“Oh… would that really be alright?”
“Of course.”
Following Sir Edgar’s eager guidance after that, I found myself at his home before I quite knew what had happened. Sir Edgar lived alone in a small house near the square.
Sir Edgar was originally a commoner, I had been told — he had distinguished himself in battle and been awarded a knighthood and a home. He didn’t fit well into social circles, so he kept to himself quietly, pursuing his hobbies alone.
It wasn’t long before we arrived at his modest little house.
“It’s quite cramped, isn’t it?”
“Not at all — it’s a lovely home.”
“You don’t need to be kind about it.”
Sir Edgar gave an embarrassed smile and opened the door. Inside, the warm and comfortable atmosphere felt very much like him. He led me to the sitting room and said,
“Please wait just a moment. I don’t keep any servants, so everything falls to me from start to finish.”
“Doesn’t that feel inconvenient?”
“No, I’ve always preferred being on my own.”
“I envy that.”
Sir Edgar laughed at my words, told me to wait, and disappeared into the kitchen. I sat on the sofa and tried to collect my thoughts. Before long, the smell of something delicious drifted through, and Sir Edgar called me over.
When I entered the dining room, there was a spread of appetizing dishes on the table that was hard to believe one person had managed alone.
“Wow…”
“Please, sit and eat comfortably. I hope it suits your palate, Sir Rowell.”
“Thank you so much…”
And so we sat across from each other and began to eat. A quiet settled between us with few words exchanged, until Sir Edgar was the first to speak.
“You seemed to have a lot on your mind — is something the matter?”
“Ah, well…”
I hesitated, struggling to find where to begin, then said,
“Could I tell you after we’ve finished eating?”
“Of course. Please eat first.”
I nodded and continued eating, but my thoughts were churning and my stomach wasn’t at ease. I was turning over in my mind how to bring it up.
We finished eating, and as I helped Sir Edgar clear away the dishes, I quietly picked up a clean knife that hadn’t been used.
“Sir Edgar.”
“Yes?”
“It’s not that I distrust you — but what I need to share is important enough that I’d like to perform a ritual before I say anything.”
“A ritual?”
Sir Edgar looked mildly startled by my unexpected words and echoed them back to me. Rather than answer in words, I chose to show him.
I took the knife and drew it across the tip of my left thumb, drawing blood. I heard Sir Edgar’s sharp intake of breath.
I looked up at him and extended my hand.
“Forgive me for a moment.”
Then I pressed my thumb to his lips and left a trace of blood there. I could see him flinch, then swallow.
I turned the knife around after that, handle toward him, and said,
“Would you do the same for me?”
He still looked startled, blinking at me — but he took the knife, hesitated for just a moment, then drew it across his own thumb. And with that, he pressed it carefully to my lips.
“Is this alright?”
“Yes.”
I snapped my fingers, and the red blood on our lips flared momentarily green before returning to its original color.
Sir Edgar’s eyes went wide.
“Is that magic?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You can use magic… I’ve never seen it in person before.”
I smiled a little awkwardly and answered.
“My mother taught me.”
The people of the Cassia Empire are made up of the majority Enus tribe and the minority Norva tribe. In outward appearance there is no difference — but the Norva tribe could use magic. Their bloodlines have mixed considerably by now, but those with strong Norva blood tended to have distinctively golden hair.
My mother had been one, and so was I. Because of that, I was able to channel a fairly considerable amount of magical power.
I looked at Sir Edgar and explained the magic I had just performed.
“It’s called Silentium — until the blood is wiped away, only the two of us will be able to recall the conversation we’ve shared. If anyone tries to speak of it to others, their mouth will tear open. It can be fatal, so one must be careful.”
At that, Sir Edgar’s eyes went even wider. It was only then that I realized I had been rather unkind about the whole thing.
“Oh — I’m sorry. I should have explained before using it.”
“No, no. It’s alright. I was a little startled, but truly, I’m fine. I had no intention of telling anyone regardless. If you’ve gone this far, it must be something very serious — what’s happened?”
Having already cast the spell, I no longer hesitated, and began to speak.
“The truth is — I’m struggling with whether to call off the wedding.”
“What? Really?”
Sir Edgar looked surprised when he heard that, then quickly curved his lips into a smile. He seemed, oddly, to be in good spirits.
The smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared, and he returned to a serious expression, giving me his full attention.
“Why is that? I had the impression you were very happy about the engagement.”
With a heavy heart, I began to tell him everything, slowly.
“I thought Bert hyung had proposed to me sincerely — but it wasn’t that. It turned out he had decided to marry me because my father promised to leave him the entire estate. Bert hyung will likely inherit nothing from Duke Kildun. So that’s… why, I suppose.”
“That can’t be… how did you come to find that out, Sir Rowell?”
“I heard it directly. I asked Bert hyung why he had decided to marry me, and that was the answer I received. When I asked him what the proposal was then — whether he had used my feelings — he said yes.”
“He admitted it without even trying to hide it?”
“Yes. He doesn’t know how to lie. On top of that, I overheard a conversation between my father and Bert hyung — and it seems my father intends to hand over not just the estate but the title as well. By submitting a document tarnishing my reputation, stripping me of my right to succession. And then it sounded as though he planned to pack me off somewhere far away like some kind of exile.”
“Truly…”
Sir Edgar looked as though he couldn’t believe it — and also as though he was furious. He let out a hollow breath and said,
“How could they do something like that? Both of them — your father included… I had heard that the young lord is unable to feel emotions because of his curse. But even so, there are things one ought to uphold. He’s known Sir Rowell for so long. This is something you’d only do to an enemy.”
“I know… I can’t even bring myself to want to speak with them about it. For all I know, there are even larger schemes being arranged behind my back that I’m not aware of. I have no idea how long this has been going on.”
“I’m furious just hearing it — I can’t imagine how you must feel, Sir Rowell. You must be absolutely devastated.”
Sir Edgar took my limp hand and held it firmly as he spoke. His warm gaze and his understanding gave me strength, and I continued.
“But if I try to break off the engagement now, my father will certainly fly into a rage. He would never allow it. He wants a connection to the Kildun ducal house so badly… I’ve thought about slipping away in the night, but — it might sound pathetic, but… I don’t have the funds to strike out on my own right now. I’ve been teaching without taking payment all this time, so I’ve only had outgoings, never income. I’m thinking of trying to sell some paintings, but honestly I don’t know where to begin.”
I spoke with very little regard for myself. It was a story embarrassing even to tell another person.
“I must seem terribly foolish, mustn’t I…”
“Not at all — to me, Sir Rowell, you are a light. Not in the least.”
Sir Edgar gripped my hand more firmly, his expression serious and his words resolute. I had never heard anything like that from anyone before, and I stared at him in surprise.
“Please share your troubles with me, Sir Rowell. Please, keep talking.”
“Thank you…”
I felt a genuine wave of gratitude toward Sir Edgar. Lifted by his encouragement, I even found myself saying something I wouldn’t ordinarily have brought up.
“There is actually another way — a far more certain way to get free of it all. But it isn’t easy either…”
“What is it?”
“Magic. It’s the Bloodline Magic my mother told me about — you abandon your original body and enter someone else’s, and live on in it. I don’t want to remain in that house a moment longer, so if the conditions can be met, I would use it immediately. If it works, it’s the cleanest solution of all. But it isn’t easy. Occupying someone else’s body without their consent isn’t something that should be done. I had thought perhaps it might be acceptable to enter the body of a convicted criminal — but however you look at it, that’s not a good choice either.”
Sir Edgar’s mouth fell open in surprise at my words.
“Is something like that truly possible?”
“Yes — I believe it is. My mother was in perfectly good health, and then she said those words to me and was suddenly gone. I believe she didn’t die.”
“That’s truly extraordinary…”
“Isn’t it? Apparently, once you take up residence in another person’s body, the original soul of that body can continue to exist in a spirit state. Depending on the will involved, the soul may also dissipate… and you can apparently even hold conversations with the soul. It’s a remarkable thing. That kind of magic — the sort that works with souls — I’ve never heard of anything else like it.”
Sir Edgar had been listening with growing wonder — then, after seeming to think for a moment, he spoke.
“Then come into my body.”
