Chapter 80

“Amber.”

I uttered, looking at the dress Lucian sent me.

“Call Damian.”

“Yes, Lady. Then, look at the dress.”

“Well… ”

Instead of answering, I swallowed a moan.

It was because there were too many dresses.

While the whole Duchy was preparing for Lucian’s coronation, I couldn’t get out of bed. I was so busy lying on my back and eating bitter medicine and nourishing food that I wanted to throw up every day to boost the energy I had lost.

Eventually, I finally got out of bed and now, I couldn’t get out of the sofa.

Lucian made and sent various styles of dresses.

“No, how many did you make.”

I couldn’t tell if the dress was sent only for the coronation ceremony, or if it was sent to wear on a regular basis. Still, there were many just looking at it.

I waited for Damian while glancing at the colorful dress. The day I passed out because of Cassandra, he gazed at me tenaciously. As soon as I remembered the light wooden eyes moving up and down without rest, I couldn’t help but call him.

That was when Cassandra called me a thieving bitch. She even said that it was originally her body. So, was the disappearance of the original Rachel already planned…?

I buried myself deep on the sofa and organized my thoughts.

The Empire had possessors. In some cases, like Cassandra, they just stuck together, though in others like Noah, they were suspicious.

Were the magical powers they exude different from ordinary people?

…Then, what about me?

The possessor who entered the body that was lost by the real owner—another ghost attached to the possessor. It was like three people in one body. Damian, the shapeshifter who distinguishes mana and magic by color, seemed to be able to tell me anything.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

At my words, Damian entered the room.

“Did you call, Master?”

“Yes, how have you been?”

“Is your body okay?”

It seemed the same, just looking at him politely asking questions. Although overall, he looked a little different from his usual appearance.

“What’s wrong? Did you fight with Oscar?”

“….”

Damian looked at me without answering.

“Why are you not like you?”

Damian shook his head at my question.

“No. I’m so glad you’re looking good.”

“What’s the matter. What’s going on?”

“….”

At that, he bit his mouth again.

…No, he was like Lucian. I couldn’t hide my skepticism because it was Damian who usually answered right away.

“What, tell me quickly.”

“…Master.”

When I urged him, Damian finally spoke up.

“I was worried because I knew my Master was going to die.”

“Me…? Why am I dying?”

“However…”

“What? No, come closer this way. Why are you talking so far away?”

At my words, Damian came right next to me. The reason that something seemed different from usual was that he was in a depressed state. He usually wore such a poker face, so it took me a while to figure it out.

“I passed out, but people don’t die easily from that.”

I was comforting him, but Damian must have had a different opinion. Damien brought up the story I was curious about.

“But then, when I saw the master’s magical power being consumed…”

…What?

“…My magic consumed? What do you mean?”

He started answering my questions in detail, “I say simply the individual magic, though it is precisely the magic of the soul. When the Master was young, you shone brightly only with your magic power.”

Then, Damian muttered with a slightly hazy expression.

“How beautiful it is, you have no idea.”

“Well, I can’t see magic.”

“Fufu, I’m really sorry.”

What was it that made him laugh? Pondering that, I really thought that I saw a lot of unexpected sides of Damian today.

“Tell me more. What does it mean to say that my magic power is consumed?”

Damian spoke up at my prompt.

“At some point, from the moment that woman clings to master’s body, the master’s magical powers begin to show a red color.”

“What color is my magic power originally?”

“The Master’s magical power is…”

As he spoke, he began to scan my body slowly. The light woody eyes looked golden in the sunlight, and Lucian came to mind.

“It shines white. Every time I see the magic that shines so brightly and innocently, I feel proud.”

“…Thank you.”

It was just unfamiliar. Perhaps, it was because the light woody eyes staring straight at me were so sincere. To be honest, I didn’t think I was fit for my magic.

Would he be disappointed if I, like Cassandra, was not the original owner of this body…?

“Though that day, when the master collapsed… I was really worried when I saw more than half of them turned red.”

“I see…”

That was why he didn’t come to me…

He was just wary of me.

“But you said, we have mana resonance.”

“You’re right. If the master goes wrong, I cannot live.”

Damian answered melancholy. I beckoned to him. He came closer, and I grabbed his hand, “Sorry for worrying you.”

“There’s absolutely nothing for the master to be sorry for.”

“I have absolutely no desire to die. So, I’ll be more careful not to get eaten by Cassandra.”

Even though I thought I said it quite clearly, Damian still gazed at me with an unsure look.

I had no desire to die. It was the same thought before the possession. That was why, despite many hardships, I persevered and survived. Then, I got possessed, and even here, I did not realize that I was borrowing someone else’s body, and I worked hard to satisfy my selfishness.

I was an unscrupulous human being.

The purely shining magic may not be mine, but the original magic that Rachel possessed. It was called soul magic, yet I was not originally from this world, was I…?

Still, to me, this place was a webtoon and a dream. Even if I woke up from my dream, I wouldn’t regret it. Still, caring for those in charge until the end was another story. Unlike my parents, I wanted to be a responsible person.

I was not the type of person who irresponsibly threw away the need.

“From now on, I will put more effort into managing my stamina. Even if it’s magical, isn’t it good to have a strong body?”

“…That’s right.”

“Oh, Damian. At that time, what color was Noah’s magic?”

When the magic story came out, I got curious. Even though it was clearly someone other than Noah, distinguishing them was important.

“When I followed it, it was yellowish magic. However, when I saw it again, it was brownish magic.”

“Does that mean that there is a possibility that someone else, like Cassandra, is attached to him?”

“Yes, I think so. Master, why don’t you ask Oscar one more time about what he heard at the slave market?”

“Um, does he know anything more?”

“Just in case, ask again.”

“Yes, okay. Thanks, Damian.”

“Not a thing.”

Even after replying, he couldn’t take his eyes off me. I smiled unknowingly as I watched his eyes go up and down again and again.

I was happy…

I was happy to have people who care and watch over even the smallest of things. Even though I promised myself it was a dream, I swallowed a sigh of regret.

If, really, if I ever go back to Korea…

…So, what do I do? Ever since I had a dream when I was young, I wanted to somehow manage my pessimistic brain.

I said to Damian, tapping my temple with my finger.

“First of all, you can go back. Let’s have tea with Oscar later.”

I tried to smile and spoke. Damian, who was examining my body intently, raised his gaze at my words. After staring at my face for a while without saying a word, he nodded.

“Then, I’ll be on my way.”

“Yes. For the time being, there will be a lot of commotion because of brother’s coronation ceremony. If you need anything, ask Amber, understand?”

“Yes.”

After Damian left, I lay down on the sofa in the most comfortable position for me, even if it was a loose posture. I had a lot of thoughts and my mind was cluttered.

Laying down, I stared at the dresses on display one by one.

Dresses were put on each hanger like a mannequin. After trying on all that, they had to sew it to fit my body shape. Since we didn’t have much time until the coronation ceremony, could I just pick one of them and entrust it to them first, and then take the rest slowly…?

“I think that was made to be worn on a regular basis?”

I got up from the sofa and stood in front of the striking dress. As if preparing for the coming summer, the dress made of cool linen material had sky blue stripes on a white background.

I remembered something I once said to Lucian.

“Really… Did I say sky-blue striped curtains or dresses?”

I once said that it would be nice to hang a light blue striped linen curtain in the summer. Even though I said it as if passing by, Lucian remembered it.

The tip of my nose twitched.

I kept wanting to deny it, though I couldn’t stand it any longer. I murmured as she patted her sky-blue striped dress with her fingertips.

“I don’t want to go back to Korea…”

Maybe, someday I would go back. I should not give a lot of affection in preparation for that time.

I did, but…

“…I must have already given too much.”

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────