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nElena looked up in wonder amid her anger. You want me to come in? Instead of throwing things at me and asking me why I’m here? Rosemary would know why I came here though. What the hell is this all about? Elena vowed not to be fooled so easily by this odd behavior of hers.

nIris became restless when Elena stood still. Why didn’t anyone offer the Duchess a seat or bring her some tea? Was the royal palace a place that didn’t offer tea? The atmosphere felt uncomfortable and she got up from her seat and asked, “Should we at least sit on the sofa over there?”

nWhy is she being like this? wondered Elena. Although she wasn’t going to be fooled easily, it was refreshing to see Rosemary acting differently. Elena had known her for a very long time and it was the first time she’d ever seen her concerned about other people. Then, something more surprising happened.

n“I’d like to have some tea. Duchess, what kind of tea would you like?”

nRosemary was asking as if she genuinely cared and it was starting to become obvious that she was worried about the maid and herself. Elena began to worry a little bit too, even though she thought it was just a fresh trick. Iris Elaine wasn’t the only one who’d fallen into the Haran’s river and there was circumstantial evidence that Rosemary had tried to kill Iris Elaine, but there was also solid evidence that Iris Elaine had used magic. The Queen had almost died from magic being used by her. The Magic Tower wanted to attack the royal family now. It would begin soon, and she had to defend the Queen before it began. What if the Queen wasn’t safe? What if she’d become weird like this as a result of Iris Elaine’s magic? It did seem as if she’d gone a bit insane. Everyone who knew Rosemary would’ve laughed at her since she’d never acted insane like this before.

nElena thought she’d test her and said, “I’ll have a lacetine tea please.” It was a very expensive tea. If she asked the Queen, who didn’t like spending even one rible, for such an expensive tea, she should’ve shown her true colors immediately.

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n“Ah, I will also have that then,” Rosemary said as she smiled brightly and Elena was shocked.

nThat day, Iris hung in better than she’d thought she would. Elena In Sethang was a sweet person, unlike her cold appearance. She paid a lot of attention to Iris and even laid her on the bed and covered her with a sheet when she’d said she was feeling ill and that she didn’t want to meet the court. And, she’d even smiled and told her to not worry about anything. Iris slept throughout the day. Her dreams were fierce and she didn’t rest well. Half asleep, she tossed and turned, wondering about what had happened to her body, her workshops, the house fairies, her medicines, and scrolls? All of that was so troubling, but then she remembered that her teacher would take good care of these things. If they fell into the hands of the wrong person, there would be terrible consequences.

n“Iris.”

nShe opened her eyes when a familiar voice called her name quietly. The world was dark as she looked around. She thought she wasn’t sleeping well, but she must’ve eventually fallen into a deep sleep.

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n“Teacher!” Iris jumped up and hugged Elaine tightly. “Teacher, I want to go back to my own body now. Do you know where it is?”

nElaine looked at Iris sympathetically, he didn’t know what to say and remained silent for a moment. Iris’s, rather, Rosemary’s, blue eyes were looking up at him full of trust and affection. Looking into those eyes, it was painful for Elaine to say that he wasn’t able to bring her back to life, that he was already too late. But even if he hadn’t said anything, the intelligent disciple seemed to understand what he meant.

n“Oh, no.” Iris cringed and her shoulders dropped at the realization. “When I died, my soul had nowhere to go. So, I guess I entered the Queen’s body.” If she had just thought about it a little more, she could’ve prevented this. But instead, she’d put the teacher in an awful position. Iris looked at him and spoke again, “I wish you’d tell me that my body is still alive.” Iris had been looking forward to this moment, but there was no miracle.

n“I know that’s what you want to hear.” Elaine’s voice was heavy. After Iris started biting her lips, Elaine sat right beside her, explaining in more detail, while caressing her blonde hair that smelled almost like honey. “You weren’t able to be saved when the wagon fell into the river. Everyone was desperate to save the Queen and she was so surprised that she died out of shock when she fell into the water. If your breath had returned into your body for a while, you would have had to die again, but at that moment, your soul traveled and entered into a body, which was Rosemary’s body. Her body was enchanted since she was a descendent of royalty and nobility, and it was easier for you to enter it. As you know, your spell is very unusual and powerful. The magic of your soul saved the Queen’s body.”

nIris blurted out to her teacher, who’d spoken kindly, “In other words, I extorted her?”

n“It was already an empty body. No one can ever extort a body with a soul already inside it, Iris. It wouldn’t work even if it were you.” Elaine shook his head and Iris nodded at what he said, then he gently pulled her into his arms and sighed.

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