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“Master!”  

Lily, who had entered the room belatedly, exclaimed in an unusually flustered voice.  

“What’s going on? Is the lady alright?”  

“It’s nothing,” Axel answered curtly, subtly shifting his body, seemingly to avoid Lily’s prying gaze.  

“If it’s nothing, then why… Oh my goodness!”  

Lily’s curious inquiry was cut short by a gasp of shock as she noticed something.  

“Your Majesty the Empress!”  

A rustling of fabric followed her urgent voice, as Lily hurried to check on the Empress, who had collapsed on the floor.  

“My word, it seems her water has broken! Where is the Empress’s maid?!”

If her water had broken, it meant that the birth was imminent. Although the Elpinard Duke’s residence wasn’t far from the palace, it would be risky to move the Empress in her unstable condition. Even Lily, a seasoned maid, seemed utterly flustered by the fact that the Emperor’s child might be born outside the palace.

‘Where’s the Empress’s maid, the one who’s always by her side?’  

Normally, that maid would have rushed in by now, scolding me with accusations like, “What on earth did you do to the Empress?!”

“Master, the Empress’s condition is urgent. I don’t think we can take her back to the palace. Should I fetch our house physician?”  

“Yes, do that. But since this is her first child, the baby won’t come right away. Send someone to the palace to bring the royal physician as well,” Axel said, his voice steady and calm.  

“Yes, of course. It’s her first childbirth, so we should have some time,” Lily replied, sounding a bit more composed now after hearing Axel’s reassurance.  

“Also, prepare the guest room as a birthing chamber and move the Empress there. Make sure to inform my father of the situation.”  

“Yes!”  

With Lily’s firm response behind him, Axel began to walk briskly out of the room. Usually, his steps were graceful, but this time, they were urgent and hurried, completely different from his usual demeanor.  

As we moved, I could hear whispers and murmurs from all around us. It was natural; after all, it wasn’t every day that someone saw the esteemed young master of the house rushing through the halls, cradling a girl wrapped in his coat.  

‘This is so embarrassing…’  

Despite being covered by Axel’s coat, I could still feel the stares of the people around us, which only made the situation more uncomfortable. Thankfully, the walk didn’t last long.  

With a loud *thud*, a door was slammed shut, and Axel set me down on my feet. I steadied myself and hastily threw off his coat. Looking around, I realized we were in Axel’s room. The familiarity of the space brought a small sense of relief, and I let out a quiet sigh.  

But then, I felt a heavy gaze on my back.  

Since the only people in the room were Axel and me, it was obvious who was staring so intensely.  

I spun around quickly to look at him, catching him off guard. Axel’s shoulders twitched, and he stood there, slack-jawed, looking a bit dazed.  

I recalled what he had said earlier when he had covered my face with his coat.  

‘He said I had Greslin’s face…’  

It was hard to believe. I reached up and touched my face, but there was no way to confirm his claim just by feeling it.  

“…This way.”  

Seeing me struggle to comprehend the situation, Axel let out a small sigh and guided me toward the dressing room.  

The moment I stood in front of the full-length mirror, my jaw dropped.

“W-What is this!?”  

The reflection in the mirror was undoubtedly me, but not the me of this life—*Greslin*! Black hair, red eyes, and the slightly sharp features I used to have.  

Stunned, I leaned closer to the mirror, inspecting the face that now felt strangely unfamiliar. No matter how many times I looked, it was unmistakably my old self.  

“Why do I look like this?” I whipped my head toward Axel, demanding an answer, but he just shrugged, as if at a loss.  

“You’re asking me?”  

“Right. It’s not like you would know either.”  

We both fell into an awkward silence, simply staring at each other. Axel was the first to look away.  

“The first thing we need to do is figure out what that liquid was. Why would the Empress do this to you?”  

“I think she’s being controlled by someone. Her eyes—they were exactly like the former emperor’s when I saw him in the future.”  

“The Empress does hold a high position, but I don’t really see what anyone would gain by brainwashing her. She doesn’t have any political power.”  

“Well… if someone’s after Kirke, it could make sense. The Empress is the person Kirke meets in his most vulnerable moments. They’re married, after all.”  

Of course, Kirke was a Sword Master. Even if he let his guard down, there was no way a delicate woman like the Empress could threaten his life. Whoever was manipulating the Empress likely didn’t want Kirke’s death, but something else entirely.  

The more I thought about it, the more complicated things seemed, and my head began to ache. I sighed deeply and glanced at Axel. I hadn’t meant anything by it, but his exaggerated reaction caught my attention—he quickly turned his head away, avoiding eye contact.  

I crossed my arms and squinted at him, ready to dig in.  

“Axel. You’ve been avoiding looking at me this whole time.”  

“I haven’t.”  

“You have. You’re even doing it right now.”  

“I’m not.”  

“Yes, you are!”  

Determined to prove my point, I darted over to him and shoved my face close to his, cutting the distance between us. His expression immediately stiffened. Frozen, he blinked at me in shock, and after a moment, he awkwardly pushed me back by the shoulders to create some space.  

“…It’s only natural to feel strange when a face I thought I’d never see again suddenly appears in front of me.”  

“Ah…”  

Axel’s words hit me hard, leaving me momentarily speechless.  

For me, I hadn’t had time to fully comprehend “death.” The moment I thought I had died, I woke up in Reshia’s body. But Axel had to go through the reality of my disappearance, my death, and everything that came with it. He had to accept it and move on.  

I raised my hand and touched the face that now resembled *Greslin*’s once again. While I had been nonchalant, even pleased about my new, softer features in this life, I had never stopped to consider that someone might have missed my old face.  

There was something oddly touching about realizing that someone had cherished me enough to miss me like this. It was a feeling both unfamiliar and oddly warm, a sensation I had rarely experienced, having grown up in the slums without family or close friends.  

“…Maybe this is actually… really moving.”  

I grinned at Axel and shoved my face toward him again.  

“You missed this face, didn’t you? Go ahead and take a good look while you can. Who knows when I’ll turn back into Reshia again.”  

“…That smug look is really annoying.”  

With a smirk, Axel pinched my cheek hard and tugged it sideways, stretching it out in a playful but slightly rough manner.

Normally, I would have snapped back at Axel for pinching my cheek, but his obvious attempt to hide his embarrassment just made me laugh harder. As I smiled, amused by the situation, Axel’s expression twisted in frustration, and he was about to say something when—

“Master.”  

The knock on the door was followed by Eugene’s voice.  

“I have something urgent to discuss. May I come in? It’s about the title.”

Axel and I froze in our playful stance, quickly exchanging glances. If it had been any other matter, we would have told Eugene to come back later, but a title-related issue was urgent.

I gestured toward the wardrobe in the dressing room and suggested,  

“Should I hide in there?”

“No need to go that far. Have you forgotten how to think like a mage just because you’re no longer one?” Axel smirked confidently and placed his hand on my head. He muttered a spell under his breath, and a cold sensation spread through my body.  

I glanced down at my hands, feeling an odd sensation. Axel quickly explained,  

“I cast an invisibility spell. No one will be able to see you.”  

“You too?”  

“Yeah. Just be careful not to make any noise. Sit over there and stay quiet.” He pointed to a couch in the corner, urging me to settle there.  

*Wow…*  

I was amazed. If I were still Greslin, I wouldn’t have hesitated to think of magic right away, but now I hadn’t even considered it.  

*I really am more accustomed to life as Reshia.*  

While I was lost in those thoughts, Axel had already opened the door to greet Eugene.  

“Master.”  

Eugene’s serious tone snapped me back to reality.