The Return of Lilietta

Episode 4

“… … .”

Rita hesitated for a moment, then put the mirror shards aside and released the maid.

The maid, her face swollen with tears, trembled and looked around, then quickly ran out of the room when Leonhard nodded.

Leonhard closed the door after Hannah left and turned to look at his sister.

Compared to him, his body was only a handful, but his posture and gaze were like that of a knight who had been on the battlefield for ten years.

‘I wonder what happened while he was missing.’

Although he was heartbroken, he tried his best to suppress his emotions and act calmly.

“… … You fell into a deep sleep while I was coming home yesterday, so I had the maid wash you and change your clothes, and then let you sleep in this guest room. That’s all that happened to you last night.”

Leonhard remembered last night.

When they arrived at the duke’s residence, she, who had been carried on his back, had already fallen asleep. She was so tired that she felt like she had almost fainted.

While the maid was washing and changing her clothes, Leonhard talked to his family about the nightgown Lilietta had returned in.

I invited only my father and younger brother, excluding my mother who had fainted at the funeral and just woke up.

“Lilietta is back.”

“But she seems to remember little of her childhood. She says she is not Lilietta, but Rita. She claims that although her body is Lilietta, her mind is a completely different person… … .”

Most noble families have a magical tool that can verify bloodlines. It is called a ‘family tree’ because it can register people who have been verified.

The family tree of the Laskail was a large basin surrounded by bronze sculptures representing rivers.

When the maid dropped the woman’s hair into the water in the basin, the family’s symbol and name rippled on the surface of the water for a moment.

Irises and ears of grain surrounding a purple gem. The name ‘Lilieta del Nissa Lascail’ stands out clearly above the Lascail crest.

Proof that the owner of the hair is of Raskayl’s bloodline and was already recorded in the family tree when he was born.

Whatever the inside, that body was definitely Lilietta, the one they had been desperately searching for for ten years.

“Leon, does that mean that even her soul is that of a girl in your opinion? It’s just that… …she forgot her childhood and lived as someone else for the past ten years, so she doesn’t think she’s Lilietta.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The Duke of Laskail trusted his eldest son’s judgment, but his second son did not agree with his brother’s opinion.

“You said it wasn’t your body? You said it was like you died and became a ghost and possessed someone? I heard there’s something like that in black magic. It could really be that someone else has taken over Lili’s body!”

After a long discussion, they came to one conclusion.

Leonhard sat down on the sofa in Lilietta’s room and gestured to the person opposite him.

“Let’s sit down and finish talking, Rita.”

Rita slowly sat down across from him, placing the mirror fragment she was holding right next to her so she could pick it up at any time.

Leonhard, who saw it, checked the broken mirror lying in the corner. Rita followed his gaze and then shrugged her shoulders and made an excuse.

“I need a weapon. I’ll compensate you somehow later.”

Leonhard was about to say that it was okay, but then he looked at her hand and flinched.

“You’re hurt!”

“uh?”

Rita looked down at her right hand, feeling slightly embarrassed. Even though she had held it carefully, it seemed as if the piece had cut her and left a shallow wound on her palm.

‘How weak is the skin on this body.’

She was so shocked that she clicked her tongue, but he quickly took out a handkerchief and held out his hand to her.

“Give me your hand.”

“… … .”

Rita looked at his face, which resembled hers, once more and obediently held out her hand. Leonhard pressed the bleeding wound and wrapped it with a handkerchief, saying:

“Fortunately, it’s not a serious wound. Let’s stop the bleeding for now, and I’ll send the doctor over later so you can get treatment.”

“I’m sorry. I hurt your sister.”

Leonhard, who was tying a knot in his handkerchief, paused. Rita sighed softly and added.

“I’ll be careful from now on. This isn’t my body.”

“… … .”

Leonhard remained silent for a moment, then finished tying the knot and took his hand away. Then he opened his mouth cautiously.

“You said you weren’t my sister.”

“Yeah, no.”

“Why are you so sure?”

Rita glanced out the window. It was a refreshing world with bright sun and clear sky.

“Let me introduce myself again from the beginning. My name is Rita Pascal and I’m 22 years old.”

“22 years old?”

“Yeah. Why? How old is she? She looks young.”

“Lilietta is 20 years old.”

“Somehow. Look, the age is different. My original appearance is completely different from this body. I have reddish brown hair and reddish brown eyes.”

“… … .”

“And I was the leader of the autonomous squad ‘Beacon’, which was part of the last line of defense, while also being one of the ‘Children of Pascal’.”

“Pascal? The last line of defense?”

When Leonhard asked in confusion, Rita sighed and said, “As expected.”

“It seems like the place I used to live in is a completely different world from here. The environment is so different.”

“Another world, what the heck… … .”

“Do you know what a ‘demon’ is?”

Leonhard rested his chin on his hand and wiped the corner of his mouth.

“There are monsters, but… … it has a different nuance.”

“Monsters? Orcs, goblins, trolls, things like that?”

“okay.”

“I’ve only heard of such things in old tales… … . Anyway, it’s a species and a living creature, right? Demons are different from normal creatures in many ways. A monster-shaped mutant caused by magical contamination, or Demons for short. Is this your first time hearing about it?”

“I have no idea.”

“… … So they’re not here. So… … It’s so peaceful and beautiful.”

Rita looked out the window again. A feeble smile appeared on her face as she stared blankly at the sky. It seemed both desolate and aggrieved.

Leonhardt wiped his face and asked.

“So you… were born and raised in a world where that demon exists? Do you have all your childhood memories?”

“Childhood? Of course I don’t remember everything. But I remember the general idea. Well, I was just a typical orphan. That was the kind of world it was.”

“Be more specific… … .”

“Rather than that, tell me what you’re talking about. I don’t even know your name yet.”

“ah.”

It was too hasty. He introduced himself with a sigh.

“My name is Leonhard del Nissa Rascaille, I am 28 years old and I am the eldest son of the Duke of Rascaille. My father is Duke Valdemar del Regis Rascaille, my mother is Duchess Rosetta del Nissa Rascaille, and I have a younger brother, Richard, who is two years younger than me. Your… … no, Lilietta’s family consists of four people.”

“You all have long and fancy names. Is it because you’re aristocrats?”

Rita shrugged and added.

“In the world I lived in, nobles like dukes and such were only found in fairy tales, so I don’t know much about noble etiquette. Please understand.”

“It’s okay, I’ll find a teacher of etiquette. Someone who keeps a close mouth.”

“Huh? Are you telling me to learn manners?”

“From now on, you are also a noble.”

“what?”

Rita rolled her eyes as if to say something nonsensical. Leonhard leaned back on the sofa and crossed his arms over his knees.

“Rita, you said you were from another world. It seemed like your soul entered my sister’s body.”

“Well, maybe.”

“Do you know why this happened?”

“I’m sorry, but I have no idea. I thought you were dead, but when I opened my eyes, I was in a lake.”

“So that means you have no idea how to get your original body back or how to return to the world you knew. Right?”

“……okay.”

“Then how about living as ‘Lilieta’ for the time being?”

“what?”

“Anyway, you don’t know how to return to your original state, and you don’t have a place to go in this world. In that case, I’d rather you live as Lilietta of Laskail, in accordance with your status.”

“What is that… … .”

“Rita, my sister has been missing for ten years, since she was ten. We searched for her for ten years, but just a few days ago we gave up and held a funeral with an empty casket. My mother fainted at that time.”

“… … .”

“I don’t know what my mother would do if she were to hear that her daughter, who has returned after ten years, is possessed by a stranger’s soul. Even worse, if you were to leave with that body… … .”

“… … .”

“Do you understand what I mean? If you really are borrowing someone else’s body, I want you to at least play a role that fits that body.”

“role…….”

“Let the duke live as ‘Lilieta’, the daughter he has regained after ten years. Then we will treat you as a true princess of Laskail. You will live a life of luxury and comfort for the rest of your life.”

Rita looked around at the beautiful scenery outside the window and the luxurious, comfortable interior.

The life of a wealthy noble in a world where there are no such things as demons must certainly be comfortable… … .

Countless faces flash through my mind: juniors, friends, seniors, and so on.

“Don’t, dammit, don’t do that! Rita! Please!”

She thought of the man who had come towards her screaming at the last moment.

Oldest comrades. They became each other’s only motivation after the children they trained with were wiped out, leaving them alone.

It may be just a joke to say that he can’t live without her, but he must be very heartbroken to know that she is dead… … Guy Pascal.

‘If you’re lucky enough to survive, you have to come back. Somehow.’

‘Beacon’ was an autonomous squad made up entirely of Pascal’s children.

Orphans who risked their lives by rolling around in battlefields since their early teens. They were closer than family, relying on each other as if they were a home to which they could return instead of a home that didn’t exist.

I can’t just leave them in hell and be at ease on my own.

Rita shook her head.

“No, I don’t intend to continue living here in this body. I’m going to return to my original world.”