This Reincarnation Requires a Subscription Fee

The party was over. As people made their way home, they whispered excitedly about how the blessing of the gods contained in the prophecy book would surely touch their lives as well.  

“The blessing of the gods, huh,” I thought. Reflecting on the gods who were constantly clamoring for me to resolve their quests, I couldn’t help but question whether their prophecies or blessings were truly beneficial at all.  

“They can’t even handle their own affairs, yet they use my life as collateral to get me to do their bidding.”  

Of course, I had decided to keep this harsh reality to myself, bearing it alone for the sake of everyone else’s dreams and hopes.

The banquet hall, which had been filled with guests just moments ago, was now completely empty. The Duke and Kirke had gone off to discuss something in the study, with Axel and Servian following them. Since the gathering involved the expedition team, there was no reason for me to join, especially when the Duke, who knew nothing about the reincarnation of the former dark mage ‘Reshia,’ was present. 

In the past, I would have been furious at being excluded like this, but now I could let such things pass without much fuss. It was a sign of how accustomed I had become to life as ‘Reshia Elpinard.’ While there were many things I couldn’t do as Reshia instead of Greslin, there were also plenty of things I could now do because I was Reshia. For example…

“What on earth is going on here?”

A voice filled with confusion snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned my head towards it. Standing in the open doorway of the banquet hall were Leonid and Eugene. Their faces were etched with exhaustion, undoubtedly from searching the Ivory Tower for the missing prophecy book.

“I’ve been waiting for you. The party’s over, but there’s still some drinks left,”** I said with a chuckle, shaking the champagne glass I held.  

Leonid, wearing a wry smile, approached and almost snatched the glass from my hand, downing the apple juice that was half-filled within it.

“Where’s the prophecy book?”  

“Axel took it.”

“Wow… we really got played, huh,” Leonid muttered, realizing that all their efforts had been for nothing. He lightly tapped my forehead with his fingers, frowning in frustration. It didn’t hurt at all, but I made a show of rubbing my forehead as if it did, feigning pain.

When faced with injustice, the best way to get proper compensation is to dramatically exclaim, “Oh no, I’m dying!” and collapse.  

“Axel’s the one who messed up, so why are you hitting my forehead?”  

“You’re the only Elpinard I can see,” Leonid replied confidently. 

Scoffing at his boldness, I mimicked his action by tapping his forehead with my hand. Because Leonid was taller than me, I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach. My sudden move caused Leonid to widen his eyes in surprise.

“You’re the only Kol I can see,” I teased back.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Your father was involved with the group that planned the prophecy book theft.”

“My father?” 

Leonid, who had been about to protest my earlier jab, tilted his head in confusion.

“Yes. He was here just a while ago. Right now, they’re all in the study discussing things with His Majesty.”

“Was he? He came back sooner than I thought. I assumed he’d be stuck in some strange ancient ruin for months again,” Leonid remarked with a disgruntled expression.  

It seemed he hadn’t been particularly worried despite Servian’s prolonged absence from home.

“There must have been a reason why it needed to appear as if the prophecy book had gone missing, right?”

I nodded slightly, and Leonid didn’t press further for details. He understood well enough that anything his father did for the Emperor was likely to be classified.

Instead, Leonid spread his arms out and glanced down at himself, grumbling.

“If I’d known it would turn out like this, I would’ve spent my time reading a new paper instead of getting dressed up.”

He had dressed up more than usual, but the effort had been wasted since searching for the prophecy book had left his once immaculate attire in disarray. Eugene, who had been quietly standing beside Leonid, was in a similar state.

“And this guy, Eugene, spent every day practicing a dance he’s not even good at…”

Before Leonid could finish, Eugene quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, but the important part had already reached my ears. I stared at Eugene, wide-eyed.

“Eugene, you’ve been practicing dancing every day? Didn’t you say you were good at it?”

“Uh… well, that is…”

Eugene trailed off awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable. Leonid, brushing Eugene’s hand aside, continued spilling the details.

“How could he be good at dancing? He didn’t even learn it properly when he was young. During that event at the Ivory Tower, he was so clumsy that everyone was trying not to laugh.”

“Really? Then why…?”

I looked at Eugene, baffled, and he offered me a sheepish smile before extending his hand to me.

“I wanted to be the one to help you avoid embarrassment, Reshia. I might have missed the chance earlier, but… would you care to dance now?”

“Dance…?”

I blinked, glancing around the empty banquet hall. It certainly wasn’t the ideal environment for a dance, but the thought that Eugene had practiced just to help me made the setting seem unimportant. Smiling brightly, I took his hand.

“Sure. You can dance anywhere, anytime. There’s no music, but we do have a very picky audience. If you make a mistake, you’ll be teased endlessly.”

I nodded toward Leonid, warning Eugene with a playful grin. Eugene chuckled softly, acknowledging the challenge.

“Yes, a very picky audience indeed.”

Eugene gently led me to the center of the empty banquet hall. As our bodies drew closer, his hand found its place at my waist. Not long ago, I had been in the same position with Axel, but the atmosphere was entirely different. When I danced with Axel, my mind had been preoccupied with thoughts of the prophecy book and the culprit, leaving little room for the dance itself. But now, this moment was solely about the dance.

“Are you seriously going to dance? Now?”

Leonid, who had been watching us, gaped in disbelief.

“Why not? Dancing isn’t some grand event. You dance when you feel like it,” I replied. Leonid shook his head and then flopped down onto the floor with a resigned sigh.

“Fine, go ahead. Dance. What’s the big deal about it, anyway?”

Leonid’s exaggerated grumbling made both Eugene and me laugh simultaneously.

“Alright then,” Eugene said, as he began to lead me in the dance, his steps smooth and fluid, as if music was playing softly in the background. His movements weren’t as steady as Axel’s had been, but the sight of Eugene, so focused on not making a mistake, brought a smile to my face.

“Eugene, you should attend more parties. You’re an excellent dancer.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m not really in a position to judge, but…”

“It’s okay. As long as you’re pleased, that’s all that matters,” Eugene said, lowering his head slightly to whisper into my ear, his voice tickling me.

“I’ll keep practicing. So next time, let’s dance together at a proper party.”**  

The warmth of his voice brushing against my ear made my shoulders shiver involuntarily.  

‘I didn’t feel this way at all when I was dancing with Axel…’ Suddenly, I became aware of the tension in my body.  

‘Maybe it’s because it’s so quiet?’ When I had danced with Axel, the room had been filled with music and the chatter of people. But now, the only sounds were the rustling of our clothes as we moved, emphasizing how close we were.

Moreover, Eugene’s body felt larger and sturdier than I had expected, which made me feel strangely self-conscious. When I looked straight ahead, I saw not Eugene’s face but his chest and neck. In my mind, Eugene was still the young boy who needed protection, but now he had somehow grown into a mature gentleman.

‘Is it just me who feels strange?’ I wondered, sneaking a glance at Eugene’s face. But as soon as I did, our eyes met directly—he had already been looking at me.  

“Oh!”  

Startled, I jerked back as if I’d been caught peeking at something I shouldn’t have seen, completely forgetting that we were in the middle of a dance. But with his arm firmly around my waist, moving away was impossible. Instead, my feet got tangled, causing me to stumble, and Eugene quickly pulled me closer to steady me.

Instead of creating distance, the opposite happened—our bodies pressed tightly together. Eugene’s eyes widened in surprise, just as mine did. For a moment, we stood there, almost embracing, blinking at each other. From a distance, Leonid’s exasperated voice echoed through the hall.

“What the heck are they doing, really…”