I stood at the big door and paced a little.

If it were another room, I would have knocked and entered easily, but it was not easy here.

Selena’s parents always looked at me with affection yet pity. Their eyes made me feel shy and awkward.

Maybe because of that, I didn’t have the confidence to call those two.

“Cough.”

Coughing in vain, I cleared my throat and raised my hand. Since I had come all the way here, I needed to see their faces.

Knock knock.

“It’s me. Selena.”

I knocked with one hand and bit my lips.

I had knocked on the door with courage, but there’s no response. ‘Why?’ Should I have knocked again, or waited? In the end, I stared at the door while thinking about going back.

Gulp.

Soon the door suddenly opened and Selena’s mother, with trembling eyes, appeared.

Why did everyone’s eyes tremble when they saw me?

It was clear that Selena really had Medusa’s ability.

Or maybe they were all learning how to make their pupils dance.

“Hello.”

“S…Selena!”

With a voice full of joy, Selena’s mother stretched out her trembling hand and hugged me.

‘Wait a minute, ma’am. People might think we’re having a family reunion.’

We saw each other yesterday.

I saw Selena’s father slowly approaching me too.

He had a cautious look, a worried look, then a happy face.

A happy face.

Those are things I had never gotten before.

It was such a strange sight to see the strangers act like this towards me. It made me feel weird.

‘Selena’s body, calm down. I’m not really Selena.’

I had repeated it again and again. It was Selena they’re desperate for, not me. All those expressions were not mine again this time.

I knew my place.

While I was thinking that over and over again, their touch comforted me.

And around that time, my mind was at ease.

“Mother, Father.”

To the point where I can say shameless things without a hitch. Of course, I always called them mother and father whenever I met them.

However, I couldn’t help but hesitate sometimes.

Selena’s parents’ eyes turned red at that.

They must’ve been so touched that I came to this room on my own feet. They were very sensitive, unlike what I expected from a duke and duchess.

“Yes! My daughter. Oh my. Come on in.”

My mother, who seemed a span shorter than Selena, grabbed my hand, and blinked her eyes to avoid tears from coming out.

I looked down at her hand and raised my head.

‘Selena, what did you hate so much?’

“You look so beautiful today.”

What did you hate so much that you turned away from these parents, pushed away your brother and others, and drove yourself to the edge of a cliff where you couldn’t come down?

“Thank you, Father.”

What did you hate so much?

It wasn’t resentment either.

‘Selena, what did you want?’ Oh no, I wasn’t scolding her.

It was just a simple curiosity.

She had a completely different environment from mine, she had the ideal life I dreamed of when I was young.

She received warm expressions, warm hands, warm rooms, warm words, and a warm family.

I was curious about the idea of the body owner, who was struggling with herself even though she had all of them in her hands.

Selena, why did I come into your body?

A more fundamental question slammed into my heart. It was a question that was on my mind since day one.

It weighed heavily on me.

***

After Selena’s conversation with her parents ended, I walked alone with Aiden, a little more out of it than usual.

Suddenly, I felt like the hallway was unfamiliar.

Ever since I came here, I never felt like this. But why did I suddenly feel it just now?

‘What’s wrong with me?’

“Aiden.”

“Yes, my lady?”

“The first time you and I met was in the streets, right?”

At my question, Aiden’s eyes grew bigger.

Soon he showed a flattering smile, although I could see a shadow on his face.

It was a natural reaction when someone was asked to recall a bad past.

“Yes.”

‘Sorry, Aiden. But I had to check this out.’

‘This world is the world I had read about in my past life. Your past was also just as I read it.’

I was in Selena’s body in the novel, and this world was not mine.

When I closed my eyes and opened them again, the world was not familiar.

Not only the hallway, but the air, the sound of footsteps, everything in the world.

But I liked the way it was now.

‘Let’s not get used to it. It’s not mine.’

Alright.

I was supposed to not have a hard time planning my death. I should’ve been able to jump easily.

But I couldn’t do it here somehow.

Because it’s annoying. This world was annoying.

Unfamiliarity made it hard. Strange things made me nervous.

‘It’s obvious… I mean… it’s definitely…’

“My lady!”

Aiden’s hand grabbed my wrist when I felt like I was about to faint. I must’ve been losing my mind.

Sometimes this happened when I thought deeply.

No, this was what happened when I overthought.

I shook my head and looked at Aiden as he reached for me.

His green eyes that were trembling were facing me.

His platinum blonde hair was beautiful.

But he seemed very angry. ‘Why?’

Come to think of it, I felt like I was in a strange place. There was no floor to support my feet.

My body, which was floating in the air, slowly came down to the floor, and Aiden, who was below, took my body.

My back felt warm from Aiden’s hand supporting my back, behind him, I saw a spiral staircase that was so high.

‘Oh, come to think of it, the central staircase directly leads us to the third floor. This staircase was also the staircase in question of Selena’s accident.

If I fell from there, my body would be broken. And it would hurt.

How long did Selena roll before? The staircase was so long that I felt like the rolling wouldn’t stop, just like a hamster wheel.

Wouldn’t it feel like running on a hamster wheel? It would be very embarrassing if someone saw me.

Then, Aiden murmured endlessly to my ears.

‘What? What is he saying?’

Still, why was he so angry?

I raised my hand and shut Aiden’s mouth. I felt Aiden’s hand on my back tense.

It was quiet now. ‘Finally.’

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I can’t hear you well. So just answer this.”

Aiden, whose mouth was still sealed by my hand, nodded.

“Did I almost fall down these stairs?”

A nod.

“Did you save me?”

He nodded again.

‘Thank you.’

I should have said this, but I just couldn’t get it out easily.

Was I grateful? I was.

It would be a mess if I fell down these stairs on my brother’s engagement day.

People would’ve talked about me again, disturbing my brother’s happy day.

But, uh, if he didn’t save me. I would’ve just died here today…

‘That must be so miserable, right Selena?’

However…

“Why?”

A different question popped out of my mouth.

“Why did you save me? Aiden?”

***

Aiden felt his face darken.

Selena’s body was leaning sideways. It happened when he neglected to watch Selena.

He reached out too late.

Aiden bit his lips tightly.

Magic was greatly influenced by emotions.

Magic was invoked only with feelings and inner thoughts of will.

Of course, it was not an easy job, and if one was not trained like Aiden, it was hard to use it at will.

‘Please, please, please.’

Fortunately, the magic was activated before Selena’s body was completely under the stairs.

He sighed with relief as he looked at the lady, whose body floated in the air.

It was a relief. Aiden looked at the lady who settled in his arms.

However, contrary to his expectations, her eyes and expression were devoid of any emotions as usual.

It’s like she didn’t feel a sense of crisis or anxiety, even no surprise.

He felt suffocated looking at her.

He lowered her body slowly, and she still didn’t process what had just happened.

Was this how it felt to hug a corpse?

“My lady…? My lady! Get a hold of yourself! My lady, my lady!”

Selena didn’t react at his call, but slowly turned her head.

After checking the height of the stairs, Selena turned her head and looked at him innocently.

“My lady, what were you thinking? You have to be careful! You could have been in big trouble!”

With a sudden rush of impatience, Aiden dared to raise his voice. He repeated that she should have been careful a few times and waited for a reply that never came back.

Then, she covered his mouth.

Her small hand was soft yet cold.

Surprised by the sudden contact, his whole body tensed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I can’t hear you well. So just answer this.”

As usual, her voice was hoarse. In the past, she always had a clear voice although her words were like knives.

When Aiden nodded, Selena continued to ask questions.

“Did I almost fall down these stairs?”

He nodded.

“Did you save me?”

Aiden couldn’t answer immediately after hearing that.

If he hadn’t neglected his duties in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened.

But he couldn’t really say that, so he merely nodded.

Selena shut her mouth again. Fortunately, her eyes didn’t look as empty as before as she faced him.

Nevertheless, his heart throbbed with anxiety for some reason.

“Why?”

Ah, yes. So this was her main question.

After the incident, Selena stayed in her room and pretended to do ordinary routines such as walks, meals, and snacks suspiciously.

“Can you kill me without hurting me?”

This person hadn’t changed a bit. It was reflected in her question.

“Why did you save me?”

He was sincere. From that day until now…

All the way.