On the day of the trial, Carinne spent the night wide-eyed in her prison cell. She was so tired that she could hardly keep her eyes open, but her mind was racing with thoughts.

To be burned at the stake as a witch… what sins had she committed in her past life to deserve such a fate? She wished she could just go back to her original world. Was this some sort of punishment for her past misdeeds?

She was forced to possess another person’s body to atone for her sins.

All sorts of thoughts crossed her mind, and she even wondered if she would return to her original world after she died.

The possibilities were endless.

She had possessed a book before, so was there a rule that said she couldn’t return to her original world? Or maybe she would be reincarnated as a different person in the same world, or perhaps she would go back to the exact moment she possessed Carinne.

She didn’t care which one it was as long as she could avoid ending her life in such a meaningless way.

‘I want to see my mom…’

For the first time since she possessed Carinne’s body, she longed to see her family. She thought she had forgotten about them, but apparently not… No, she didn’t want to see her family. She just wanted to see Archen, Iris, Martha, or Marie. Even Duke Tricia or Duke Lucas would do.

She just wanted to see a familiar face.

However, witches were considered serious criminals, and they were not allowed to send or receive letters, communicate with others, or even have visitors.

When Carinne heard this, she gave up on the idea of writing a long letter to Iris and Archen. She was so disappointed. She hadn’t been able to tell Iris what happened after her confession. She hadn’t been able to learn how to make shrimp dishes with Archen or go on a carriage ride with him.

The only thing that gave her peace of mind was that she had saved Archen’s life and prevented the Prince from entering the country. At least she had accomplished the two most important things she had to do.

She could die without any regrets, or at least she could ease the burden on her conscience.

Just then, she heard voices outside her cell, and she went to the iron bars. She listened closely, and she heard the sound of a lock being opened.

Had another person been accused of witchcraft?

Carinne craned her neck to look outside the cell. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw who was entering the prison.

Oh, the face she had longed to see was right there.

“What’s going on here? More importantly, how did you get in here?”

“There’s no time to explain. Take this.”

As Archen took a rolled-up piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her, Carinne unrolled the paper and quickly scanned the contents. It was a list of questions. The paper wasn’t very big, but it was filled with writing.

“These are the questions the judge will ask you at the trial. The answers are written down, so just memorize them and say them out loud.”

“Oh, my goodness. Thank you so much.”

She felt like she was going to cry. They said there was always a way out, even when the sky was falling, and it was true. If it weren’t for the iron bars, she would have hugged him tightly.

However, her joy was short-lived.

“Other than that, there will be questions from the witnesses. These are just some of the questions. The witnesses will mostly ask impromptu questions. Right now, you’re suspected of being a witch who possessed the Princess’ body, so you’ll have to go through an interrogation to confirm your identity.”

Her heart sank when she heard about the witnesses’ questions.

“For example?”

“It’s nothing major. They’ll probably ask you things like the name of your wet nurse or where you lived when you were young. The problem is that the witnesses may have been bribed, but we have some witnesses on our side, so you don’t have to worry. Lady Iris and I will also testify. You just need to answer the questions to the best of your ability.”

Her heart sank even further.

She wouldn’t be able to answer any of the questions, whether they were from witnesses on their side or the other side. Only the original Carinne knew the answers to those questions, and she wasn’t the original Carinne.

Still, she had a glimmer of hope. She asked one last question.

“What happens if I can’t answer the questions?”

“Why would you assume that?”

“You never know. I might not remember.”

“Oh, of course, we’ll take that into consideration during the trial. If you can’t answer all the questions, well, you know, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know one or two.”

…Oh.

‘If I can’t answer all the questions, oh well.’

That was exactly her case. How would she possibly know Carinne’s nanny’s name, where she lived as a child, or anything about her? She was just a reader of the novel. There was no way to prove that she was the original Carinne.

In fact, she wasn’t.

Sigh, there was no other option to consider, and she was completely at a dead end. As she realized that, the tension seemed to dissipate, and she felt at ease. Her heart, which had been pounding like a drum, suddenly calmed down as if it were a lie.

Her life as Carinne ended like this.

As she rolled the unfolded paper back up, Archen, who watched her roll up the paper, spoke in a worried tone.

“Even if you’re confident, try reading it once. Even if you know the content, there’s a big difference between reading the answer and not reading it.”

“No, it’s okay.”

She put the rolled-up paper in Archen’s hand, which was holding the iron bars. She felt so sorry that she couldn’t do what he must have spent all night preparing for, to save her, but it was better than giving him false hope.

“Visiting hours are over!”

“Just a minute.”

A man who seemed to be a guard shouted. Archen apologized to the guard and handed the rolled-up paper back through the iron bars.

“Please take it.”

This would probably be the last chance to talk to Archen in private. Carinne placed her hand over his as if wrapping it before she uttered firmly.

“You know, I’m sorry about last time. I apologize for being rude.”

That was what she wanted to say when she met him before the trial.

Last time, she hugged him tightly, saying she wanted to greet him, and he was very embarrassed by her unusual behavior. Thinking about it now, it was just unnecessary grumpiness.

Even if they were close friends, how many people would like to be greeted that way? It was like throwing a tantrum like a child because she couldn’t make him hers, but he came all the way here for her, even after being humiliated like that. He’s really a good person.

Carinne smiled faintly, hoping that her sincerity would be conveyed.

“I don’t know why I did that. I’m really sorry.”

“….”

He didn’t know he would hear an apology at this point, so he stuttered in surprise.

“I… It’s okay. Rather…”

“And thank you. I’ll never forget the time I spent with you.”

“…Yes?”

“Please tell Iris and Duke Lucas that I’m grateful. Can you do that?”

Since it was the last time, she tried to be considerate.

She had grown fond of them without realizing it, so it would be polite to leave a message for Duke Lucas. It would be best to meet him in person and talk, but she wasn’t in a position to do that, so what could she do? She had no choice but to convey it through someone else.

Carinne firmly believed that Archen would listen to her request, even though he was sometimes cold.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Archen opened his eyes wide as if he couldn’t understand. His smooth, silk-like forehead wrinkled slightly.

…This would be the last time she saw this face up close.

She smiled silently and held his hand tightly.

“You’re really a good person. Don’t forget that.”

That was the second thing she wanted to say when she met him.

In her eyes, he was too strict with himself—that was both his strength and weakness. Sometimes, he acted as if he didn’t know how good of a person he was and how precious he was. She found that regrettable and hoped that he would be more lenient with himself.

She hoped that he would love himself and live the rest of his life happier than anyone else.

Of course, he would be sad when she was gone, but as time went by, the seasons would change, the mountains and rivers would change, and he would forget about her and live well.

Archen, Iris, and the others as well.

“I told you visiting hours are over. Even if you are Duke Lucas’ aide, you can’t be here this long!”

The guard’s voice was laced with irritation.

Having said all she wanted to say, it was time to part. Carinne pulled her hand out of Archen’s. Her green eyes, resigned and calm, took in his face one last time.

“Goodbye.”

“Didn’t I say it would only be a moment! Princess, please, what are you saying?”

On the other hand, the eyes that were always calm and collected were shaking violently. He gripped the bars as if he would break them and thrust his body into the cell.

“Princess?”

Seeing him worry about her made her feel regretful.

“Go quickly. Visiting hours are over.”

She could delay it no longer, and with those words, she turned and walked deeper into the prison.

“Princess, please. Don’t go. Princess!”

“Visiting hours are over!”

The guards dragged Archen, who was clinging to the bars, out.

In the darkness, Carinne’s face, briefly visible, looked calmer than ever. It was the face of one who had given up everything.

“Princess!”

His outstretched hand was in vain as the prison door slammed shut. Archen froze in place, his hand still extended. He stared blankly at the prison door.

The guard next to him crossed his arms and said sympathetically.

“We don’t normally allow visits, but we made an exception because of Duke Lucas’ orders.”

“….”

“Sir aide?”

He didn’t respond to the guard’s voice.

His gaze, fixed on the prison door, slowly dropped to the floor before he roughly brushed his bangs aside with his hand and touched his forehead. His face was a jumble of emotions as he looked down at the floor. It seemed like every emotion in the world had been gathered and dumped on him.

His gaze, which had been wandering around like reeds swaying in the wind and rain, suddenly turned cold and hard. Archen pressed his forehead tightly and remained silent.

The guard was about to prod him when he removed his hand from his forehead.

“When exactly is the trial?”

“It starts in two hours. Can you tell the Duke about me?”

He then turned his icy gaze on the guard.

“…I’ll tell him everything. You can expect that much.”

His voice was as cold as ice.

While the guard was trying to figure out if he was sincere or sarcastic, Archen walked up the stairs without looking back.

—