It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 91

Just after leaving the barracks, Louis realized that the pin Lucy had given him was missing. He had definitely placed it safely in his pocket… The thought that it might be Lucy’s final gift made his heart race. Retracing his steps, Louis ended up at Giscal’s barracks.

The commander-in-chief’s quarters were double-layered, and Louis, with the guards’ permission, cautiously entered the outer barracks. But even there, he couldn’t find the pin. Eventually, he had to go into the inner barracks.

While waiting for the conversation inside to end, Louis noticed a child’s voice coming from within. And it went on for quite a while.

There was no reason for Eliot, Parsen’s attendant, to be speaking at length before Giscal. Louis instinctively listened in.

The story was astonishing and unbelievable. But for Louis, the fact that the transparent Motus had originally been used to awaken unconscious patients was more important than any grand historical revelation.

Maybe Lucy could wake up!

Louis held his breath, hoping Giscal would bring up Lucy’s case.

Giscal had promised. He said he would save Lucy. He should have prioritized Lucy over the disgusting war and its outcome.

But no matter how long Louis waited, Giscal never mentioned Lucy’s name. He only discussed strategies to win the war and eliminate the wizards.

Louis realized that while Lucy’s rescue was his top priority, it wasn’t for anyone else.

Giscal’s promise had been empty. Lucy had to be saved—not by anyone else, but by Louis alone.

While Giscal and Eliot were preoccupied with the wizard purge, Louis approached the imprisoned wizard and stole the transparent stone as instructed.

The wizard, surprisingly cooperative, helped Louis in exchange for information about the outside. Though his unsettling smile lingered in Louis’s mind, he had no choice but to follow the instructions.

Louis forged Giscal’s orders and rode a military horse. Thanks to the supply unit’s long line of imperial horses, he arrived at the mansion much faster than Giscal had anticipated.

It was fortunate that the butler Ortland was absent. Louis quickly got to work. He snuck into the dining room, mixed the wizard’s sleeping potion into Arne’s food, and replaced Arne’s maid with himself.

The other maids, though worried about Louis taking on such an unpleasant task, didn’t object. Once Arne was asleep from the potion, Louis moved her beside Lucy, who lay exactly as she had when he left.

“Lucy, the one who did this to you—Arne—will be the one to wake you.”

Louis whispered as he stroked Lucy’s cheek. He placed a shard of the transparent stone into both Lucy’s and Arne’s hands.

All he had to do was wait for the Motus to be absorbed into each soul. Then their souls would switch, and Lucy’s consciousness would awaken. Louis closed his eyes and clasped his hands. If a god existed, surely they would help Lucy.

“Ugh, what is this?”

Suddenly, Arne’s voice startled Louis. She rubbed her eyes and noticed the transparent Motus in her hand.

“What is this?”

“No!”

As Arne threw the Motus to the ground, Louis screamed. In the next moment, white light burst from Lucy’s body and then faded. Louis stood frozen, mouth agape.

“What’s going on? You! Explain this!”

Arne shouted, frowning, but Louis didn’t hear her. He rushed to Lucy, trying to feel her breath and pulse. But the faint heartbeat he used to hear was gone.

“Lucy! Lucy! This can’t be!”

Louis shook Lucy’s lifeless body, but she didn’t open her eyes.

“Lucy! No! This can’t be happening…”

Louis clung to Lucy, who no longer breathed. Just moments ago, she had been alive. Though unconscious, her body had clung to a fragile thread of life. Now, that thread had snapped.

“Why are you screaming? What is going on?”

Arne stomped and shouted. Louis slowly turned his head.

It was all because of her.

The transparent stone glowed at Arne’s feet. Louis gently laid Lucy down and rushed toward Arne. He grabbed her wrist and forced her hand onto the stone.

He didn’t know what would happen next. But with Lucy’s breath gone, nothing worse could happen. He had to follow the wizard’s instructions and make Arne absorb the Motus.

Just seconds later, Arne’s body glowed white and then went still. The same phenomenon that had occurred with Lucy. Arne collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

Arne, too, no longer breathed.

Both Lucy and Arne were dead. Louis staggered and collapsed to the floor. As his tears soaked the ground, Giscal and Eliot arrived, searching for Arne, and shook Louis’s shoulder.

“What happened here?”

Giscal asked, but Louis didn’t respond. Eliot surveyed the scene and raised his hand.

“Wait, we’ll need to hear the full story later. For now…”

Eliot’s body glowed white. He reached into the air as if grasping something. His body and the object in his hand glowed together. Then Eliot staggered. Giscal rushed to him, finding him drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

“What did you do?”

“Haah… I recovered one, but lost the other.”

Eliot approached the two bodies and checked their conditions. Lucy remained unchanged, but Arne was breathing again.

“It was Lady Arne’s soul.”

“You recovered a soul? Then what about Lucy?”

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do. Her soul has already entered the cycle of reincarnation.”

Louis, who had been unresponsive, crawled over and checked both Arne and Lucy’s noses for breath. After confirming Lucy’s state again and again, he grabbed Eliot’s collar.

“Why! Why did Arne survive? If one had to live, it should’ve been Lucy! Why!”

Eliot didn’t resist and answered while being shaken.

“Your sister’s soul absorbed the Motus first. That timing was crucial. A soul that enters the reincarnation cycle cannot return.”

Eliot added solemnly,

“Lucy is dead.”

Louis staggered, clutching his head. Then, suddenly, he pulled out a dagger and tried to stab himself. Giscal reacted instantly, subduing him and knocking the dagger away.

“Don’t stop me! If I live, your sister dies. I won’t let that woman go unpunished.”

“Arne bears responsibility for Lucy’s death. That will be addressed. But you must also take responsibility for the outcome. As must I.”

“You stopped me from taking the fastest and easiest way to take responsibility! Just wait. Either I or Arne will die eventually.”

Louis’s eyes were fierce. Kill or be killed. That was all that remained in his life. Then Eliot spoke quietly but firmly.

“If you do that, you’ll lose the chance to ever meet your sister’s soul again.”

Louis’s eyes trembled. His hands shook as he spoke.

“You’re the one who said Lucy is dead. And now this?”

“Yes, your sister is dead. But her soul will reincarnate. Carrying the Motus that failed to transfer to Arne’s body.”

Giscal released Louis and spoke slowly.

“Explain in detail.”

“This happened because the two didn’t absorb the Motus simultaneously. Their souls couldn’t switch bodies and instead left their original vessels. One was recovered, but the other will reincarnate.”

Eliot continued, holding his breath.

“The problem is, even with the Motus, the body switch didn’t occur. The Motus still strongly links the two souls. So, under certain conditions, their bodies could switch again.”

“What kind of conditions?”

“I don’t know. Especially since Lucy’s soul will enter a reincarnated body. It’s uncertain. They may live out their lives separately, or their souls may switch again without warning.”

Silence fell. Louis buried his head in his chest, then suddenly raised it.

“So if there’s a trigger, Lucy could return?”

“Not Lucy. Her soul. The reincarnated personality could enter Arne’s body.”

Giscal, tousling his black hair, asked,

“Can we identify the reincarnated body in advance?”

“If we’re lucky and she reincarnates in this world, maybe. But if it’s another world, we won’t know. Not what kind of world, or when.”

Another world. Though the temple acknowledged its existence, it was a realm of complete mystery. They only knew it existed. Eliot raised a finger.

“If the souls switch again, symptoms will appear. Usually, a mysterious fever occurs as the body and soul realign. We must prepare in advance… for ourselves and…”

Eliot sighed.

“For that soul.”

Support