Chapter 94: The Real Heroine

—CELIA—

Three days later, the entire Elven Kingdom was in an uproar. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Word had spread before sunrise that the humans had finally answered Aelith’s declaration of war.

Not with a messenger.

Not with diplomats.

But with an entire battalion.

The palace, which had remained strangely peaceful these past few days, was suddenly alive with hurried footsteps and anxious voices. Soldiers marched through the courtyards in organized formations while servants carried reports from one chamber to another. Noble elves gathered in clusters throughout the palace halls, whispering among themselves as if speaking any louder might somehow bring the enemy to their gates even faster.

Even from my room, I could hear the distant sound of war horns echoing across the elven capital.

The atmosphere had changed overnight.

Everyone believed war was inevitable.

Everyone...

Except me.

Because, strangely enough, I had a feeling Aelith no longer intended to fight.

Or perhaps that was simply what I wanted to believe.

During these past three days, he had never once spoken to me about things that would turn my mood sour. Instead, every conversation somehow circled back to me.

He wanted to know my favorite food.

He wanted to know what kind of weather I liked.

He wanted to know what made me laugh, what frightened me, what kind of books I enjoyed reading back in my world.

He wasn’t trying to prepare for war.

He was trying to learn who Celia was.

It felt... strangely normal.

Almost frighteningly so.

As though we weren’t standing on the edge of a conflict that could claim thousands of lives.

He had also kept every promise he made.

He promised he would never force me into marriage.

He promised he would earn my trust instead of demanding it.

He promised he would return Aria safely.

Most importantly...

He promised I would be allowed to watch all of them leave together.

Ren.

Sebastian.

Ezekiel.

Matthias.

And...

Aria.

Maybe that was why I found myself desperately wanting to believe him despite everything he had done.

Because if his promises were genuine...

Then perhaps this war could still end before anyone died.

Two days ago, after spending nearly an entire day gathering enough courage, I finally decided to meet the person I had wanted to apologize to ever since waking up in this world.

The real Aria Valen.

[Two Days Ago]

The hallway outside her room was noticeably quieter than the rest of the palace.

Unlike every other section of the castle, there were no heavily armed guards stationed outside. Only two female attendants stood beside the carved wooden doors. Both of whom bowed politely the moment they noticed me approaching.

"My lady," one of them greeted gently before opening the doors for me.

I offered her a grateful smile before stepping inside.

The room was bright.

Sunlight poured through enormous crystal windows overlooking the endless silver forest beyond the palace walls. Gentle wind drifted through the open balcony, causing the sheer curtains to sway lazily while carrying the fresh scent of leaves and flowers throughout the room.

Fresh bouquets rested upon every table.

Birds occasionally landed upon the windowsill before chirping happily and flying away again.

It was peaceful.

Far more peaceful than I expected.

Near the window stood a young woman dressed in a simple gown.

Her hair cascaded down her back like liquid, gently swaying whenever the breeze found its way inside.

For several long seconds...

I simply looked at her.

It felt strangely surreal.

For weeks, I had seen that face every morning whenever I looked into a mirror.

Only now...

It wasn’t mine anymore.

My chest tightened.

I wasn’t sure why.

Perhaps because, for the first time since arriving in this world, I was finally looking at the person whose life I had accidentally borrowed.

I cleared my throat softly.

"Hi..."

She slowly turned around and almost immediately, recognition appeared on her face.

Then she smiled genuinely.

"It’s you."

For reasons I couldn’t explain, my shoulders relaxed.

"It is."

I walked toward the chair opposite hers before quietly sitting down.

Neither of us spoke immediately.

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable.

It was simply...

...strange.

How exactly was I supposed to begin a conversation with the girl whose body I had unknowingly lived in for quite some time?

After several awkward seconds, I rubbed the back of my neck.

"So..." I smiled sheepishly. "How are you feeling?"

Aria lowered her gaze toward her hands before slowly flexing her fingers.

"The physicians say I’m recovering well."

She looked thoughtful.

"Although everything still feels... unfamiliar."

"I can imagine."

She nodded slightly.

"It is difficult to explain."

Her eyes drifted toward the forest outside the window.

"It almost feels as though I have awakened from a very long dream."

My fingers unconsciously tightened around my lap.

"It wasn’t a dream."

She looked back at me.

"I know."

I blinked.

"You... do?"

She nodded gently.

"I remember enough."

Those three words alone made my heart skip.

"I remember watching someone laugh while wearing my face."

My breathing slowed.

"I remember father looking scared for the first time."

A bittersweet smile appeared on her lips.

"I remember standing against nobles who once terrified me."

She paused.

"...And I distinctly remember slapping Cynthia."

Heat immediately rushed to my face.

"Oh..."

I buried my face in my hands.

"I am so, so sorry."

To my complete surprise...

Aria laughed just enough for warmth to fill the room.

"I’ve heard the full story."

"I wasn’t trying to steal your life," I blurted out immediately, lifting my head again. "I swear I wasn’t. I didn’t even understand what was happening. One moment I was reading a novel, and the next I woke up inside your body. I never wanted—"

"It is alright."

She interrupted me gently.

"You don’t need to explain."

"I do."

"No."

She smiled.

"I’ve already seen enough."

Confusion must have shown on my face because she continued before I could ask.

"Those memories..." She placed a hand over her chest. "I experienced them too."

I froze.

"I saw how frightened you were." Her voice softened. "I saw how desperately you tried to survive. I saw how often you questioned yourself. I saw how hard you worked to protect people you had only just met."

She smiled again.

"You spent every single day trying to save someone else’s life."

I didn’t know what to say.

"I never hated you, Celia."

Those words broke something inside me.

"...You don’t?"

She shook her head.

"How could I?"

She looked outside again.

"The truth is..."

Her voice became quieter.

"I had already given up."

A heavy silence settled between us.

She smiled sadly.

"I stopped living long before my body died."

My chest tightened painfully.

"I watched everything you did," Aria said softly as she turned toward me once more. Her eyes held no resentment, only quiet admiration that made me want to look away.

"You laughed where I had forgotten how to. You stood in front of people I spent years avoiding." Her voice trembled ever so slightly before she smiled. "You even protected me... when I couldn’t protect myself."

She lowered her gaze for a brief moment before meeting my eyes again.

"You gave me hope, Celia."

The sincerity in her voice was almost unbearable.

"And more than anything..." she continued quietly, "...you gave me back a life I no longer wanted to live."

My vision blurred almost instantly.

"No..."

I shook my head so quickly that strands of hair fell over my face. "I don’t deserve you saying any of that."

A small laugh escaped her.

"Maybe not," she admitted playfully. "But that doesn’t make it any less true."

Silence settled between us afterward.

It was peaceful and comfortable.

Like two strangers who had somehow shared the same life and finally understood one another without needing to explain every detail.

After several quiet moments, Aria tilted her head ever so slightly.

"May I ask you something?"

"Of course."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Do you love him?"

I blinked.

"...Who?"

She looked genuinely amused by my confusion.

"Your male servant."

Heat immediately rushed to my face.

"...Ren?"

She nodded.

"I..."

The words refused to come out.

"I... I..."

I stammered helplessly, feeling my face grow hotter by the second.

Aria couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore.

"I think that answers my question."

"I didn’t even say anything!"

"You didn’t need to." She smiled knowingly. "Your face confessed before your mouth ever could."

I immediately buried my burning cheeks behind both hands.

"This is unbelievably embarrassing..."

"I think..." Aria said as she turned her gaze toward the forest beyond the crystal windows, "...they’ll all be very happy."

My smile slowly disappeared.

"...They?"

She looked back at me, almost surprised by the question.

"Yes."

Her answer came so naturally that it caught me completely off guard.

"Sebastian. Ezekiel. Sir Matthias." She paused before adding the last name with the gentlest smile. "Including Ren."

"I believe they’re all deeply in love with you."

My eyes widened so much they actually hurt.

"W-What?"

I immediately waved both hands frantically in front of me as if physically pushing the idea away.

"No, no, no. That’s impossible. I—I think you’ve misunderstood everything."

Aria only smiled more warmly.

"No, Celia."

She reached across and gently held both of my hands, stopping my panicked flailing almost instantly.

"I don’t think I’ve misunderstood anything."

Her voice remained calm, but there was quiet certainty behind every word.

"I knew those men long before you ever arrived. Well, except Ren."

She looked down at our joined hands for a brief moment before continuing.

"Sebastian was my fiancé."

A bitter smile crossed her lips.

"But during the time we were engaged, he never looked at me the way he looks at you." She breathed.

"He fulfilled his responsibilities. He was courteous. Respectful." She lifted her eyes again.

"But he never smiled because of me."

"He never argued with me. He never lost his composure. And he certainly never looked as though the mere thought of losing me would destroy him."

Her smile became gentler.

"I’ve seen him beg. And Sebastian Blackwood..."

She let out a soft laugh.

"...was never a man who begged."

She turned her gaze toward the window again.

"As for Ezekiel..."

Another amused smile appeared.

"I used to think that man had ice flowing through his veins instead of blood."

I couldn’t help smiling a little.

"He’s always been arrogant," she continued, "but never expressive. He kept everyone at arm’s length. He treated emotions as inconveniences. And yet..."

Her eyes met mine again.

"Whenever you’re involved, every single emotion he tries so desperately to hide spills out without restraint."

"He gets jealous. He becomes childish. He even argues with you. He pouts. He worries."

Aria chuckled softly.

"I honestly never imagined I’d live long enough to witness Ezekiel Rowe behaving like an overgrown child."

Despite everything, I laughed.

She wasn’t wrong.

"And Sir Matthias...He hardly acknowledged my existence. He respected me because I was the daughter of House Valen. Nothing more."

Her smile slowly widened.

"But around you... He watches. He listens. He smiles. And perhaps most unbelievable of all..."

"...I’ve seen that impossibly composed knight lose his composure because of you more than once."

I fell completely silent.

Every example she gave dismantled another excuse I had desperately been holding onto.

Then Aria looked at me with remarkable gentleness.

"You are so loved..."