You Must Be Ellie!

“What did you say!”

I was startled, my backside nearly springing from the seat. ‘Airi fell into a deep sleep after I returned? How could such a thing happen?’

“How is that possible?”

I murmured.

Queen Lan’s gaze grew calm, devoid of the playful tone she had just moments before.

She spoke faintly, “The William family is in an uproar. Airi fainted within the confines of my castle, and the old Count of William has repeatedly petitioned me for an explanation.”

“My visit here is precisely to uncover the truth. Student Li Qingchen, do you know anything about this?”

“How would I know about such a thing…”

I stared at the floor, lost in thought.

Queen Lan sighed. “Student Li Qingchen, perhaps I wasn’t clear enough last time. The essence of the contract I use is soul exchange: one’s own soul exchanging with the soul of their counterpart in another world. This is precisely what happened between Ji Qianluo, the original owner of this body, and myself.”

“However, Student Li Qingchen, you exchanged bodies with Airi William Barth James. From this, I can only infer that Miss Airi is your other self in that alternate world.”

“If this hypothesis holds true, then according to the contract, you and Airi should have exchanged bodies, with you controlling Airi’s body while she controlled yours. After returning, everything should have reverted to its original state.”

“Yet now you have returned to your own body, while Airi lies in a coma. Student Li Qingchen, do you understand what this implies?”

“Airi’s soul hasn’t returned to her own body?”

I asked, puzzled.

Queen Lan nodded.

“Precisely. I communicated with Ji Qianluo through special means, and she informed me that your own body also fell into a deep sleep during the time you were transported to the other world. It only awakened after your soul returned to its original form.”

I froze, then asked, “So Airi’s soul never entered my body to begin with!”

“Exactly.”

Queen Lan’s expression turned grave. “The moment the contract began, Airi’s soul was lost. Only your soul successfully entered Airi’s body.”

I rubbed my chin, pondering for a moment. “Could it be that your contract was flawed, leading to this deviation in the transmigration?”

“That’s impossible.”

Queen Lan dismissed the idea without a moment’s hesitation.

“This contract was something my Imperial Father treasured immensely during his lifetime; it cannot be flawed. Moreover, if there truly were an issue, why did my exchange with Ji Qianluo proceed without a hitch?”

“That’s true.”

I lowered my head once more, considering other possibilities.

Queen Lan fixed her gaze on me. “Student Li Qingchen, did you truly not notice anything unusual? Like changes to your body, perhaps?”

‘Hey, why would my body change just because Airi’s soul went missing? There has to be a limit to speculation! Not only is my body completely normal, but there’s nothing unusual around me either…’

‘Wait, wait! Unusual? Around me? Airi? Soul not returned to body?’

As if suddenly grasping a crucial thread, I abruptly lifted my head. “Say, Your Majesty, is there any possibility that a soul could materialize?”

Queen Lan blinked in confusion, asking, “What do you mean?”

“Actually, this is also something I wanted to ask you about. It happened yesterday after school…”

I then recounted to Queen Lan how I had bumped into a girl who bore a striking resemblance to Airi.

Of course, the embarrassing details about tailing the Class Monitor and observing the women’s lingerie shop were conveniently omitted. I instead claimed it was a chance encounter on the street.

After listening, Queen Lan pondered for a moment. She understood my meaning and even found my reasoning quite sound, before promptly rejecting it.

“Souls cannot exist independently, let alone materialize into a physical form.”

“Huh? But what else could possibly explain Airi’s soul disappearing?”

I still felt my conjecture was perfectly sound; the girl I’d bumped into had to be Airi, without a doubt!

“That’s impossible, Student Li Qingchen. Even the most renowned necromancers on our continent cannot achieve soul materialization.”

Queen Lan said, wagging her index finger.

“Aren’t there always exceptions?”

I muttered.

“In any case, such a thing is absolutely impossible. However, the girl you mentioned, Student Li Qingchen, is quite suspicious. She must be connected to Airi’s missing soul in some way.”

Queen Lan hummed thoughtfully for a moment, then looked at me and asked, “Student Li Qingchen, do you know where that girl lives?”

“How could I?”

I shrugged.

“Last time, she ran off so quickly I didn’t even have time to follow before she vanished from sight.”

“Honestly, Student Li Qingchen, you truly are an imbecile.”

Queen Lan pouted as she spoke.

‘You’re not one to call me an imbecile! And besides, isn’t all of this happening because you used that accursed contract in the first place? You foolish Queen!’

I glared at Queen Lan, making my displeasure clear.

Queen Lan, however, completely ignored my reaction. “It seems my visit here has yielded nothing,” she said. “Now, I suppose I’ll have to proceed with my original plan, won’t I?”

“Huh? What plan?”

A sudden, ominous premonition washed over me.

Queen Lan waved her hand dismissively.

“Oh, well, you see, I must ensure Airi William Barth James awakens soon to appease the old Count of William. But as Airi’s soul is currently nowhere to be found, there’s only one remaining solution, isn’t there?”

‘Hey, hey, you’re not implying…!’

“Student Li Qingchen, it appears that, one way or another, you simply must be Airi now.”