The woman's body froze, and her pupils, previously constricted in pain, suddenly lost focus.
Several tense seconds passed in silence before her eyes suddenly opened once again. This time, every trace of emotion had vanished, and the face that had just been filled with fear and concern became eerily calm.
Albert quickly noticed the change, and he tightened his grip on his staff. "Elena?"
The woman slowly turned her head, looking first at Albert, then Victor, and finally, she smiled. But this was not the gentle expression carrying traces of Elena's habits from before; this smile was completely unfamiliar.
"Finally, I get to meet you."
Victor tightened his grip on Crimson Flame Fang. "You know me?"
"Of course." The woman lowered her head and flexed her fingers as though she had only just begun adjusting to this body. "Victor Alves, nineteen years old, the sole heir of Duke Alves, and once nothing more than a noble young master of little value."
