People glanced at Summer standing behind them.
Summer looked every bit the noble lady. Unlike the commoners who struggled to take a shower, her skin was fresh and fragrant with the scent of perfumed oil.
Suddenly, Summer felt a wave of embarrassment and lowered her head.
The earrings dangling from her ears and the diamond-studded necklace felt heavy. Still, she waited patiently for her turn.
After a long while, Summer mixed in with the bustling crowd and entered the prayer room, letting out a hollow laugh.
The shabby and empty prayer room contained only a single statue.
Yet, people were praying earnestly, each with their own heartfelt wishes. Summer joined them, closing her eyes and clasping her hands together.
Pay observed Summer quietly.
“Summer, Summer!”
“......”
Even at Pay's call, Summer did not respond. Soon, a faint halo of light surrounded her. No one noticed.
<Ah. It’s a shame to use her like this. Should I make her a villain or a supporter?>
It was then that Summer heard a woman's voice in her head.
Summer held her breath, listening to the voice.
<I should set her aside for later use.>
A writer. A god of this world. A creator. Just as Summer was about to hear more, the voice abruptly cut off. At the same time, the halo of light that enveloped her vanished.
“Hey, Summer! Did you see something? Huh? Was there something?”
“I... heard something.”
Summer replied in a daze.
Pay quickly pulled Summer out of the shrine. The people in the shrine must not see Summer's soul.
After Summer and Pay left, a man dressed in pure white appeared.
“Did you see it, Your Grace?”
“The deity has come.”
“Then right now...!”
“No. Let’s keep this between us. Understand?”
His voice was gentle, yet it carried an air of intimidation. The priest swallowed hard and bowed his head.
“Understood. But that light...”
“Shh.”
The man raised a smooth finger to his lips.
Despite the kind smile on his face, his sparkling lavender eyes exuded a dangerous aura.
* * *
“What did you hear?”
The night before the royal banquet, Pay jumped onto the window sill and transformed into a cat as soon as she arrived in the room. After a moment of contemplation, Summer gave a vague answer.
“I heard the voice of the deity.”
“What did it say?”
“It seemed to be contemplating whether to bestow evil or good upon a certain character.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“I know. It sounds strange. But the deity was really pondering that.”
It was because she hadn’t explained that this world was a romance novel. Pay frowned, looking as if she couldn’t understand.
“If good and evil depend on the deity’s will, who can hold humans accountable for their sins?”
“Pay, actually...”
“You should ask the deity.”
“Excuse me?”
Summer was startled by Pay’s words and looked up.
Pay snorted as if to say, “What are you so surprised about?”
“If the deity decides human good and evil, then all the wrongdoings in this world are the deity’s fault. So, the price for those sins should be placed before the deity. That’s only right, isn’t it?”
“Haha. Pay, you’re my favorite in this world.”
“Hmph. Compliments are poison. By the way, have you made all the plans?”
“Yes.”
Pay, who had been wagging her tail, transformed back into a human and perched herself on the window sill.
“But what if the black-haired one, as you think, doesn’t return Summer’s soul?”
“......”
“If you want, I can send you back to your original world right now, regardless of whether Summer’s soul returns.”
“......”
It was a sweet offer. It meant that if she just made up her mind, she could return to her original world the very next day. But Summer ultimately did not respond.
“Think about it.”
As if Pay was about to leave again, she opened the window. Summer grabbed Pay, who was about to depart.
“What’s wrong?”
“The window isn’t a door, Pay. Even if you go out the door, no one will see you anyway.”
She had thought Pay was completely deflated, but it seemed she still had the energy to point that out.
With a taken-aback expression, Pay blinked her eyes blankly. Then, her face turned bright red as she cleared her throat repeatedly.
“I know!”
“Mary struggles when she cleans the window sill. Please understand.”
“If you say so.”
With a haughty expression, Pay turned and left through the door. Once Pay was gone, Summer finally flopped down on the bed.
“......”
Everything felt like a dream. Entering the book, meeting Pay, becoming friends with the beloved female protagonist.
Spending over a month in a mansion that felt like traveling through France.
It all felt like a hazy illusion.
“I want to go home...”
Summer buried her face in the pillow, choking back tears.
What if the original Summer’s soul didn’t manifest at the banquet? If she left for her original world in that state, this shell would lose its soul and disappear forever.
This body undoubtedly belonged to the original Summer. So, it was right to take good care of it until the owner returned.
Two hearts were in fierce turmoil.
No matter how unique the opportunity to return to her original world was, climbing the spire by herself felt terrifying.
Is dying really the answer? Or should I postpone it a little? But I miss home so much.
Summer stayed up all night, unable to sleep until dawn. The distant blue dawn broke, illuminating the beautiful Lindsey mansion.
“......”
“What’s wrong? Did you stay up all night?”
Pay, looking pale from whatever she had done all night, opened the door and stretched.
“Oh, Pay. You came early.”
“It’s an important day. So when are we going to the banquet?”
“Probably from now on, I’ll prepare and leave as soon as I’m done. By the way, do you still not feel Summer’s soul?”
“Not at all.”
“Really...”
“Why?”
Pay quickly sat down next to Summer.
Due to her small stature, her legs dangled in the air. Summer rubbed her reddened eyes and forced a smile.
“If Summer’s soul manifests today... I’ll go back to the original world right away. If, contrary to my expectations, the soul doesn’t manifest, I’ll wait for another month.”
“But what if the soul still doesn’t manifest? What will you do then?”
“Then, I’ll have to go back no matter what. Even if I feel sorry for the owner of this body.”
Summer smiled a little sadly.
“Pay, I’m glad to have met you.”
Today was the day she had to say goodbye to this world to return to her original one.
“......If the soul separates from the body, I’ll come to retrieve it.”
Pay avoided Summer’s gaze and suddenly jumped down to the terrace below.
When Summer looked down, she saw Pay, transformed into a black cat, gracefully leaving the mansion.
“Miss.”
At the voice that came from behind her, Summer turned around. Mary stood by the door with a somewhat dark expression.
“Mary. You can take the day off today. The other maids will take care of everything anyway.”
“I know you find me disgusting.”
Mary’s voice was devoid of emotion. It had an unpleasant feeling, somewhere between human and robot. But Summer no longer looked at Mary with such eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“Still, I’m not looking at you that way right now. I’ve come to realize how precious it is to have someone who can listen to me.”
Summer smiled gently as she faced Mary.
Mary. A character born from her imagination, neither a fictional character nor a real person, an ambiguous and strange existence.
Mary was, quite literally, a peculiar yet not entirely unpleasant maid, both unsettling and pitiful.
“Are you going back?”
“......How do you know that?”
Summer asked, surprised. Instead of answering, Mary posed another question.
“Do you dislike this place?”
“Yeah. Everyone, except for you, talks as they please.”
“If you go back, I’ll be lonely.”
Well. Summer found it hard to agree with Mary’s words. Right now, Mary had a face that looked like it wouldn’t bleed even if pricked.
The idea of Mary feeling lonely seemed utterly mismatched.
“I can’t leave you lonely for your sake. I’m sorry.”
“Do you believe in witches?”
“Do you know Pay? How? Can you see her?”
Startled, Summer stepped closer to Mary and grabbed her shoulders. Mary was just a maid who was lazily doing her work with an expression of annoyance.
Aside from the fact that she was born from Summer’s imagination and could converse with her, there was nothing special about her.
Yet, Mary was now talking about witches. Mary could see and feel Pay, whom no one else in this world could even sense.
“Yes. I know. Miss, don’t trust the witch too much. Witches see humans as no more than frogs.”
A voice without highs or lows and eyes devoid of soul.
Mary was not someone to be trusted in any regard, but strangely, that last statement stuck in Summer’s mind.
What am I missing?