Chapter 14: Trapped in a Noble’s Body

Barely a few minutes after boldly stepping out, I was back in bed, dragged there despite feeble protests.
I worried the butterfly might fly off while I was held up, but thankfully, it hovered in place, fluttering its wings.
Still, I couldn’t let my guard down. It might vanish on a whim, so I had to stay close.

“I’m fine…”

“We’ll fetch the master! He’s been waiting for this moment!”

“The master will be overjoyed to see the young lady awake!”
Their ironclad insistence left me no choice but to wait for this “master.”
I planned to clear up the misunderstanding once he arrived.

But a strange sense of déjà vu hit me.
‘Why are they so convinced I’m this “young lady”? Isn’t it obvious I’m not?’

Soon, urgent footsteps thundered outside, and a pale-faced man burst into the room.

“Aileen!”
He didn’t give me a chance to explain, rushing forward and enveloping me in a suffocating embrace.

“Uh… my arms…”

“Master, the young lady just woke up; you must be gentle!”
Only after their frantic pleas did he release me.
Gasping, I scrambled back until my back hit the headboard.

“You’ve finally awakened. If only Bernell could’ve seen you like this.”
The stern-looking man gazed at me with tearful eyes, filled with tender emotions that left me flustered. Those feelings weren’t for me.
No matter how I thought about it, they were utterly convinced I was this “young lady.”

“I… can’t make sense of this…”
I had no idea how to handle this. All I wanted was to follow the butterfly and find ingredients.

“It seems the young lady is quite confused. We should give her time to adjust.”
Thankfully, a savior appeared—a physician claiming to be my doctor. When he checked my pulse, I braced for my identity to be exposed, but he carried on as if nothing was amiss.

“Any discomfort? Dizziness? Is your stomach alright?”
Even as he examined me, he didn’t question that I wasn’t their Aileen.
At this point, I started doubting myself.
Was I really Kong Iwoon?

With no other option, I played along, insisting I was too confused and needed rest. Finally, I got some time alone.

‘What’s going on?’
Rushing to a mirror, I found no trace of myself.
Silver hair no dye could replicate, golden eyes with a reddish hue, sharp Western features, and a cold demeanor—nothing resembled me.
The reflection mirrored the middle-aged man from earlier, clearly marking us as family.
No wonder they were so convinced.

‘Did Catsy not send me as myself but possess me into some strange body?’
Yet, until I saw the mirror, I hadn’t noticed anything off. My body felt as natural as ever, save for the altered appearance.

Knock, knock.
Despite my request for solitude, someone knocked.

“Aileen, I heard you’ve awakened. Please, let your mother see your face.”
A frail woman’s voice came through the closed door.
Likely the mother of this “Aileen” whose body I was using.
Her plaintive tone softened me, and I reluctantly opened the door.

A pale woman in a beige dress with her hair pinned up lit up at the sight of me.
“Aileen… you’re really awake. I can die without regrets, seeing you walk again.”
Her voice, trembling with emotion, sounded on the verge of tears.
Suppressing the weight of her expectations, I invited her in.

“You’re already out of bed? Shouldn’t you rest more?”

“…”

“You must be tired of lying down after so long. Please, don’t live only in dreams anymore.”
Lived in a bed her whole life?

“I’m sorry… I don’t remember anything.”
I’d found the perfect excuse. Her face crumpled, barely holding back tears, repeating, “Yes, of course.”

“You’ve been asleep for nearly fifteen years, Aileen. Without the temple’s help, even this wouldn’t have been possible.”
Regaining her composure, she explained.
Shockingly, Aileen Abelgart had fallen into a lake at seven, remaining comatose until now.
Though alive, she’d been a vegetable, so their excitement at my awakening made sense.
The woman before me was her mother, the man her father.
Other family included an eldest son away at war and a daughter married off to a neighboring kingdom.

She recounted Aileen’s childhood until glancing at a clock and stopping.
“Oh, I’ve kept you too long when you’ve just woken. You said you needed rest? Once you’ve recovered, let’s have a family meal. I’ll write to your sister.”
Then she left abruptly.

“Anyone else coming?”
I cracked the door to check the butterfly, only to be spotted.

“You mustn’t strain yourself!”
Caught by someone guarding the door, I was dragged back to bed.
How was this different from the prison in the Thunderbird’s dimension?

That day, I achieved nothing, forced to endure lavish attention while confined.
Trapped in a healthy body, receiving such care while idle was maddeningly boring.
I nearly shouted, “I’m not your Aileen!” countless times, but their genuine joy and gratitude held me back.
Their faces reminded me of my own family, making harsh actions impossible.

‘Is Mom okay? My little sibling can’t sleep without me—must be so worried.’
The anxieties that plagued me when I first arrived at the café resurfaced, pulling me into melancholy.
I fought to stay positive, clinging to the hope of returning home.

Through the servants, I learned this was the Abelgart Marquisate.
My borrowed body was Aileen Abelgart.
A marquis sounded high-ranking, but my knowledge from games left me uncertain.

‘What’s with this medieval fantasy dimension?’
Stuck with no answers, I was eyeing the window for an escape when a new visitor arrived—the eldest son, back from war, victorious against barbarian tribes.

“Aileen!”
Like the others, he showered me with affection without warning.

“I rode day and night hearing you’d awakened! I’m thrilled to see you!”
Tall and strikingly handsome, with golden hair, green eyes like summer foliage, and bold features, he could rival any movie star.
But he looked nothing like the Aileen in the mirror.
He resembled Aileen’s mother perfectly, while I mirrored her father.
The second daughter, married abroad, must be a mix of both.

“Any pain? Don’t hide it; I’ll call the physician.”
I tried the amnesia excuse, but it didn’t faze him. He kept pouring out affection.

“I’m feeling cooped up. I’m fine now, so can I go outside?”
Fed up with being treated like fragile glass, I leaned on his doting to ask for freedom.
I was tired of cautiously checking the butterfly through door cracks.

“Don’t be so formal—call me big brother! You used to follow me everywhere as a kid; this distance hurts.”
I had younger siblings but no older ones, so this felt awkward. Still, for freedom, I gritted my teeth.

“Big brother, I want to go outside.”

“Aileen!”
His face lit up like he’d won the lottery, driving me up the wall. I desperately wanted to return this body to its true owner.
Every action felt like deceit, steeped in guilt.
They’d waited fifteen years for one person to wake, and here I was, impersonating her.

“Alright, if the physician clears you, let’s go out. A walk around the estate, or maybe to the village?”

“Anywhere’s fine.”

“Do you remember wanting to be a knight like me? Once you’re stronger, I’ll teach you swordsmanship and riding. Oh, and studies too—I’ll teach you everything, so don’t worry.”
His excitement made him fidget, and I sighed inwardly.
Such sibling devotion, even after fifteen years asleep.
Could I do the same for my sibling?

The physician finally approved me leaving the bed, but instead of chasing the butterfly, I was dragged around all day by the eldest son.
I didn’t even glimpse the estate’s exterior.