CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE;The Watcher's Dilemma

I've been standing outside her place, patiently waiting for her to wake up—ready to explain everything in case she stepped out disoriented. Although our circumstances for arriving here weren't the same, I knew the confusion she would feel once she realized she had been summoned to a different world.

Sol told me she would wake up at 8, but it's almost noon, and she still hasn't come out. Worry slowly crept in, tightening around my chest. I shifted on my feet, glancing at her door every few seconds, half-expecting it to swing open.

What if something had gone wrong with their soul switching?

The thought gnawed at me, unsettling and persistent. I ran a hand through my hair, debating whether I should knock or barge in. The longer the silence stretched, the harder it became to shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

But just as I was about to check on her again, the door swung open, revealing a freshly showered Karina Azalena. She wore a plain black shirt and white sweatpants, yet the gloomy aura I had always seen around the other Karina was nowhere to be found. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, and her mismatched eyes were bare—almost as if she was proudly showing them to the world. It was so unlike the Karina Azalena I had known for years before regaining my past life memories.

Her eyes were filled with nothing but awe—not a hint of fear or confusion, as if she had been informed ahead of time. If not for the restless pounding of my heart upon seeing her and the completely different aura she exuded, I might have thought the spell had failed. She was far too calm, far too composed for someone who had just been transmigrated to a different world.

I expected her to panic upon waking, thinking she'd bolt from her new place the moment she realized it wasn't the world she knew. But I suppose I forgot just how strong-willed she is—this is the same woman who didn't so much as flinch at the sight of a guillotine. Waking up in a different world? That was probably nothing to her.

When she started walking aimlessly, I followed her stealthily—almost casually—so she wouldn't be alerted, for I knew how sharp the Karina I knew could be.

She stopped in front of a food stall selling a variety of snacks and bought everything the old woman offered her to taste and suits her taste. I couldn't help but watch in amusement as she naturally engaged in a warm conversation with the elderly—something she had always done, even in our world. It was one of the reasons she was loved and respected by the commoners, yet the old nobilities despised her for it, seeing it as a disgrace to their idea of noblesse oblige—a duty they believed should be performed with distance and superiority, not genuine warmth.

I casually walked toward them and bought a snack she was trying, with a mix of anticipation and hesitation—a part of me wanted her to recognize me, while the other part hoped she wouldn't.

"Everything tastes great, Grandma." Hearing her soft yet steady voice reminded me of the time we once attended a festival in town, disguising ourselves as commoners—all because of her popularity.

I tried not to look at her, or I wouldn't be able to stop myself from hugging her tightly. I didn't want to disrupt her moment of discovery as she embraced her new reality with such ease. I'd rather wait for the right time to tell her everything than selfishly reveal myself and shatter her peace. For now, simply watching from a distance to ensure her safety was enough. Besides, I still had plenty of chances to approach her.

"Thank you, Grandma. I'll make sure to buy some more next time."

Her sweet voice made me look at her just before she turned to leave, sending ripples of longing and warmth through my chest as I was blessed to see the sweetest smile I'd ever seen on her. It wasn't the same practiced smile she used to wear when she became the crowned prince's betrothed. It was the smile she once had when she was still Karina Azalena, the heir of the Azalena Duchy.

My gaze followed her as she walked back home, humming in contentment, only to be interrupted when I heard the old woman selling snacks chuckle.

"Are you still holding back?" she asked. As I turned, the old woman before me shifted into their original form—a man clothed in black, his features too hazy to recognize.

"You're acting more like a stalker than a god," I uttered without hesitation, which made him feign hurt as he looked at me.

"Stalker? Is it so wrong to watch over my beloved child? Is that how you treat your father?" he asked, almost comically.

I shook my head, shifting my gaze back to Karina as she finally turned the corner toward her place.

"She's too calm, isn't she?" Sol asked, snapping his fingers.

The food stall vanished in an instant, yet no one seemed to notice— as if we were inside a two-way mirror, able to see the world outside while remaining unseen by others.

I chuckled at his comment and looked at him. "Why? Are you surprised by your child's unpredictability?"

Even without seeing his face properly, I could tell he was looking at me with amusement.

"She's seething in rage," I explained as I started walking back to Karina's place to check on her.

"How come?" Sol asked, following behind me—now wearing a familiar face. Keiran's face.

I frowned. "Do you really have to use that face?"

He grinned. "Why not? His face doesn't look that bad. Or do you want other people to think you're crazy? Talking to yourself while stalking the girl you like?"

Sol chuckled as he walked ahead of me. "Just so you know, if I don't take on a human form, no one else can see me except you."

I shook my head and followed him. "Just don't let her see that face for now. She might break," I warned, quickening my pace toward her place— only to stop when I saw her outside, confronted by three people.

An older man, an older woman, and a guy who looked just a few years older than us. I could tell they were the original Karina's relatives—the people who used to extort her.

The food she had bought lay scattered on the ground as the older man kept pressing his filthy finger against her forehead.

I wanted to intervene, but Sol kept shaking his head, silently warning me not to act just yet. Letting out a sigh, I pulled out my phone and sent a message to someone I knew in the police, asking them to send an officer—just in case things escalated.

"I told you to bring us money, but you're stuffing yourself with food instead? How dare you eat while the people who took care of you after your parents' death are starving!" the old man spat, as if Karina should be grateful for the way they had treated her.

Karina remained silent, but her eyes were blazing with rage. I relaxed a little upon seeing her expression. Sol, still wearing Keiran's face, had the same amused smile I did as we watched the drama unfold before us.

"What do you think will happen to that hand?" he asked, as if he, too, knew the fate awaiting those three once Karina Azalena of Aelius Kingdom unleashed her wrath.

I chuckled when Karina silently turned back to her place. "If she had a sword, they'd be dead," I said—and I wasn't wrong.

Moments later, Karina reappeared, holding an arnis stick. In one swift move, the old man collapsed to the ground after she landed a sharp kick to his groin.

The younger man tried to strike her, but she was faster, delivering a precise blow with the arnis stick. Every flick of her wrist reflected the graceful swordsmanship I was all too familiar with. When the old woman lunged to slap her after the other two had fallen, Karina easily dodged and returned the favor with a slap that the woman would never forget.

Sol and I shared a laugh as we watched from a distance, drawing the attention of passersby. Some people even stopped in their tracks, pulling out their phones to record the scene.

"How dare you try to extort more money from me again, you worthless thieves!" Karina's voice was calm, yet the undercurrent of fury was unmistakable.

She slammed the arnis stick onto the ground—like a sword piercing the flesh of her enemy—as she glared at them, her eyes blazing with unrestrained fury.

"You have no right to demand money from me after you squandered the insurance money my parents left for me."

The three just groaned in pain, unable to utter a single word. And just in time, the police I had requested arrived, promptly inviting the four of them to the precinct to settle the dispute. Karina, however, remained unfazed, standing tall as she watched them get taken away, her grip on the arnis stick unwavering.

—

"Ashford?"

My brow twitched at the sound of that voice. I stood outside Karina's place, waiting for her return from the police station, but the unwelcome familiarity of that tone sent a surge of irritation through me. I glanced at Sol beside me, but he had already concealed himself—his form shifting back into that shadowy, black-clad figure, hazy and indistinct. Typical of him to vanish when things got interesting.

Slowly, I turned, and my stomach twisted with the sight of the one person I never wanted Karina to meet first in this world.

Achilles Dimitri.

The very name soured my mood.

He stood there, his gaze shifting past me to the house behind me, his expression tightening into a slow-forming frown. And just like that, the thing I feared most crept closer.

What if she still held even a shred of affection for him? What if the remnants of their past—the pain, the betrayal, the love she had once given him so freely—still lingered within her? The thought alone made my chest tighten.

Achilles's eyes snapped back to me, sharp and possessive.

"What are you doing here? Do you need something from my Rina?"

His voice grated on me, filled with a false sense of ownership—as if he had any right to claim her after everything he'd done. As if she still belonged to him.

My fists clenched at my sides, my patience already wearing thin.

"My Rina?" I echoed, not bothering to hide the mockery in my voice as I rose from my laid-back posture. My eyes locked onto his, unflinching and cold. "That's funny—I don't recall ever hearing about you dating Azalena. And if you had, I highly doubt it wouldn't have caused an uproar at our university, given how famous you are."

I tilted my head slightly, a smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. "Claiming her as yours now, are you?" My voice was light, almost amused, but the sharp edge in my tone was unmistakable. "Funny, considering you so proudly told everyone in the club that she was nothing more than a dog you were raising."

The words cut through the air like a blade, and I didn't miss the way his expression darkened—his jaw clenching, his hands curling into fists at his sides. A flicker of something unreadable crossed his face, whether it was guilt or anger, I didn't care.

Let him choke on his own words.

"I don't know why you're here, and I don't care," he warned, his grip on my arm tightening. "But stay away from her. Stay the same insignificant classmate she's had for years."

The words were meant to sting, but I just raised a brow, amused. "Insignificant?" I echoed, my voice light with mockery. "Funny—coming from the guy whose calls she won't even pick up."

His jaw clenched, and I could practically see the anger simmering under his skin. But before he could fire back, I leaned in just enough to lower my voice.

"Face it, Dimitri," I said with a smirk. "You're not her master anymore. Maybe you never were."

I said nothing more as I turned to leave.

"Tell him where she is," Sol's voice came from behind me, making me stop in my tracks.

I turned, knowing Achilles couldn't see the god standing right beside him. The frown on his face deepened when I did.

"Just tell him," Sol insisted, his tone almost playful but laced with something more. "Let's see her reaction. It's better to let her meet him now than to run into him later when you're not around."

I sighed in defeat, running a hand through my hair. "She's at the police station if you're looking for her—"

I didn't even get to finish the sentence before Achilles took off, sprinting toward the nearest police station without a second's hesitation.

For a moment, I stood there, watching his retreating figure, confusion settling in my chest. The Achilles Dimitri I remembered had treated the former Karina like trash for years. Even the reports I'd gathered on Karina Azalena's background painted the same picture—cold, cruel, and dismissive. And yet... that look on his face just now—pure, unguarded worry—didn't match the man I knew him to be.

Beside me, Sol shifted forms again, taking on Keiran's face once more.

"I guess even a fragment shares the same feelings, huh," he mused, his words wrapped in mystery.

I frowned, my attention snapping at him. "What do you mean?"

But Sol just smiled—one of those infuriating, knowing smiles—as he reached out and ruffled my hair like I was a child.

"Don't ask questions if you're not ready to take responsibility for the answers."