006

I was, of course, shocked by the scene that unfolded in the blink of an eye.

"Uh...!" Feeling breathless from being suddenly hugged tightly from both sides without any chance to react, I struggled to get my voice out, gasping for air.

"I can't... breathe... cough-cough...!" I exclaimed, waving my hands in the air slightly.

"Oh, Eleanor, sorry! We were so worried and relieved to see that you're okay!" Chattered a middle-aged woman with long, straight orange hair, still very beautiful and slim for a mother of three, smiling warmly as she looked at me. "Ohh, my baby..."

Beside her was a tall, middle-aged man with striking red hair, neatly combed with oil. Despite his tense expression and firm jaw, his red eyes softened considerably, making his usually stern features appear gentle as he looked at me while I was still catching my breath.

"Eleanor, my little girl, are you really okay, darling?" he asked, his deep voice filled with tenderness, leaving me momentarily stunned at how such a stern-faced man could speak so gently.

His large, strong hand patted my hair, occasionally kissing the top of my head—or rather, the body I was inhabiting—with such gentleness that it felt natural as if he was used to treating the owner of this body with such care, making it impossible for me not to feel comforted by these affectionate gestures, even though they should have felt foreign.

I automatically nodded obediently at the attention of the two people who were clearly the parents of Eleanor Gwendolyn, the Marquis and Marchioness Gwendolyn.

"I'm okay, father, and mother," I replied softly after catching my breath and leaning back against the headboard bed.

My long orange hair was disheveled, and my expensive dress was wrinkled from the sudden hug, making me look pitiful, which only made the two attractive middle-aged parents more sympathetic as if I had just been bullied.

The beautiful Marchioness's blue eyes welled up, unable to believe her little girl could be in such a state. She began to sob at my weak response and hugged me tightly again, kissing my now red cheeks and softly murmuring 'Thank goodness, thank goodness'.

Thankfully, the Marquis didn't join the hug again, so I didn't feel suffocated like before.

"..."

Confused about how to react, I patted the shoulder of the middle-aged woman still hugging me tightly with trembling hands.

I looked up slightly when I felt the Marquis Gwendolyn's hand patting my hair, his face showing a smile of pure happiness and relief at the sight of the two women he cherished most in the world embracing warmly.

Trapped in this strange and mysterious situation, I couldn't help but feel that something was off with myself, as instead of rejecting their affection, I spontaneously decided to accept the care and attention from these strangers I had just met with ease.

"Alisa, stay here with Eleanor. I need to meet with the Headmaster," the Marquis said gently to his wife, who was still hugging and kissing my cheeks, making them even redder.

Alisa Gwendolyn, the Marchioness, nodded gently, tears still in her beautiful eyes.

"Tell Mr. Albert that Eleanor must come home tonight, my husband." Her voice, usually soft, turned sharp and authoritative. "We can't leave Eleanor in a place that could traumatize her, Elandro!"

Marquis Elandro looked at his wife seriously. "I understand, my dear." He smiled, but his red eyes turned cold as he looked elsewhere. "Coincidentally, Albert has no other appointments today, so I'll see him immediately. He must have already heard of our presence."

I, with a puzzled expression, looked at the couple who had initially exuded warmth and gentleness, now turning cold and tense at the mention of the Academy's Headmaster.

"... Wait, tonight?" I blinked, realizing something. I glanced at the still-bright window, indicating it was not yet sunset.

Isn't it still early?

Didn't the maid Tina say that Eleanor's parents would come tonight?

'Are they not Eleanor's parents...?' My mind wandered, as Eleanor's memories were still a bit hazy, making it hard to remember the people around her. Fortunately, the book's contents were still vividly clear in my head.

"We used the Emperor's private warp gate." Marchioness Alisa gently stroked my cheek, unaware of her daughter's panicked thoughts.

The gentle caress helped make me feel calm.

Ah.

My mind immediately processed it when I heard foreign words in the real world, words that only exist in the world of fantasy.

A warp gate is a terminal operated by magic engineers for location transfers, capable of transporting up to five people.

There are two types of warp gates.

One is the normal warp gate that anyone can use, with a usage time of 3-4 hours depending on the distance.

The second type is the elite warp gate, only for nobles and important officials, taking about 1-2 hours regardless of the distance.

Additionally, there's a special warp gate that takes just 30 minutes to reach the destination—the Emperor's warp gate.

"?" I widened my eyes at the casual remark from Eleanor's mother, or rather, my mother in this world.

Thanks to the knowledge that exists in the body's mind and also a little information from the book, after hearing that, I was immediately stunned as if I couldn't believe it.

'Is it permissible for anyone other than the Emperor to use the gate warp? I thought the Emperor's warp gate and the imperial family's warp gates were separate.'

"Of course not." Marquis Elandro shook his head firmly as if reading my thoughts.

"But you pretended to sulk with the Emperor, so he allowed us to use it as long as we didn't tell anyone." Marchioness Alisa chuckled softly, making her still unwrinkled face shine even more beautifully.

"Hm, the Emperor can't manage the piles of state affairs on his desk without me there."

They discussed the Magnolia Empire's Emperor with such warmth and ease as if they were talking about an old friend.

For the first time, I realized how powerful the Gwendolyn name was, allowing them to use something belonging to the Emperor.

'Is this a blessing or a curse...?'

***

That's how, in no time, I found myself in an expensive carriage, sitting comfortably with a soft cushion in my arms. A beautiful middle-aged woman sat beside me on the left, holding my slender arm tightly yet gently with her smooth hand.

I glanced out the carriage window, watching people busily move my belongings from the academy dormitory to the goods cart behind our carriage.

'...Wow, they're this quick with the preparations to head home...?' I thought in amazement, not expecting such a swift response from the workers of the Marquis Gwendolyn household in packing up all my belongings.

As I quietly observed, the door of the luxurious, intricately carved carriage opened slowly. Both the woman beside me and I turned our heads simultaneously to see who was entering.

"Ah, my husband. Is everything in order?" said Marcioness Alisa, the middle-aged woman, the mother of the body I possessed, greeted softly, her eyes full of love as she gazed at the handsome, dashing middle-aged man.

Marquis Elandro Gwendolyn, the father of the girl whose body I now occupied, had just met with the Headmaster of Chronos Academy a few minutes ago. Although I wasn't sure of the exact purpose, I had a rough idea that it involved their decision to take me home early, even though it wasn't yet time for my academy graduation.

"Of course, my beautiful wife. Our beloved Eleanor can head home and rest safely. The academy graduation letter will be delivered to our residence later, so Eleanor won't need to worry about attending," said Marquis Elandro in a reassuring tone as he took a seat on my right. He began to gently stroke my hair with his large hand, a gesture that was unexpectedly soothing and made me a little addicted.

Now, instead of feeling cramped, I was warmly and comfortably nestled between the two parents of the body I inhabited.

"Close your eyes, dear. We'll reach the portal in half an hour," Marchioness Alisa whispered softly as if singing a lullaby to a baby struggling to sleep.

Lulled by the unfamiliar but comforting affection they had shown me since I entered this body, I could only nod slightly, like a sleepy child after a long day of play.

'I can't imagine having to pretend to be a 19-year-old in front of these two when my real age is already over 30...' I thought initially.

However, in reality, I didn't feel bothered by it at all; it was as if I had already resigned myself to their affection, comfortable in my role.

'Is this because of Eleanor's body? But Eleanor in the original plot is known to be more reserved and introspective, so she must be hiding her emotions just like me...'

As I pondered the peculiar similarities between Eleanor and myself, fatigue washed over me, and I soon found myself drifting off to sleep between Eleanor's two parents, oblivious to the gentle motion of the carriage as it rolled smoothly along.

Slowly, I closed my eyes, leaning my head on my father's broad, strong shoulder, his hand still gently stroking my hair until I drifted off to sleep.

"We love you very much, Eleanor."