Evelyn calmly took another sip before the mug disappeared from her hand and returned to its original place on the table.
“Go on.”
I continued staring at her.
What the hell?
“Wait, how did you do that?”
I asked, clearly astonished that she had managed to do effortlessly what I had failed to do when I tried to save her.
“It seems your ability stayed with your body when we switched. As for how I did it, how am I supposed to explain something that feels as easy as breathing? The strange part is how this ability managed to swap our bodies in the first place.”
Her eyes gleamed slightly toward the end of her sentence. It seemed she already had some idea of what the answer might be.
I was annoyed by her smug response, yet there was hardly anything I could do about it. All I could do was continue my explanation.
“Anyways.”
My voice came out even higher-pitched than usual because of my annoyance, yet no matter how irritated I sounded or how surprised I became, the face reflected in the mirror across from me somehow never seemed to lose the elegance naturally associated with a high-class woman.
The sapphire-blue eyes staring back at me still felt strange, no matter how many times I reminded myself that they were mine for the moment.
“I originally intended to take away the man’s knife, yet when I tried to do so, I felt as though I was being pulled into space myself.”
I paused, suddenly realizing that I had never actually introduced myself to the woman sitting across from me.
“I’m Nathan Gold, by the way. Twenty years old, and currently an engineering student at Dawn Technical University.”
I said it while trying to sound slightly more confident. Not to brag, but DTU was one of the best universities in the country when it came to engineering.
“Evelyn Vale, eighteen, the heir to the Vale Group.”
I felt as though something had become stuck in my throat.
I was currently inside the body of a girl who could practically be called a princess of the business world.
The Vale Group was one of the largest conglomerates in the country, with companies spread across everything from advanced materials and energy to finance, construction, logistics, and Gate-related industries. Their name appeared often enough in the news that even someone like me, who had little interest in corporate affairs, knew exactly who they were.
More importantly, the Vale family still maintained direct control over much of the group rather than merely owning shares from a distance. Their influence stretched far beyond business, with connections throughout politics, research institutions, and the Awakened industry.
And the girl whose body I had somehow stolen was apparently the person expected to inherit all of it.
Suddenly, mentioning that I attended DTU no longer felt quite as impressive as it had ten seconds ago. It was stupid of me to think that attending a mere university was something worth being so proud of when the woman sitting across from me had been born as the heir to an empire like the Vale Group.
Come to think of it, I should have realized much earlier that there was something strange about her situation. Someone like Evelyn Vale shouldn't have been wandering through the city streets alone at night, dressed in clothes and jewellery that probably cost more than most people earned in years. A girl in her position should have had drivers, guards, assistants—someone around her at all times.
Yet when I found her, there hadn't been anyone.
So, what kind of problem could possibly have left the heir to the Vale Group alone in an underpass?
Just then, an announcement from the television drew my attention.
“Breaking news. Evelyn Vale, the eldest daughter and heir of the Vale family, has been reported missing following an unprecedented attack earlier this evening while returning from the annual Vale Foundation Gala. The National Security Bureau, the Hero Association, metropolitan police, and several high-ranking guilds sponsored by the Vale Group have launched a joint search operation. Specialized government response units have also been deployed throughout the city, while authorities have urged anyone with information regarding Miss Vale’s whereabouts to come forward immediately.”
On the screen was an image of Evelyn wearing the very dress I currently had on.
Evelyn frowned deeply as she watched the report. Seeing that expression on my own face brought a sudden sense of reality back to me. I thought about all the people who had seen us walking together, and the fact that nearly every powerful organization in the city was now searching for me filled me with a growing sense of urgency.
What would happen if we were caught like this? What about my parents? What would they think if their son was suddenly apprehended for kidnapping a real-life princess?
Apparently, the panic had shown plainly enough on my face for Evelyn to notice.
Her eyes shifted toward the handbag we had left near the hallway entrance.
Blink.
The bag disappeared from where it stood and reappeared beside her. She opened it and pulled out a high-end phone that had yet to be released commercially, one I had only ever seen in advertisements.
She tried to turn on her phone and fiddled with it for a while, but no matter what she did, the screen remained dark. Eventually giving up, she reached into her pockets and pulled out my phone instead. Since I used a fingerprint lock, she accessed my phone without any issue.
She opened the messaging app and began typing something I couldn't see from where I was sitting.
Apparently, she noticed my puzzled expression.
“I contacted my assistant. No one should bother us until I tell them otherwise.”
I wondered what she could possibly have written in a single message to sound that confident, but after everything I had learned about her in the last few minutes, I decided that knowing too much might not be particularly good for my safety.
After putting my phone down on the table, she relaxed into the couch and began speaking in a more speculative tone.
“As for why this happened to us, I suspect it has something to do with your late Awakening and the accident you experienced this morning. I’m guessing the accident you mentioned was the appearance of the Class Zero Gate at Clinton Station.”
She looked at me as though waiting for confirmation, then continued as soon as she saw me nod.
“This information is currently being kept from the public, but there are theories suggesting that exposure to Class Zero Gates can trigger late Awakenings in certain people. Moreover, there have apparently been cases where an Awakening was disrupted by some external factor and the resulting ability manifested in an abnormal way.”
She paused briefly.
“The phenomenon doesn’t have an official classification yet, but among researchers it’s generally referred to as a glitched Awakening.”
It took me a few seconds to digest the information she had just given me. It explained many of the strange occurrences throughout the day, but still hadn't answered the question I was most curious about: how were we supposed to reverse the swap?
Living the life of a rich heiress was certainly attractive in some ways, but considering the responsibilities and dangers that came with such a position, I would much rather return to the simple and happy life I already had with my family.
“So, how do we get back to our bodies? I’m sure you must have a way to reverse the swap, right?”
My voice quivered slightly despite my attempt to maintain a calm façade.
“Calm down. No matter how twisted an ability becomes, it is never truly uncontrollable. I believe we’ll be able to return to normal sooner rather than later. It’s not as though I would accept staying like this either. I have more work waiting for me than you can possibly imagine.”
Evelyn spoke softly, almost as though she were trying to console me. Yet as she reached the end of her sentence, something in her tone changed. For the first time since we had met, it seemed less as though she was trying to reassure me and more as though she wished someone would reassure her instead.
Just as I was trying to think of something reassuring to say, I became aware of a faint pressure in my lower abdomen.
I froze.
Apparently, there was one more thing I had managed to ignore during everything that had happened tonight.
Nature was calling.