Last Chance [Extra #2]

Part 24

Much to Celosia's surprise, Cassian didn't take her to the dining room to eat and instead had her meal brought to her. She felt a little shy eating in front of him when he only had a cup of tea before him, so she offered to share the small sandwiches with him, to which he chuckled and gratefully accepted one, leaving her with the other eight to finish. Did he think she had three stomachs or something? She could barely finish three sandwiches, and that was only because she was really hungry after her trek to his palace, but eight? That was too much.

After the meal, the two of them sat near the fireplace to talk. While Celosia was sleeping, Cassian ordered the staff to exchange the chesterfield for a new one, so they could sit comfortably.

Celosia started her tale by explaining her identity to Cassian. If she were to be his wife, he should know what she was. Then she explained how she got into Elena's body and that in time, her appearance would change back to her original one. It was something she didn't reveal even to the Herouxes, thinking she would leave them before the transition would take place, but she was to spend a long time with Cassian. Within a year, she would look just like she had in her first life. It was always shocking to the people around her when she slowly changed into a different person, but in the modern world, she simply shrugged it off and said she got plastic surgery. However, in this world, such things didn't exist, so it was better to be upfront with Cassian about the upcoming changes she would go through.

His acceptance was baffling, to say the least. Unlike the Herouxes, he wasn't interested in Elena whatsoever, but instead expressed his worry for Celosia.

"Does that mean you've... died over a hundred times?" he winced in pain at the thought of going through something so traumatic so many times. It was unbelievable that Celosia remained sane after dying repeatedly for over a thousand years. He also decided to call her by her real name after she told him the nickname 'Ellie' was given to her by Edgar. He didn't like the idea of calling her by that anymore, and instead told her he could help her change her name legally as well, so she wouldn't associate herself with Elena Heroux anymore.

"Yes. Although I also have the memories of the previous owners' deaths, so to be precise, I remember dying exactly two hundred and thirty-two times. They're just memories, though, so there's no need for you to look so concerned. After a while, I just... grew numb to the concept of death, knowing that all that awaits me after I die is just another life."

"You speak of it like it's nothing, but it must have taken a toll on you."

"It used to. But not anymore," Celosia admitted with a sigh.

"Celosia, I... I can't even imagine what you had gone through in that long life, but I can promise you one thing - I will do my best to make this life comfortable and free of worries for you. Just say the word."

"Thank you. I appreciate it. You know, when I was a child, back in my first life, my mother used to call me Celi. I can tell that my name is quite difficult for others to pronounce, so maybe you could call me that. 'Ellie' was a name Edgar came up with probably because he didn't want to fully accept that I was no longer Elena. He must've tried to combine the two of us into one person, but that's not possible as Lady Heroux is dead. I felt bad for him because he'd lost his sister, hence I agreed to be called that, but now that I want to sever my ties to that family, I don't feel comfortable with that name anymore."

"You wish to be called Celi, then?"

"Wouldn't it be easier to say than Celosia?"

"It would," Cassian chuckled. He had never heard of the name 'Celosia' and considering what he had just heard, the name must have been ancient. It was pronounced in a different way, probably because it originated in a different language. The fact that Celi shared her childhood nickname with him and wanted him to use it freely meant a lot to him. He saw it as a sign of trust. She had shared things with him that could get her in real trouble if they came out, including her questionable heritage as a mage from the ancient Eastern mage tribe, although it was still unverified whether she was actually from that tribe, and even told him about her abilities.