Master, were you already informed about the anomaly trying to take over my body?" Sophia asked, her voice steady.
I nodded firmly in response.
"I apologize again for the trouble I've caused you, Master," she said with a hint of guilt. "Since it seems I've subdued the anomaly, I will be taking my leave." With that, she turned toward the door, her steps purposeful.
Before she could reach the handle, a strangely familiar voice echoed in the room, dripping with mockery.
"Fufu… imagine a mere plebeian managing to suppress me. Isn't that simply hilarious?" The voice laughed coldly. "You may have control over my powers and body for now, but you'll never control me!"
My breath caught. Iris? I thought, but my confusion deepened as I looked at Sophia. She, too, seemed bewildered, her expression mirroring my own. The voice hadn't come from her, but then I noticed something—a faint glow emanating from the markings on her arm.
"Sophia, your arm…" I said, pointing toward the shifting symbols.
Sophia glanced down, inspecting the marks that ran from her shoulder to her wrist. As she followed the glowing patterns to the back of her hand, her eyes widened. She let out a scream and began shaking her hand violently.
I rushed over, grabbing her hand to stop her frantic movements. That's when I saw it.
A mouth.
A wide, eerie grin stretched across the back of her hand, its lips curling into a grotesque smile.
"You guys miss me?" the mouth said, its voice unmistakably Iris's.
"Iris?" I asked, my voice laced with disbelief. "Wait… is that really you?"
"Yup," the mouth replied nonchalantly.
Sophia's panic seemed to subside, replaced by a chillingly cold expression. She glared at the grotesque figure on her hand.
"What are you, and how did you end up on my hand?" she demanded.
"Oh my, is the great host truly surprised by my miraculous return?" Iris teased, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Sophia's eyes narrowed. "If this is the only place you can manifest, I won't hesitate to cut my arm off," she snapped.
I blinked in shock. When did gentle, timid Sophia become so ruthless? Memories of her as a harmless little maid flashed through my mind.
"Go ahead," Iris taunted with a sigh. "I'll just grow it back. Our soul sync is far too advanced now. Any attempt to get rid of me would be futile. But fair warning—if you try, I'll make sure you can't use my powers, either."
"My body, you mean," Sophia corrected sharply.
"Enough," I interrupted, exasperated. "Take this ridiculous argument elsewhere." Without waiting for a response, I pushed Sophia out of the room.
Not long after, there was a knock on my door. When I opened it, Adam stood there, papers and folders in hand.
"Lord Viktor," he began, "I've prepared a speech for the funeral, a script for your meeting with Lord Jed Bonnes later today, and a list of everyone your father interacted with in the days leading up to the attack." He handed the materials over with a bow.
"Any news on Elizabeth?" I asked, my voice heavy with concern.
"None yet, my lord. My sources have found no trace of her so far, but I'll inform you the moment I hear anything." He bowed again before excusing himself.
I sighed and returned to my room, glancing at the overwhelming stack of documents. "I've got work to do. Best not waste time," I muttered, heading to my father's study.
The room felt heavy with memories as I opened the door and settled at his desk. Optimistically, I thought, I've mastered this world's etiquette—how hard can it be? But as I flipped through the folders, my optimism faded.
The speech was absurdly long, filled with flowery phrases and unnecessary formalities. The list of do's and don'ts was endless, and the script for the meeting read like a linguistic labyrinth. Frustration bubbled within me. There was no way I'd memorize all of this before noon, but skipping wasn't an option either. With a sigh, I dug in.
Hours later, I was startled awake by a loud knock on the door.
"Um… Lord Viktor, it's me, Sophia," a voice called.
"Sup, kid!" another voice added smugly.
"Shut up," Sophia hissed.
Groggily, I lifted my head, realizing I had dozed off at the desk. The workload here was even heavier than in my previous life. I dragged myself to the door, opened it, and slumped back into my chair.
Sophia entered, quietly shutting the door behind her. Her face was serious, her tone somber.
"Lord Viktor… there's something really important you need to know," she began, pausing as if to gather her thoughts.