Celestia’s Point of View
I started holding on to things—little trinkets, letters, memories—because I never knew how long I’d be allowed to stay in the mansion. From the very beginning, my plan was to leave after high school, out of respect for Dad.
He’s been doing his best to make peace between me and the witch. But no matter how hard he tries, I still can’t bring myself to accept her.
Gallant’s car stopped in front of a tall building, the faint hum of the engine dying in the afternoon air. We stepped out in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts, and walked toward the entrance. My apartment was inside.
The owner hadn’t wanted to sell it to me at first. I’d had to convince them—gently, but firmly.
“How are you even planning to access that apartment?” Gallant asked as we walked. “You’re still using Renne’s face.”
I almost smiled. So he can worry after all.
Inside, I approached the counter. The woman behind it lifted her head with a polite smile.
“How may I help you, Ma’am? Sir?”
I straightened up and said calmly, “The man behind me is Miss Celestia’s friend. She told me he’ll be staying in her apartment for a while, since she can’t bring guests home.”
The woman nodded, then pulled out a small vault—a solid, metal box with a combination lock.
That box was my proof. My link to my real life.
Before, I used to pay people to visit this place in my stead. Inside the vault was a passkey, and I made sure to change the code every so often, just in case someone got curious.
I never thought I’d be using it like this—to prove my own existence.
I turned to Gallant. “Don’t blink.”
Then I leaned over the vault and entered the combination. The lock clicked softly open. I pulled the door and there it was—a silver card gleaming faintly under the light.
“Miss Celestia asked me to keep this for her,” I told the woman, taking the card. “She’ll contact you later.”
She smiled and nodded. “Of course.”
We headed to the stairwell, our footsteps echoing against the quiet halls.
“I told you,” I said lightly, glancing at him. “I’m Celestia.”
He frowned. “But how will you explain to that lady that Renne was acting under your orders? Are you planning to walk into your mansion as proof?”
A good question. How do you prove you’re yourself when the world insists you’re someone else?
I laughed softly. “Just watch, Gallant. I have my ways.”
After a few minutes, we reached the door to my apartment. I pressed the silver card against the scanner. Another faint click.
I pushed the door open. A quiet stillness greeted me.
“Welcome to my home,” I said.
Gallant stepped inside first, his eyes darting from the curtains to the shelves, to the faint scent of lavender that lingered in the air. I followed, closing the door behind me.
He turned slowly, taking it all in. “Renne couldn’t possibly afford all this,” he murmured. “And she’d never have access to this place. She’s not even friends with Celestia. So… you really are her?”
I arched a brow. “Finally convinced?”
“Then why are you still working?” he asked. “You’re Celestia. You don’t need to.”
I sighed, my gaze softening. “Because I don’t know if I’ll ever return to my real life. Everything here belongs to Celestia Fontaverde. But right now…” I gestured to myself, “…I’m not her.”
I walked to the cabinet by the window, opened it, and found three phones and another vault tucked neatly inside. “It’s not like I can just spend freely. People would notice. I’m living in that nerd’s body. If I suddenly stop working, everyone will wonder how we’re surviving. I need that job, Gallant. I need to blend in.”
He crossed his arms. “Aren’t you even trying to find a way back?”
I picked up the silver phone, closed the cabinet, and turned to him. My eyes felt empty, tired. “The real question is—what if there isn’t a way back? What if this is permanent? Money fades. Status fades. I have to do something before everything runs out.”
Gallant chuckled. “And here I thought all you knew was how to look pretty.”
I shot him a glare. I couldn’t tell if he was teasing me or mocking me—and maybe, somehow, both.
I powered on the phone, scrolled through the messages, and sent a quick text to the lady downstairs.
“By the way,” I asked without looking up, “you have a phone here too?”
“Yes. My mom keeps confiscating my main one to check what I’m up to. So I’ve got another hidden here. For, you know, secret transactions.”
I smirked. “You sound like a criminal.”
When I finished what I needed to do, I looked back at him. “Why did you act like that earlier? Why defend me? How did you even know I was hurt when—”
“I followed you,” he said simply. “When you left. Xavier didn’t come after you, so I did. I got curious why you didn’t go straight to class. That’s when I saw you heading to the clinic. And then, neither you nor Renne showed up for three days.”
Three days.
The day I fell asleep… and never woke up again.
When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t me anymore. I was in Renne’s body.
How could something like that even happen?
I swallowed hard and forced a small nod. “It doesn’t matter now, does it? No one knows we switched. A little change won’t hurt anyone.”
He tilted his head. “So you’ve accepted it? Living as Renne? Do you even know how hard it is to work and study at the same time?”
He had a point. My whole life had been comfort, gifts, allowances. None of those wealth was truly mine.
Good thing I brought Gallant with me. He’ll be useful—a steady stepping stone in this strange new life.
Even with this taste of freedom, he was right. I couldn’t stay like this forever.
This isn’t my world.
And no matter how hard I try, I don’t belong here.