Chapter 13

"If you dare say 'yes', I swear I'm ending it right now." Followed by a dramatic cartoon of someone about to off themselves. Elaine could only reply with a string of ellipses. What else could she even say? Her master was a certified clown. And not just that, he was also... "You know I'm cursed this year and can't leave the house. I'm going stir-crazy! Come back. Like, now!" "Go die," Elaine typed back, deadpan. Seriously—could the guy ever act normal for one second? Not one to admit defeat, Milton shot back, "Fine, then burn me ten eye candies as tribute." Elaine sighed and facepalmed. She'd had enough and tapped on the video call, muting it instantly. Three seconds after he picked up, he was already screaming, "Holy crap! What happened? Who are you? What did you do to my sweetheart? Give her back!" "Come on, have a heart. I can't live without her. I'll literally drop dead." Elaine couldn't help but cringe. "Master, it's me." "My stepmom tried to kill me. I survived and now my soul's stuck in this body." She gave him a quick rundown. "No way. Soul transplant?!" "Something like that..." More nonsense followed, as usual. In the end, he agreed to help her out by sending over a USB with a program she'd written before. No matter the cost, it had to reach her hands without anyone else knowing. Once the call ended, Elaine scrubbed the entire conversation clean—unless someone matched her skill level, no way would they be able to dig it up. Weirdly enough, she felt wide awake after that. No hint of sleepiness. Maybe a quick game? Minesweeper, it is. She started clicking away at those familiar tiles, and before long, exhaustion caught up with her. Still sitting at the desk, she dozed off right there. The study was right next to Marcus's room. He couldn't sleep either—too restless. He lay there, half-listening to the barely-there sounds coming from the study. By midnight, she still hadn't come out. He got up to check, a little uneasy. The light was still on. Elaine was slumped over the desk, fast asleep. Marcus tiptoed over, almost on instinct. And when he got closer, he could hear the faintest snore. He frowned, a little speechless, and scooped her up in his arms. The moment she was against his chest, something inside him stirred unexpectedly. It wasn't unpleasant, though. In fact... it felt oddly comforting. Elaine's lashes trembled slightly, and she even smacked her lips like she was having a sweet dream. Marcus blinked, shaken out of his thoughts. Gently, he carried her out of the study. Just before leaving, he glanced at the screen. Minesweeper. Of course. This woman—what was her deal? If she wasn't Audrey, then who the heck was she, really? Elaine's room was a decent walk from his, but Marcus paused outside the study for a second, then walked straight into his own room. He carefully placed her on his bed. Watching her sleep so peacefully, the strangest urge crept in—to lean down and kiss her. But as he bent forward just a bit, he snapped out of it. Nope. Not happening. Instead, he gave up his room and crashed in the guest room for the night. The next morning, Elaine rubbed her eyes, still groggy, only to freeze the moment she took in her surroundings. This... wasn't her room. But it's familiar... wait—this was Marcus's room!