‘Arriet?’ Erin thought.

  ‘What a strange name.’

  She quietly repeated it in her mind. Usually, she would hear names like Ariel, or Arin, or Harriet.

  Arriet felt like someone had clipped a part off and forgotten to put it back. Same with “Marion.” Was that truly a real surname? She had never heard it before.

  But really, what did she know? The world was vast, after all. People had all sorts of strange names out there; some even had repeated names. In her hometown alone, there were at least four families named Parker living barely two streets apart, none related.

  They descended the last steps. Arriet immediately turned toward the room beside the stairway landing.

  ‘...’

  ‘Wait, she lives right here? This whole time?’

  Erin’s eyes slowly widened. She remembered this door. It was one of the locked rooms she had left alone because she couldn’t enter it!

  Arriet opened it without hesitation and stepped inside.

  Erin lingered at the threshold.

  ‘So… tidy?’

  “What?” Arriet’s voice slid back toward her.

  “Oh, no! Not at all!”

  Erin hurried into the room and placed the tray on the table. She sighed in relief and stretched her arms to ease her tension.

  Arriet sat down. She crossed one leg over the other and lifted her dress slightly for ease of movement. The hem of her white dress shifted and her pale ankle showed beneath it.

  “!” Erin gasped at the sight, quickly hiding her surprise behind her hand.

  Arriet glared at Erin in confusion but soon lost interest. She tucked her long black hair behind her shoulders, grabbing a slice of bread and bit into it.

  “If you don’t have anything to say, then get out.” She spoke while chewing.

  Erin fiddled with the hems of her apron. She gathered courage and spoke timidly.

  “Um, Arriet? What is your relation to Master Arnold?”

  “...”

  With the blue flower pinned to her hair, she certainly appeared close to him. Erin couldn’t contain her curiosity anymore and asked directly.

  “…”

  “…”

  “…”

  Arriet just stared at her without answering.

  Erin tilted her head. But the answer never came. Arriet turned her head to the meal and outright ignored her.

  ‘What did I say wrong…? Ah!’

  “P-pardon my rudeness! Miss Marion!”

  Arriet nodded in satisfaction, then brought the cup of milk to her lips and drank it calmly.

  Erin grimaced inwardly. She had misunderstood earlier, thinking Arriet had given her permission to speak informally, to address her by her first name directly. But apparently, that was not the case!

  ‘Seriously, they are so alike!’ Thinking of Arnold, Erin shook her head.

  “He is my benefactor,”

  Arriet finally answered as she set the cup down.

  ‘Benefactor? Then…’

  “Oh! So we are alike! He is also my–” Erin clapped her hands, happy to finally connect with the girl.

  “Are you done?”

  But it completely backfired. Arriet cut her off with a dismissive tone. It made Erin stumble in her words, Her throat tightened.

  “Ah, yes…” She dejectedly looked down.

  “Then clean up and get out.”

  Arriet rose from the chair and walked toward the bed. She dropped onto it lazily, her small arms spreading across the white sheets, burying her face in the warm blanket.

  “Yes, miss!”

  Erin quickly cleaned up the table, putting the meal back on the tray. But when her eyes drifted to the bowl of soup, her hands paused.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  She noticed it was still full; Arriet hadn't touched it. The black-hair girl had only taken a bite of the bread and drank half a cup of milk.

  Erin couldn’t help but glance at her secretly. Arriet’s figure was thin, even thinner than the girls in her hometown. Even the neckline of her dress exposed faint scars along her small throat.

  Arnold’s words from yesterday flashed in her mind.

  Eat well. Rest early.

  Someone had finally told her such things.

  Shouldn’t this girl deserve the same?

  “Miss… you ought to finish your meal.”

  Erin couldn’t help but speak her mind.

  “What did you say?”

  —

  “Miss… you ought to finish your meal.”

  ‘What?’

  “What did you say?”

  Lying lazily on the bed, Arriet, or rather, Izzy in her body raised her eyebrows. She didn’t even attempt to sit up. Her limbs sprawled comfortably on the bed as she stretched, her cheek pressed into the warm pillow.

  No… she wasn't hungry in the first place. She had only taken a few bites as the barest courtesy for the trouble Erin had gone to.

  The girl had worked hard all day, cleaning and preparing food. Ignoring the meal entirely would have been wasteful.

  She might feel a pang of hunger later in the night, but that was another matter. As a full-grown adult, Izzy certainly did not need anyone to remind her of her eating habits. She had survived years on little more than bitter coffee and crackers. She could take care of herself just fine.

  Thinking about it, Arriet shook her head.

  “No. I’m full.”

  “No! Miss, look at you!” Erin shot right back, her voice jumped up an octave with a sudden refusal to back down. “You've nothing but skin and bone! A strong gust of wind would carry you off! You must take some more sustenance!”

  “...”

  Was this girl always this aggressive? Izzy frowned.

  “Then leave it there and go. Stop bothering me.”

  She turned her body, hugging the plush pillow and felt the warm, comforting sensation of the bedding.

  Simultaneously, she navigated Arnold through the damp, tangled forest far away.

  What was Isa doing, anyway? Her young mind had gone into full spectator mode, just giggling from the side in their shared mind.

  ‘What are you laughing at?’ Izzy muttered irritatedly.

  ‘Nothing!’ Isa’s voice twinkled with mischief.

  “No, please wake up and finish your meal!”

  Before Izzy could roll away, Erin suddenly climbed onto the bed and yanked Arriet upright.

  “No! What are you doing?!”

  “You must eat, miss! For your own good!”

  As Arriet resisted, struggling against the surprisingly strong grip of the peasant girl, Izzy came to a crucial, horrifying fact…

  ‘This girl’s body… is so weak!’

  Her vessel, Arriet, had almost no strength. She was so frail she couldn’t defend herself from Erin!

  Although Erin was quite weak herself, Izzy never expected to lose in a contest of pure physical strength. She couldn’t even pry Erin’s fingers off her arms.

  How was this possible!

  Meanwhile, in the forest, Arnold stumbled into a root and rolled face-first into the dirt. Leaves and dried mud smeared across his bandages. Without proper concentration, Izzy couldn’t control two bodies at the same time.

  “Get off me!”

  Arriet yelled, she struggled futilely. Her arms were pinned by Erin, and she couldn’t break free as Glen had done.

  With one determined pull, Erin had successfully sat Arriet upright like a misbehaving toddler.

  “…”

  Arriet looked down at her pitiful arms, grimacing.

  Erin turned briefly to grab the bowl.

  Noticing Erin’s guard momentarily down. Arriet turned on her heel and made a mad dash for the door.

  She had to get out of this embarrassing, infuriating situation!

  However, Erin caught her instantly.

  “AGHH!”

  “You’re not going anywhere!”

  The blonde-haired girl had somehow appeared right behind her like a phantom, her hands clamping down on Arriet’s shoulders. She herded the smaller girl back into the chair with surprising ease.

  ‘This Erin girl… was she always this fast?!’ Where was her usual clumsiness? Where was it when she needed it?! Izzy shouted in her mind.

  Erin picked up the bowl of soup.

  ‘No way, right?’ Sweat trickled down on Arriet’s forehead.

  Sensing an ominous premonition, she hurriedly yelled.

  “I can do it myself! Get o—mphhh!”

  Yet before she could voice her protest, A spoon slid into her mouth.

  She had been fed!

  Izzy had been fed!

  Impossible!

  ‘I can’t take it anymore! Isa! Switch!’

  ‘Izzy…’

  Izzy immediately retreated back into their shared mind and mentally shoved her young self forward.

  She would rather be Arnold, wallowing in the mud and enjoying the relative peace of the damp forest, than endure this humiliating situation!

  Meanwhile, Isa was speechless. What if Erin discovered their secret if they just switched in the middle of this?

  Well, to be honest, it probably wasn’t that big of a deal. Erin might suspect her of having a split personality rather than multiple minds occupying one body.

  And she doubted the girl had any knowledge of such things in the first place.

  She obediently switched her consciousness into Arriet’s body.

  The vessel’s fierceness and piercing gaze immediately vanished, replaced by a bright, playful smile.

  Arriet opened her mouth again.

  “Ahh~”

  She noticed Erin’s hesitation. The blonde-haired girl’s eyes wavered, a flicker of fear in them, before she tentatively brought the spoon to Arriet’s lips.

  Arriet smiled a happy, genuine smile, her legs swinging beneath the table.

  “Yummy~” She savored the warmth of the soup.

  While at it, she wondered, why did Izzy hate this so much?

  Adults surely were complicated.