The next morning, after thanking the farmer and his wife and saying their goodbyes, Ard, Eva, and the rest of the group resumed their journey toward the Kingdom of Rellios. After a relaxed half-day trek, the capital finally came into view. The city looked like it had been carved right out of the abyss, clinging to the side of a massive canyon wall and protected by a fortress that encircled the entire metropolis. The city was built in multiple rising tiers, with the grand palace sitting at the very top, seemingly fused into the cliffside.

Wild dragons roamed everywhere, soaring through the sky over the city and leaping from one cliff to another. Dragon riders on patrol could also be seen circling the area, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings. Beatrice was beaming. She spun around to face Ard, Eva, Adeline—who was standing between them—and the rest of their friends.

"Welcome to my kingdom!" Beatrice cheered, walking backward.

"Watch out, Princess!" Rosalind shouted, reaching out to pull Beatrice back.

Ard and Eva watched as a dragon descended and landed right behind Beatrice. She spun around to see a dragon rider still mounted on the beast. Even though the rider's face was hidden behind a full-face helmet, Rosalind rolled her eyes, her face going flat as if she were dreading whoever this knight was.

The knight hopped down from her dragon and pulled off her helmet, revealing herself to be a woman. She shook out her long, wavy brown hair and looked straight at Rosalind. Ard, Eva, and the others gasped. The rider's face was a mirror image of Rosalind's—they were like two peas in a pod, differing only in their hairstyles.

"Princess Beatrice? Sister? Why on earth are you two on foot?" the knight asked.

"Hello, Reyna. You almost ran the Princess over," Rosalind replied flatly.

"Hey, Reyna! How have you been?" Beatrice asked cheerfully.

"Um... why are you walking? You should be in a carriage. Aren't you exhausted, Princess?" Reyna asked, rushing over to Beatrice and completely ignoring Rosalind, who stood there with her arms crossed.

The three of them started chatting. It was obvious that Reyna treated Beatrice like a true royal, a sharp contrast to Rosalind's blunt attitude. Eva glanced over at Ard and was shocked to see him standing pale and frozen, staring at the scene.

"Ard, what's wrong?" Eva asked.

"Are you absolutely sure Rosalind is Linzi? Because as far as I know and remember... the girl standing right there is Linzi. I can't be wrong because I feel... strange right now," Ard said.

"Huh? Really? But why does she look exactly like Rosalind?" Eva asked.

"Linzi told me once, a long time ago... that she had a twin sister. It makes sense now. When I got to the academy and saw Rosalind, I didn't feel a thing. But right now, my heart is racing," Ard answered.

"Wait a second. Back in your sixth life, you were Beatrice's personal bodyguard, right?" Eva asked.

"Exactly. Back then, I fought tooth and nail to volunteer as her guard just so Linzi wouldn't have to do it. But I never met her twin back then. I'm so confused," Ard said.

Suddenly, Reyna looked past Beatrice and Rosalind. She walked toward Ard, Eva, and the others, stopping right in front of Ard. She gave a polite bow.

"Thank you for escorting the Princess and my sister here," Reyna said courteously.

"Gyuut!" Without thinking, Ard's body moved on its own, and he pulled Reyna into a tight hug. Reyna was completely stunned. The eyes of Eva, Beatrice, Rosalind, Alicia, Milia, Claudia, Pyria, and Mirea all went wide in an instant. Reyna actually hugged him back, even though she looked utterly baffled. Meanwhile, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin just shook their heads, their faces asking, "What kind of drama is this now?"

"Are you... Linzi?" Ard asked.

"Huh? How do you know people usually call me Linzie? That's my middle name. Who are you?" Reyna asked.

Suddenly, Rosalind yanked Reyna away, breaking the hug. She stood in front of Ard with a deep pout. Then, without warning, "smooch"—Rosalind pressed her lips against Ard's. Everyone's eyes bulged even further. Geoffrey quickly covered Adeline's eyes so she wouldn't see. After Rosalind finally ended the kiss, she spoke up.

"I'm Linzie. My real name is actually Reyna Linzie Flaurend... and she is Rosalind Zoya Flaurend, my younger twin sister. I've heard about your nine lives from Eva, and I'm certain I am the Linzi you're looking for," Rosalind declared.

"Wait... is the act finally over? What is actually going on, sister? Why did you just kiss him? Nine lives? What are you even talking about?" Reyna asked, her confusion mounting as she fired off one question after another.

"Be quiet," Rosalind snapped.

Without a second thought, Rosalind undid her hair. Her long, wavy brown hair cascaded down her shoulders. Ard gasped; the version of Rosalind who had just kissed him was unmistakably the Linzi he had known in his second life. But when he looked at Reyna, he saw the exact same image of Linzi in her as well. Ard took a step back, overwhelmed.

"Okay... this is... confusing," Ard muttered.

Suddenly, the wind howled as another dragon descended from above and landed beside Reyna's. A young man in knight's armor leaped down and removed his helmet. He was handsome, with messy brown hair and a clear family resemblance to both Rosalind and Reyna. The knight turned toward Beatrice.

"Greetings, Princess Beatrice. Um... what exactly is happening here?" the knight asked.

"Hello, Brother Raymond. Oh... just the usual with them," Beatrice answered, nodding toward the two sisters.

Raymond caught sight of Rosalind and Reyna looking exactly alike while standing in front of Ard. He looked stunned, his face practically screaming "oh shit." He rushed over and grabbed both of their shoulders.

"Big brother Ray?" Rosalind and Reyna asked, turning their heads in unison.

"What on earth is this... Reyna... Rosalind," Raymond muttered.

But Ard noticed something immediately: Raymond had addressed the Rosalind who just kissed him as "Reyna," and called the dragon knight "Rosalind." He was now certain they had traded places, but it only made him more lightheaded. The two were truly identical, and now, with their hair down, they were impossible to tell apart except by their clothes.

"Stay out of this, brother," Rosalind snapped.

"What do you mean, Sister Reyna? You were the one who wanted to trade places because you wanted to go to the academy and refused to be a dragon knight," Reyna countered.

"But Dad was the one who ordered you to go to the academy! That's exactly why we swapped in the first place," Rosalind argued.

"Good grief... enough already. You're twins, but you're always at each other's throats. Don't you think it's a little weird? Besides, you're making a scene out here—what do you think will happen if Dad finds out?" Raymond groaned.

Ard, Eva, and the others listened to the chaotic bickering of the three siblings in stunned silence. They stood there like statues, completely overwhelmed by the confusion.

"I never would have guessed Rosalind was a twin," Alicia remarked.

"Me neither. She never said a word about any of this," Claudia replied.

"Come to think of it... Rosalind never really talked about herself at all. I guess this explains why," Milia said.

"If I ran into her sister on the street, I'd definitely call her Rosalind. I'm still not sure which one is which," Ainsley admitted.

"Yeah, they swapped places... but it's clear their personalities are totally different, even if they look exactly the same," Irwin added.

"There are two Sister Rosalinds... how fun!" Adeline chirped.

"If they wore the same clothes, there would be absolutely no way to tell them apart," Pyria remarked.

"But their brother can distinguish between them. There must be some specific traits we could spot if we looked closely enough," Mirea replied.

Then they watched as Beatrice walked over and joined the group. Geoffrey turned to her immediately.

"Did you know about this, Beatrice?" Geoffrey asked.

"I knew from the very beginning. I knew that 'Rosalind' was actually Reyna in disguise at the academy. To be honest, I even played a part in their little switch. Reyna always wanted to leave home and see the world, which is why she was so dying to go to the academy. But their father insisted that Rosalind be the one to go because of... well, the way they both treat me. So, Rosalind was officially tasked with being my guardian at the academy," Beatrice explained.

"What do you mean by the way they both treat you?" Eva asked.

"Just like you saw—Reyna is blunt and speaks her mind with me, like a real friend. That's because we actually are friends. Rosalind, on the other hand, is way too formal and polite. Honestly, I've always felt much more comfortable around Reyna, so that's why I helped them pull off the switch," Beatrice replied.

"Yikes... so if their father finds out about this, it's going to be a massive problem, right?" Geoffrey asked.

"Don't worry about it. We have Brother Raymond on our side. He helped set up the whole switch too. That's why he rushed over here to break them up—and he definitely isn't going to breathe a word of this to their dad," Beatrice answered.

"Good grief. There's always something with this group," Irwin said, shaking his head.

Ard looked back again at Rosalind—who was actually Reyna—and Reyna—who was actually Rosalind. They were still arguing while Raymond scolded them, his face tight with anxiety. He kept glancing over his shoulder and up at the sky, clearly hoping no one would spot them. As Ard watched the two of them, his head began to swim. He couldn't figure out which one had been his wife in his second life, or which one he had replaced as a bodyguard in his sixth.

"Great... now I'm officially confused," Ard muttered to himself.

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