Who else could it be?
Of course, it was Roseithe, returning from fetching the teacups.
As for the sound of shattering porcelain—that came from the once-delicate teacup now lying in over a dozen broken pieces on the floor.
Roseithe stood frozen, staring at the two by the tea table in shock.
“Anthera-sis, what did you just say…?”
“…Haaah.”
Seeing Roseithe return, Anthera let out a long sigh, clutching her forehead.
“I was hoping to finish explaining everything before she came back, but no luck. Great, now we’re going to have to go through all this again.”
Then, while Su Xiaorang was still stunned, Roseithe suddenly rushed over, grabbed Anthera’s hands, and looked at her with a mix of desperation and heartbreak.
How to describe that expression…it was strangely reminiscent of a husband coming home early, only to find his wife playing a very intense round of poker with the guy next door.
“Lanafit-chan… she was entered by a filthy man!
And she… entered his filthy male body too!
What do I do?
I’ve been so thoroughly and cruelly betrayed… Lanafit-chan was supposed to be mine, mine alone!
But now she’s been defiled… What do I do, what do I do…?
My rock-solid love for Lanafit-chan—it’s starting to crack!”
Who cares about you?!
That’s what Su Xiaorang was screaming in his heart.
At this point, not only had he lost any affection for this stunningly beautiful but absolutely unhinged woman—he was seriously tempted to just kick her out the door.
Anthera rubbed her forehead, clearly exasperated and headache-stricken by Roseithe’s antics.
It was no wonder she’d tried to explain things quickly while Roseithe was away.
“Forget her—let’s keep going,” Anthera eventually decided, choosing to ignore Roseithe.
Su Xiaorang agreed completely.
Anthera looked at Lanafit seriously, her tone becoming solemn again.
“Lanafit, in that world… was there anything or anyone you couldn’t leave behind?”
The question took Su Xiaorang by surprise, leaving him momentarily silent.
Then, he finally spoke.
“My father died early, and my mother remarried and abandoned me when I was still a child.
The rest of my relatives were distant, so I never had strong family ties.
But… there are two women I want to take care of.
They raised me at the orphanage, treated me like their own child despite no blood relation.
I swore I’d repay them by caring for them in their old age.
Now that I’ve vanished without a word… they must be worried sick.
Their health isn’t great either—if they fell ill from the stress, I… I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself, even in death.”
“I also have a childhood friend.
Before my mom remarried, there was a time I fell into a pond and nearly drowned—he found a bamboo pole and pulled me out.
From that day on, we were the closest of friends.
We didn’t see each other for years afterward, but when I turned 18 and went out on my own to work and study, he showed up out of nowhere to help me through a crisis.
Even after all those years apart, our bond never faded—we’re still best friends.
We even made a promise to carve out a future together in that world.
We were supposed to meet up for drinks today.
I just hope he doesn’t hate me for standing him up…”
A bitter smile formed on his lips.
Su Xiaorang didn’t even know what kind of expression he should be making while saying all this.
Anthera simply smiled as she listened.
Even the normally over-the-top Roseithe went silent, quietly listening to Su Xiaorang’s story.
By the time he finished, Su Xiaorang’s vision was clouded with tears.
“Lanafit…” Roseithe handed him a handkerchief.
He took it and gently wiped the tears from his eyes.
“…Thank you.”
He’d never imagined that the people he cared about most would be ripped from him so suddenly.
The feeling of loss was so surreal—it made everything before him seem like a dream.
But no… it wasn’t a dream.
Because the reality in front of him was far too cruel.
They were still alive.
He was still alive.
But they had already parted ways…
Once his emotions had calmed, Su Xiaorang looked down at the half-soaked handkerchief and only then realized—
“Sorry, Roseithe. Your…”
“It’s okay, Lanafit-chan! My handkerchief exists solely to comfort adorable girls like you~! And if that’s not enough, I’ve got my shoulder too!”
Roseithe solemnly patted her own shoulder.
Honestly, she no longer had a shred of the elegance she displayed when they first met.
“Lanafit, did you ever hate your mother for abandoning you?”
At that moment, Anthera suddenly asked this.
“Anthera-sis, please don’t bring up such painful memories for Lanafit-chan!”
Roseithe sounded somewhat resentful over Anthera’s tactless question.
“Sorry, it just slipped out. Lanafit, if you don’t want to answer, that’s completely fine.”
“It’s okay, really.” Su Xiaorang shook his head.
“It would be a lie to say I didn’t hate her.
After all, it was because she abandoned me that I lost my home.
I’ll never forgive her for that.
But I also understand her.
Rather than both of us starving together or barely scraping by, letting go of a burden like me probably made her life easier.
And besides…”
As he spoke, a nostalgic expression came over Su Xiaorang’s face.
“Up until the very moment she disappeared from my life, she was still a responsible mother. I have no real complaints… no real complaints…”
Repeating that final phrase, the bitterness and sadness in Su Xiaorang’s smile seemed to ease just a little.
After he’d voiced what was in his heart, Anthera gave a soft nod.
Her gaze toward him now held a touch more gentleness.
“I have nothing else to ask. Now, Lanafit, I must tell you the reason you cannot return.”
After a brief pause, Anthera revealed a shocking truth.
“Su Xiaorang still exists in that world—and he’s alive and well.”
“!!!”
Su Xiaorang stared at Anthera, too shocked to speak.
“But Miss Anthera, I… I’m still here…”
“Yes, you’re still here, because the Lanafit of that world has already died. That’s why you are here.”
“I don’t understand…” Su Xiaorang was confused by Anthera’s words, so she patiently explained.
“As I said before, you and the real Su Xiaorang swapped bodies. You entered Su Xiaorang’s body, and Su Xiaorang entered yours. So you each took on the other’s identity.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Su Xiaorang nodded, and Anthera continued.
“For a witch to be summoned, her former mortal body must die. That’s the requirement. So that proves Lanafit’s original body in that world has perished—thus your soul was summoned here.”
“Then what does that have to do with… with Su Xiaorang’s body?”
Su Xiaorang hurriedly asked again.
“The pit you described earlier only draws in souls. It has no effect on the body. So Su Xiaorang’s body still exists in that world. And due to the laws of that world, his soul has now returned to its rightful vessel.”
“I see…” Su Xiaorang could barely believe it—but Anthera was the only one who could provide answers now.
And yet, a surge of unwillingness and worry swelled within him.
That body, those 22 years of life, all his treasured people—was he just supposed to hand all of it over to a complete stranger?
What if the returned Su Xiaorang didn’t care for the two mothers?
What if he couldn’t get along with Yuan Shang, his best friend? What if…
“That won’t happen. Don’t worry.”
Anthera offered reassurance.
“Though soul and body both carry memories, everything is centered on the body’s memories.
When Su Xiaorang’s soul returns to his body, his experiences as Lanafit will feel like a long, surreal dream.
Even his personality will slowly begin to reflect your influence, as the one who inhabited his body.”
As she spoke, Anthera dipped a finger into her red tea and began sketching a diagram on the table to explain.
“Your desire to care for your two mothers, to work hard with your friend—those will become his desires too, as long as your intentions are genuine.
He will inherit those wishes.
Of course, fate is ever-changing—no one can predict it entirely.”
Anthera’s explanation eased much of Su Xiaorang’s worry, but a trace of bitterness remained.
After all, Lanafit’s body had died while inhabited by Su Xiaorang’s soul.
Why should she be the one to bear the consequences?
But then again, Anthera was the Witch of Reincarnation and Transmigration—she could see right into a person’s soul.
Though she couldn’t read specific thoughts, she could perceive the emotions a soul radiated.
So she knew exactly what Su Xiaorang was feeling.
“Feeling unwilling? Then let me ask you this: while Su Xiaorang’s soul was in your body—was he truly happy?”
“Huh? But we can’t just assume he wasn’t happy, can we?” Su Xiaorang countered. Could Anthera even see something like that?
“He wasn’t happy. In fact, it was miserable—tragic, even. Because Lanafit was a chosen witch, her life was destined to be one of suffering before her death. This is the fate of all witches.”
Anthera spoke with complete certainty, as if it were a law of the universe.
“I don’t know the details of my own past life, but as the one who summons the witches, I’ve seen the souls of dozens of former witches when they died.
That’s how I came to realize that those chosen to become witches always suffer deeply before their transformation.”
“Although they lose all memories of their former lives and continue to live forever as witches, the experiences they once had still shape their personalities in subtle ways, even if forgotten.”
After finishing, Anthera turned to look at Roseithe, then said to Su Xiaorang:
“Do you understand now why Roseithe is the way she is?”
The beautiful Roseithe looked puzzled at being brought into the discussion.
“Why are you using me as an example? My personality is flawless, okay? I just want all the witches to fall in love with me so we can all be happy together! Anthera-sis, the way you say it makes it sound like there’s something wrong with me.”
Clearly, she wasn’t aware of anything strange about herself.
Su Xiaorang looked at Roseithe and pondered, reflecting on how unusual her personality was.
She disliked men—intensely—but was overly affectionate toward women.
What kind of past could’ve shaped such behavior…?
Su Xiaorang shook her head, giving up on guessing.
She lowered her gaze and remained quiet for a long time, her thoughts filled with memories of the people who had meant so much to her.
Anthera’s words kept echoing in her mind.
Finally, after a long silence, she looked up at Anthera.
“I understand now. If that’s the case, then maybe this can be my way of atoning to him. At the very least, from here on, he’ll be able to live out his life peacefully—live the life that rightfully belonged to Su Xiaorang in the first place.”
“Good. I’m glad you’ve come to terms with it.” Anthera nodded with satisfaction.
“So now… what do you want to do, Witch Lanafit?”
“Lanafit… Lanafit, huh…” Su Xiaorang repeated the unfamiliar name to herself over and over.
Suddenly, she smiled. It was a smile tinged with self-mockery, but also a touch of relief.
“I want to return everything that belonged to Su Xiaorang back to him—including that name. So from this day on, I will live as Lanafit. My name… will be Lanafit.”