-19-
What Edwin hadn’t been able to speak about from two years ago must have been this. To think my questions would be answered here. So, after hitting her head in that accident and losing consciousness, someone must’ve possessed her.
I didn’t know the details of what happened in the process, but if such a person entered her body and was met with rejection, there was no way it ended on a peaceful note.
Maybe Edwin couldn’t hold back and reacted sharply. Since he said he was involved, something definitely happened between him and that possessor.
She lost her memory twice due to two accidents. And since that kind of thing happened during the first one, it wouldn’t have been easy to talk about it.
They really stirred up a storm before leaving. That person was definitely either an anti-fan or a writer from a rival story. Since they had no plans of returning, if I hadn’t possessed this body and they had stayed… things would’ve gone up in flames.
‘…Right. They did something terrible to Lucious too!’
So that’s how it all connects! No wonder he seemed so withdrawn when we first met! What did they say to our beloved favorite?
If they spoke like that to the princess, then they must’ve said even worse things to Lucious… How dare they say that to my favorite?
I thought Tiana’s original personality was like that because of what I saw in the side stories, but now there’s a chance the previous possessor was the cause. And here I was, calling her a total personality wreck without knowing the truth. That was harsh.
I’m dying to know what kind of person they were. If it’s an anti-fan, I’d love to grab them by the collar and shake them. If it’s a rival writer… I’ll never read their work again.
I made a quiet but determined vow of revenge as I turned to look at the princess, who had almost stopped crying. Thankfully, after our conversation, she seemed to have calmed down, only sniffling a little, with her tears having stopped.
Still holding my hand tightly and wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, she met my gaze and blushed.
“…I’ve shown you quite the disgrace.”
“…Not at all.”
She averted her eyes, clearly embarrassed, and it was so adorable that I couldn’t help but smile. Just a moment ago, she had been looking at me with such intensity, and now she turned away like nothing had happened—like a classic coy young lady. Even so, she didn’t let go of my hand, which made me smile even more.
While chatting with her, I glanced at our now-cold tea and rang the bell on the table. Soon, Alfred opened the door and came in.
“You called?”
He flinched a little when he saw us, but quickly composed his expression and asked. I gave a small smile and pointed to the teacups.
“The tea’s gone cold. I’m sorry, but could we have some fresh tea? Oh, the same black tea again, please. And in the same cups.”
“Yes, understood. Please wait a moment.”
With a pleasant smile and a nod, he took the teacups and left. Seeing his quick steps as he exited the room, no longer looking worried, made me smile.
“……”
“…Your Highness, the Princess.”
Feeling a tug at my sleeve, I turned to see the princess, who had completely stopped crying, looking at me. Her lips trembled hesitantly, so I gently took her hand and said,
“When the tea arrives, let’s talk properly this time. About you and me, or rather… about Alexandra.”
“…Yes. Let’s do that…”
The warm sensation from our joined hands brought deep comfort. She shyly smiled with those clear, big emerald eyes—so bright and beautiful that just looking at her made me think she was glowing.
***
“…It’s delicious.”
“…Truly delicious.”
Both of us set down our teacups and nodded in satisfaction. The rich scent of the tea was clearly different from any black tea I’d ever tasted before.
The deep, luxurious flavor made me wonder how I’d lived without knowing this taste. I felt a twinge of resentment toward Alfred for not sharing it sooner.
Alexandra, too, seemed very pleased. She closed her eyes slightly and savored the lingering taste with a relaxed expression I hadn’t seen before. Her slightly flushed cheeks gave her a healthy glow, which put me at ease.
Noticing my gaze, she opened her eyes, met mine, and pouted slightly. Watching her struggle to speak, I chuckled and said,
“It’s really good. You have excellent taste. I’ve never had a tea like this before.”
“It’s not your first time.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s the second. The first time was before I gave it to you as a gift… we drank it together.”
“Oh… is that so?”
“You said the same thing then. It really means… you’ve returned.”
Her serious eyes studied me, and I gave an awkward smile. She kept saying I’d returned—was my personality really that similar to the original Tiana? The same thing happened with Lucious, too. So many coincidences.
Though it wasn’t intentional, perhaps the people who knew the original Tiana felt reassured because of how I acted.
If the previous Tiana was that much of a mess, and now I showed a similar personality despite the memory loss, it would be easy to mistake me for the original returning to form.
Same taste, similar personality—what were the odds? Still, if it helped others feel better, I was fine with it.
Since I had no plans to follow the original storyline, this meant I could just be myself without overthinking it. Being similar to the original Tiana had its perks.
“Anyway… thank you for coming back. I missed you, Tiana.”
“Um, well… I haven’t gotten my memories back yet.”
“I know. I heard the rumors, and you wrote it in your letter too. But that’s okay. You can recover them slowly over time.”
“Even if I’m similar to the original me… I could still be different, right? There’s a chance my memories might never return.”
“Not at all. I don’t think so. Maybe you don’t recognize it yet, but I can tell. There’s no way I wouldn’t know—it’s me, your longtime friend. My instincts are flawless.”
…Flawless, huh? She’s really confident.
Her tone was full of conviction. Even though this didn’t seem like something you should rely on instinct for, I didn’t want to spoil her mood, so I just nodded.
“There were so many rumors going around that I didn’t know what to believe… but it turns out what Marquis Calvino was saying was true.”
“What did the Marquis say?”
“That Lady Celeste overcame a major accident and recovered well. He went around bragging that you’ll make a splendid duchess.”
“Ah…”
So he’s already started working behind the scenes. I did tell him to spread word of my recovery, but I didn’t think he’d move this quickly. If it reached the princess’s ears, the entire imperial palace must already know.
A grandpa bragging about his future granddaughter-in-law… It didn’t quite fit the marquis’s usual image, and it left me with mixed feelings.
“I also heard you won’t be going to the territory right after the wedding but staying in the capital for social activities. Is that true?”
“Yes. I heard there were many rumors about me, so I thought staying in the capital would be the best way to quell them.”
“Is your health… alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’ve recovered enough to be active.”
I smiled as I answered her worried expression. I hadn’t even been hurt that badly, and in fact, doing nothing all day was starting to get on my nerves.
Even before I possessed this body, no matter how busy I was, I’d always find time to take a walk in the sun for at least 30 minutes. It was about time I got moving again.
Relieved by my answer, she smiled and nodded, then suddenly stood up and declared,
“Great! Now that I’ve confirmed the rumors, shall we move on to the main event?”
“The main event?”
“The dress, of course!”
Clap clap—
Placing her hands on her waist and giving a bright smile, she clapped loudly. Immediately, the door to the sitting room opened and palace maids rushed in.
Bolts of fabric, hangers, sample dresses, thick design sketches—it was all brought in and quickly filled the room. I stared blankly as she approached with a measuring tape in one hand and sketches in the other.
“I heard what the Marquis said and was still unsure… but I couldn’t hold back and ended up designing more dresses.”
“Pardon?”
“I also made a few changes to the wedding dress, so let’s check everything slowly, shall we?”
She handed the design sketches to a maid and extended the tape measure, closing the distance between us. Her sparkling eyes and determined approach made her look like a predator locking onto prey.
Something told me that once caught, I was in for trouble, but there was no escape. Surrounded, I sat frozen in the chair, unable to move, as she pounced with anticipation.
“Stand up! Arms out! Don’t move!”
“Y-yes, ma’am…!”
“Stay still. Could someone hand me the paper?”
As I stood with arms outstretched, she got close and began measuring. From head to toe, the tape flowed smoothly, and numbers were quickly scribbled onto the paper. Once the final measurements were taken and underlined, she barked orders at the waiting maids.
“Move the chairs! Push the table that way!”
“Bring that dress over here! Careful with the hem!”
“Corset ready? Bring the smallest size!”
After taking all my measurements, she began directing the maids with expert precision. Dragged this way and that, I became a life-sized doll and could only surrender to her hands.
With the corset laced up and the sample dress put on over it, three maids worked quickly to shape it according to her direction. As she fixed the front with pins, her eyes ran over my form and she murmured quietly.
“You’ve lost weight.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed…”
“Definitely. Compared to the last time I saw you… you’ve clearly returned to your original figure.”
“Before… when I was a bit strange… was I… heavier?”
“Not much, but yes, more than usual. Back then, you didn’t go out at all and just locked yourself in your room. You even refused those walks you used to love… I heard you didn’t stop eating though. If anything, you ate well.”
“I see…”
So even if she rejected everyone, she didn’t skip meals. I guess she couldn’t deny reality, but she couldn’t deny hunger either.
Well… if she couldn’t enjoy this world like I do, maybe eating was her only source of comfort.
She even said “I’d rather freeze than drink hot coffee”… she might’ve even cooked Korean food like those web novel heroines. I mean, iced Americano is basically our national drink.
“Now, walk slowly over here… try standing right in front of this.”
She gently guided me to a large mirror in the corner. Though the dress wasn’t complete and still pinned in places, the sheer silver gown embroidered with blue flowers already looked stunning.
