Chapter 3
I met Mary when I was twenty-three, on Christmas.
Back when I lived in the orphanage, the reason I kept sneaking into the forest was all because of dogs. Even after growing up, I had always wanted to raise one if I could—and on that Christmas, I met Mary, wandering with nowhere to go.
That was also the day I got betrayed by my ex-boyfriend.
That jerk. I waited for him through his entire military service, and he comes back and cheats?
People really aren’t worth trusting.
I was crying my eyes out on the street, thinking about that ridiculously young college freshman he was with, when I found Mary.
“Yip!”
A tiny, adorable thing, rubbing her nose against me like she wasn’t cold at all.
From that moment on, Mary and I were never apart.
“Mary…”
Emma murmured after me.
“Yip! Yap!”
“She must like it!”
Emma gently stroked Mary’s head in my arms.
“But… you said you lost your memory. Aren’t you worried at all?”
“…I’m just glad you’re okay, my lady. That you’ve opened your eyes and are talking to me like this.”
Emma looked at me with watery, fish-like eyes.
“But… I think it’s better to hide the fact that you lost your memory from others.”
“Why?”
“Because not everyone is like me, my lady.”
Emma suddenly grabbed my hand.
“You saved me and protected me before. Now it’s my turn to protect you. I promise. I swear it on my soul.”
On her soul.
In this world, the soul was considered extremely important. It was said to hold all memories and experiences—the very essence of life.
A vow staking one’s soul was the most valuable kind.
There was even a famous line the male lead once said to the female lead that readers talked about endlessly:
“I will never forget that I am you, and you are me. I will love you with my entire soul.”
And now, instead of the male lead, I had received something very similar—from Emma.
“Thank you, Emma.”
They say having even one good friend makes life worth living. With someone like Emma by my side, I felt a lot braver.
Over the next few days, I got a handle on things.
The problem was—there was absolutely nothing in the mansion for Mary.
No toys, nothing.
And overlooking that… was my mistake.
As the days passed, just as Emma and the servants got used to Mary suddenly appearing, Mary also adapted quickly to this place.
Like she had been born and raised in the Stadion estate.
In fact, she roamed around so much that it was hard to even see her once a day.
“Have you seen Mary?”
“No, my lady.”
The maids carrying laundry shook their heads.
“Have you seen Mary?”
“No, we haven’t.”
There’s a saying—if your dog goes missing, just shout “No!” But in a mansion this big, would she even hear me?
While I was searching the entire estate for Mary, who had disappeared while I was napping—
“Aaaah!”
A scream rang out from somewhere.
Where there’s chaos, there’s usually a ball of fur.
Found her.
The commotion was in the dressing room.
Inside, there was a standoff between a person and a dog.
Emma—trembling, her face pale with anger.
And Mary—calmly scratching her ear like nothing was wrong.
Our eyes met.
“Yip!”
Mary barked brightly and came running toward me, wagging her tail and acting cute.
“Uh… had fun?”
I laughed awkwardly and brushed off bits of lace and loose threads stuck to her head.
Looks like Mary had a wonderful day in the dressing room.
Most of the dresses had their hems torn apart. Scraps were scattered across the floor, and judging by the glittering pieces mixed in, even the jewels hadn’t been spared.
“Emma…?”
Emma turned to me, teary-eyed.
“…Right.”
This is… troublesome.
No wonder she screamed.
My dog really racked up quite the bill, huh? How much is all this?
The only reason I could spend money so freely here was because the currency system was different from Korea’s.
Still… this looks expensive.
Reality hit me for a moment. In my past life, I might’ve had to break my savings account for something like this.
But now—I’m bourgeois Agatha.
“Well… might as well replace everything. Fresh start.”
Emma sniffled.
“Shall we go shopping?”
We can just buy new ones. Why cry?
“…What about the ones here?”
“How about fixing just the hems and selling them?”
“You’re going to sell dresses worn by the Duchess?!”
“Then what do people usually do? I don’t remember.”
I whispered the last part so only Emma could hear.
“We store them!”
What a waste—money just rotting inside this mansion. Selling just the jewels on those dresses would make a fortune.
Maybe I should go treasure hunting in this place one day. If it’s all mine, I can do whatever I want with it, right?
No, no!
You’re different now!
I was getting confused between my old self—a frugal commoner—and my new self—a diamond-spoon aristocrat.
“Well, do whatever you think is best.”
I added gently for Emma’s sake.
“Should we install bars so Mary can’t enter the dressing room? About this high?”
“…That
