Chapter 02
“…M-Miss!”
“Miss!”
At someone’s voice, my eyes snapped open.
As if I had awakened from a long, deep sleep, my head felt hazy and my entire body heavy.
The deafening sound of the pouring rain, the monstrous roar, the hard carriage seat, and the bone-crushing pain—everything had disappeared.
“Oh my goodness, you’re awake!”
A maid I had never seen before covered her mouth with both hands, looking overwhelmed with emotion.
Her eyes quickly welled up, as if tears might fall at any moment.
It was a face I didn’t recognize.
A maid from the imperial palace?
Or from the ducal estate?
No, that wasn’t important.
I hurriedly moved my body.
The carriage had clearly been attacked by a monster.
I was certain I would die without a doubt, so how… how did I survive?
Claude…
What happened to Claude?
I remembered him holding me tightly, taking the full impact upon himself.
No… did he save me and die in my place…?
The thought made my breath hitch, and tears quickly welled up.
This couldn’t be.
If I returned to the imperial palace, only hell awaited me—but not for him.
Claude had finally been about to gain his freedom.
“Miss, why are you crying? Are you still in pain?”
At the repeated voice, I looked at the unfamiliar maid.
Her eyes were filled with worry.
“Claude… what happened to Claude?”
I barely managed to speak, but the voice that came out felt different.
Startled, I cleared my throat several times.
The maid tilted her head, looking puzzled by my behavior.
“Pardon? What do you mean, Miss?”
“Claude von Cassel… where is he now?”
My voice still sounded unfamiliar, as though I were hearing it for the first time.
When I stopped trying to fix it and stared at her, her face turned pale.
“T-The Duke of Cassel?”
She blinked in confusion.
Praying desperately that he wasn’t dead, I wiped my tears and spoke again as calmly as I could.
“Yes, Claude. My husband.”
At my words, the maid looked as if something serious had happened.
Covering her mouth in distress, she suddenly jumped to her feet.
“I-I’ll call Madam right away!”
I stared at the empty space where the maid had vanished, filled with confusion.
Madam?
Who was that, and where was I?
I had clearly felt my body being crushed—so why was I completely fine now?
How much time had passed?
Only then did I look around the room.
It was a place I had never seen before.
It was somewhat cramped and shabby.
Perhaps it was early morning, as faint light was breaking through the window.
A full-length mirror stood beside the bed.
As if possessed by something, I climbed down and walked toward it.
A woman I had never seen before was standing in the mirror.
“Who… is this?”
I originally had silver hair.
Everyone in the imperial family had blonde hair, and because I was different from that typical appearance, I was mocked even more.
But the woman in the mirror had the golden hair I had always longed for.
It was well cared for, flowing beautifully down to her back.
Her face was lovely and beautiful as well.
I blinked blankly at the unfamiliar woman in the mirror.
What on earth is this…?
At that moment, the door slowly opened, and a woman with a worried expression entered.
She looked frail, her body thin and weak.
With unsteady steps, she came up to me and embraced me tightly.
Her slender arms trembled as they wrapped around me.
Her genuine concern reached deep into my heart.
“Oh my goodness, Briana! Cough, cough—my dear, hng…”
She coughed repeatedly before burying her face into my shoulder and sobbing.
I couldn’t understand the situation at all, but all I could do was stand there stiffly.
After crying for a while, she gently held my hands.
Her face, which must have been beautiful in her youth, was filled with worry as she looked at me.
“You’re not thinking of going to the banquet today, are you? Hmm? Your body isn’t even fully recovered…”
A banquet…?
“Madam! You’re not in good health either, so please go rest.”
“I’ll take care of Miss.”
Before I could respond, the maid who had been fidgeting earlier stepped in.
At her words, the woman wiped her tears with a damp handkerchief and nodded.
“Yes, Daisy… cough… I’ll leave her to you.”
“Yes, Madam!”
Without giving me a chance to speak, Daisy escorted the woman out of the room.
Now only the maid who had awakened me—Daisy—and I remained.
After the door closed, she let out a small sigh of relief and turned to me.
“Miss, are you feeling a bit better?”
I nodded instinctively.
“Oh, that’s such a relief.”
“It would be such a shame to miss today’s Founding Anniversary Banquet like this.”
“You spent nearly a year preparing for it, Miss.”
The Founding Anniversary Banquet?
The day I died was in autumn, just before winter, when the rain was pouring.
But a spring banquet… had the seasons already changed?
No, before that—where had my body gone, and whose body was I in now?
Could this be a dream…?
I bit the inside of my mouth hard so the maid wouldn’t notice.
The pain was vivid, so it didn’t seem like a dream.
Daisy continued cheerfully,
“While you were bedridden, Miss, you worked hard on embroidery to earn money.”
“The dress you bought with that money has arrived.”
“It’s so beautiful—you’ll be surprised when you see it!”
Daisy took my hand and led me out of the room toward the dressing room.
Only then did my mind snap into focus.
As I followed her in a daze, I asked,
“Then… who am I right now?”
“Pardon? Miss Briana.”
“Are you feeling very unwell?”
Her answer confirmed it.
For reasons unknown, my soul was now inside the body of a completely unfamiliar young lady.
Then… am I dead?
Daisy continued with a worried tone,
“Today is the long-awaited banquet day, Miss.”
“Now that I think about it, your way of speaking is a bit strange…”
“Don’t tell me—you don’t remember anything?”
I slowly nodded.
Daisy looked startled as she continued,
“You said you’d catch the eye of a wealthy noble at the banquet!”
“And the Duke of Cassel you asked about earlier will also be attending!”
“What?”
I blinked.
I couldn’t quite process what I had just heard.
Daisy didn’t notice my expression and lowered her voice as she whispered,
“Of course, your health comes first, Miss…”
“But thinking of all the effort you’ve put in for today, I couldn’t let it go to waste.”
I stood there blankly like a broken doll before urgently opening my lips.
Everything about wealthy nobles faded from my mind.
Only one thought remained, making my lips tremble.
“C-Claude… I mean, the Duke of Cassel…”
Daisy tilted her head at my reaction.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Wasn’t he dead?”
“From the carriage accident…”
I tried my best to maintain a normal expression.
“Oh my goodness, Miss.”
Daisy grabbed my hands tightly, looking worried.
“It’s already been three years since that accident.”
“You mustn’t say things like that elsewhere.”
“…Three years?”
“Yes, Miss. Oh dear…”
Three years had passed since the accident.
And Claude was alive.
As I murmured in a daze, tears streamed down my cheeks.
Daisy panicked and hurriedly searched for a handkerchief.
“Miss, are you in pain again?”
“Hic… sob…”
The memory of that final moment surfaced, and no matter how hard I tried to hold it back, the tears wouldn’t stop.
Claude, who had only ever hated me, had embraced me at the very end.
…So he did care, even if just a little, about his wife in name.
I’m so relieved…
That he didn’t die.
