Chapter 6
After leaving the drawing room, Lucious stood still and took a deep breath as he looked at the door closing behind him. His previously rigid expression had softened, giving him a completely different look than before. But since he was alone in the hallway, no one saw that change.
Letting out a sigh with a troubled expression, he clenched his slightly trembling hand into a fist and muttered quietly to himself.
“…I was nervous. I hope I didn’t mess up in front of the Duke…”
It was hard to believe this dejected-looking man was the same person who had coldly pressured Edwin just moments ago. The contrast made him seem pitiful somehow.
Though it had been a long time since he’d last visited the Celeste Duchy, Lucious had been nervous even before entering the drawing room. He had rushed over as soon as he heard about Tiana, worried sick, but before seeing her, he had to face the Duke first.
It had been a while since he’d spoken face to face with the Duke, and that made the meeting feel all the more burdensome.
After all, this was the man who would become his father-in-law. Lucious couldn’t help but feel tense, worrying about making a bad impression.
Trying to ease the tension in his body, he leaned briefly against the wall beside the drawing room door. The trees swaying through the window across from him somehow felt comforting, as if they mirrored his unsettled heart.
“They said the wedding would be postponed…”
He had tried to act like it didn’t bother him, but when the Duke mentioned delaying the wedding, his heart had sunk.
Though the marriage had been arranged unilaterally by his maternal grandfather, Lucious hadn’t objected. On the contrary—he was pleased. Because the bride was none other than Tiana.
There had been some issues between them, but setting that aside, he had been happy about the arrangement. It was something he had longed for.
Of course, the first time he saw Tiana after the engagement was decided, she had coldly rejected him.
“Marriage? With you? Ha!”
“My grandfather decided this. I heard the Duke has also given his approval.”
“There’s nothing I like about this. Especially you—you disgust me.”
He still remembered the way she had looked at him with icy disdain. That day had been the first time they had exchanged more than a few words, and even the contempt in her eyes, the sharpness of her voice—it had thrilled him in a strange way.
Petals fluttered in the breeze between the swaying leaves. The wind had been just as soft that day too.
Lucious stood up from the wall and smoothed out his slightly crumpled uniform. Once he had checked that his attire was neat and sharp again, he headed toward the entrance.
As he exited the mansion, his waiting escort saluted him politely, and his face hardened again. Though the knight was from the Grand Duke’s household and a familiar presence, Lucious, who was shy around strangers, couldn’t help but stiffen up.
When will I get over this shyness? He felt a pang of guilt, remembering how awkwardly he had responded to the greetings of the mansion’s servants earlier. He had even intended to greet the Duke first, but ended up being too late.
He sighed inwardly, disappointed in himself for not fulfilling his duties properly as a Grand Duke. Before getting into the carriage, he glanced around.
Something about the familiar scenery stirred his heart, and he gave the knight an order.
“Wait here.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Lucious turned and began walking along the left side of the mansion, following the swaying trees in the breeze. Once the knight and coachman were out of sight, his rigid expression softened a little.
Past the elegant and orderly main building, he turned around the left corner and arrived at the back garden, where neatly planted trees and a wide garden stretched before him.
The garden was bursting with colorful blossoms, and the scent of nature was almost intoxicating.
He had come here countless times in the past. This was the place he had visited every day just to see her.
It had been three years since he met Tiana. During that time, he had made unforgettable memories with her.
Though they hadn’t had much interaction in the past two years, every moment spent with her—from their first meeting onward—was precious to him.
She was the first person to approach him with genuine kindness. The only woman who had seen and acknowledged Lucious as a person. He could never forget the moment they met.
Her warm smile had given him so much strength. And when he realized their feelings were mutual, he had been overjoyed.
But after that day…
A little over a year after their first meeting, Tiana suddenly collapsed. She remained unconscious for a week.
When she finally woke up, she was like a different person. Her speech, her behavior, her memories—everything had changed.
She had forgotten everything about him. The kind smile she once gave him vanished, as if it had never been real. The coldness in her eyes and the unfamiliar gaze hurt him deeply.
Though it crushed him not to see her warm smile again, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He couldn’t give up.
He had been too busy recently to visit often, but up until just a month ago, he had still come to see her.
Even if he never got a glimpse of her hair, he still came.
He stood in the middle of the wide garden, at the spot where her window was most clearly visible, and gazed endlessly at the closed window.
Maybe she would open it and look his way. Maybe she would appear for just a second, and he would rejoice… only to feel disappointed when she disappeared again.
Since her accident two years ago, Tiana had treated him as if he didn’t exist. Now, she had lost her memory once again.
If she rejected him again this time… he didn’t know what he would do. Would she look at him with those cold eyes again? Shout that she didn’t want to see him? Glare at him with contempt?
The thought of that indifferent gaze stabbed at his heart.
But even if she kept rejecting him, he couldn’t leave. He didn’t want to leave. Even if he had to suffer the same humiliation again, Lucious wasn’t ready to let go of his hope.
He still believed in that small smile she sometimes showed him—that tiny sliver of hope.
Meanwhile…
“Miss, shall I bring some tea?”
“No, it’s fine.”
I left Inabelle, who was watching me anxiously, and sat on the bed, thinking about what might be happening in the drawing room.
What Alfred had tried to say… it seemed related to Lucious and Tiana’s relationship. But why was he trying to hide it? Could it be that the engagement hasn’t been officially decided yet?
No, that couldn’t be. If it weren’t settled, Lucious wouldn’t have come to visit Tiana like this.
Now that I thought about it, there were plenty of strange things. If the wedding was two months away, surely someone would have said something by now. But I hadn’t heard a word.
Maybe they were trying not to burden someone who had lost her memory. But even so, it was clear that Inabelle, Rowena, and others were deliberately hiding something.
Why were they hiding everything about the marriage? If Lucious had come all this way, things must be quite far along.
I glanced toward Inabelle, who was waiting by the door, and asked:
“Inabelle, can I ask you something?”
“Yes, Miss?”
“His Highness the Grand Duke came looking for me, but I don’t know who he is… Do you know why he came?”
“Th-that is…”
“Father blocked the meeting, but is there a reason I shouldn’t meet him? I don’t remember what kind of relationship we had… but if you know something, could you please tell me?”
“Well…”
Inabelle averted her gaze, clearly troubled. She was my personal maid and had spent the most time with me, so she probably knew more than anyone else about what had happened before I possessed this body.
Rowena, the head maid, must’ve told her to keep quiet—but right now, Inabelle was my best shot.
“Did Father stop the meeting because he was afraid I’d make a mistake due to my memory loss…? I feel like I’m burdening everyone. The Grand Duke is such an important person… I’m worried my father might be blamed because of me…”
“Miss…”
“I’m sorry… It feels like I’m making everything harder for everyone. That’s why I just want to understand my situation a little better.”
I added a few tears for effect, just enough to look pitiful. I was a kind young lady who didn’t want to cause trouble despite her memory loss—that was the image I wanted to sell.
Thankfully, it seemed to work. After a moment of hesitation, Inabelle finally opened her mouth.
“You and His Highness the Grand Duke… are engaged.”
“Engaged? So the wedding has been scheduled?”
“Yes. It was originally planned for mid-May, two months from now. But because of your accident… I think His Highness came today to talk about rescheduling the wedding.”
So the engagement was official, and even the date had been set. That lined up with the side story, where their wedding also took place in mid-May. If not for the accident, the wedding would’ve proceeded as planned.
But then… why was no one discussing the wedding with me? Even if I lost my memory, how could they move forward without including me?
Let me think this through. Tiana was a Duke’s daughter. The Celeste family was well-known, and so was she. News of her falling off a horse and losing her memory would’ve surely spread across the Empire.
Maybe the memory loss was leaked too…
The wedding in the side story was grand. Everyone in the Empire knew about Lucious and Tiana’s marriage. But if news spread that the bride had lost her memory just before the wedding, that would definitely tarnish the Celeste family’s image.
Is that why they kept the wedding details from me? If so, they should’ve explained things and taken steps accordingly.
Even if I lost my personal memories, I still had the knowledge of a Duke’s daughter. They could’ve just reassured everyone that there was no issue with the wedding proceeding.
But Edwin deliberately stopped Lucious and me from meeting. Even if I didn’t know anything, I could’ve at least learned from Alfred. But they insisted on keeping it a secret.
There’s something going on.
There must be a reason why Edwin is risking the family’s reputation just to prevent me from seeing Lucious. A reason why the wedding must be postponed…
