Chapter 10
Heading to the capital was an inevitable future, a fate I couldn’t change. If I had to go, I’d at least made up my mind to avoid the Imperial Palace at all costs. My plan was simple: get there, find a way out, and settle into a life of eternal peace without ever glancing at that suffocating palace again.
But despite my best efforts to stay motivated, my dreams on the first night of the journey were restless. Recalling the deposed Emperor, Richard, as I’d seen him in my dream sent a surge of revulsion through me. It didn’t help that he appeared as he was in his youth—with that boyish, innocent face—making it even harder to settle my simmering resentment.
Just forget him, I told myself. Richard Blake, you’re nothing to me now. Because you’re dead.
“I really wish I could just wash my brain out,” I muttered, swallowing a deep sigh.
“Miss! Did you pack everything you need?” Daisy asked, scanning the room one last time after finishing my styling.
“I guess?” I replied. To be honest, I didn’t even know what “everything” entailed. I figured I’d just take whatever the maids packed—dresses, jewelry, makeup—since none of it really felt like mine anyway.
“Oh, come to think of it, I found this tucked away in the corner of the wardrobe. I didn’t open it, but should we bring it?” Daisy walked over and pressed something into my hand.
It was a small, palm-sized velvet box. I opened it casually, only to freeze instantly. A chill ran straight through me.
Why on earth is this here?
Inside was a necklace—a thin gold chain holding a small, red gemstone pendant. The stone was darker than a typical ruby or garnet, with a unique way of absorbing and refracting light. Next to the gem sat an intricate lily-shaped charm. Unless you looked closely, you might think it was a common design, but the craftsmanship was an old style you rarely see these days. It was an antique.
And I knew this necklace. It was my mother’s keepsake—the one I had always worn back when I was Ignis Lowell. I remembered it vividly; I was wearing it the very day I died.
So why is it here now?
There was no mistake. I wasn’t so foolish that I wouldn’t recognize a piece of jewelry I’d worn for over a decade. It featured a nameless gemstone and was a relic from an unknown era. Even if a replica existed, it was impossible for it to be this identical.
“Oh! That’s the one!” Daisy exclaimed, looking surprised. “I thought you’d lost it. I suppose it must have just fallen into the corner.”
“Do you know what this is?” I asked.
“It’s the necklace you used to wear all the time, Miss.”
My mind blanked for a second before I processed what she meant. The “Miss” Daisy was referring to was the original Yunette Diaz. This was a necklace Yunette supposedly wore often. I found it hard to wrap my head around.
“Where—and when—did I get this?”
Daisy tilted her head, thinking hard. Finally, she shook her head. “You just… had it one day. Maybe about two years ago? I asked you about it once, but you didn’t really give me an answer.”
I gripped the necklace tight. Two years. Did someone steal my belongings and sell them on the black market? Did it wander through the streets until it ended up in Yunette Diaz’s hands? It felt like a stretch to connect the dots just yet. This was my mother’s keepsake, and it had never shown a single quirk in the ten years I wore it.
As if sensing my unease, Daisy added tentatively, “Do you remember anything? Actually… I’m sure you were wearing that necklace the day of the accident.”
“…Really?”
“It wasn’t among the things recovered afterward, so I assumed it was lost. But here it is. That’s so strange.”
“Maybe someone found it in the wreckage later and brought it back,” I suggested.
“Well, maybe. I haven’t heard anything about that, though. Perhaps my memory is just playing tricks on me. Sorry about that.”
“It’s been a while, so it’s easy to get confused.”
The clasp was perfectly intact and the piece was well-maintained—not exactly what you’d expect from something lost in a carriage wreck. But my gut was telling me something was hidden within it. I tried to recall the Yunette Diaz I saw in the forest, but my mind had been too hazy then to remember if she was wearing a necklace.
Emerging from my thoughts, I loosened my grip and handed the piece to Daisy. “Can you put this on me? I think I’ll wear it.”
“Really? I guess you still like it after all. Your tastes haven’t changed.”
“Well, familiar objects might help me get my memory back.”
I pulled my hair to one side and turned around, feeling the cool touch of metal against my skin. I stood there for a moment, tracing the gemstone with my fingertips, before turning back to Daisy. Everything was ready for the capital.
“Let’s head out. We don’t want to be late.”
“I feel nauseous.”
“Are you alright, Miss? You never used to get motion sickness. We’re almost there, though!”
The fact that we’re almost there is exactly the problem, Daisy.
I leaned against the window, my face pale. I felt a bit better when I closed my eyes and let the cool breeze hit me, but I was still far from a hundred percent. After a five-day carriage journey—which was no small feat—we were finally approaching the capital, Belhiten. In the distance, I could see the city gates and the long lines of people waiting to enter.
“Wow… look at all those people,” Daisy marveled.
I, on the other hand, felt drained already. Once we entered Belhiten, Daisy couldn’t tear her eyes away from the window. I stared blankly into space, checking the time.
It’ll probably take another forty minutes to get to Lady Mason’s.
To get through the debutante season, I had to stay in the capital for a while. However, the Diaz family didn’t have the funds for a townhouse in Belhiten. So, for the duration of my stay, I was to live at the home of the Dowager Countess Mason, a distant relative of Yunette’s.
In other words, Lady Mason was Yunette Diaz’s chaperone. She had promised to fulfill this role three years ago, and despite the short notice this time, she had apparently agreed quite readily. Theodore stayed behind to handle family business—hardly surprising, since he’d only recently become the Viscount.
I kept my eyes shut to block out the noisy city streets until I heard Daisy’s confused voice. “Miss, I think it’s going to rain. The sky just turned grey all of a sudden.”
I looked out the window. She was right. Within moments, a few drops hit the glass, and then the downpour began. I watched the rain fall for a long time.
It looked like it was going to rain that day, too.
But I’d died before the first drop fell. Maybe that’s why this felt like the first rain I’d seen in forever. I don’t know how long I sat there staring, but the light drizzle soon turned into a heavy storm.
“We’ve arrived, Miss,” the driver called out from outside. “It’s pouring, so please watch your step.”
I straightened my dress and composed myself. Daisy hopped out first, holding an umbrella provided by the driver. We were standing before a classic townhouse in Belhiten’s upscale district.
Leaving the carriage behind, we approached the front door. An attendant opened it, and Lady Mason greeted us, standing with her hands folded in a prim, disciplined posture. Despite being in her late fifties, she looked like she was in her forties. Her hair was pulled back perfectly without a single stray strand, and her set lips gave off an air of strict perfectionism. She was the archetype of the old-fashioned, stiff-necked nobility.
We weren’t exactly close, I recalled. Well, I wasn’t close to any nobles, so that wasn’t saying much.
But Yunette Diaz and Lady Mason were blood relatives, so that changed the dynamic. Before leaving for the capital, Daisy had briefed me on their relationship. While they only saw each other every few years, Lady Mason reportedly doted on her nephew, the former Viscount Diaz. Because of that, she’d looked after Yunette in her own way, even sending birthday gifts. Given her personality, letting us stay in her home and acting as a chaperone was a very generous gesture.
“You’ve arrived, Yunette.”
“It’s been a long time. I hope you’ve been well,” I said, curtsying deeply. It was a greeting I hadn’t used since I was a mere daughter of a Marquis, long before I became the Marchioness Lowell, but I executed it perfectly.
“You’ve had a long journey,” Lady Mason noted with a curt nod. She glanced toward what I assumed was the drawing room. “As it happens, I have a guest. It would be best if you two were introduced.”
