Chapter 02
“Oh, you’re awake. Are you feeling okay?”
Elisabeth’s eyes slowly moved to the woman who had just entered the room.
The woman had a kind, warm expression and was carrying a bowl of water and a towel.
Elisabeth slowly sat up.
The wet towel on her head slipped off onto the bed.
“Oh no, you shouldn’t be sitting up. You’re badly injured!”
The woman hurriedly came closer.
Elisabeth stared blankly at her.
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced her head, like being stabbed with a spike.
“Ugh…!”
She clutched her head. Her hands touched the bandages, and her fingers came away red with blood.
Seeing the blood made her gasp.
Her body shook uncontrollably.
“…No… no…”
Muttering, she tried to get up.
“Lie down. Your body isn’t healed yet—”
The woman tried to stop her, but Elisabeth snapped:
“Move!”
The woman was silenced by Elisabeth’s fierce tone and didn’t reach out again.
Elisabeth slipped on her slippers roughly and staggered toward the door.
Rain poured down, thunder shook the sky, and lightning struck the ground repeatedly.
“Oh no, the rain can’t hit my wounds…!”
The woman behind her anxiously draped a cloak over Elisabeth, but she didn’t even seem to notice.
She slowly lifted her head.
In the distance, she saw a huge castle.
“…The palace.”
The palace towered over the city, a landmark that could guide anyone.
Elisabeth used it to steer herself forward.
Her legs wobbled, her vision blurred, but she didn’t stop.
“Miss! You can’t—!”
The woman’s panicked voice came from behind.
Standing there, seemingly unnoticed until now, was a man wearing a deep hood.
He looked at Elisabeth quietly.
“…I’ll go with her. You go inside.”
The woman bowed deeply at his words.
The man started following Elisabeth.
Her breaths were irregular, weak, and faint.
Her thin pajamas were soaked and heavy, and one slipper was missing — she walked barefoot.
The cloak the woman had given her had fallen off.
She staggered forward, barely able to stay upright.
The man reached out several times but couldn’t grab her and let his hands fall.
Her fragile state made it impossible for him to approach.
Finally, Elisabeth arrived at a secluded spot by the Volta River.
The riverbank was usually well-kept and popular with citizens, but this corner was remote and seldom visited.
Elisabeth spotted something in the bushes:
A single abandoned shoe.
Once elegant silk shoes, now soaked in mud, crumpled and shabby—just like her current state.
“Hah… ha…”
She recognized the shoe immediately. It was hers.
Next to it, almost washed away by rain, she saw a faint, dark mark only she could recognize.
The place where she had died.
Her own blood.
***
On the day Elisabeth died:
“Huh? That’s…?”
Walking along the riverbank, her eyes fell on a familiar emblem:
A carriage bearing the Lamore family crest, the one her husband always used.
Earlier, she had gone out for some fresh air with only two maids, finishing a short errand.
No driver was present due to the sudden schedule, but she didn’t mind — she was always a free-spirited person.
‘They said we’d have a gathering… why is it here?’
A smile slowly spread across her face.
‘I’ll surprise them.’
She told the maids:
“You two go ahead to the café.”
“Huh? Ma’am, where are you going?”
“I just need to stop somewhere for a bit.”
Her eyes gleamed mischievously.
“If you stay alone, it’s dangerous—”
“Oh, what danger is there? Just line up properly. I heard it’s really hard to get in these days, right?”
The maids knew that with her status, she could have entered anywhere without waiting, but she disliked using her privilege.
They quietly went ahead.
Elisabeth quietly approached the family carriage.
Her dress fluttered, her nervous hands shook, imagining her husband’s surprised face.
She laughed quietly to herself.
Then she opened the carriage door.
Her body froze instantly.
Inside, a man and woman were entangled, clearly in the middle of an intimate moment.
“Gah—!”
“Kya—!”
They looked toward the door in shock.
The woman’s clothes had slipped off her shoulders, and the man hurriedly covered her. His shirt was partly unbuttoned.
“You… how… what—”
The man froze, unable to speak as he realized who had opened the door.
Elisabeth gasped and blurted out the two names:
“Louis… and Bianca…?”
Her husband and friend.
She saw Bianca’s bright orange hair, peeking from behind her husband.
Bianca quickly adjusted her clothes and looked up, embarrassed.
“Uh… Elie, it’s not… I mean…”
Louis looked just as shocked, unable to grasp the situation.
“Hah… how could you two—”
Elisabeth wobbled as if about to collapse.
“Elie!”
Louis tried to support her, but she pushed his arm away.
“How… how could you do this? How…”
Her head spun, a bitter taste in her mouth.
“Ugh…!”
She couldn’t stand the disgusting scene and stumbled away.
Behind her, Louis called out:
“Elie! Wait!”
His voice held urgency, anger, or maybe frustration.
Elisabeth didn’t look back:
“Don’t follow me!”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Her mind felt frozen from the shock.
All she wanted was to leave this place.
As she hurried along the riverbank, she heard fast footsteps behind her.
Thinking it was her husband, she turned sharply:
“I told you not to come! Ignoring me—”
BAM!
Before she could finish, something hit her head hard.
A dull thud echoed, and her vision went hazy.
Elisabeth collapsed to the cold ground.
When she barely lifted her head, she saw:
A woman swinging something at her again.
It was Bianca, her face twisted like a demon.
“Ugh…!”
Elisabeth mustered all her strength and grabbed the object:
A luxurious, gem-studded cane — her husband’s.
“Y-you… why… ugh…!”
She looked at her husband with trembling eyes for help. But he didn’t move.
He just stood there, frowning, looking annoyed or troubled.
“Hah… how….”
Seeing his unbelievable behavior, Elisabeth felt her strength drain.
Bianca raised the cane again.
“How could you—”
“I-I’m sorry, Elie. But we… we love each other. I mean it.”
Bianca’s voice trembled.
“We’re friends… so you can understand, right? You’ve had everything all this time. Right?”
Her eyes were filled with malice.
“So, now… just disappear!”
