“Her Majesty the Empress is currently.”

What I needed to tell him wasn’t particularly difficult.

But the wound from long ago remained as a scar, even if not as painful as before, and her body, asleep without receiving love, still caused me pain.

“Her Majesty is now…”

If the person I had to answer wasn’t Ainberg, would things have been different?

Facing Ainberg’s eyes waiting for an answer, I somehow felt choked up and couldn’t say anything.

‘You were so hateful to me, but now you’ve made it impossible for me to even hate you?’

Ha, what an insufferably selfish and terrible man.

“Has something happened to Sienna?”

“She’s currently unconscious.”

“What?”

He sharply furrowed his previously smooth brow and tried to get up.

“It’s been a long time. Over a year now.”

Ainberg said nothing for a moment.

He maintained his silence with a deeply thoughtful expression for quite some time.

Whether he was trying to recover his memories or for some other reason, I couldn’t tell, but I too remained by his side without saying anything.

“I made a mistake with you.”

Well, technically it wasn’t a mistake.

I am Sienna Viper too, after all.

“I’m fine, so please rest a bit more.”

Some time later, I left the bedroom, leaving behind the once again sleeping Ainberg.

I didn’t feel good.

No, in truth, I felt indescribably low.

“……”

I despised Ainberg terribly.

How much I hated him, how horrified I was when he showed interest in me after I had transmigrated into Leonora’s body—it would be painful just to speak of it.

“And yet……”

When I learned that Ainberg had been seriously injured, lost consciousness, and now had problems…

Far from being happy, I felt anxious and troubled.

“…I couldn’t even ask about the handkerchief.”

Ainberg looked extremely confused. He tried hard to explain his situation calmly, but his anxiety was palpable.

‘But I think the aide should know about this.’

Once again, I wished I had medical knowledge at times like this.

I wanted to know if this was common when someone regained consciousness after being unconscious for a long time, or if he truly had a head injury causing problems.

But there was one more thing bothering me as much as this situation.

‘…Sienna Viper.’

The first words Ainberg uttered were none other than my name.

I had tried hard to deny it, to look away from it.

Contrary to Ainberg’s hazy consciousness, the questions I had been holding seemed to become clearer.

What kind of person was Sienna Viper to Ainberg?

‘What kind of person was I to him?’

To whom should I now direct this question?

‘Millean.’

Just like Ainberg was looking for him, I too now needed him.

❀❀❀

That afternoon, Soniel visited again.

She came with maids again today, but they didn’t commit the rudeness of entering the reception room.

‘She understands well.’

When the door closed and only Soniel and I remained, she finally poured out her emotional voice toward me.

“My lady.”

I embraced Soniel without saying anything.

“My lady, I missed you so much.”

“Have you been well?”

Though the question came out reflexively, it was actually meaningless.

There was no way she could have been well in that place.

I apologized to Soniel for what I hadn’t been able to say until now.

“I’m sorry. It’s all because of me.”

“What are you saying? How could it be because of you, my lady?”

“It’s because you saw people training that day. Because of me… you’ve faced hardships you shouldn’t have had to.”

Soniel shook her head vigorously.

“No, my lady. What happened to me… was already determined from the moment I came to the Viper household.”

“Soniel.”

“So please don’t blame yourself. Don’t say such things.”

“……”

“I’m grateful to you. You’ve made it possible for me to leave that mansion.”

Life is truly ironic.

How one person’s misfortune can become another’s opportunity.

“Sabine, come in.”

I called for Sabine first.

Sabine walked in with a somewhat resolute expression.

“Yes, my lady. You called?”

“What about Johana and Lili?”

“They returned to the Viper household a little while ago.”

“Did they say anything?”

“No, they withdrew quietly today.”

Hearing that the maids had left, a smile spread across Soniel’s face.

“Then… am I truly free now?”

A face that looked somewhat anxious despite smiling.

Every time I looked at Soniel, I saw overlaps with my past self.

Back when I first transmigrated into the Forgotten Empress and everything was awkward.

‘When maids laughed behind my back, and attendants giggled among themselves in front of me, I couldn’t say a word.’

I waited for Soniel to sit down before speaking.

“Are those girls still acting arrogantly?”

When I asked, Soniel shook her head.

“No, Johana and Lili are good girls.”

Good, she says.

They might put on polite faces in front of me, but I know they won’t be like that once they turn around!

“They’re just faithful to the master’s—that is, my father’s—orders.”

Her face immediately darkens when talking about the maids, yet she still defends them.

“Soniel.”

“If we had met elsewhere, we might have become good friends.”

“Yes, what power could those girls have anyway?”

I finally took a step back in the face of Soniel’s kind nature.

I smiled bitterly and spoke again.

“But who was that governess who came with you last time?”

“Oh, Teacher Talena.”

“I don’t think I saw her when I visited the mansion.”

“Yes, she came recently for my lessons.”

“I heard she came from a convent in Scott, is that right?”

Soniel was indeed from Scott, but she hadn’t come from a convent.

She originally worked as a maid at a nearby boarding school, and Foil claimed she was from a convent because it looked good for a noble daughter with a backstory.

“Teacher Talena was a teacher at the boarding school where I stayed.”

“I see.”

“She’s teaching me various things in place of Madam Pollietti.”

I knew that the days she spent at the boarding school were dark and painful times for her.

“…But, Soniel. Didn’t you say the teachers there weren’t good people?”

She had suffered through hard labor while eating just half a loaf of bread a day.

If they made even a small mistake, they wouldn’t let the children sleep at night, and they frequently beat children as young as six or seven years old.

All these atrocities were committed by the principal and teachers of the boarding school.

Yet they brought a teacher from there?

Just as I was recalling Talena’s gaunt, freckled face and asking.

“Yes, that’s right. They were all terrifying.”

“Was Talena the same?”

Soniel hesitated for a moment before telling me.

“…Teacher Talena was the scariest of all.”

I thought as much.

“But she’s nice now. Though she can be strict at times.”

“Soniel.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“She seems nice because you’re in the Viper household. Don’t hastily open your heart to her just because you were in the same place before, or because she’s being kind to you now.”

When I cautioned her out of concern, Soniel smiled brightly and said.

“Don’t worry, my lady. I’m also disguising my kindness.”

That made me feel somewhat relieved.

Not completely, but Soniel was a smart girl after all.

“How are your lessons? Has Lili’s attitude improved too?”

“Yes, they’re good.”

“Soniel, what am I supposed to do if you say everything is good? To me, all three of them seem terrible.”

Soniel let out a small laugh at my unsparing words.

But I still couldn’t hide my displeasure.

No matter how much they watched the master’s mood, to stand by while their mistress suffered injustice was deception and disregard.

“No one is helping Soniel when she faces injustice and struggles.”

“My lady.”

“They may have to follow the master’s orders, but they should still think about what they can do for you!”

When I said that much, Soniel responded with a bright smile.

“But I have you, my lady.”

“……”

“I was actually a bit confused about how to live.”

Soniel, who had been speaking so bravely until now, shared somewhat gloomily.

“But when I think that someone is worried about me, it gives me strength.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

“So I decided to be a source of strength for you too, my lady.”

That’s a cute and admirable thing to say, but first you need to survive yourself.

Who’s being whose strength here?

Just as I swallowed words I couldn’t bring myself to say—

“So what I did was… I’ve been diligently investigating my father’s private army.”

What?

“No, Soniel. That’s too dangerous.”

Child, what are you saying after finding out what kind of person Foil is?

But Soniel smiled even more brightly and said.

“I’ve already found out everything.”