Chapter 5

While Alis paced the room, worrying about Iana, Lou returned.

“Miss, the healer has arrived.”

“Let them in.”

Lou, seeing Iana sitting quietly on the bed just as she had left her, smiled in relief. If the young lady had thrown another tantrum and fainted while Lou was gone, she might have been summoned by the head maid and beaten for not caring for her properly. She could endure a beating, but being thrown out of the mansion was unthinkable. Lou thought of her family at home waiting for her wages. It was tough work, but the position of Iana’s exclusive maid came with high pay, so there was always a line of applicants.

With a bright smile, Lou brought the healer into the room. The healer began to examine Iana thoroughly—taking her temperature, listening to her heartbeat, glancing at his watch, and generally bustling about.

“How is she?” 

Lou asked the healer.

“For someone whose heart stopped, her recovery is remarkable. Her heartbeat is normal, and there are no unusual findings. However, she wasn’t particularly healthy to begin with, so she should get plenty of rest, and even if she takes an antidote, she must drink lots of water.”

“By any chance,”

Iana, who had been quietly listening to the healer, spoke.

“Yes, Miss, please speak.”

“I happened to see Her Lordship Alis Remaxion coughing up blood as I collapsed.”

At Iana’s words, the healer’s expression turned somber for a moment before he replied.

“Her Lordship passed away on the spot. The banquet was canceled immediately, and the Imperial Palace is in an uproar investigating the matter.”

Iana’s expression darkened. Not knowing the reason, Lou and the healer began checking Iana’s body again, worried she was suddenly feeling unwell. Annoyed by their fussing, Iana raised her hand to stop them and asked another question.

“Then who inherited the position of Marquis Remaxion?”

“Of course, Mellen Remaxion has succeeded. The late Marquis Alis Remaxion openly declared him as her heir, did she not?”

“That bastard! He should be hanged!”

When Alis muttered a curse under her breath, the healer and Lou’s eyes grew wide. Iana was the typical noble who preferred to trample others elegantly and indirectly. She was quite skilled at making remarks that sounded like compliments but could be insults depending on how you heard them. For someone like Iana to curse so bluntly—this was the first time Lou had seen it.

“Miss!” 

Lou exclaimed in shock. The poison must have affected her brain. Lou looked at the healer with teary eyes. The healer tilted his head, then placed a hand on Iana’s forehead. As expected, there was no fever. Her pronunciation was clear, and she remembered the incident with the Marquis, so her memory was fine. Was there such a thing as poison that only made someone good at swearing? Or had she hit a very specific part of her head when she collapsed—one that only affected her cursing skills?

“So, what happened to the Remaxion Merchant Guild?”

“Well.”

Lou looked at the healer, and the healer stared blankly at Iana before replying.

“How would I know? With you collapsing, I’ve had my hands full, Miss. It’s unfortunate that the Marquis passed away, but that’s all. The Remaxion Merchant Guild is probably now managed by Young Master Mellen, who became the head of the family.”

He didn’t know for sure, but that seemed to be the general idea. The healer pretended not to hear Iana muttering more colorful curses as he packed his bag and left Lou in charge of the medicine.

“Um,”

Lou pointed at her own head, gesturing toward Iana. She wanted the healer to check her head as well, but the healer shook his head and said,

“There may be some aftereffects. But her pronunciation is clear, and she remembers the Marquis collapsing, so she should be fine.”

Still, perhaps he wasn’t entirely reassured, because he looked back at Iana and added to Lou,

“Just in case, keep a close eye on the young lady for a while.”

After the healer left and it was finally just the two of them, Lou looked at Iana with concern and said,

“Miss, if you ever have a headache, please tell me right away.”

Alis snorted at Lou’s words and turned her head, lost in thought. There could be no doubt that Mellen was behind her sudden and suspicious death. All his suspicious actions came to mind one by one. She should have realized it then. But her old body, though it looked fine on the outside, was aching everywhere, and she had grown tired of everything. So even when Mellen acted suspiciously several times, all she did was call in a few people and ask questions. Looking back now, all those people must have been under Mellen’s influence and unable to tell her the truth.

“That’s why old people should just die.”

Alis muttered the phrase she often said out of habit, without realizing it. Then, unable to help herself, she let out a wry laugh. She wasn’t even in her old body anymore—her original body was dead. Well! They say words can become reality. The old sayings were never wrong.

* * *

“Miss, Prince Karl sent you a gift.”

It had already been a week since Alis entered Iana’s body. After an early dinner, as she was resting, Lou came in holding a small bouquet and a little box.

‘Good grief, that boy’s generosity is as tiny as an ant’s behind.’

For a prince, the gift was far too modest. The bouquet was so small and unimpressive that even a bunch of wildflowers picked from the roadside would look more thoughtful. The fancy card wedged between the flowers looked more awkward than the bouquet itself.

The card, written in beautiful handwriting, was filled with flowery language but basically wished her a speedy recovery.

Turning her gaze from the card, Iana looked at the small box that Karl had sent. It was so tiny and shabby that it was hard to believe it came from the Imperial Palace. She wasn’t even curious about its contents.

A gift should show the giver’s sincerity, after all. Judging by the look of it, it seemed that to Karl, Iana was worth no more than this. Iana tossed the prince’s so-called gift carelessly onto the table and lay back down on the bed.

“Miss, it’s from His Highness Prince Karl!”

Lou, unable to understand Iana’s indifferent attitude, once again repeated who had sent the gift. When she mentioned Karl’s name, she even put extra emphasis in her voice. In the past, the Miss would have been so delighted she wouldn’t know what to do, but her reaction now was lukewarm at best. Lou started to worry that perhaps there really was something wrong with her head.

“Villainess, what nonsense.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing.”

Lou watched Iana mutter to herself again, saying things she couldn’t understand, and wore a troubled expression. Iana glanced at the gift box she had tossed carelessly on the table, then turned away as if she didn’t even want to look at it.

“But Miss, before, you used to treasure anything His Highness the Prince gave you.”

Lou remembered the time Iana had brought back an old handkerchief, claiming it was from Karl. It was so worn out that Lou had wondered if it should’ve just been thrown away. Even after receiving something like that, the Miss had been so happy she couldn’t hide it. The bouquet might be small, but it was still a present, and yet her reaction now was so strange.

“Miss, aren’t you at least curious what the gift is? You should thank him, so open it and see. Please?”

Since Lou showed no sign of leaving, Iana grumbled and sat up. She looked obviously annoyed.

“Sigh, what a bother. I bet it’s just some cosmetics or a cheap trinket. Judging by the wrapping, he probably just walked into any jewelry shop in town and grabbed whatever was at hand for a reasonable price.”

Iana used to boast with great excitement whenever she received anything from Prince Karl. The young lady, who used to blush and smile shyly, carefully unwrapping each piece of packaging, had changed completely. Lou watched her with a worried look.

Iana tore the wrapping roughly, ripped it open, and then, with a snort, showed Lou what was inside. The box contained a necklace with a small amethyst pendant. Showing the gift to Lou, Iana lay back down on the bed and said,

“See, I told you? That’s not even worth a single gold coin. If he paid more than one gold coin, he got ripped off.”

“But Miss, you said it was vulgar to judge a gift by its price.”

“Who? Me?”

Iana frowned as she retorted.