“…Miss!”

“Miss!”

I flew awake at the sound of an urgent voice. My head felt heavy and my whole body was sluggish, as though I had just woken up from a long, deep sleep.

The deafening roar of the relentless rain, the shrieks of monsters, and the excruciating pain that had felt as though my bones had shattered had all disappeared, along with the hardness of the carriage seat.

“Oh my goodness, you’re awake!”

A maid I’d never seen before covered her mouth with both hands, overcome with emotion. Her eyes quickly brimmed with tears, ready to spill at any moment.

I didn’t recognise her. Was she a maid from the imperial palace? Or was she from the duke’s estate? No, that wasn’t important right now.

I frantically checked my body. The carriage must have been suddenly attacked by monsters. I was certain that death was inevitable, so why was I still alive?

‘Claude.’

Claude. What had happened to Claude?

The vivid memory of him wrapping me tightly in his embrace, absorbing all the impact himself, surged painfully into my mind.

‘Could it be… that he died protecting me?’

The mere thought took my breath away, immediately bringing tears to my eyes and blurring my vision.

This couldn’t be happening. Returning to the Imperial Palace would mean a life of torment for me, but things would be different for Claude. He was finally about to be free.

“Miss, why are you crying? Are you still in pain?”

The maid asked again, and I slowly focused on the unfamiliar woman. Her expression was etched with genuine worry.

“Claude, what happened to him?”

When I finally heard my own voice, it sounded strange and unfamiliar. Surprised by this unfamiliar tone, I instinctively cleared my throat several times.

The maid tilted her head slightly, confused by my actions.

“Huh? What do you mean, Miss?”

“Claude von Cassel. Where is he now?”

My voice still sounded strange to me. I stopped trying to clear my throat and stared intently at the maid. Her face had turned completely pale.

“Duke Cassel?”

The maid blinked rapidly, clearly flustered. I wiped away the tears that had spilled down my cheeks and prayed desperately that he was still alive.

“Yes, Duke Cassel.”

“Yes, Duke Cassel. Where is he right now?”

“Yes, Claude. My husband.”

At my words, the maid became visibly agitated, fidgeting as if a disaster had just occurred. She covered her mouth, looking troubled, and suddenly sprang up from her seat.

“I—I’ll go fetch the mistress!”

I stared blankly at the space she had left behind, feeling bewildered. Who was this ‘Mistress’, and where exactly was I? My body had clearly been crushed by pain, so how could I be unharmed now? How much time had passed?

Only then did I take in my surroundings. The room was unfamiliar, rather small, and modest. Judging by the gentle dawn light filtering through the window, it seemed to be early morning.

Beside the bed stood a full-length mirror. As if entranced, I slowly climbed down from the bed and approached it.

“…”

An unfamiliar woman stood reflected in the mirror.

“Who… is this?”

My natural hair colour had always been silvery-white. The Imperial bloodline was famous for its golden locks, so my different appearance led to constant ridicule.

But the woman in the mirror had the golden hair I had always longed for. Beautifully maintained, it cascaded elegantly down her back to her waist.

Moreover, her face was lovely and captivating. I stared, utterly dumbfounded, at the unfamiliar woman reflected before me.

‘What exactly is this?’

Just then, the door opened quietly and another woman entered. Concern was evident on her face. She was thin and frail, and her steps were unsteady as she approached me. When she reached my side, she embraced me tightly. Her slender arms trembled with emotion, and I was deeply touched by the sincerity of her concern.

“Oh, heavens, Brianna! Cough, cough. My daughter… sniffle.”

“…”

During her coughing fits, she buried her face in my shoulder and sobbed softly. I didn’t understand the situation at all, but I could only stand there, frozen to the spot.

After a while, the woman carefully took hold of my arms and looked at me anxiously. Traces of youthful beauty were still evident on her face, but they were now overshadowed by worry.

“Surely you’re not planning to go to the banquet today? Hmm? Your body is still so weak…”

A banquet…?

“Mistress! You’re not well yourself. Please hurry back and rest. I’ll take care of the young lady.”

Before I could respond, the anxious maid who had been hovering nearby quickly interjected. At her urging, the woman nodded weakly and wiped her tears once again with her damp handkerchief.

“Yes, Daisy. I’ll leave her in your hands.”

“Of course, Mistress!”

Before I could respond, Daisy swiftly guided the frail woman out of the room again. Now, it was just Daisy and me left alone.

Once the door had clicked shut, she exhaled quietly in relief and turned back to me.

“My lady, are you truly feeling better now?”

I nodded my head instinctively.

“Oh, thank goodness! It would have been such a shame if you had missed today’s Foundation Day banquet after preparing for nearly a year!”

Foundation Day banquet?

The day I died was a stormy autumn day, just before winter began. Yet the Foundation Day banquet took place at the start of spring. Had the seasons already changed?

No, that wasn’t it. Where was my body, and whose body was I inhabiting right now?

Was all of this a dream?

Without Daisy noticing, I bit down hard on the inside of my mouth. The sharp pain assured me that it certainly wasn’t.

Meanwhile, Daisy continued brightly, completely unaware of my confusion.

“The dress you bought with the money you earned from painstakingly embroidering while you were ill has finally arrived! You’ll be amazed when you see how beautiful it is!”

She took my hand and led me gently out of the room towards the dressing area. It was only then that my senses fully returned, and I hastily asked her as I stumbled after her.

“Wait a moment! Who am I exactly?”

“Pardon? You must be Lady Brianna. Are you still unwell?”

Her answer confirmed my suspicions. For some unknown reason, my soul had ended up in the body of a young noblewoman whom I had never met before.

Was I truly dead?

Daisy continued her explanation in a worried tone.

“Today is the banquet day you’ve been eagerly counting down to, my lady. Now that you mention it, your speech does sound somewhat unusual… Don’t tell me—you truly can’t remember anything?”

I nodded slowly again and Daisy continued, now visibly alarmed.

“My lady, you were determined to catch the eye of a wealthy nobleman at today’s Foundation Day banquet! Besides, Duke Cassel — the person you asked about when you woke up earlier — is attending as well!”

“What?”

I blinked rapidly, unable to process what I had just heard.

Oblivious to my internal turmoil, Daisy leaned closer with a worried expression and whispered softly.

“Of course your health always comes first, my lady, but considering how hard you’ve worked for this day, I simply couldn’t let your efforts go to waste.”

I stood there, feeling like a broken doll, before managing to force the words out of my mouth. Any talk of wealthy nobles faded into the background as a single thought sent tremors through me:

“Cl-Claude? You mean… Is Duke Cassel…?”

At my strange reaction, Daisy tilted her head in confusion.

“My lady, what’s wrong?”

“Didn’t he die? In that carriage accident, I mean?”

I strained with every ounce of strength I had to keep my expression casual and composed.

“Oh my goodness, my lady.”

Daisy grasped my hand tightly, a worried expression on her face.

“It’s been three years since that accident. You mustn’t talk about it outside.”

“Three years?”

“Yes, my lady. Goodness…”

Three years had passed since that day and yet Claude was still alive.

As this dawned on me, tears spilled down my cheeks uncontrollably. Startled, Daisy hurriedly searched for a handkerchief.

“My lady! Are you feeling unwell again?”

“Hic…sniff…”

The memory of that final moment came rushing back, and no matter how hard I tried to hold them back, the tears wouldn’t stop.

Claude—who had always seemed to hate me—had, without question, pulled me into his arms as he lay dying.

Even if only in name, he had cared for his wife.
And in that moment, all I could think was… thank goodness he was still alive.