The blade lightly skimmed his wrist, cutting it and causing blood to well up immediately.

He felt no fear, only an overwhelming sense of guilt.

Claude tightened his grip on the dagger.

The pain was lost on him; he just knew that this was the punishment he deserved.

What a foolish life it had been.

The bathwater bloomed red, like a bed of roses. His white shirt became stained quickly, too.

This life should have ended long ago.

He had killed his own father yet continued to live, pretending that nothing was wrong. Deep down, he’d always known he couldn’t escape that sin. He just wanted out, no matter how soon the reckoning came.

Yet he never escaped.

Instead of freedom, he lost his wife and sank even further.

A hollow laugh echoed off the tiled walls.

A hazy flicker of regret touched him — for Hans, who would soon discover his master’s cold body.

‘Forgive me, Diana. I know it’s shameless. But all I want is to follow you, to go wherever you go.”

***

“Miss, why are you crying all of a sudden? You’ve been acting strangely lately. Everything’s going well — only happiness lies ahead!”

Daisy fussed around, patting Brianna’s back as she sobbed. Truly, she had never known a mistress to be so unpredictable.

It was strange for Brianna, too. Since regaining control of her body, she had sometimes been overcome with an inexplicable sadness.

“Hic… I—I’m sorry, Daisy. Lately, it feels like my heart isn’t my own. Sniff. Now, where were we?”

Brianna quickly wiped her face with her sleeve and asked.

“Really? Did Lady Iris come to apologise?”

“Yes! I’m telling you—Lady Iris herself came to apologise to you.”

Daisy said dramatically, nodding.

“What? No way… Really?”

Brianna blinked, her eyes still damp with tears.

‘Could the stubborn, self-centred Lady Iris really have come to apologise? That couldn’t be right.’

“Are you sure you weren’t mistaken?”

“I’m sure! And that’s not all, she even had your spring ball gown custom-made, full set, at Alamonde — the boutique that only the richest nobility can afford!”

“You’re kidding me.”

“She danced with Prince Louis in front of everyone!”

Brianna covered her mouth, stunned by what she was hearing. She barely remembered any of it. Hearing about it from someone else made it sound like a dream.

“That’s still not all! You also went hunting with the Duke of Cassel, and then…”

When Brianna admitted once again that she couldn’t remember much, Daisy looked bewildered but quickly started recounting the story from the beginning, her eyes sparkling.

They had started talking about it before, but Brianna’s sudden tears had interrupted them. Now, however, Daisy didn’t seem to mind starting over.

Truthfully, the life Brianna had returned to felt like a dream — something she could never have imagined for herself.

Her face clouded over momentarily when Daisy mentioned the Duke of Cassel, but the maid didn’t notice. Elio had told her that the duke had recently become unwell.

Brianna could guess why.

Diana, whom he had loved, had suddenly and unexpectedly disappeared from his life.

“…”

There were too many things Diana had done. She had cured Brianna’s mother’s supposedly incurable illness. She had erased the family’s massive debts.

She had even transformed Brianna’s once-ruined reputation in society.

Whereas the nobles had once pointed fingers and whispered behind her back, they now simply smiled.

“Huuuuaaaah!”

Brianna suddenly burst into tears again and let out a loud sob.

“Miss! What is it now?”

Daisy jumped in alarm and tried to calm her mistress down. She had only repeated what she had already said!

But Brianna was crying so hard that the mansion might flood from her tears.

Seeing snot start to bubble out of her nose, Daisy sighed and shook her head. She pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped her mistress’s face.

“You haven’t cried like this lately, so I thought you had changed. But no, you’re still the same person. Now, blow it out! Come on! Honk!’

“Honk!”

Although Brianna was a year older, Daisy always felt more like the big sister.

At long last, Brianna finally stopped crying.

“Should I start the story over from the beginning?”

Brianna let out a soft laugh and was just about to tell her there was no need—

—when it happened.

“Ahh—!”

A sharp pain suddenly struck her head.

Startled, Daisy quickly reached out to catch her as she nearly collapsed.

“Miss! Are you all right?”

“Ugh… My head! It hurts all of a sudden.”

Along with the pain came a rush of fragmented memories — bits and pieces that had only surfaced sporadically until now.

They weren’t from her current body. They were memories from when she had inhabited Princess Diana’s body.

With every passing day, they were growing clearer.

Now, she was certain that they weren’t dreams.

They were real memories.

She remembered being trapped in an unknown coffin from spring until autumn.

She recalled how terrifying it had been.

Faint voices that did not belong to Prince Louis echoed from deep within those memories.

Strangers. Unfamiliar presences.

Like lost puzzle pieces suddenly clicking into place, the voices sharpened.

“This is the one, Your Highness.”

“This necklace… is the Orksectum, isn’t it?”

The Princess of Verce was talking to an elderly gentleman with wispy white hair, who she had never seen before.

Brianna’s eyes widened in surprise.

This was the memory she had been searching for all this time.

She was sure of it — it was an important memory.

She couldn’t let the moment slip away.

“Daisy! I’m going to rest in my room for a while. Please don’t let anyone disturb me, OK?”

Before Daisy could respond, Brianna dashed up the stairs. She locked the door behind her with trembling hands, her heart pounding wildly.

The voice of the old man from her memory echoed on.

“Perhaps… we’ve found a way. A method to save both His Highness the Prince and Princess Diana.”

“…”

As the voices from her memory returned fully, Brianna sat bolt upright.

If what she had just remembered was true…

Then Princess Diana might still be alive.

If that was the case, this information —

—absolutely had to be delivered to the Duke of Cassel.

***

I was slowly adjusting to life in this new place, even though it hadn’t been long.

Living as an ordinary person in a town where nobody recognised me had always been one of my secret wishes — a quiet hope I’d had for as long as I could remember.

Of course, I never imagined it would come true in quite this way.

As promised, Sir Solis returned to the Azenta Empire shortly after settling me in.

Only then did the full weight of being truly alone begin to sink in.

I did worry a little — could I really build a life here, in this unfamiliar land?

But I forced myself not to be overwhelmed by doubt.

I’d spent several days keeping busy by tidying the house. Today, I finally decided to venture out for the first time, which was something I had been putting off.

Since arriving here, I hadn’t even greeted the neighbours, let alone gone outside on my own.

Therefore, leaving the house felt like a momentous decision.

After packing a map of the town and ensuring that all my hair was hidden under my robe, I opened the door and took a quiet, steadying breath.

Once again, the weather was beautiful.

Cotton-like clouds drifted lazily across the brilliant blue sky.

The contrast between the vivid blue and the pure white was so striking that I found myself gazing up in wonder, as though I were seeing the sky for the first time.

The countryside was peaceful and tranquil.

A unique feature was that all the houses had very low or no fences.

The gardens were filled with life and bursting with greenery, thriving in the warm climate.

Ripe, delicious-looking fruit in deep purples and vibrant yellows climbed trellises beside every home.

It was as if the entire village welcomed strangers to admire their gardens.

There was a warmth here that seeped into everything.

I found myself wondering whether it would be possible to grow fruit like this at home.

Before I knew it, I had been wandering aimlessly, utterly mesmerised by the picturesque foreign scenery.

Perhaps it was because it had been so long since I last walked without a care in the world.

‘…Where am I?’

It suddenly hit me—I was lost.