Jack had been quiet for half a year. He couldn’t enter the mansion anyway since she had put a new latch on the annex door. Beyond that, there had been no attempts to contact her.

There were no rumors about what had happened to the relationship between the Duke and Duchess. That probably meant nothing special had changed. Since she had cut herself off from society, she couldn’t even know that much.

Half a year had passed, but even now, if someone were to dig up the infidelity between them, all Gloria could say was “I don’t remember.” There would certainly be people who would condemn such an attitude as despicable.

Her identity would be exposed, rumors would spread throughout society, and she wouldn’t be able to show her face. Her family would be disappointed too. How many people in that situation would say that Gloria wasn’t that kind of person?

Peter, at least, seemed like he would speak up for her.

‘Dale.’

Gloria couldn’t help but smile to herself.

Expecting anything from him was going too far, no matter what.

One smile today wasn’t nearly enough. There wasn’t even enough loyalty between them for him to keep J’s identity secret.

‘Because he loves Isabel incomparably more.’

It wasn’t like she had no contingency plan. After painting like mad for half a year, she could simply take the money she’d earned selling paintings and leave if necessary.

She had lived as a commoner her whole life. Abandoning noble life wouldn’t be difficult.

Though she would miss having the Peyton family’s support and being able to paint with expensive pigments without worrying about money, she decided to accept it as fate.

Whether she’d have to abandon the name J and create a new one remained to be seen.

Unlike her quick hand movements at Dale’s mansion, Gloria now pressed her graphite slowly as she refined the facial features.

Then, as if having made some decision, she brought a larger canvas. She began sketching the shape of a human face on it.

Just then.

“Ah, Miss……”

Someone knocked on the studio door. It was none other than Dona, Gloria’s dedicated maid.

“You……”

Gloria hurriedly ushered her inside.

“What are you doing here……”

Gloria had been disguising herself as a commoner woman to visit this studio. Of course, Dona shouldn’t have come here.

She knew this well, quickly scanning the surroundings before grabbing Gloria’s collar without even greeting Peter.

“Miss, you must return immediately. The Countess is looking for you.”

“My sister-in-law? Did she come to the annex?”

“No, she’s waiting. I told her you were napping as you instructed before, but……”

“But?”

“She said to quickly get ready and come to the main building because a guest has arrived.”

“A guest?”

No one should be visiting Gloria. She hadn’t had time to build connections because she’d been busy with her debutante ball and meeting Jack, so for the past half year, only formal letters or invitations had piled up, with no one coming to see her directly.

As she tilted her head in confusion, Dona, who had been catching her breath, stood on tiptoe and whispered in Gloria’s ear.

“It’s Isabel. She’s at the mansion now.”

Gloria’s body instantly froze.

She still didn’t know why Isabel had come.

Nevertheless, her heart sank and her spine chilled — even after half a year, Gloria was unmistakably the adulterous woman who should be worried.

That fact bothered and irritated her.

Time hadn’t resolved anything. Time had merely stood still.

She didn’t know why Isabel wanted to meet her. But Gloria clearly needed to prepare herself mentally for facing her.

Whether to reveal the affair, hide it, admit it, or deny it.

It was time to answer the question from half a year ago.

As soon as they arrived at the annex, Gloria and Dona moved quickly with one mind. While Gloria removed her shabby clothes herself, Dona brought an appropriate dress.

Having served Gloria alone for several years, she dressed her efficiently.

While her hair was being combed at the dressing table, Gloria handed Dona some suitable hair ornaments.

Amidst the busy preparations, Gloria’s gaze suddenly fell on something. It was a gaudy but somewhat crude-looking old pair of earrings.

They looked worn because the gilding had peeled off in places, leaving dark spots. The pin part that went through the ear was particularly filthy with some dried dark substance.

Though Gloria, as a wealthy noble lady, had many dresses and jewels, these were her only earrings.

The rest were all clip-on types that didn’t require pierced ears.

She unconsciously touched her ear. The earlobe was indented and the hole had been closed for a long time. Tilting her head slightly to look in the mirror, she saw a colored scar.

“……Does it still hurt?”

“No.”

Her ears had never hurt since the transmigration.

Looking up slightly, she saw Dona looking down at her with worried eyes.

On the first day when she and Dona were left alone, Dona had mentioned the earrings before anything else.

‘I’m truly sorry. I… I should have stopped you from wearing earrings until the end……’

She later learned that Gloria’s cause of death was forcing a blunt earring through her flesh and then not treating it properly.

This world had neither advanced medical technology nor magic. Though there was a family physician, Gloria, who had been confined to the annex, hadn’t told anyone about it.

The wound festered, became infected from the peeling pin, and worsened beyond recovery.

If she had to specify the cause of death, it was probably tetanus or sepsis.

Ultimately, the earrings that killed Gloria were a gift from Jack. With only one pair, there was no confusion.

‘She wasn’t wearing earrings.’

He had given earrings — cheap, poorly gilded earrings — to Gloria who didn’t even have pierced ears. It was hard to say it was intentional.

‘Is he saying she wasn’t worth a proper gift?’

If so, it would have been better not to give anything at all.

‘If you don’t like the earrings, throw them away. I’ll give you new ones if you want.’

Yet his voice when saying this had been quite affectionate.

But if he truly cared for her, he would have seen her scars first, and before that, her clean ears. Was there any need for the gift to be earrings?

It remained an unsolved mystery even after nearly half a year. What exactly had Gloria been to Jack?

What kind of affair had they had?

“Um, Miss……”

After attaching the lightest clip-on earrings to cover the scars, Gloria stared blankly at the mirror for a long time until Dona carefully called out.

“Yes, let’s go.”

She couldn’t resolve the earring issue now anyway. She had to face the bigger problem first.

Gloria stood up and straightened her back. Then she left the annex with unwavering movements.

It was the result of weekly etiquette lessons. Although she had forgotten all the etiquette she had learned along with her memories, Chris hadn’t greatly doubted his sister’s condition since she remembered language and could read and write.

That was fortunate. Gloria herself questioned her own condition.

For half a year, she still hadn’t recovered her previous memories. The only clues she had found were some notes Gloria had scribbled and books she had read in the old library on the first floor.

She hadn’t been very diligent, as she didn’t even keep a diary. When asked, Dona said Gloria had obsessively hated leaving traces, burning anything she wrote or letters she received.

It was strange. In that aspect, she was the complete opposite of the current Gloria.

Having failed to find memory clues due to the previous Gloria’s odd habits, she had no choice but to become Gloria Peyton whose memories never returned despite the passage of time.

Chris had comforted her with words like, “No matter what you’re like, the fact that you’re my sister remains unchanged,” but Gloria saw the fleeting disappointment that crossed his face.

Since she hadn’t recovered her memories, her information about Jack and Isabel remained the same. Jack was still a suspicious pervert whose intentions couldn’t be fathomed, and the angel-like, sweet and bright Isabel was the deceived victim.

Gloria deliberately ignored the guilt weighing on her chest as she approached the main building entrance.

She didn’t intend to pretend ignorance, but being too conscious here would only make her look guilty.

“You’re finally here.”

“I’m sorry for being late.”

Bella, who had been waiting in the main lobby, rushed over as soon as Gloria entered. She quickly scanned Gloria’s attire.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. I don’t know if you heard from the maid, but the Duchess has visited. She says she has business with you, so please be as respectful as possible.”

“Did you hear what it’s about?”

“No. Whatever it is, it’s undoubtedly important to us.”

Her hands, which had been smoothing Gloria’s arms, suddenly tightened.

“I know you have no interest in society. Your brother is considerate enough not to mention it, but I’m different. This is your chance to return to gatherings.”

Cold eyes stared directly at Gloria. Bella’s attitude toward her had always been like this for the past half year. She already knew that before the transmigration, the relationship between Bella and Gloria had been terrible. In fact, it was closer to a one-sided hatred from Gloria.