He seemed convinced that Gloria knew everything and was pretending to meet him for the first time. It was that same tiresome suspicion that everyone who met her harbored.

“I apologize for not remembering where we’ve met before. If you know my situation, please try to understand.”

“I didn’t bring this up to hear a lady’s precious apology.”

‘Then what?’

“I just wanted to confirm clearly. As you know, Count Chris is so tender-hearted that he’d believe anything you say, Miss Gloria.”

Somehow he answered the question she’d only thought.

“I won’t deny that, but even besides my brother, you’re the first to openly doubt me like this. Except for you, Sir Daniel.”

Daniel smiled until his eyes nearly disappeared. Though he affected a casual pose with his hands behind his back, his gaze never left Gloria.

‘Like he’s watching an animal at the zoo……’

It wasn’t mere observation. The meaning in his interest-filled eyes was clearly spectating.

“You find me very different too, don’t you? Is it that fascinating?”

She shouldn’t be so sharp with someone she was meeting for the first time. But Gloria couldn’t help the edge in her words. Daniel didn’t seem particularly bothered by it.

“Yes, it’s fascinating. Miss Gloria, do you know where we last met?”

“I don’t.”

“Ah, strictly speaking, the last time I saw you was at the temple.”

When he mentioned the temple, her eyes narrowed, and he nodded.

“Yes, the day of your funeral.”

Naturally, Gloria had never seen his face. It had been such a chaotic moment. But if he was there, he would know her condition even better.

“And yet you think I’m lying?”

“Certainly, deceiving people with death isn’t easy. Ah, of course I was very glad the funeral was canceled. Count Chris’s face became unbelievably bright afterward. Even those who were skeptical became convinced after seeing his face.”

“And?”

“There’s a secret between you and me, Miss. If you hadn’t lost your memory, you’d know it too. Yes, I see you really don’t remember.”

He declared without even waiting for her answer. Since her behavior didn’t change even when they were alone, he seemed convinced now.

That meant his initial words weren’t certainty but an attempt to test her.

‘D*mn it.’

She had fallen for it, raising her guard and showing wariness all on her own.

Gloria, who had been tensing her feet ready to step back and create distance if necessary, took half a step forward.

“Yes, I really don’t know. Now that you’re certain, will you tell me?”

Gloria felt frustrated and afraid. She wasn’t afraid of Daniel. What terrified her were the memories of Gloria that she didn’t know—past actions unknown to their very subject.

What else had Gloria done? How long would she have to live in constant anxiety?

She narrowed the distance with Daniel and looked up at him with unsteadily wavering eyes. Then she whispered:

“What did I do with you?”

Daniel’s body, which had been acting as if ready to tease her mercilessly, momentarily froze. When his widened eyes visible through his fallen brown hair returned to normal, he said:

“You once had a secret lover that I caught you with.”

“……Ah.”

“And you threatened to k*ll me if that fact ever reached Count Chris’s ears.”

Listening to his calm voice, Gloria dropped her head toward the ground. Looking at the top of her head, Daniel continued:

“Naturally, I kept that promise because I valued my life. But it wasn’t solely my effort that kept Chris in the dark, Miss Gloria.”

Daniel gently cupped Gloria’s cheek, making her meet his eyes. There was no time to stop the sudden contact. Her blue eyes, filled with shock, reflected in his golden irises.

“There’s a club where certain gentlemen gather regularly. Did you know that you’re a topic among a few members there? To be precise, it’s the very existence of Jack Deviers’s mistress. It’s also thanks to them not deciding to investigate your identity.”

Her wavering eyes widened. Her pupils contracted, and her small mouth opened.

That was precisely the information Gloria needed most. The most important yet most difficult to discover.

It was the fact she’d been avoiding out of fear, making excuses that nothing had happened.

How far had Gloria Peyton’s misdeeds spread—such things.

After a long silence, Gloria spoke.

“Why?”

“Because it was all speculation, not the Duke himself saying he was seeing someone. Things like his mind being elsewhere lately. Or asking for alibis. Just those circumstances were enough for everyone to be certain. Men’s methods are all similar.”

“So no one knows for certain except Sir Daniel.”

“How many rumors in the world are certain? And who knows? There might be others who caught you besides me.”

He smiled slyly. As if he could see exactly what Gloria was thinking.

“Don’t worry. Even without the threat, I had no intention of spreading it around. Getting involved would only be troublesome for me.”

“You may not want to spread it, but you seem very interested. Judging by how kindly you’re informing me.”

Gloria stepped back from him.

“So, how much did you anticipate?”

“I was quite impressed. If you truly decided to deceive everyone, you’ve succeeded almost perfectly.”

“Do you think I deceived people?”

“Only you know the answer to that, Miss Gloria. Did you?”

He threw back questions whenever she asked, trying to draw out her answers. Skillfully maintaining control, he somehow managed to make both sides reveal their cards.

Gloria was neither accustomed to noble speech patterns nor particularly skilled in rhetoric. Nevertheless, it was clear she wasn’t someone who would spill everything just because Daniel asked.

Meanwhile, her mind was a jumble of calculations and thoughts, enough to drive her crazy.

‘Why is he telling me all this in the first place? What’s his purpose?’

If he was just an idle nobleman seeking stimulation out of boredom, she could simply ignore him. There was no need to confess everything to such a person.

However, Daniel was the first noble third party she’d met. He knew her secrets and seemed well-informed about rumors among the nobility. Primarily, as Chris’s acquaintance, he was somewhat trustworthy.

For Gloria, who needed to enter society immediately, Daniel could be more helpful than just a one-time partner. If she could properly understand what kind of person he was.

“Sir Daniel, if I had intended to deceive, what do you think my purpose would have been?”

“You must have had many circumstances.”

“Such as?”

Daniel’s eyebrow raised slightly. At the same time, Gloria’s lips curled up for the first time. Though not completely at ease, she needed to at least pretend.

“First, I’d like to hear how vivid your imagination is. I’ll tell you the correct answer afterward.”

Daniel burst into laughter.

“Your personality has certainly changed a lot.”

“I hope you don’t misunderstand this as a threat.”

“I don’t. Your threats were more… colorful.”

That was something she never wanted to know. As Gloria’s expression became ambiguous, wondering if she should apologize now, he chuckled again and took a deep breath as if organizing his thoughts.

“I never heard the cause of your death. No one dared ask casually. I didn’t think it was illness. You were very healthy when I saw you then. I considered murder, but if that were the case, Count Chris wouldn’t have remained quiet.”

After all that testing, he now began speaking fluently as if he’d been waiting for this moment.

“Miss Gloria needed a pretext to lose her memory.”

When Gloria silently tightened the coat draped over her shoulders like folding her arms, his smile deepened.

“Something must have happened with that man.”

“What kind?”

“How would I know? At least it wasn’t to become closer. You lost your memory, didn’t you? You must have wanted to erase something or settle accounts.”

By this point, Gloria was somewhat surprised. Though the premise was wrong, the subsequent predictions were fairly accurate.

“Did he refuse to break up? Was it enough to create the major event of death to bring your existence to the surface, then pretend to lose your memory to prevent further approaches?”

Gloria stared at him blankly.

‘How rude……’

She momentarily lost her words. She hadn’t expected him to be so blatant just because she’d set the stage. She’d learned that nobles considered it virtuous to never speak directly, no matter what.

“……I didn’t realize you’d given me so much thought.”

She’d thought it was just gossip. Especially since they weren’t even that close.

“Most people think this much. They just don’t say it out loud.”

It sounded exactly like ‘You asked me to tell you.’

“Then those few nobles who know who I am must have thought this much too.”

“I’m not sure about that, but they probably suspect something happened between you and that person.”

Then did people who knew nothing simply believe that Gloria, who had died and come back to life, was living quietly under the pretext of recovery?