-5-

“Oops, my thoughts slipped out,” I answered nonchalantly. The Crown Prince, standing next to the Princess, looked suspicious. He seemed to be wondering if I had just called her terrible. I decided to drive the point home to him as well.

“Your Highness, it’s been a while.”

Actually, I couldn’t remember if I’d seen him just a few days ago.

“Indeed, it’s been a while.”

Cameron, looking quite wary, seemed more guarded than Sophia. He must have found it troublesome to deal with Delis, who clung to him whenever they met.

I realized just how reckless Delis had been.

“Have you been well?”

“…Yes, I have.”

The Crown Prince looked at me with an exhausted expression. If it were the original Delis, she would have used all her charm and coyness to fawn over him.

“I’ve been well, too, thanks to being married to someone as wonderful as your close friend.”

I felt a piercing gaze. Cameron and Sophia looked stunned, but I continued.

“I’m so fortunate to have met Roan.”

This was partly to drive the point home but also my genuine feeling. After all, I was his biggest fan.

As I finished speaking, Cameron looked very suspicious. To convey my sincerity, I looked into his eyes as I had with Sophia and sent a mental message.

I don’t like you anymore! I like Roan!

Did it work? His eyes wavered.

I felt like he might actually believe me. Great, time for another mental message!

“Duchess.”

Sophia called me as if to ask what I was doing. Quite a few people were watching us.

Maybe to others, it looked like we were having a staring contest.

“Haha, it seems I’ve taken up too much of your time. I’ll take my leave now.”

Surely, they must have felt my sincerity by now?

Feeling accomplished and light-hearted, I turned to look at Roan.

Gulp.

I was a bit surprised. Roan was staring at me with a cold, expressionless face. When he looked at me like that… I liked him even more. I smiled as I met his gaze.

Suddenly, Roan led me to the terrace.

Oh my. Were we going to have a private date? I didn’t have high hopes, but I ignored that thought.

As we stepped onto the terrace, a cool breeze blew. Roan remained silent for a moment. When the only sounds were the quiet night noises, he spoke.

“Why did you say that?”

Roan asked with a puzzled expression.

“Pardon?”

“The words you said to His Highness, Cameron.”

“The words I said to the Crown Prince? Well, they were all true. Roan, you are a good person, and I consider myself lucky to have met you.”

“How can you say I’m a good person when you’ve lost your memory?”

“Because there are things you can know even without memories.”

Because I read the novel. Roan was just someone who had been hurt. Despite his difficult childhood, which could have twisted him, he grew up very well.

“That’s absurd.”

Roan answered coldly.

“To you, marrying me was not a fortune but a misfortune. It was the same for me. You will regret saying those words someday.”

“I will never regret it. You will never be a misfortune to me.”

“You hated me.”

His expression twisted when he said the word “hate.”

“I don’t hate you, Roan!”

That was ‘Delis,’ not me.

“Who knows.”

He muttered, clearly not believing me.

“Your heart was set on His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

“No! I will never like the Crown Prince.”

I waved my hands emphatically to deny it.

“How can you be so sure? Just now, too….”

Roan trailed off. The reason I was so sure was simple. I already liked Roan. There was no room for anyone else in my heart.

“…Never mind. It seems you’re still not in your right mind after losing your memories.”

His voice was hard as he spoke.

But why? To me, Roan now seemed like his childhood self, who pushed people away out of fear of getting hurt.

I wanted to get closer to him.

Maybe it was because I hadn’t eaten anything today due to my tightened corset.

As I took a step, my vision swam as if I were about to faint. I staggered for a moment.

The dizziness passed as I took another step. When I looked up, Roan was staring at me with a rare, startled expression.

“Are you unwell?”

“It’s just… I haven’t eaten anything today. I’ll be fine once I eat.”

“Who gets dizzy from skipping just one meal?”

Roan said sternly. Well, Roan’s body could handle a day without eating, but Delis’s body was much more fragile.

“My body is a bit weaker than yours.”

Roan’s expression softened a bit as he seemed to understand.

“Let’s return to the mansion immediately.”

“What? But we just got here….”

“That doesn’t matter. You could collapse.”

It seemed he had lowered his standards for Delis’s health. I tried to persuade him further, but he was resolute about not compromising on health matters.

In the carriage on the way back, I asked him softly.

“Roan, were you worried about me?”

“No.”

He answered without a second of hesitation. Hmph.

“Thank you.”

“No,”

“I’ll just believe you were worried.”

“Sigh….”

At my refusal to listen, he let out a short sigh as if giving up. I smiled quietly at his reaction.

***

Huh? When I opened my eyes, I saw the ceiling I first saw when I woke up in this world.

I must have been really tired yesterday, falling asleep in the carriage.

I pulled the cord next to the bed, and Mary came in.

“Your Grace, you’re awake!”

“Mm… Mary. How long have I been like this?”

“It’s been about a day. Yesterday, the Duke brought you in, and I was so surprised….”

Roan carried me in? Really?

“Roan carried me in?”

“Yes, the Duke looked so serious. I thought something terrible had happened to you.”

Mary seemed genuinely worried about me.

“Where is the Duke?”

“He went to the palace early this morning. It seems he had some work to attend to.”

“Really? Did he say when he would return?”

“He didn’t say, but he did instruct us to take good care of you.”

What? Roan said that? It sounded so unlikely. Then again, Roan himself seemed unreal at times.

“Hehe, hehe.”

My mood lifted considerably. Was he starting to care about me a little? I couldn’t stop giggling.

-Growl.

My stomach growled loudly. I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten much since yesterday.

After washing up, I started my much-anticipated meal. The lamb melted in my mouth. It was heavenly.

Whoever the Bannister family chef was, I wanted to kidnap them and have them cook for me every day.

Actually, maybe I already was. Whoever could make such delicious food had to be a good person.

“Who made this lamb dish?”

I asked one of the attendants nearby.

“Pardon? The chef, Vance, prepared this dish. He oversees all the cooking in the Duke’s household.”

The attendant looked at me with a somewhat fearful expression.

It was as if he expected me to throw a fit if the food wasn’t good.

But if someone thought this dish was bad, they’d either lost their sense of taste, had a twisted sense of taste, or were allergic to lamb. I was sure of that.

“It’s really delicious. I think it’s better than what they make at the palace.”

Upon hearing my words, several attendants, including Mary, looked at me with disbelief. It was a bit overwhelming.

“Your Grace, if you say it’s delicious, it will surely be a great honor for the chef.”

***

“Your Grace, a letter has arrived.”

Victor, the butler, informed me. A letter? From whom?

There were two letters. One was from Princess Sophia, and the other was from Marquis Caesar, Delis’s father. What could they be about? I opened Sophia’s letter first.

「Dear Duchess Bannister,

Duchess, are you feeling well? I was concerned to hear that you were unwell at the ball yesterday. My previous words might have been a bit harsh. I apologize for that. And the things we discussed yesterday, they are all true, right? As an apology, I would like to invite you to my tea party once you have recovered. I hope you stay healthy.

Princess Sophia.」

It wasn’t as bad as I expected. It seemed my desperate telepathy had worked somewhat. For her to send a letter like this, she must have been quite concerned. How cute.

Come to think of it, because we left early yesterday, I missed the much-anticipated first meeting of the main characters! I reminisced about Sophia’s cuteness while feeling a bit disappointed.

‘Delis’s father.’

I felt a bit nervous. What kind of person was he?