“Vivianne?”

“…Yes.”

Her name was as beautiful as her pretty face.

“Please just call me Vivi.”

Vivianne smiled shyly. When that smile spread across her fair face, it was enough to make one momentarily lose their senses.

“Nothing else?”

“Pardon…?”

“You don’t remember anything else?”

After pondering deeply for a while, Vivianne finally shook her head, unable to provide any answer.

* * *

What should be done with that pitiful young lady?

Marchioness Baldwin quietly sighed, pausing her embroidery to maintain her composure. 

Looking up, she noticed Josephine repeatedly polishing the same console table. Seeing her sighing meaninglessly while staring into space, she was likely thinking the same thing.

“What a bizarre situation.”

“Oh my! I was just thinking the same thing, my lady.”

Vivianne, was it?

As soon as she revealed her name, she immediately asked to be called by the nickname Vivi.

Despite being in a situation where she might feel intimidated in front of strangers, she showed no signs of being cowed, though she lacked energy. There was even something warm about her manner.

Afterward, the Marchioness questioned her about various things, but to no avail. The woman couldn’t remember anything except her own name.

“How can someone only remember their name?”

“That’s exactly what I wonder. Such a pretty and pleasant young lady, how did she end up like this? It’s so heartbreaking.”

Josephine clicked her tongue.

On the other hand, the Marchioness wondered what memories could have been so painful that she would forget everything. According to the doctor, temporary shock could cause memory loss, with the possibility of recovery over time.

“Well, she does have some peculiarities. A strange lack of boundaries, I should say. Or perhaps an innocence…”

Though she had just met the young lady, the Marchioness couldn’t shake the feeling that she seemed like a child left alone by the water’s edge. She trailed off with an unsettled feeling.

Perhaps her eyes were tired. She could no longer focus on her embroidery.

Marchioness Baldwin placed her embroidery needle on the table and removed her magnifying glasses.

“Um… my lady, will you tell her?”

“Tell her what?”

“About the miscarriage.”

When the doctor entered the room, Marchioness Baldwin had briefly called him outside. She requested that he not mention the miscarriage since Vivianne had only recently regained consciousness.

She worried that the shock might worsen Vivianne’s condition.

“Just… this might be my simple thinking, but I don’t see why we need to tell her. She’s lost her memories, and for a pregnant woman to throw herself into the sea, she must have had a tragic story. I feel so sorry for her.”

Josephine’s point was valid. The Marchioness had cautioned the doctor earlier for the same reason.

“For now… unless she remembers on her own, I agree with you.”

“That’s a wise decision, my lady.”

The two women were in agreement. There was no greater sorrow than a mother losing her child.

Looking at those innocent eyes that seemed to know nothing, the Marchioness found herself unable to speak of it.

“I dislike having houseguests. This has become quite troublesome.”

Marchioness Baldwin considered herself far from being a compassionate person. However, she wasn’t the type to ignore a woman who appeared so vulnerable.

“I must stay here until autumn anyway, so let’s keep her until she recovers.”

* * *

After sleeping all day, Vivianne couldn’t fall asleep anymore. She was also tired of lying down continuously. In the deep night, in the darkened room, Vivianne sat vacantly on the sofa after getting out of bed.

Perhaps because she had been diligently taking her medicine morning and evening, she felt no pain except for a slight lack of energy.

Josephine brought her meals regularly and asked if she needed anything.

‘Who am I, really…?’

When asked if she remembered anything, her mind felt foggy and unclear.

Vivianne suddenly stood up and positioned herself in front of the mirror. She touched her face and examined herself from different angles.

“…Vivianne.”

She called her own name in an entranced manner. Unfortunately, apart from the name “Vivianne,” nothing else came to mind.

According to Josephine, she couldn’t remember because of the shock from falling into the sea. She had been given permission to stay in this house until she fully recovered, and Josephine had added that she shouldn’t worry.

‘Why did I fall into the sea? Was there an accident…? Or did I have a reason to do it?’

Despite being her own story, her mind was filled with questions because she couldn’t remember.

She had been taken in by someone called Marchioness Baldwin.

Since Josephine addressed her as “my lady,” Vivianne decided to call her that too. However, for some reason, she hadn’t encountered the Marchioness’s face since the first day.

Now that her body had recovered significantly, she wanted to properly thank her. Recalling that stern face made her feel somewhat intimidated.

Still, she was clearly a good person. She had treated and protected someone whose identity was unknown.

Crash!

Vivianne flinched at the sudden noise.

‘…What was that?’

The hair on her body stood on end. Though frightened, she was too curious to ignore it.

She wondered if she had experienced something similar in the past, as the situation didn’t feel unfamiliar.

Vivianne carefully left her room and tiptoed toward the source of the sound.

It was a modest two-story townhouse. She had been told it was a temporary residence for recuperation, with minimal staff.

The servants’ quarters were separate, and only Marchioness Baldwin and Vivianne were staying in the main house.

‘…Could something have happened to the Marchioness?’

An ominous feeling crossed her mind.

‘The sound definitely came from this direction.’

Vivianne found herself standing in front of the largest door. Being the grandest room, it must belong to Marchioness Baldwin.

To be honest, she still felt intimidated by the Marchioness. Nervous, her mouth became dry, and she swallowed hard.

‘I’ll just check if everything is alright and then leave.’

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door. Knock, knock.

“……”

There was no response from inside.

Knock, knock. She knocked again.

“Are you alright? …My lady?”

Despite gathering her courage to ask, there was no answer. Growing anxious, Vivianne carefully turned the doorknob.

The wooden door opened with a creaking sound.

“Oh no!”

Upon entering the room, she saw Marchioness Baldwin collapsed on the floor. Scattered around her were pieces of a broken teapot that must have fallen when she collapsed. Vivianne’s face turned pale.

* * *

The teacup filled with a gentle pouring sound.

“Oh dear, I said I would do it, miss.”

Despite Josephine’s protests, Vivianne was insistent.

“I pour tea well, don’t I? I wonder if I’ve done this before?”

Vivianne placed the teapot on the table with a bright smile. Marchioness Baldwin lifted her teacup to her lips and smiled contentedly.

“You’re quite good.”

“It’s fascinating. I don’t remember, but my body seems to. When I saw this, I felt like I could do it. Maybe if I try things one by one, I’ll remember who I was?”

Seeing Vivianne’s genuine happiness, the Marchioness felt concerned.

She feared that if Vivianne regained her memories, she might never see that bright smile again.

“Vivi, it doesn’t matter if you don’t remember.”

“Pardon?”

“You can continue staying with me like this.”

“I’m grateful, but…”

“What’s there to feel uncomfortable about? I’m alive thanks to you.”

The night the Marchioness collapsed, Vivianne discovered her quickly and called for the doctor, saving her life.

Since then, the affectionate young lady made various excuses to sleep with the Marchioness, claiming she had nightmares or felt lonely by herself.

She seemed worried after witnessing the collapse, despite her own body not being fully recovered. The Marchioness didn’t mind this overzealous houseguest.

Even when called a lifesaver, Vivianne strongly denied it was anything so significant.

“The same goes for me. You treated me too, my lady.”

“Then let’s call it even, and you can keep this lonely old woman company from now on.”

“Still…”

“Don’t you want to?”

When the Marchioness gave her a sidelong glance, Vivianne blushed shyly and sat across from her at the table.

“No, I’d like that.”

Her manner of drinking tea seemed somewhat awkward. Her lack of etiquette suggested she might have been a maid. She served tea quite well, claimed to know embroidery, and said she could do laundry too.

Her education level wasn’t high either. She could read and write simple texts but had strange gaps in her knowledge. She ate everything without being picky and couldn’t sit still, always offering to help Josephine.

Yet, to definitively say she was a maid seemed incorrect. She showed no signs of hard labor and had an air of someone raised with privilege.

When taught chess, she quickly became a decent opponent, suggesting she wasn’t unintelligent.

One day, she insisted she could waltz and pestered the Marchioness to twirl around with her, causing much laughter. She also sang quite well, like a well-trained canary.

Well, what did it matter?

The Marchioness’s husband had passed away when she was young. After losing her only son and his wife in a carriage accident, and then her grandson to illness, she had felt alone and lost the will to live.

Lately, thanks to this affectionate young lady who could be somewhat bothersome, she found herself looking forward to waking up each day.

“I’ll be leaving here soon. This place was just for recuperation. It seems time to return to the mansion. Will you come with me?”

“Me?”

“Yes. When we return, I’ll prepare a pretty room for you and buy you more clothes.”

Vivianne smiled brightly.

“…I’d love to!”

* * *

“My lady, the mercenary you mentioned has arrived.”

“Is that so?”

“He’s waiting in the reception room.”

He was a mercenary she had hired when dealing with Eastern merchants. She had heard he performed admirably when they encountered bandits while transporting goods.

Therefore, she planned to commend him for his service and hire him as an escort when returning to her homeland.

When Marchioness Baldwin entered the reception room, a tall man greeted her respectfully.

“Yes. What is your name?”

“Theodore Gerard, my lady.”