Days and nights changed several times. The physician checked on Vivianne’s condition morning and evening, while Alice took care of her daily needs. Vivianne could only fall asleep after drinking herbal tea.

Since regaining consciousness that first day, meeting Kian had somehow become difficult. Initially, she feared he might harm her, but now she wondered why he didn’t visit.

Nevertheless, she sensed that he monitored her condition through others and occasionally came by briefly during the night.

Her memories remained jumbled. Vivianne asked Alice for a notebook and quill pen. She wrote down fragments of words that surfaced sporadically, trying to piece them together like a puzzle.

-Secretly left at night and took a carriage.

She seemed to have escaped while Kian was away, probably by carriage.

-Hid at Estella’s house, a friend of Theodore and Matilda.

She stayed in hiding with Theodore at the home of Matilda’s friend.

-I fell into the sea with a splash. The lady rescued me, they say.

Afterward, Marchioness Baldwin rescued her from the sea, and they lived together for some time.

“There must be more…”

This was all Vivianne had managed to piece together.

“I’m definitely forgetting something.”

Her mind felt clouded, hazy like fog had settled in.

Sitting at the table, Vivianne poked her lips with the feather of her quill before setting it down.

“I wonder where Matilda went.”

She couldn’t determine her whereabouts. In Vivianne’s memory, Matilda was clearly the head maid, but Alice said the current head maid was someone else.

She worried anxiously that Matilda might have been harmed for helping her escape.

“I must have overused my brain.”

She rarely used it much normally. As her thoughts extended, a headache immediately flared up.

While slumped over the table from exhaustion, she heard a knock at the door. Vivianne startled and clutched her notebook to her chest.

“W-who is it?”

“Princess, it’s Alice.”

The door opened and Alice entered the room.

“You’re awake? How are you feeling?”

“…I’m fine.”

Vivianne noticed Alice’s eyes briefly landing on the notebook she was holding before looking away.

“Is there anything you need?”

“……”

“Please feel free to ask. The Duke instructed me to provide whatever you need.”

After hesitating briefly, Vivianne’s lips moved.

“…I want to return to the Marchioness.”

* * *

She said she wanted to return to Baldwin.

Surprisingly, Kian’s response was that Theodore was coming to escort her, so she should wait a little longer.

It felt strange that he agreed so readily, but there was no reason to question his permission.

Vivianne drank her herbal tea and wrote a few more lines in her notebook before going to bed.

-An dislikes being alone.

She missed An. When she asked if Vivianne needed anything, she should have said she wanted to see An.

-Matilda taught me embroidery. Also how to bake delicious cookies.

Please. She hopes Kian wasn’t lying.

-I miss Matilda. I want to make cookies with her.

Though the content seemed trivial, she believed writing like this would eventually restore all her memories.

-Happiness lies within me.

She also wrote down words the Marchioness Baldwin had told her.

Though they were nice words, they felt distant, like they belonged to someone else.

* * *

A pleasant aroma filled the air. A warm, cozy scent. Attentive, gentle hands.

None of it felt unfamiliar.

Vivianne opened her eyes groggily, experiencing a familiar sense of déjà vu.

“Vivi.”

A beloved voice tenderly called her nickname.

Surely this isn’t a dream? When she lifted her head, the face she had longed to see filled her vision.

“Matilda…?”

“It’s been a while, Vivi. Have you been well?”

It really is Matilda. Matilda lay beside her on the bed, holding her in an embrace just like a mother would. This couldn’t be a dream. She could hardly believe it.

“Kian didn’t hurt Matilda? Are you truly safe?”

“What?”

“You helped me hide.”

Her vision blurred with tears. Speaking about it made her feel even more apologetic. She felt responsible for everything.

“No, not at all.”

“You’re lying. Because I’m crying, hic, you’re lying?”

“That’s impossible. Why would I lie to you, Vivi? You and I are on the same side.”

Matilda smiled gently as she wiped Vivianne’s wet eyes. Her vision cleared, and their eyes met.

“On the contrary, I’ve received much kindness from the master.”

Looking into her eyes, she didn’t seem to be lying.

“What about Theodore? Kian didn’t torment him?”

“Oh my, Vivi. You were with Theodore the whole time, yet you ask this?”

Matilda playfully scolded Vivianne.

“He came to Larson with me. You’ll be able to see him in the morning.”

“Matilda, did you quit being the head maid?”

“Yes, I gave it up. I don’t want to work anymore.”

“Is that okay?”

“Of course. The master gave me plenty of money when I left, so I’m living comfortably. I’m wealthy now.”

Everything Kian said was true. It had been hard to believe without seeing for herself, but now she could feel somewhat relieved.

“It feels so good to be back home after so long. I’d like to stay at Larson with Vivi for a while. Would that be alright?”

“…Yes.”

Vivianne nodded slowly.

“What shall we do tomorrow? I have nothing to do, so I can play with Vivi all day.”

“…Cookies.”

“Pardon?”

“I want to make cookies with Matilda.”

Hearing this modest wish, a smile spread across Matilda’s face.

* * *

“That woman, shouldn’t her belly be showing by now?”

The afternoon kitchen was relatively quiet. One maid, who had paused while scooping jam for dessert, counted on her fingers and casually asked her colleague.

“Who?”

“Who else? Vivi. Vivi.”

She glanced around to make sure no one was listening and lowered her voice considerably.

“Oh, her?”

“They said she was engaged. And then a pregnant woman jumps into the sea causing all that commotion… Isn’t that strange?”

Another maid who had been listening sighed deeply and joined in.

“Pregnant? What era are you living in? She miscarried, I tell you. She jumped off a cliff. How could a baby survive that?”

“Is that true, not just gossip?”

“She jumped right in front of several knights. With so many witnesses, how could it be mere gossip? The baby obviously died. It’s a miracle she herself survived.”

She clicked her tongue and began cutting a large chunk of cheese.

“That girl is tough. They say she jumped even though the master begged her to come back. Did she hate him that much?”

“Even so, what sane pregnant woman would do that?”

CRASH-!

The sound of breaking glass abruptly silenced the whispers. Everyone’s gaze fixed on the source of the noise.

“……”

Vivianne stood frozen, looking like someone struck by lightning. Her hands trembled slightly.

* * *

Late at night, when Kian visited Vivianne’s room, he saw her small, curled-up back on the bed.

He had heard she requested to make cookies with Matilda. Matilda had told her to go ahead because she needed to use the restroom, but when Vivianne arrived at the kitchen, she suddenly said she wasn’t feeling well.

She had remained in this state ever since.

The physician had examined her but found nothing unusual. Though he secretly checked on her every night, today he was particularly worried.

Far from any intimate relationship, he couldn’t even touch her for fear she might break. He had deliberately avoided contact for some time to reassure her and even summoned Theodore and Matilda. Just when things seemed to be improving, they were back to square one.

Her shoulders were exposed above the blanket. Her pale nape was visible.

Concerned she might catch cold, Kian approached the bed to pull up the covers when—

“…Why did you lie?”

She asked in a voice hoarse from crying.

“What do you mean?”

“Why… why didn’t you tell me? Was I so amusing to you?”

Her blue eyes immediately filled with tears. He felt like his hardened heart was cracking, splitting open.

“The baby… died, didn’t it?”

Her fragile voice trembled.