Startled, Lumiere backed away from the doctor, shaking her head.

“No, Dr. Sigmund. It’s fine. It’s not that serious.”

“What? But there is clearly a serious problem with your memory….”

“It could be temporary, right? Isn’t that possible? Look, I only have some bruises. Do I look like a patient who hit their head hard? No, right?”

Desperate to avoid the doctor’s excessive treatment of opening her head and applying electricity, Lumiere insisted that she was fine.

He must be crazy, suggesting opening my brain and applying electricity just because my memory is a bit fuzzy after an accident!

“I’m really fine, Dr. Sigmund. If any problems arise, I’ll come back then. I’m just tired today and want to go home and rest.”

The doctor’s mad eyes, burning with academic zeal, scared her. She needed to get away from him quickly.

“Oh, is that so? Well, that’s fortunate……. Hmm.”

Oh my, look at this crazy doctor being disappointed.

Trying to maintain a calm smile, Lumiere leaned back slightly to put some distance between herself and the doctor.

“Well, I understand. If you notice any strange symptoms, please come back anytime. For now, I’ll just prescribe some ointment for the bruises.”

Relieved but trying not to show it, Lumiere let out an invisible sigh of relief at the doctor’s words.

“There are many errand boys in front of the hospital. You can call one of them, or if you have a phone, you can use the phone room in the lobby.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Holding the prescription, Lumiere forced a smile and quickly left the consultation room.

“Patient! If you need help, come anytime!”

If you’re so curious about brains, why don’t you open up your own first, doctor.

Suppressing her urge to retort sarcastically, Lumiere hurried out of the consultation room. The enthusiastic doctor’s gaze following her was quite burdensome.

* * *

— What? You hit your head? Are you alright? Should I call the doctor?

“No, I’ve already seen the doctor. There are some minor issues, but nothing serious……. Just send a carriage here.”

— Really? Phew– I’m so glad you’re not badly hurt! I’ll send a carriage right away!

Hearing the familiar voice of Cindy over the phone, Lumiere felt much more at ease. It was like meeting someone she knew in a strange world.

After hanging up, Lumiere stepped outside the hospital and took a deep breath. Whether it was because she was startled or because the medicine was kicking in, the throbbing headache had already subsided.

‘I have amnesia, really?’

Living in this world, she had seen everything.

It was so absurd that she couldn’t help but laugh. The warm summer breeze pleasantly brushed over her feverish forehead. Thanks to that, the thirst that had started again earlier finally subsided a bit.

“…But suddenly summer, how strange.”

With a few memories missing, it felt like the world had turned upside down and everything was unfamiliar. Just last night, it seemed like winter, but when she opened her eyes, it was summer.

With a somewhat dazed expression, Lumiere looked at the chestnut and plane trees planted along the road, sparkling with freshness.

Her last memory was of a snowy dawn, but……

‘What kind of memory is that? Why was I looking outside at dawn?’

“…Ugh.”

A blurry figure flashed through her mind but quickly disappeared with a headache. Holding her throbbing forehead, she realized that she indeed had amnesia.

But thinking about it differently, it was a miracle that she only lost a bit of memory and had minor bruises after the carriage rolled several times.

‘I could have broken my neck and died inside the carriage.’

Calming herself down, Lumiere headed to the carriage stand.

Lorota Avenue, developed around the statue of the former king, Leperto II, was bustling with people as usual.

Fortunately, there weren’t many people at the eastern stand in front of the hospital, so she could sit comfortably on a bench and wait for the carriage.

‘Alright, let’s organize what I remember first.’

Worrying wouldn’t change anything, and there was no need to panic. Lumiere closed her drowsy eyelids and organized her thoughts.

Her name was Lumiere Lashantia.

She was the only daughter of a lord in the Hukkens region, but the family went bankrupt due to her brother’s failed investments. They sold the estate to pay off the debt, but it wasn’t enough. The whole family moved to the city, but her irresponsible brother disappeared.

Eventually, her mother worked as a tutor for the Marquis of Torres, and her father worked as a permanent manager at the opera house, paying off all the debts in three years.

But the joy of paying off the debt was short-lived. A month after clearing the debt, her parents were stabbed to death by robbers.

That was six years ago.

It happened to be the coronation day of the current king of Levania, Laedro Karlei Stings. The day people celebrated the ill-fated king finally ascending to the throne.

The day flower petals scattered, and people drank recklessly at pubs all day.

Lumiere guarded the mansion alone, dressed in mourning clothes.

“My goodness. That was six years ago.”

Due to the memory error, she couldn’t remember anything from a month ago, but the memories from six years ago were vivid. The only consolation was that the sorrow wasn’t as sharp as the memories.

‘Damn Louis, you should have at least come to our parents’ funeral.’

A curse for her brother welled up anew. It was easier to think he was just dead now.

No, she wished he was dead somewhere. He wasn’t like that when they were young, so why did he suddenly get addicted to gambling……

“Oh my, really! Tartien has sent a marriage proposal to the royal family?”

A noisy group entered the stand, breaking her train of thought like mist. A group of five or six people, holding a news sheet, passionately discussed the news.

“Yes! Look here, it’s in the article! Tartien’s Bold Marriage Proposal to the Royal Family!”

“Oh my! Are they really trying to swallow the royal family? So who from Tartien will become the queen? It can’t be Maria Tartien, right?”

“Isn’t Maria the only woman of marriageable age? Rosh Tartien is only nine years old.”

“That’s true. But would that haughty woman really want to marry ‘that’ His Majesty?”

At the mention of ‘His Majesty’, everyone lowered their voices.

One of them, as if testing the waters, cautiously raised their voice.

“Actually, I find it quite strange. No matter how desirable the queen’s position is, a husband with rotting skin, a limp, and a wandering mind is a bit much…”

A husband with rotting skin, a limp, and a wandering mind.

That was referring to none other than the current king of this country, Laedro Stings.

A man who, despite being a king, was pitied by the public. A king whose marriage was seen as unfortunate.

“Well, the crown must be that appealing. Enough to marry such a king.”

“But doesn’t Tartien have enough power not to need the crown?”

“Where does greed ever end?”

They were so loud that Lumiere couldn’t help but glance at them.

Coincidentally, she saw a photo prominently displayed on the front of the weekly magazine. It showed the king, whose face was not visible, sitting next to a woman who was flaunting her splendor.

‘Maria Tartien.’

For a moment, Lumiere involuntarily frowned.

As soon as she saw the picture, an inexplicable unpleasantness pricked her like thorns. Misreading Lumiere’s expression, the voices of the noisy group lowered.

“Ahem, ahem, perhaps we were too loud. Anyway, it seems the Duke is trying to control even His Majesty now.”

“Is that surprising? Hasn’t Tartien always been like that?”

“If it weren’t for that incident 13 years ago… In a way, His Majesty is quite pitiable.”

“Indeed. Losing everything and going mad… Even that beautiful face was disfigured by burns.”

Their whispering voices carried a light air of sympathy.

Lumiere stared at the weekly magazine that had fallen to the ground at the stand with a peculiar expression.

[A Pitiful and Pathetic Shadow Prince.]
[An Unfortunate Throne with No Luck.]
[The Sun on a Rainy Day.]

All were words either pitying or mocking the current king.

He was the only witness and survivor of the arson incident involving the former crown prince Richard 13 years ago. The fire, started in a fit of rage by Crown Prince Richard after being caught in a secret affair with Duchess Buchanan, consumed not only the crown prince and his wife but also the entire Buchanan family and many invited nobles.

It was an unprecedented fire in Levania’s history, claiming the lives of about 96 nobles in one event.

But.

Could the sole surviving child of the arsonist truly be considered fortunate?