“Before your memory was lost…” 

Cana pressed her thumb firmly against the palm of her hand, as if hesitating where to begin with a clouded expression on her face. 

“You can take your time and start with what you remember.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Cana finally spoke. 

“I was at Lady Hayley’s tea party. I was talking to the young ladies about what we’ve been up to lately.” 

“What kind of chat was that?” 

“Um…” 

Cana’s eyes wandered to the window. Through her blurred vision she could make out the sluggish movement of fluffy clouds rolling across the sky. 

“Conversations about the dresses or masks to be made for the Masquerade Ball, or how Lady Milo’s dog ruined Lady Milo’s favourite dress… just very trivial topics. Ah, now that I think of it.”

As Cana’s fingers lightly traced the edge of her sharp eyes, she spoke again. 

“Miss Lilia mentioned that she had acquired some new tea leaves from the eastern continent across the sea and wanted to show them to everyone.” 

Lilia. At the mention of that name, Ciela’s sharp gaze immediately turned to Cana. But Cana’s eyes were fixed on the window, oblivious to the change in Ciela’s expression. 

“The lady allowed it, and Miss Lilia’s personal maid served the tea. I remember that it was a tea with a very strong aroma.”

After that, all they talked about was praising the taste of the tea. Some of the ladies even asked about the origin of the tea leaves. 

“And then I returned to the estate, but on the way back…” 

Cana’s lips, which had been moving slowly, stopped. 

“On the way back…” 

Before they knew it, the gentle clouds had suddenly swallowed the sun in an aggressive sweep. 

“I think I met someone… or maybe I just talked to my brother at the manor?” 

Cana’s wavering eyes shifted from the window to Ciela and then to the ground. Ciela, noticing Cana’s confusion, gently tried to calm her down while asking a few more questions. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help. As for the kind of tea leaves Miss Lilia brought, you could certainly ask one of the other ladies…” 

Cana’s voice trailed off in mid-sentence and her expression became hazy. Her piercing eyes drooped slightly, making her look as pitiful as a cat forced to take a bath. 

It wasn’t hard for Ciela to guess why she was wearing that expression. 

‘It was a great incident.’ 

On the day of an imperial family event, a scandal broke out – a count’s daughter tried to kill a marquis’ daughter. Due to the seriousness of the incident, Cana was inevitably banned from society. 

“If you think it’s too difficult, I’ll find another way. And if you don’t mind, how about joining me at a social gathering sometime soon?”

“That means…” 

“Like I said, I don’t think you’re responsible for what happened to me. After hearing your side of the story, I’m even more certain that you’re not the culprit.” 

The participation of people who have had conflicts in the same party is seen in social circles as a signal that ‘misunderstandings have been resolved’, or as a gesture of forgiveness and reconciliation. Since it is considered inappropriate to criticise a matter that has already been settled by those involved, others would no longer be able to exclude Cana as they have done until now.

‘In the original story, when Lilia forgave Cana, no one criticised her.’ 

Afterwards, Lilia was praised as an angelic, merciful woman who had even forgiven someone who had tried to kill her. 

“Thank you. Um, shall we call each other by our names the next time we meet?” 

“Sounds good. Then I’ll see you next time, Lady Cana.” 

“I look forward to our next meeting, Lady Ciela.” 

Leaving Cana, who looked more at ease than before, behind, Ciela turned and walked out. 

* * * 

Accompanied by a maid, she entered the drawing room on the first floor, where she was greeted by the Count and Countess Blanchett and their son, whose eyes were heavier than the last time she had seen them on the hunt. They looked even more haggard than before. 

“May the grace of His Majesty the Emperor be with the house of Count Blanchett. I heard you wished to see me.” 

“May the Grace of His Majesty the Emperor also be with Lady Ciela Arcel. Thank you for granting our sudden request.” 

“Not at all. In fact, I was hoping to meet Count Blanchett myself.” 

Ciela replied with a smile as if it had been painted on her face. 

“To meet me?” 

“Yes.”

It has often been said that ‘all the minerals and gems of the Empire pass through the hands of the craftsmen of the House of Blanchett’, highlighting the Blanchett family’s expertise in the mineral trade. 

The Blanchet territory has long been known for its barren lands, but was rich in various mines. Artisans began to gather around these mines. Even in times when craftsmen were looked down upon, the Blanchett family went out of their way to support them. As a result, Blanchett naturally became the “artisans’ centre”. 

As a result, most of the nobles entrusted the crafting of minerals to the artisans of the House of Blanchett. 

‘Even the Imperial Family entrusted the refining of mana stones to the craftsmen of the House of Blanchett.’ 

Ciela sat across from them. 

“May I ask why you called me here?” 

“Thank you for mentioning it first. It’s about my daughter, Cana, whom I wanted to meet with you.” 

The Count, whose wrinkles had deepened noticeably in just a few days, rubbed his bald head and let out a small sigh. 

After the sudden incident caused by his beloved daughter, Cana suddenly lost her memory. She couldn’t remember that the hunt had already ended, nor what she had done. 

As Cana clung to the hem of his trousers, sobbing desperately and insisting that she hadn’t done it, he couldn’t bring himself to say that he believed her. Cana had confessed then, and evidence had been found. If they mishandled the situation, his daughter could face a punishment worse than the one she was already facing. 

“When Cana suddenly said she wanted to write you a letter, my son mentioned that he’d heard you say not to stop Cana if she wanted to write you a letter.”

Count Blanchett looked briefly at his son before turning his eyes back to Ciela. 

As if clinging desperately to a rotting rope, the count asked with urgency, 

“Do you know anything about why Cana is acting this way?” 

One of the things Ciela had learned from investigating the Blanchett family was that their family ties were as strong as the rumours suggested. 

Unlike the Arcel family’s feigned closeness, their desperation was genuine. 

“If you can tell me what you know, I’ll grant you any request within my power. I even promise to accept the terms proposed by the Marquis of Arcel without complaint.” 

‘The terms proposed by the Marquis of Arcel?’ 

Hearing this for the first time, Ciela slowly widened her eyes. 

“May I ask what terms the Marquis of Arcel proposed?”

“Angry at the incident that almost put you in danger, he claimed he wanted to resolve things as humanely and nobly as possible. But then he demanded that the payment for hiring the craftsmen be… this.”

He furrowed his brow before quickly smoothing it, watching Ciela’s reaction carefully. 

“Ahem. He asked for an 80% reduction from the original amount.” 

“So you’re saying he resorted to threats to get the price down, which is anything but noble?” 

“Ahem, ahem… yes…” 

What rubbish. No, he was rubbish to begin with. 

Trash so irredeemable that there wasn’t a single redeeming feature about him. 

If it hadn’t been for the incident at the hunt, Count Blanchett wouldn’t have even considered such an outrageous proposal, and would have rejected it outright.    

The Marquis de Arcel probably knew this and tried to use her situation as leverage to manipulate him. 

‘His greed is boundless.’ 

With a faint sneer, her gaze swept slowly across the room, deliberately, as if to signal that she was paying attention to something. Sensing her intent, the Count gave an order to the servants. 

“If I need anything, I’ll call for you. Leave us.” 

The servants left the room, leaving only the Count and Countess Blanchett, their son and Rune. Then Ciela spoke slowly. 

“Would it be all right if Sir Rune examined you all?” 

“So be it.” 

With a determined nod, the smooth, shining head of Count Blanchett reflected the light. When the other two gave their consent, Rune began to examine them to see if they showed symptoms similar to Cana’s.

“There are none.” 

Just as with Cana, Rune explained that there were no symptoms. With that, Ciela took a moment to collect her thoughts, carefully deciding what not to say before continuing. 

“I have no idea why Lady Cana lost her memory. Since everything pointed to Lady Cana as the culprit, I couldn’t say so at the time, but I suspect someone else as the true culprit.” 

“Are you saying that you don’t believe Cana is the culprit in this incident?” 

“Yes. I suspect my own family. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t have a good relationship with them.”

Ciela calmly explained that her family had ample motive to be the culprits, linking it to events she had personally experienced. They were shocked, especially by the story of the abused adopted daughter, which was much harder to believe than the fate of their own oppressed daughter. 

“There are three reasons why I suspect them. Firstly, only Lilia held my wrist exactly where the drug had been applied.”

She took a deep breath and continued. 

“Secondly, Lady Aisha saw Lilia laughing after she went to Lady Arcel to express her concern for my safety.” 

Ciela then explained clearly and methodically the final reason she had recently discovered. 

“The third reason is that when I fell into the forest, someone was secretly following me, and after identifying him, I discovered that he was my mother’s bodyguard. Before I met Calix, I was almost in danger several times, but that bodyguard never stepped in to protect me”. 

When Ciela stopped speaking, a cold silence hung heavily in the air. Then the Countess Blanchett spoke in a hollow voice, trembling fingers pressed down by her other hand. 

“Now that you mention it, when I attended Lady X’s meeting recently, Lady Arcel’s bodyguard had been replaced.” 

“Is that true?” 

“Yes. And… during the hunt, Cana, who had stayed in the barracks most of the time, went to meet Lady Lilia. Until now, I just assumed that they just happened to attend some meetings together and were just close, but…” 

Her voice trembled violently, and in the end she couldn’t finish her sentence, breaking into sobs. She couldn’t help but wonder if her daughter, suddenly acting out of character as if under some kind of spell, had been subjected to something at that moment. 

“How dare they…” 

Count Blanchett’s smooth, bald head flushed red with anger. Gritting his teeth, he thought of the Arcel family – who could have orchestrated such a plot – and the Marquis of Arcel, who had shamelessly presented unfavourable contract terms. 

“You clearly said, ‘You would grant my request within reason’, didn’t you, Count?” 

“Yes. I hold you in high esteem, so I will keep my word. However, as of today, I believe my relationship with the Arcel family is over.” 

It was a declaration to sever all ties with the Arcel family. While he was grateful to Ciela for telling the truth, he had no intention of taking back his words, for it was the Arcel family that had put Cana in this situation. 

In response to Count Blanchett’s firm stance, Ciela immediately smiled, as if she had been waiting for this moment. 

“Perfect! In that case, why not make a deal with me instead of the Arcel family?”