Thanks to him opening the thick wooden cover, light was able to stream in.

So I must be…

I quickly touched my face and looked down at my hands.

I wasn’t wet, but I was wearing the same clothes I had seen at the Azanie family’s house.

“Your father will be here soon.”

Father…? Frozen stiff, I barely managed to lift my head to look up at the man.

“But there’s always a possibility… So stay hidden here quietly until you’re certain it’s your father. You mustn’t come out if you hear any sound other than your father’s voice. Do you understand?”

As I studied the man’s face intently, I was suddenly shocked.

It was the face from the sketch in the newspaper.

Garrison Spencer…!

“Once I close the door, immediately turn the lock as I showed you earlier.”

Just then, perhaps sensing someone’s presence, Garrison hurriedly lowered the wooden panel.

My vision immediately darkened, and in my fear, I reached up with my hands as terrifying footsteps shook the ground above.

Unable to tell what was happening above my head, I fumbled with my fingers and finally found the seams of the lock mechanism when—

Bang!

An explosion echoed.

“We’ve found Garrison Spencer’s body!”

How much time had passed?

My body reacted instinctively to the men’s voices coming from above.

While I huddled with my trembling body, curled up after feeling my way down the underground stairs, I could constantly hear people moving around above, kicking things and knocking things over.

I couldn’t believe someone’s shout that Garrison, who had told me to stay quiet just minutes ago, had been found as a corpse.

“There’s no child!”

Child? Could they mean me?

Though there was nowhere left to retreat, I instinctively tried to back away until I hit the cold wall and stopped.

At that moment, a rattling sound began directly above my head.

The hinges on the inside shook from the kicks, causing the metal pieces to clash repeatedly inside.

Since the lock was on the inside rather than the outside, it made sense they couldn’t open it…

“Move aside.”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

But before I could do anything, gunshots rang out in succession.

Through the widening gap, beams of light like fragments mercilessly penetrated.

My eyes stung automatically from the falling dust and dirt, forcing them closed.

I felt my closed eyelids suddenly brighten.

“I found the child! Bring Her Majesty here!”

As the man standing above gave instructions, I heard the sound of many footsteps rushing out.

The man at the top of the stairs reached his hand toward me.

“You’re safe, child. Can you come up?”

Through the hazy dust, the hand approaching me belonged to an adult in uniform.

Not understanding what was happening, I was led by the hand and barely managed to climb up the stairs.

“……”

But as I climbed higher up the stairs.

As the dust settled.

The eyes of the man watching me seemed to grow wider with confusion.

“Did you find the child?”

Just then, a familiar voice came from beyond the man’s shoulder.

I raised my head toward the sound.

Red eyes within a face deeply shadowed by a black cloak.

Smoothly upturned corners of the mouth.

“Here you are.”

Empress Genevieve, who had made me question everything, was looking down at me.

At that moment, the uniformed man’s face slowly contorted.

“Your Majesty, this child is not Garrison’s daughter. This child is the one I saw at the Imperial Palace a few days ago…”

“Oh my. You’ve seen this child before? That won’t do.”

Before the color could drain from the startled man’s face, another soldier standing behind Genevieve swung his sword at the man’s back.

The man, unable to even scream, collapsed face-first onto the floor.

Blood droplets splattered across the face of the man who had swung the sword.

“……!”

At the same time, my body began to tremble violently, unable to breathe as if suffocated.

Just then, Genevieve bent down and grabbed my shoulders firmly.

“Now, you just saw what happens when someone says bad things, didn’t you?”

“……”

“So let’s leave this place together. I’ll take you to your family!”

“Mmph!”

As my head shook involuntarily, Genevieve, ignoring my reaction, gripped my face tightly and stared into my eyes as if she would devour them.

“If you listen to me well, you can go to your father. But if you don’t listen… you might cause your father to die, just like that man. What will you do?”

“……”

“Good children should listen to adults, shouldn’t they?”

This time, contrary to my consciousness, the young Lea’s body quickly nodded.

Tears were streaming down the child’s cheeks.

[Would you like to continue?]

My mind snapped back to clarity, but the terror of that moment still surged through my entire body.

Hot sorrow kept flowing down my eyes.

I couldn’t understand why my chest ached so much when this wasn’t even something I had experienced.

My body kept shrinking inward.

[If you press ‘Yes,’ all coins received from Carlo Albrecht Wilhelm von Hedegen will be consumed.]

I barely managed to move my powerless finger to press ‘Yes.’

Immediately, a thin man wearing glasses appeared before me. We were sitting facing each other.

He was the man standing beside Genevieve on the first day I viewed Lea’s memories to discover the secret of her birth.

Just then, the door opened and Genevieve entered with Count Azanie.

“Is it going well, Sir Groot?”

At Genevieve’s appearance, the bespectacled man jumped up and bowed deeply in greeting.

Groot… I had heard that name somewhere.

I suddenly realized it was a name I had heard at Carrisford’s apothecary.

‘It’s an antidepressant independently developed by the Groot family.’

So this man was from the family that made the medicine.

With a terrible suspicion crossing my mind, I frantically looked down at the table without realizing it.

I could see a white paper with fold marks that had apparently contained medicine, and a cup with water half gone.

My heart felt crushed under a boulder, leaving me speechless.

At that moment, my body moved on its own, separate from my consciousness.

I—that is, young Lea—stood up unsteadily and was looking at Genevieve.

To be precise, she was rigid with anger.

“You said if I behaved, you’d take me to my dad…!”

Young Lea’s trembling lips shouted at her.

Though she was summoning all her remaining courage to shout, Lea was trembling down to her toes.

“You said my dad would come if I came here! You said if I listened to the doctor, my dad would come! Garrison was right from the beginning. He was the only one who would send me to my dad, but you killed him!”

“Shut that mouth!”

At my outburst, Count Azanie rushed over as if leaping and grabbed both my arms.

Genevieve, frozen in place, stared at me for a long time before sharply turning her head to glare at Groot.

“She still has memories left! And delusions too!”

“N-no, Your Majesty! It’s almost…”

“She’s still telling such lies and slandering me, yet you say no?”

“It’s not a lie! Please believe me! Please take me to my dad. At least let me write a letter. That witch-like woman killed the innocent Garrison…!”

Lea wailed. As her pitiful screams echoed through the room, Count Azanie ruthlessly covered her mouth, afraid someone might hear.

“What are you waiting for? Try again! Such a girl speaking nonsense to Your Majesty…!”

The flustered Groot hurriedly looked at me and slowly swung his watch chain.

My arms felt crushed with pain as Count Azanie firmly held me in place while I struggled.

Against my will, my eyes followed the watch chain that captured my gaze.

My body, finally bursting into tears, shook like an aspen tree.

Eventually, my mind felt like it was turning to mush, and my memories seemed to float away like a handful of ashes, disappearing somewhere.

I have to remember… Dad… I must remember…

I could hear young Lea sobbing as she repeated this to herself.

“Now, let’s talk.”

Groot put down his watch and looked at me.

“Who is your father?”

My body, somehow docile now, was sitting quietly in the chair.

I could perceive that young Lea’s consciousness had completely shattered, but young Lea herself didn’t seem to realize it.

Lea moved her dry lips, then took another breath.

“My father is…”

Lea blinked listlessly, tilting her head thoughtfully.

Her expression showed frustration at trying to recall something vague but being unable to identify what it was.

Her eyes gradually lost focus, turning into an empty green.

Her pretty face became lifeless, as if emptied.

“Ah, I remember.”

Lea blinked and looked at Groot.

“Allaster Morton… Azanie… He’s the Count.”

“My lady…?”

When I jerked my head up, cold tears fell onto the table.

Startled, Medlin approached me.

“Are you all right?”

“Ah…”

I quickly wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, then hesitated briefly, finding it difficult to speak.

“I’m fine.”

“Did something happen? Your complexion suddenly became very poor. Or perhaps there’s food here that doesn’t suit your taste…”

At Medlin’s concerned words, Chef Charlson, standing nearby, froze as if struck by lightning and hurriedly began inspecting the dishes with his eyes.

I couldn’t cause trouble for innocent people because of emotions from viewing Lea’s memories, so I quickly shook my head.

“No, everything looks delicious. I’ll enjoy the meal.”

Charlson sighed with relief at my response, stroking his chest.

I couldn’t tell these people, who treated my meals as if they were matters of great importance, that my appetite had disappeared.

I took a sip of water, trying hard to collect myself.

Garrison had been keeping young Lea with him, and Genevieve, who killed Garrison, threatened Lea using her father as leverage and took her to Count Azanie’s house.

Young Lea, taken to the Azanie family, was brainwashed by Dr. Groot and grew up being abused with no memories. Later, she was forced into an arranged marriage with Carlo as part of Genevieve’s scheme…

And above all…

Lea’s father is alive somewhere.

“Norbert.”

I put down my cup and looked at Norbert.

“I… Is there any record of missing persons among nobles’ daughters or servants’ daughters from the Imperial Palace? From about ten years ago until now. There’s something I’d like to know.”

Recalling what Medlin had said, Norbert knew a lot about outside affairs, so I thought it best to ask him.

“I will investigate and inform you.”

“And…”

“Please tell me, my lady.”

Whether because I was feeling anxious or nervous, or because I was surprised by the unexpected trust from Carlo, I didn’t know why, but—

“May I go to Novahans?”

Somehow, I felt I needed to see him.