“Where is Viscount Will?”

At my follow-up question, Joshua scratched his cheek with an uncomfortable expression and closed the medicine kit.

“Hmm……. Rather than discuss that, allow me to show you to your bedroom first. Miss Moria is so busy that I doubt she will have the time.”

Dodging my question, Joshua collected the travel bag that had been left by the front door and began climbing the castle stairs.

We climbed for such a long time without stopping that the castle began to resemble a lighthouse.

At the end of the winding staircase, we finally reached the top floor and found a small door.

Creak.

Beyond the wooden door, which opened with an ominous groan, was a surprisingly tidy room.

Yes, a tidy room situated at the very top of a tower where one might expect a prisoner to be confined.

“This will be your room, Lady Fermen. It may be somewhat shabby, but it is the cleanest room in the castle. It is also the safest.”

Joshua placed my traveling bag beside the modest bed at the far end of the room, then continued as he surveyed the interior.

“Not a speck of dust, is there? Miss Moria cleans this room every day. If anything happens, ring the bell on that wall. Her response may be somewhat delayed, but she will come upstairs. Oh, and once the sun sets, avoid leaving this room unless absolutely necessary. Whatever you do, do not venture outside.”

I nearly asked why the future viscountess had been given such a shabby room, but I doubted I would receive a meaningful answer, so I asked a different question instead.

“What will happen if I go out at night?”

Joshua had been about to close the door behind him, but he stopped with his back still turned to me.

“Hmmm. Does that not answer your question, given who I mistook you for earlier? Viscount Will will come to see you soon, so please make yourself comfortable in the meantime. Now, I shall take my leave.”

A moment later, I was left entirely alone in the room.

‘He claimed he wasn’t a servant, yet he knows this place in remarkable detail.’

Judging by Joshua’s words, thieves apparently broke into this castle regularly.

Feeling rather unsettled, I examined the room.

It contained all the basic furnishings, including a wardrobe, drawers, a display cabinet and a bookcase. As Joshua had said, everything was old but clean and well maintained.

There were even quite a few books on the shelves, so it seemed like a good place to pass the time.

Nevertheless, I wondered whether I truly needed to stay.

‘Should I run away?’

I seriously considered it, but ultimately could not bring myself to act.

‘It would take more than an entire day to escape this forest. It would be dangerous, and I have nowhere else to go.’

“Haa.”

What on earth had happened to the original owner of this body — and to me?

Sighing with weariness, I lit the oil lamp and began sorting through my belongings.

There was nothing particularly remarkable inside the travel bag.

It contained mostly clothes, along with a few simple accessories and a small amount of emergency money.

Combined with the contents of the smaller bag, these items appeared to constitute Fiona’s entire fortune.

Only one item stood out.

The small, round turquoise pills were stored in a tin box.

They were not something that an ordinary person could easily possess.

“Was Fiona the one taking these?”

If so, they might provide a crucial clue to the bewildering situation Fiona and I had found ourselves in.

‘For now, I should begin by familiarizing myself with the castle. After all, Fiona is supposed to marry its owner.’

Having decided on my next course of action, I changed into my nightgown, extinguished the oil lamp, and lay down on the bed.

‘Today is a day that I will never forget. If Prince Rockfels knew what had happened, he would certainly be shocked.’

For a moment, I was reminded of his beautiful silver hair.

However, before I could lose myself in these unfamiliar feelings, I pushed every stray thought from my mind.

Would I open my eyes again tomorrow?

With this small question lingering in my mind, I drifted off to sleep helplessly.

***

The following day.

The sharp muscle pain coursing through my entire body informed me that everything that had happened yesterday was reality rather than a delusion.

‘You must be joking. I’m in this much pain merely from climbing a wall?’

My first priority was to make this body reasonably strong and functional.

I dragged myself out of bed, my legs trembling, changed into the most comfortable clothes I could find and left the room.

There was cold bread, soup and water outside my door.

Had the maid from yesterday left them there?

The meal was rather basic, but I quickly filled my stomach and descended the long staircase to the ground floor.

When I couldn’t find Moria, I quickly washed up in the kitchen before strolling slowly around the castle grounds.

I intended to inspect the wretched Will Castle.

Unsurprisingly, there was no luxurious garden. Instead, I wandered near the main entrance, where grotesque plaster statues and oak barrels riddled with holes were scattered about.

Surprisingly, there were signs that someone had tried to grow crops here.

‘Who planted these? They clearly tried, but the results do not appear promising.’

I surveyed the dry, withered crops amidst the flourishing weeds.

They reminded me of the stony-tasting bread and watery potato soup.

Nobility would hardly matter when finances were this dire. It would be sensible for them to cultivate even a small vegetable garden to help sustain themselves.

However, as I examined the crops more closely, I frowned.

Their leaves were covered in pale turquoise spots.

‘They’re contaminated.’

The nearby plants were no different.

Even after walking nearly ten minutes away from the castle, I continued to find turquoise spots on the vegetation.

That meant all the land surrounding the castle was contaminated.

‘So that is why their attempt at farming failed.’

That wasn’t the only strange thing, though.

Despite searching every corner of the castle, I could not find a single portrait of Viscount Miller Will.

Nor could I find anyone.

The castle was quite literally empty.

Only one place remained: the room directly in front of me.

“Hngh!”

I seized the doorknob and pulled with all my strength.

However, the firmly locked door did not budge.

‘This bothers me.’

It was the only locked place in the entire castle.

‘There can only be one purpose for this room.’

Knock, knock.

“Viscount Will, are you inside? I am Fiona Fermen. If it is convenient, I would like to speak with you briefly.”

At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from somewhere and Moria rushed over to block the door. She shook her head vigorously, seemingly warning me not to enter.

Could this room belong to someone other than Viscount Will?

“Viscount Will. Will. Viscount’s. Room.”

Moria studied my lips in silence before slowly nodding.

So this truly was Viscount Will’s room?

“Then why can’t I enter?”

When I pointed at the door with a questioning expression, Moria shook her head vehemently.

Even then, there was not the slightest sound from inside the room.

“Hmm.”

How suspicious!

He hadn’t exchanged a single word with his bride since she arrived.

If the viscount doesn’t appear within the next few days, I’ll have to climb the wall and sneak inside.

‘More importantly, I can’t communicate with the maid, which is inconvenient.’

Should I teach her how to read and write?

Beginning that day, I started teaching Moria.