2. Just One Year

She was dying.

It wasn’t as painful as she had thought.

It was at that moment she thought so,

That something hot surged up through her throat.

It wasn’t a blood clot. It was regret for her past life where she couldn’t do anything.

Why couldn’t she do anything?

Emptiness consumed her mind.

Gradually her senses became distant, and for some reason, the sound of dogs barking filled that empty space.

Woof!

Come to think of it, Walter liked dogs. No, it seemed most commoners liked dogs.

So it was certain they made words using dogs like that.

‘Is it because I spent too long with Walter? Even while dying, I’m hearing the sound of dogs.’

Arthe let out a bitter laugh.

‘If there were such a thing as a miracle……’

She wouldn’t live like a fool.

‘……But it’s useless now.’

Woof!

No, but when will these dogs stop barking?

For some reason, the sounds of stray dogs grew louder and filled her ears.

Woof! Woof woof!

“Sigh…… These damn dogs, stop bark…… huh?”

Her voice hadn’t been coming out because it was so hoarse.

The moment a slightly hoarse voice flowed out, her confused mind suddenly awakened.

……Woof! Woof woof! Woof!

“……Miss! Miss! Oh my!”

‘……Huh?’

Arthe opened her eyes wide.

What she saw immediately upon opening them was the blue sky she was encountering after a very long time.

“Miss! Oh my, Miss Arthe fell from her horse! Quickly, get the doctor!”

It was a familiar voice. When she carefully opened her eyes that couldn’t easily open due to the sunlight she was seeing after a long time, she could see the dogs raised at the ducal house surrounding her.

And Mel was running toward her with a surprised face.

Yes, such a thing had definitely happened.

About a year before her debutante ball, she had fallen from a horse, been seriously injured, and lost consciousness.

And starting with Mel approaching and shaking Arthe, the sensations throughout her body gradually began to return.

Soon after, she felt pain as if her entire body was being shattered, but a smile unconsciously formed on her lips.

“……I’m back.”

“What? What did you say, Miss?”

“Damn, I said I’m back.”

And Arthe lost consciousness just like that.

***

Arthe opened her eyes several days later.

Still in the afterimage of what seemed like dogs barking, Arthe frowned and slowly lifted her heavy eyelids.

Everything was ridiculously the same.

Her room with sunlight entering from various angles, and the canopy with pearls dangling from gorgeous lace fabric.

Her fine silver hair falling straight and swaying, and her pale white skin.

Every single thing reflected in the mirror was exactly as she remembered.

Arthe raised both hands and embraced and felt her arms with all her strength.

She briefly thought it might be a dream, but the cooling body had disappeared and she could feel warm warmth in both hands, telling her that this entire situation was not a dream.

There was something else that remained the same.

“Oh my, riding a horse!”

When Arthe was busily organizing the situation, the person who opened the door and entered without even knocking was none other than her life teacher, Teacher Bartier.

“How can a woman ride a horse so fearlessly! What if you get scars on your body……”

Nagging poured endlessly from Teacher Bartier’s mouth. Arthe listened to his words with a dazed face.

“Horseback riding is men’s exercise! A young lady should sit quietly and do needlework……”

Though she didn’t know what had happened, Arthe couldn’t control her overwhelming emotions for a moment and ran to grasp Teacher Bartier’s hands.

“Oh my, Teacher!”

“……Ah, Miss?”

“How wonderful!”

Arthe’s eyes welled up with tears.

“To be spouting such consistent bullshit! I really missed you so much!”

“……Bull, bull, bullshit, what do you mean……”

“Even such bullheaded words, how much I missed them! Every single word is precious wisdom!”

Arthe, excited by her teacher’s grace, held onto Teacher Bartier, who couldn’t continue speaking from shock, and wailed.

A little later, Teacher Bartier had to be held captive with a dazed face until Mel came with medicine.

“Oh my…… Teacher Bartier? Why are you like that……”

“Ah, it seems Miss needs to rest a bit more. Please tell them I’ll skip this week’s lessons.”

Watching Teacher Bartier run away as if fleeing, Mel tilted her head.

“Why is he like that…… Miss, is your body somewhat alright……”

“Crazy Mel! Have you been well?”

“……”

And in less than three days, rumors spread throughout the ducal house that the lady who fell from the horse had become a bit strange.

***

Thanks to the rumors, Arthe, who was able to quietly organize the situation for a while, became certain that her death was not a simple fantasy on the morning of the fourth day.

“This morning Viscount Borden sent a servant to bring a gift for my wife and Arthe.”

“Oh my, is it a dress again this time? The tailor from the Borden viscounty was quite skilled.”

It was when tea and desserts for after-meal refreshment began to come in after finishing breakfast.

At the duke’s familiar words, Arthe’s fingers stirring her black tea momentarily stopped.

The Borden viscounty. They had sent gifts to request help with the textile business. That gift was—

“A brooch made with blue diamonds.”

Arthe unconsciously muttered quietly.

It was a voice so small that the family members focused on the conversation couldn’t hear it.

“They brought a diamond brooch. It seems a diamond vein was discovered in the mine the Borden viscounty developed in the east.”

Duke Frey put down his knife and opened his mouth.

“Could it be that blue diamond we’ve only heard about? I’ll finally see the real thing!”

When the duchess rejoiced, the duke smiled contentedly and looked at Arthe.

“They expressed their wish for you to definitely wear it at your debutante ball. It seems the Borden viscounty wants to solidify their connection with our family.”

“Indeed, our Arthe should also have her debutante ball this year, shouldn’t she?”

“Hmm, but about the debutante ball……”

Arthe looked at the duke with a start.

Even before Arthe reached the age to have her debutante ball, the ducal house had been deliberating for the heir’s successful debutante ball.

At that time, there had been a conflict of opinion between the mother, who wanted to hold the debutante ball at a slightly younger age, and the father, who wanted to debut the heir at the 300th anniversary banquet of the nation’s founding.

“I’ve decided to postpone Arthe’s debutante ball by one year.”

And the duke, who had hesitated for a moment, opened his mouth.

It was no different from the day she remembered.

“What do you mean?”

At the duke’s words, the duchess answered in surprise.

However, Arthe was even more surprised.

‘Déjà vu?’

No, something was different.

Next to the duchess who was making a fuss, Arthe quietly organized her thoughts.

“One year later will be the 300th anniversary of the nation’s founding. Naturally, it will be more splendid than the banquet held every year. I think it’s a suitable stage for the heir’s debutante ball.”

“But girls Arthe’s age already had their debutante balls starting last year.”

“Still, we need to show the ducal house’s dignity at this opportunity, my dear.”

“No, that’s true, but…… Arthe, what do you think?”

“I……”

Arthe hesitated without easily answering.

When silence continued for quite a while, she felt the gazes of the duke and duchess urging an answer.

“I’ll have my debutante ball next year.”

“But, Arthe!”

Unlike the duke who nodded at the expected answer, the surprised duchess hurriedly tried to say something.

However, the ducal couple had to stop their argument at Arthe’s answer that came out soon after.

“For now.”

For now?

At Arthe’s tone that was quite different from her usual appearance of acting as if she would die at her parents’ words, the couple exchanged glances with surprised faces.

“Father. The current empress is from the Osvelr viscounty in the west, isn’t she?”

At Arthe’s increasingly out-of-the-blue question, the duke looked at Arthe with a bewildered expression.

“Women from the Osvelr family are from the desolate west, so there have been many small and delicate beauties for generations, but is the empress also like that?”

“Hmm. She is not.”

The duke shook his head.

“The empress is quite tall for a westerner, so her presence is considerable.”

Arthe quietly nodded.

Empress Mariposa’s beauty and character were famous throughout the entire empire.

However, relatively little other information about her was well known.

Arthe was the same.

However, at this moment, the empress’s appearance was being vividly drawn in Arthe’s mind.

Empress Mariposa.

A woman from a small western family who luckily caught the previous emperor’s eye and became empress, then stood at the pinnacle of imperial power.

While also carefully caring for the ailing Antu II and cherishing her foolish son Cardi with utmost devotion, she was the perfect empress who received the love of all imperial citizens.

However, Arthe knew better than anyone the viciousness behind that angelic facade.

The cruelty of framing the Frey family and crushing them miserably, and abandoning her in an underground prison for twenty years for amusement.

When she thought of Empress Mariposa, nail marks were clearly carved into Arthe’s tightly clenched palms.

“……Father. Would you entrust the debutante ball matter to me?”

“But……”

“No. I will do it.”

Arthe had never expressed her opinion so firmly even once.

Nevertheless, the duke, who had opened his mouth to object to something, was startled when his eyes met Arthe’s.

Deep abyssal waters were rippling in his usually gentle daughter’s eyes.

His daughter had already changed considerably after falling from the horse. Surprised by his daughter’s firm gaze that he was encountering for the first time, the duke unconsciously nodded.

‘Blue diamonds, debutante ball, Empress Mariposa……’

There was no such thing as a coincidence that matched three times.

Arthe brought her teacup to her lips and turned her mind.

Though she didn’t know what had happened, all the memories she had thought were nightmares were definitely things she had already experienced once.

She felt one corner of her mouth unconsciously rising.

Air kept leaking out with puffing sounds from her lips that were pressed together to prevent laughter from coming out.

During that hellish time when she was trapped in the underground prison,

How much had she wished to return to the past?

Though she didn’t know why, time had given Arthe one more chance.

The time given to her was just one year.

Just one year, but it was enough time to rewrite history.

***