EDBO l CH 04

Episode 4

Even while I was torn between life and death, the carriage faithfully kept rolling forward.

After passing through the bustling streets, it veered a little toward the outskirts and stopped in front of a grand mansion.

“Here…?”

“You’ve finally returned, my lady.”

I pressed my face against the window and blinked.

A mansion with white walls and a blue-tiled roof — dazzling, elegant, and far too beautiful.

It was nothing like what I’d imagined from the so-called villainous duke’s estate.

No, seriously, why is the villain’s mansion so pretty?

Then again, the Cedric Duchy hadn’t originally been a villainous family.
They’d been close allies of the imperial family since the founding of the empire, bound by deep ties.

Because of that, the ducal children had often been raised as playmates to the imperial heirs.
Even Bastian — the future villain himself — had once spent his childhood stuck to the current emperor like glue.

If he hadn’t lost his mind somewhere along the way, maybe they would’ve stayed close friends.

Well, it all ends in disaster anyway.

“We’ve arrived, Lady Ame— I mean, Miss Sofi.”

The knight’s voice called from outside as the carriage came to a complete stop.
She’d clearly been holding back the urge to call me “Lady Amelia” the entire ride.

“From here, the servants from the annex will take care of you.”

“Mm, okay.”

“We still have to finish our report, so please rest comfortably until then.”

Report, meaning they were off to tell Bastian himself.

Since they’d dragged me all the way to the mansion without hesitation, there was no point pretending anymore.
This meeting was doomed from the start.

I gave the knight a polite smile.

“Thank you for your trouble.”

May you trip over a rock on the way back.

Another knight outside opened the door.

Cool, crisp air flooded into the carriage, carrying with it the tranquil warmth of the estate.
There was a strange sense of peace here, comforting and familiar.

Maybe that was proof that I really was Amelia after all.

Bathed in gentle sunlight, I thought,
Well, this is going smoothly — straight to my doom.

“Please step down, my lady.”

The knight who had dismounted first offered me a courteous hand.

“…”

If I slapped that hand away and ran, would I get far?
Not a chance.

So I obediently accepted her escort and stepped out of the carriage.

And the very moment my foot touched the ground—

“LADY AMELIA!!!”

“MY LADY!!!”

Something huge and noisy slammed into me.

“Ugh—!”

I staggered back from the sudden weight pressing down on me, barely managing to keep my balance.

A mob of women had thrown themselves at me, wrapping their arms tight around my body.

And their condition was… something else.

“Waaah! It really is Lady Amelia!”

“Where have you been all this time, my lady? Hngh, sob sob!”

“Sniff, we really thought you were dead!”

They cried freely, soaking my clothes with tears and snot.

A short distance away, others dressed like maids stood sniffling and rubbing their red noses pitifully — men in suits, middle-aged women, all tearing up.

…What even is this situation?

“Sniff, sob… my lady… hic.”

Excuse me, please don’t blow your nose on my dress.

“……”

My mind went blank.

Of course, I had to wear my favorite outfit today of all days. That made this twice as painful.

Unable to bear it anymore, I turned toward the red-haired knight, hoping for help.

“Sniff.”

Oh, fantastic. She was crying too.

I sighed deeply and looked back at the women still clinging to me.

“Um…”

Sniff. “Y-yes, my lady?”

At my call, a few raised their heads, eyes wet and trembling.

I gave them an awkward smile.

“Could you, uh… let go of me first?”

They hesitated, then slowly released me.

As I quietly observed them, I pieced together the situation.

Judging by how they called me young lady and their uniforms, they must be servants of House Cedric.
Meaning… they serve me.

Right. So what do people normally say in this situation?

I’d never been welcomed this dramatically before, so it took me a while to decide.

After a long, painful pause, I went with the safest option.

“Um.”

“……”

“Hello?”

The air instantly froze solid.

The maid holding my skirt dropped her hands, and an old man dabbing his eyes in the back turned to stone.

Everyone stared at me like I’d just spoken an alien language — even the knight beside me.

“…My lady?”

Why does everyone look like lost beavers?

***

“So… you mean, you don’t remember anything?”

“Yes. I mean— right.”

That was the thirty-sixth time I’d said the same thing. I shifted in my seat, though even this plush chair stuffed with soft cushions felt like a bed of nails.

The problem had started with one word: “Hello.”

I’d completely forgotten that in this world, nobles never use polite speech toward their servants.

Naturally, the reaction had been catastrophic.

The maids who’d been struck dumb by my greeting immediately rushed me inside.
They sat me down in a snowy white armchair, served me some steaming, sweet-smelling tea, and surrounded me like a jury, repeating the same question over and over thirty-six times.

“…Unbelievable.”

One maid muttered under her breath, then asked again.

“So, you’re saying—”

“I have absolutely no memory,” I cut in quickly.

“You’re… joking, right?”

“Nope.”

Their eyes widened in disbelief as I shook my head firmly.

Of course I had no idea who Amelia Cedric was supposed to be. In the novel, she’d been mentioned only briefly — not even described properly.

At my unwavering denial, all of them just gaped at me, stunned.

Then the maid kneeling nearest to me buried her face in her hands and wailed.

“How could this happen? Even the goddess is so cruel!”

“Hey! Watch your tongue!”

“Do you think I care right now?!”

“You can’t just invoke the goddess like that!”

Why are you fighting now?

Their shrill voices rang in my ears like a pack of barking Maltese dogs.

Suddenly, I remembered the look of utter terror on the knights’ faces earlier —
no wonder they’d run off so fast.

***

“Then, we’ll be going now.”

“We’ll see you soon, Lady Ame— er, Miss Sofi.”

Even while leaving, they stubbornly called me Sofi.

After spending hours together, you’d think they’d show a bit more loyalty. Cowards.

“Girls, calm down. The young lady looks exhausted.”

At that, someone stepped forward and quieted the crowd.

A woman with neatly tied brown hair, gentle downturned eyes, and calm green irises — plain but kind-looking.

She gave me a graceful bow.

“My lady, I am Monica Miller, head maid of the annex.”

Ah, that explained her composure. The chief maid.
Judging by her surname, she wasn’t a commoner either.

Now that I looked closely, she was the only one not wearing a maid’s uniform — her dress was simple but elegant.

“Would it be all right if I gave a few instructions to the others?” she asked.

As long as it got me out of this mess, she could order them to jump off a cliff for all I cared.

Once I nodded, Monica clapped her hands twice and addressed the others.

“Standing around won’t bring back her memory. Let’s focus on what we can do. The head cook will prepare something warm, the ladies will tidy up the young lady’s room, and the rest of you will assist me.”

Then she turned back to me and asked politely,

“My lady, if it’s all right, may we help you bathe?”

“Uh… sure?”

At her signal, the maids practically pounced, dragging me toward the bath.

Since all twenty of them couldn’t attend at once, they decided it by drawing lots —
and the scene that followed was… unforgettable.

Maids clutching their hands, praying to the goddess for luck, vowing that fate itself would pick them —
as if bathing me were the greatest honor in the world.

After an intense competition, the “lucky winners” screamed in joy:

“Yes! Thank you, goddess!”

“Oh, for crying out loud.”

They cheered like they’d just won the lottery.

“My lady, is the temperature all right?”

“Yeah, it’s nice.”

“Kyaa! She said it’s nice!”

The maid who’d asked started blushing furiously and hopping in place.

I just stared at her in disbelief.

“Gasp.”

“……”

“She looked at me! The lady looked at me!”

…Good grief.