Chapter 87…
“What? Please answer me.”
Unable to wait any longer, Tession asked again.
Cynthia nodded before she even realized it. At the very least, her desire to stay by Tession’s side was sincere.
“Is that true?”
“Yes, I… want to be with you, Your Grace.”
Tession stared at her silently for a long moment.
In his eyes, she could faintly see the sorrow he had endured until now, mixed with a kind of unexpected, overwhelming emotion.
“Please kiss me, Cynthia.”
Tession spoke. Cynthia hesitated, looking at him.
This wasn’t their first kiss, and she certainly didn’t dislike it—but for some reason, tonight felt different.
As Cynthia’s lips trembled slightly in hesitation, Tession raised his arm and pulled the back of her head toward him. Their lips met instantly, their breaths tangling.
Accepting his breath, Cynthia reached her arms up and wrapped them around his neck.
She pulled him toward her with strength. Even though they were already as close as they could be, she wanted to hold him even tighter. If this was the only way she could show him her sincerity, then she wanted to do it.
So that he would no longer feel anxious.
Tession’s strong arms wrapped firmly around Cynthia’s waist. Her upper body gradually leaned back until she was lying flat on the bed.
And for a long time after that, the two held each other without even the smallest gap between them.
The next morning, Cynthia entered the dining room of the Lumanov ducal residence with Tession for breakfast, where Ruth had come to greet them.
“Good morning, Lady Elizabeth!”
“Oh, Ruth!”
“Ah, I was off yesterday, so I’m only giving you my greetings today. I hope you had a peaceful ni—… Eh?”
Ruth, greeting them with his usual friendly smile, suddenly stopped speaking. Cynthia, realizing his puzzled gaze was fixed on her eyes, forced an awkward smile.
“Haha…”
“Y–your eyes…”
Ruth’s expression grew increasingly complicated as he stared at her wide-eyed. He looked confused—had only he noticed the change? Was it okay to mention it? Why was the Duke not saying anything about it?
As Ruth stood stiff like a broken machine, Tession spoke sharply.
“Ruth, we’re trying to eat. I believe you should take your leave now.”
Only then did Ruth realize how rudely he had been staring at Cynthia. He jolted in surprise and bowed quickly.
“A-ah, my apologies! Then please enjoy your meal. The head chef prepared dishes he thought the lady would especially like.”
“Thank you, Ruth.”
“Yes, then I’ll be going—…”
As soon as Ruth left, Cynthia leaned toward Tession.
“Your Grace! What should we do now?”
“About what?”
“I think we’ll have to reveal that I’m not Lady Elizabeth, right? Will people accept that naturally? I feel like the consequences will be huge…”
At her words, Tession leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. While he tilted his head in thought, attendants began entering with dishes.
Cynthia’s gaze naturally drifted toward the food being set down in front of her.
It looks delicious…! The Lumanov chefs were truly exceptional.
Tession noticed how quickly the food stole her attention and smiled faintly.
“For now, eat. You’ve grown thin after everything that’s happened recently. While you stay here at the duchy, I’ll make sure you regain some weight.”
“Oh, no, I’m really not…”
Meeting Tession’s gaze, Cynthia trailed off. His gentle violet eyes were filled with affectionate concern.
Ahem… Receiving a look like that made her feel shy and strangely warm inside.
And she didn’t hate it…
Cynthia blushed lightly as she picked up her fork.
Meanwhile, Tession reached over and pushed her favorite dishes closer to her.
“Your Grace, if you keep doing that, the food will get too far from where you’re sitting. I’m fine, really.”
“I feel full just watching you eat.”
“If I really eat all of this, you won’t have anything left for yourself!”
“If you’re full, then that’s good enough for me.”
Tession rested his elbow on the table and propped his chin on his hand. He looked fully prepared to just sit there and watch her eat.
Cynthia glared playfully at him and spoke.
“I don’t like eating alone!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! I’ve always been like that. My family never paid attention to me, so I always ate alo—…”
Cynthia stopped mid-sentence.
Right… I did originally have a family.
But that wasn’t the story of Cynthia White, who woke up in this world alone. That was from long before, from her past life.
‘Again…’
A weak dizziness and headache washed over her, and she frowned.
Ever since last night, something had been strange. She kept trying to recall things, but it wasn’t easy. Whenever she tried to remember her past, something felt like it forcibly blocked her memories, leaving her unable to grasp her previous life clearly.
It was too strange. Why can’t I remember anything?
Did I eat something bad? Or were the recent events so intense that I went into shock without realizing it…?
“Cynthia.”
Lost in confusion, she heard Tession’s voice. Forcing herself to look up, she saw him holding his utensils with a worried expression.
“I’ll eat with you. If you dislike eating alone, then I’ll join you.”
“Ah… okay. Thank you.”
Cynthia stopped trying to force her memories and nodded.
Yes… I should at least eat something. If I keep acting like this, Tession will notice something’s wrong and worry even more.
‘But I can’t keep going on like this.’
Cynthia sank back into thought. It terrified her that she might be forgetting her past without realizing it.
The hazier her past became, the less she remembered about how she entered this novel.
Come to think of it, it was strange from the beginning. How could the original Elizabeth die so pointlessly? What was the reason behind that?
Following that train of thought, she felt a strong intuition—it must have something to do with her missing memories.
If that was the case, she needed to go back to the moment the original story first deviated…
“Cynthia.”
Tession called her again.
Realizing she had been caught spacing out once more, Cynthia quickly raised her voice brightly.
“Ah, yes! This looks delicious! Let’s eat!”
“….”
Tession’s eyes darkened slightly as he watched her force out the cheerful words. Whatever it was, every time she tried to recall the past, she seemed to suffer pain and confusion.
While he mentally sifted through the names of famous physicians in the Dirotein Empire, Cynthia stabbed a tomato and popped it into her mouth.
Now that she would be living with Tession for a while, she finally had some breathing room. She thought this was the perfect time to investigate her past—and uncover why the original novel’s timeline had gone off track.
‘If I figure that out, I’ll know what events are coming next. I’ll know what I need to do. Maybe I’ll settle in this world permanently… or maybe I’ll even return to where I originally came from.’
Whatever it was…
Cynthia lifted her gaze slightly to glance at Tession. She hoped she could do something that would make him happy…
Just then, seeing her troubled expression, Tession spoke—hoping to redirect her thoughts elsewhere.
“I plan to visit the Bailey estate tomorrow.”
“What? All of a sudden?”
Cynthia widened her ruby-like eyes in surprise. The way her beautiful red eyes focused solely on him lifted Tession’s mood a little.
“Yes. Since it’s what worries you most, I think it’s better to face it directly.”
Directly…?
Tession moved his utensils, placing different food items onto Cynthia’s plate as he continued.
“I intend to meet Duke Castleton and demand that he keep silent about the broken engagement with Elizabeth Bailey, as well as about everything concerning you. And in return, I will give back the Ritemper Merchant Guild.”
“The Ritemper Guild?”
