Chapter 7
The Grand Duke was sitting beside the bed with sharp, alert eyes, as if he had stayed up all night watching me.
I almost dropped the glass of water in shock.
Then I suddenly realized—yesterday, I had collapsed in the bathroom.
And I had been wearing nothing but a very thin robe.
I quickly put the glass down and checked my body under the blanket.
“I have no interest in your body.”
Just as I was about to check what I was wearing, the Grand Duke spoke indifferently.
“Then th-the person who changed my clothes…!”
“You think I did it?”
“No?”
Looking at his expression, he really seemed like someone who would hate even touching me.
Ah… maybe that’s true.
“I didn’t think so either, Your Highness.”
Hmph. After confirming that I was properly dressed in a long chemise, I pretended to stay calm and picked up the glass again.
“But… did you stay up all night to watch over me?”
“Watch over you? I was guarding you because you might run away.”
It seemed he still thought I was acting.
“…Then do you think I pretended to faint yesterday too?”
“Not impossible.”
“But it was real.”
“You expect me to believe what you say? How dare you?”
Well… that would be difficult.
I shook my head and drank some more water, then fiddled with the glass.
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
“From now on, keep trying to remember. Until you recall something.”
“Wait!”
As the Grand Duke tried to leave, I quickly got up from the bed and followed him.
His legs were so long and his steps so wide that I struggled to keep up with my unsteady body.
Maybe he noticed me trying to chase after him, because he stopped at the door and glanced back at me.
“Remember this. Until you regain your memory, you cannot leave this place.”
“But I don’t remember anything—!”
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
Startled, I rushed to the door and grabbed the handle.
No matter how much I tried, it wouldn’t move.
“…Ha!”
The Grand Duke had really locked me in.
* * *
It was very clear that everyone here hated me.
First of all, they didn’t let me rest properly.
Every hour, a servant came into the room to ask if I remembered anything.
On top of that, the food was terrible.
Since I hadn’t eaten anything for days, they said they would give me soup in the morning—but it was almost like plain water.
Lunch and dinner were even worse.
Just a few pieces of hard bread and water.
But if they thought I would confess that I had regained my memory because of this, they were wrong.
Even in my previous life, I rarely ate properly because I was always busy earning and saving money.
So it wasn’t that hard.
“Here, bread! Want some bread?”
It had been about three days.
The system had said I had nothing to trade, so I wondered if even bread might work.
I held it out into the air—but nothing appeared.
“Are… are you alright?”
Instead, I only got a shocked look from a servant who had entered to ask about my memory and saw me holding bread out into empty space.
“Of course. I’m perfectly fine!”
The servants looked at me like they suspected I had gone crazy.
To reassure them, I waved the bread and smiled.
But they clearly didn’t believe me.
Thinking back, they actually looked scared.
“…Sigh.”
That day, like always, I finished washing up in the bathroom attached to my room—just like a hospital room.
When I came out, the maids were inside.
“…What is it?”
They normally only came in to bring food or clothes, so I was confused.
“His Highness has said he will dine with you this evening.”
“What? …With me?”
“Yes, Madam. We will help you put on a dress.”
As they approached with a dress, I instinctively stepped back.
I was afraid of how roughly they might treat me again.
“We will assist you over here.”
But they didn’t come toward me.
Instead, they placed a mirror on the table and guided me to sit.
“If anything feels uncomfortable, please tell us.”
I looked at them, surprised.
Then they gently seated me in the chair.
Their hands were much softer than before—and they were even smiling kindly.
Why? Why are they acting like this all of a sudden?
Unlike before, they calmly helped me into the dress and even styled my hair.
“Do you like it?”
One of the maids asked, showing me my reflection.
Maybe it was because I had washed… or because I had eaten something over the past few days.
But the person in the mirror looked completely different from before.
Clear turquoise eyes.
Soft pink hair that changed shade under the light.
Smooth, pale skin.
She looked… more lovely than I expected.
Lea Azanie had a small face, a long neck, and delicate collarbones visible above the neckline of the dress.
She almost looked like a ballerina.
“What…?”
Looking like this…
“This woman is actually really pretty… wow.”
As I turned my face side to side in admiration, the maids stepped back and exchanged glances.
“I heard she lost her mind… maybe it’s true.”
“No, they said she sees ghosts.”
“Shh, she’ll hear you.”
“No way. We’re whispering.”
“Is it true she offered bread to a ghost?”
“They said they saw it themselves.”
I see…
So that’s why they’re being nice.
They think I’m crazy.
They’re being careful because they don’t know what I might do.
I thought about correcting them—but honestly, this was better than being treated roughly.
So instead, I asked them to guide me.
Wait… then the reason the Grand Duke called me—
Isn’t it to check whether I’m really crazy or not?
Either way, I couldn’t miss the chance to meet him.
* * *
“I heard everyone says you’ve gone mad.”
The Grand Duke smiled lazily, one corner of his lips raised.
See? He definitely heard those reports.
But he didn’t seem to believe them at all.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t look so calm and cold.
“I’m not crazy.”
“You don’t look it. Sit.”
Sitting at the head of the table, he casually gestured for me to sit across from him.
At his command, the servants moved smoothly, pulling out a chair and seating me.
The dining hall was grand, but I couldn’t enjoy it.
After locking me up for days, there was no way he called me here just to check if I was sane.
Is he trying to persuade me?
Or test me?
Then I noticed the food in front of me.
Water, champagne, and appetizers.
Wait… is this poisoned?
The man who had been feeding me soup and dry bread was suddenly offering such fancy food.
It felt suspicious.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
I can’t just eat and die like this.
My previous life already had a bad ending. I don’t want this one to end the same way.
“…I’m not hungry.”
I answered calmly and pretended to wipe my mouth with a napkin.
“Your eyes are fixed on the food, yet you’re not hungry?”
He smirked.
“Th-that’s… because it looks pretty.”
“You look like you’re about to drool.”
“You’re mistaken!”
“What? Afraid it’s poisoned?”
Wow, this man is like a ghost.
Trying not to show hesitation, I shook my head quickly.
“I never thought something that scary.”
“Eat.”
“No… but…”
“You won’t die from the food.”
What?
I stared at him in shock.
Without even looking at me, the Grand Duke calmly picked up a golden knife.
“Today.”
