I obediently answered Marquis Glaine’s remark.
Honestly, what would I have done if I hadn’t mentioned memory loss? It seemed unlikely that he would have been so patient and understanding otherwise.
“This Emperor has sent invitations to all eligible young ladies, requiring them to attend a banquet.”
“…Father.”
He’s saying something absurd. I shook my head, turning pale.
Meeting Magnus again was absolutely out of the question. The royal banquet event wasn’t described in detail in the novel.
The novel only mentioned that Magnus discovered Illyana.
I didn’t know how or through what event he discovered her. Therefore, I didn’t want to go to such an uncertain place.
“Of course, you received one too, so prepare and attend.”
“But Father, I…”
As I opened my mouth with a confused expression, the man narrowed his eyes.
The faint patience that remained in his snake-like narrow eyes disappeared. My lips stuck together.
“I don’t want you to become the Empress. You don’t need to stand out.”
“……”
That was unexpected. I thought he would insist I become the Empress and stand out at all costs.
As I blinked, Marquis Glaine stared at my face for a moment, then smiled as if amused.
“You’re the only heir to the Marquis family. You don’t need to be something like an Empress.”
“Yes, Father…”
‘Something like an Empress,’ he says.
I wonder if the Marquis family can be compared to the Empress, who is second in power only to the Emperor, but Marquis Glaine’s face was full of pride for his family.
“However, since we don’t fully understand the Emperor’s temperament, it’s not good to go against him. There might be unnecessary trouble, so just enjoy it moderately and come back.”
Even so, I’m not keen on meeting Magnus. What are the chances he won’t discover me?
Moreover, the story seemed to be flowing a bit differently from what I knew.
‘Originally, the female lead was immediately appointed as the Emperor’s consort and then became Empress.’
But instead of becoming a consort, she suddenly became the head of the Medical Institute.
I felt frustrated. I realized the story was flowing differently from what I knew.
But seeing that he’s gathering eligible young ladies for Empress selection, it doesn’t seem entirely different either.
Magnus is surely looking for me.
“You say you’ve lost your memory, but your demeanor has changed.”
He narrowed his eyes as if trying to figure something out and observed me closely.
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, I was strict with you to raise you as an heir, so it’s natural. It’s been a while since we’ve had such a long conversation.”
Marquis Glaine said this while elegantly cutting another piece of steak and putting it in his mouth.
His fluid, perfect movements showed not a single flaw.
“You eat too.”
“Yes.”
Although it’s extremely uncomfortable, I can’t refuse when told to eat, so I forcibly grasped the utensils.
When I thought about cutting the meat, my hand moved naturally. I gripped the knife and naturally held one of the three forks.
‘…Amazing.’
My body remembered so well that my movements were controlled without much effort.
Marquis Glaine glanced at me and finished his meal with a satisfied look.
“For a while, study what you’ve forgotten in the mansion. If you can’t answer when I ask questions unexpectedly… there will be consequences.”
“Yes, I understand.”
I answered, and another boring meal continued. I was deliberately eating slowly because the food felt like it would get stuck, when Marquis Glaine stood up first.
He patted my shoulder twice as if to encourage me and left the dining room.
As his sharp gaze left, my tense body instantly relaxed. I leaned back on the luxurious velvet chair with a tired expression.
‘Do I really have to keep living with this person?’
No matter how large the mansion is, there’s no guarantee we won’t run into each other.
At least, claiming memory loss seemed to have made him somewhat milder than our first meeting, but that would only be when he’s not in a bad mood.
“Mag…”
I uttered that name after a very long time. The name Illyana Glaine had given to Magnus.
To her, Magnus was not an Emperor or a Prince, just ‘Mag,’ and to Magnus, Illyana was not a lady or the eldest daughter of the Glaine family, just ‘Lyna.’
So, I had deep questions about the relationship between Magnus and Illyana.
The two knew everything about each other, but could they really have had no feelings at all?
“I don’t know.”
Even now, in this body, I still don’t know what kind of relationship Magnus and Illyana had.
I understand that Illyana had some feelings for Magnus.
I was just curious about why Magnus didn’t kill her.
“Becoming a priest is out of the question.”
If I had spoken up, they might have said they’d start with mental reformation.
Of course, the main purpose was to run away just in case, so it’s frustratingly disappointing, but there’s nothing I can do.
I was so tense that my body felt stiff. I quickly got up and left the dining room.
I was truly exhausted.
*** *** *** *** ***
“She says she has no memory…”
Wrinkles formed around the eyes of Marquis Glaine as he left the dining room.
He returned to his office and sat in front of his desk. Even the tapping of his fingers on the table, as if frustrated, was neither loud nor irregular.
He lightly shook a bell with a handle that was placed on one side of the desk.
Ding-ding.
The clear sound of brass clashing was heard, and shortly after, a neatly dressed butler knocked on the door and entered the office. He was the general manager of the Glaine estate.
“You called, Master.”
The butler, with a starkly white-haired, ascetic impression, wore a smile without a hint of deviation and walked with a steady gait.
Standing a few steps away from the desk where Marquis Glaine sat, he waited for the Marquis’s response.
The soft footsteps stopped, and only then did Marquis Glaine, who was deep in thought, lift his gaze.
“Marva, Illyana says she has lost parts of her memory.”
“…The young lady, you say?”
Marva couldn’t hide his surprised voice. For someone who always restrained his emotions and limited his movements, it was a rare moment of agitation.
Marquis Glaine nodded.
“Yes, from what I’ve heard, she was drenched at the temple training center and fell seriously ill, which seems to have caused the problem. Of course, that’s if it’s true.”
“Do you think the young lady might be lying?”
“Well, I don’t know about anything else, but it doesn’t seem like she’s lying about losing her memory. That child has never smiled when talking to me before.”
Marquis Glaine recalled the child who had been smiling hard with trembling lips.
She was awkwardly trying to gauge whether she had upset him.
He had raised her strictly, believing it was the right thing to do. He had raised her as he had been raised.
The child grew up to be everything he wanted, but their relationship became distant.
Then, when he returned after finishing his busy work, she had run away to the temple training center.
She was a child who always glared at him as if she hated him, yet trembled at his words and never thought of escaping, so the Marquis couldn’t help but be a little surprised.
He felt there was a need to give her some breathing room.
So he turned a blind eye to her living freely for a while, but he never expected such a problem to arise and bring her back.
‘Perhaps this is better.’
Her actions were as perfect as her body remembered.
The hostility had significantly diminished, and it was fascinating to see her occasionally show emotions. However, it wasn’t that she wasn’t afraid of him.
Seeing his daughter smile for the first time in a long time wasn’t bad.
Marquis Glaine unknowingly tapped the table rhythmically.
“…Did the young lady smile?”
“Yes, I also saw her surprised expression.”
“The young lady did?”
Marva’s face showed disbelief.
Marquis Glaine nodded lightly in agreement with his words.
“Perhaps it’s true that she lost her memory. Otherwise, she must have become an incredible actress while I wasn’t looking.”
He twisted his lips as if telling a funny story. Then he tilted his head slightly.
“But it’s strange. The atmosphere has changed too much for that.”
Marquis Glaine muttered softly.
“But a drenching, you say. Who would dare to do that to the only heir of the Glaine family… Was the young lady not injured?”
Marva spoke with a face full of concern.
Marva had been taking care of Illyana since she was born. So, his affection was bound to be special.
Of course, as Illyana and Marquis Glaine grew distant, the distance between Marva and Illyana also became uncontrollably wide.
“Yes. And since we need to examine her condition in detail, call the personal physician. Also, we need to look into Illyana’s records from the past two years. Send someone to find out. And the identity of the person who dared to drench my heir.”
“I will follow your orders, Master.”
After giving the orders, Marva bowed deeply to Marquis Glaine, who was lost in thought.
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