Quagwagwang-!
The sound of an explosion along with a huge sound hit my ears.
Everyone was looking at the inn with devastated faces.
Soot and acrid smoke flew in and covered the Viscountess and driver.
Someone appeared in front of us, coughing repeatedly.
"What is going on?"
The man with a heavy voice was looking down at me with sharp eyes.
For a moment, Maxwell's mouth opened after his body froze under the mysterious gaze.
"Your Excellency the Marquis!"
This man looking at me with murderous eyes was none other than the Marquis Xavier.
A war hero of the Orbis Empire with a Princess as his wife.
Marquis Xavier, who had been quietly looking down at me, raised his head.
Every time he spoke a word, tension appeared on the faces of the knights around him.
"Why are you here?"
Sir Maxwell quickly approached and knelt in front of the Marquis.
"I was taking VIPs to the mansion at the order of my wife."
The Marquis voice fell softly as he glanced at me.
"She's a distinguished guest. Is that young woman my wife's guest of honor?"
It wasn't a particularly negative emotion mixed in, but an inexplicable sense of intimidation was weighing me down just by asking the question.
The moment those indifferent eyes focused on me, I felt like my insides were clearly visible.
It was a moment when I was trying to somehow open my lips that wouldn't let go.
The Viscountess, who walked lightly, covered me and stood in front of the Marquis, speaking in a soft voice.
"I apologize for being late in greeting you. Thankfully, this is Viscount Mancini's Blair, who came to the imperial capital thanks to the Marchioness's favor. It's truly been a long time since I last saw you."
The eyes that had been looking at me slowly turned to the Viscountess. His voice, which had been solemn a moment ago, became murky as if he was agitated.
"Viscount Mancini. Right."
"My Lord, Madam said she was concerned about the safety of an old friend, so she asked us directly..."
"There is no excuse. If the Marquis's mistress gives an order, then as a knight of the family, I must follow it."
The Marquis raised his hand to interrupt the stuttering knight, looked at me again, and asked.
"I understand that Viscount Manchini's only daughter is dead."
At the words that directly mentioned the Viscountess's tragedy, gasps could be heard here and there.
I glanced up at the Viscountess.
She was smiling without any sign of discomfort.
"You still have the same honest nature."
"..."
"She is my relative. Due to circumstances, I am in charge of her for the time being, but this time, she's joining me."
"Exactly?"
He glanced at me once again, then turned his head to look at the burning inn.
"The treatment was excessively inadequate for a distinguished guest."
"I'm sorry. It's my fault."
"I will return to the mansion and personally determine my mistakes. Get the report ready."
The knights who bowed their heads at the Marquis's words were seen flinching. Only then did I realize that my appearance, covered in soot, was not true.
The condition of the dress, which cost a lot of money to make, was also miserable.
"How much damage is there? What about the dead?"
Maxwell carefully answered the caIm Marquis question.
"Fortunately, the inn had already been emptied to welcome the distinguished guests. The chef who ran away is currently being pursued by Dylan and Leslie."
"Are you saying there are no deaths or injuries?"
"Yes."
"..."
The Marquis quietly looked at the inn building turning to ashes and muttered.
"This is very surprising. There was enough gunpowder to blow up a building, and it caught fire, and just in time, the direction of the wind blew against those who escaped."
Naturally, it was thanks to Windy's efforts that we were able to minimize the heat that instantly hit us.
Only then did I understand why the Marquis gave me and the Viscountess a strange look.
Because I was too lucky to call it a coincidence. As if I knew what was going to happen, he narrowly avoided all misfortune.
I looked down at my palms, which were scratching and stinging on the floor while rushing out frantically, and decided to practice the correct posture as a noble lady.
"Isabella?"
I relaxed my body and let my upper body fall to the floor.
I heard the Viscountess calling me in confusion, but I pretended not to hear her and closed my eyes.
Fortunately, I was able to fall asleep quickly, probably because I was mentally and physically exhausted from the long trip and the previous accident.
***
The moment I opened my eyes, a gorgeous and luxurious ceiling painting greeted me.
Lively facial expressions and three-dimensional gestures of people.
I was busy admiring the painting in silence for a while as the ceiling painting was of a high standard that I had never seen before, even in a temple.
"Are you awake?"
When I turned my head after asking the question cautiously, a maid with an unfamiliar face caught my eye.
"Where am I?"
"This is the work of the Marquis Xavier, my lady, please wait for a moment. I'll call someone."
The maid politely bowed and answered, then stepped back, opened the door, and went out.
As I was trying to get up, I groaned out loud at the pain I felt in every bone and relaxed.
It wasn't long before the Viscountess with a worried face came to see me.
She also looked very shocked due to the sudden accident and her complexion was not good.
"How are you feeling?"
"It's okay. It's something I can bear."
As she tried to smile, a faint look of pity crossed her face. The woman who straightened my hair continued.
"The doctor said so. You must have been exhausted from the arduous journey and must have been very surprised by the sudden, serious accident."
"Is Madam okay?"
"I'm not particularly injured."
She smiled as if it was okay, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke in a low voice.
"The doctor who treated you said that your muscles are very stiff, probably because you are always tense. So, when you suddenly started doing exercises that you had never done before, your muscles were surprised."
Was that why I felt a throbbing pain just by trying to get up?
The Viscountess tucked my hair behind my ear, looked down quietly, and then opened her mouth again.
"Since when?"
"Yes?"
"When did your memories come back?"
The words she asked me were filled with confidence.
Well, when I heard the truth from Hugh, I accepted everything so naturally that I could hardly be considered someone who had lost my memory.
I didn't think I could ever fool the sharp-eyed Viscountess.
'It is difficult to deceive those who are quick-witted and sensitive to the other person's feelings or actions. This is especially true if you are a noble lady who has honed her eye for people in the social world for a long time.'
Violet advised mixing 'a few truths to deceive such people. I stayed still, making eye contact with calm eyes, and then moistened my dry lips with my tongue as if my stomach was burning. Then, after hesitating for a while and not being able to speak, I cautiously opened my mouth.
"At first, as you know, only the scenes that were stuck in my memory came to mind. But little by little, other memories began to connect through dreams. The random scenes were organized very slowly, but they were not complete."
I glanced at a shadow standing quietly outside the door. The owner of the shadow is probably Holiday, who has been appointed as my escort.
"Then, after meeting Sir Hugh, my memories began to return rapidly. The facts he told me and the scenes from the past that came to mind were mixed up in my head, and I tried to tell them after I got them more organized."
The Viscountess held my hand in a depressed voice.
"I'm not trying to place blame. I'm confused, so it's natural for me to keep my mouth shut."
A friendly voice comforted me.
"But Isabella."
Her voice became firm.
"You can't act like that in front of Her Highness the Princess, no, the Marquis. If you can't completely fake it, you should be honest."
"..."
"Because I understand you. I fully considered your position and accepted that what you hid was not necessarily intended to deceive me."
"I guess not him."
"Because he doesn't need to understand your position. Even your little, unintentional lie can be a deception to Him."
The woman who touched my cheek paused for a moment and then added slowly.
"You cannot receive his respect with your current status. Until you were recognized as the eldest daughter of the Count of Brium, you were only Isabella, whose origins were unknown."
Normally, there is such a vast difference in status between us that we would not even be able to dream of meeting Her Royal Highness the Princess.
From the beginning. Eric's plan was not to welcome the royal family.
All I had to do was simply tell Viscountess Manchini the 'secret of my birth' to gain her appropriate, and then receive letters of introduction to other nobles in the imperial capital.
No one could have predicted that she would organize everything in the territory and join hands with me to ascend to the imperial capital.
Even I didn't approach the Viscountess to swallow her whole.
'All I wanted was a little compassion.'
She gave me her whole heart.
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