The maid, Marge, a long-time employee of Count Acacia's mansion, narrowed her eyes and watched the mistress of the mansion. She read the "Imperial Daily" that the butler had hurriedly brought her.
Yes. That "Imperial Daily". The newspaper that Blie had laughed at and thrown away, saying that it was absurd and long-winded. The newspaper that she had told him to use as a kindling, saying that the newspaper kept being delivered to her house when the Count was not even home.
'You must be crazy.'
She was walking just fine on both legs and then suddenly stopped and rejoiced. She asked for a glass of water, and when the maid gave it to her, she said, “Thank you,” with moved eyes. And then she sat in the living room, sipping tea, and suddenly became happy again. She started her day by reading a proper newspaper, not gossip, and that was Countess Acacia...
'You must be crazy.'
She was walking just fine on both legs and then suddenly stopped and rejoiced. She asked for a glass of water, and when the maid gave it to her, she said, “Thank you,” with moved eyes. And then she sat in the living room, sipping tea, and suddenly became happy again. She started her day by reading a proper newspaper, not gossip, and that was Countess Acacia...
When Marge turned my gaze to the entrance of the living room, the other maids were swarming in and whispering as they watched her. The combination of Blue and a newspaper was quite a sight for the maids to see.
'Isn't there a shopping catalog in there?'
'There's news of a huge fire or flood somewhere.'
'That may be true. Madam, you might like that kind of thing.'
A faint whispering sound was heard. Marge hurriedly chased them away. Whether it was good or bad, Blie was the mistress of this mansion, so Marge couldn't let any bad rumors spread. There was another reason why she was worried about this again. Unlike the Countess who had been 'showing off her ignorance', Blie who had been sitting in her room for several days, started asking strange questions. For example,
'What, what is my name exactly?'
'Where is Count Acacia?'
'You, are you my nanny?'
Such absurd questions. And very carefully. It was fortunate that she asked them when she was alone, for if the loose-lipped young maids heard them, the rumor would spread throughout the capital that 'Countess Acacia is crazy.'
“The last one.”
So, Marge tensed up at the voice calling her. She checked to see if the reception room door was properly closed, then closed her mouth and approached her. Blie, who had finished reading the Imperial Daily, was absentminded for a while before calling her.
‘What kind of nonsense are you trying to say again...’
“Am I... Am I, the mistress of Noevian Trovica?”
“!”
Oh my God, oh my God. Marge glanced quickly around the empty reception room, then lowered her voice and answered.
“Are you finally ready to tell me the truth?”
"...Truth?"
Blie's beautiful turquoise eyes stared straight into hers. Marge nodded and leaned close to her, whispering.
“Are you on good terms with His Highness the Grand Duke?”
“...Why, why did you think that?”
Blie's speech, which was no different from that of a commoner, had somehow become more aristocratic. Just like Count Acacia. Feeling a strange sense of discomfort, Magie hurriedly continued speaking, fearing that Blie, who had suddenly become cautious, would keep her mouth shut.
“No, if it weren’t for the government, how could you be so interested in the Grand Duke’s safety?”
"...I?"
'Isn't there a shopping catalog in there?'
'There's news of a huge fire or flood somewhere.'
'That may be true. Madam, you might like that kind of thing.'
A faint whispering sound was heard. Marge hurriedly chased them away. Whether it was good or bad, Blie was the mistress of this mansion, so Marge couldn't let any bad rumors spread. There was another reason why she was worried about this again. Unlike the Countess who had been 'showing off her ignorance', Blie who had been sitting in her room for several days, started asking strange questions. For example,
'What, what is my name exactly?'
'Where is Count Acacia?'
'You, are you my nanny?'
Such absurd questions. And very carefully. It was fortunate that she asked them when she was alone, for if the loose-lipped young maids heard them, the rumor would spread throughout the capital that 'Countess Acacia is crazy.'
“The last one.”
So, Marge tensed up at the voice calling her. She checked to see if the reception room door was properly closed, then closed her mouth and approached her. Blie, who had finished reading the Imperial Daily, was absentminded for a while before calling her.
‘What kind of nonsense are you trying to say again...’
“Am I... Am I, the mistress of Noevian Trovica?”
“!”
Oh my God, oh my God. Marge glanced quickly around the empty reception room, then lowered her voice and answered.
“Are you finally ready to tell me the truth?”
"...Truth?"
Blie's beautiful turquoise eyes stared straight into hers. Marge nodded and leaned close to her, whispering.
“Are you on good terms with His Highness the Grand Duke?”
“...Why, why did you think that?”
Blie's speech, which was no different from that of a commoner, had somehow become more aristocratic. Just like Count Acacia. Feeling a strange sense of discomfort, Magie hurriedly continued speaking, fearing that Blie, who had suddenly become cautious, would keep her mouth shut.
“No, if it weren’t for the government, how could you be so interested in the Grand Duke’s safety?”
"...I?"
“Yes, and His Highness the Grand Duke often sent you gifts and dresses...”
“He... he did.”
Blie's voice subsided. Marge thought for a long time as if she had said something wrong. In fact, Marge had already taken her theory as a given. The reason Marge had asked Blie in the morning whether the death of the Grand Duchess was not a good thing, since she was the Grand Duke's wife, was to see how Blie would react.
“Even now, you affectionately call His Highness ‘that guy’... Oh, Ma’am. Is that right? Is His Highness the kind of person who would invite Madam to a funeral and take care of you like this just because your husband is away?”
Count Acacia was busy with the affairs of the land and rarely came to the mansion in the capital. When a vassal was away, his spouse naturally had to be under the protection of the Grand Duke, his lord. So he could personally invite Blie to the Grand Duchess's funeral. But...
“Just by looking at the fact that the Count turns a blind eye to any outings I have, it seems like we are not on good terms. Now, please stop hiding it and tell me everything you have to say.”
After thinking about it, she sent an astonishing reply to the servant that she would attend the funeral. How dare she, to the Grand Duke. If Blie could do so, what on earth could she do if not because she was his mistress?
“He... he did.”
Blie's voice subsided. Marge thought for a long time as if she had said something wrong. In fact, Marge had already taken her theory as a given. The reason Marge had asked Blie in the morning whether the death of the Grand Duchess was not a good thing, since she was the Grand Duke's wife, was to see how Blie would react.
“Even now, you affectionately call His Highness ‘that guy’... Oh, Ma’am. Is that right? Is His Highness the kind of person who would invite Madam to a funeral and take care of you like this just because your husband is away?”
Count Acacia was busy with the affairs of the land and rarely came to the mansion in the capital. When a vassal was away, his spouse naturally had to be under the protection of the Grand Duke, his lord. So he could personally invite Blie to the Grand Duchess's funeral. But...
“Just by looking at the fact that the Count turns a blind eye to any outings I have, it seems like we are not on good terms. Now, please stop hiding it and tell me everything you have to say.”
After thinking about it, she sent an astonishing reply to the servant that she would attend the funeral. How dare she, to the Grand Duke. If Blie could do so, what on earth could she do if not because she was his mistress?
However, as a long-time servant of this household, Marge was also familiar with the Grand Duke's temperament, and at the same time, she was anxious. It seemed that the Grand Duke would not be very patient with his mistress.
'I need to get dressed up quickly and have the carriage ready...'
While some people were worried that the Grand Duke would strike them with lightning, Blie, the person in question, showed no sign of hurrying at all.
“You don’t know either.”
'If she doesn't say anything herself, how can a maid like me know?!'
There is a limit to how much you can accept if the situation is strange. Marge gritted her teeth and gathered her patience as she nodded.
“Yes, no one in this mansion can tell me the answer. For now, I have no choice but to accept his invitation and go to the funeral.”
No, so what on earth is your relationship? And the Grand Duke contacted you personally because the Grand Duchess died, so why are you saying that it’s natural for the wife of that vassal to attend the funeral?
'I need to get dressed up quickly and have the carriage ready...'
While some people were worried that the Grand Duke would strike them with lightning, Blie, the person in question, showed no sign of hurrying at all.
“You don’t know either.”
'If she doesn't say anything herself, how can a maid like me know?!'
There is a limit to how much you can accept if the situation is strange. Marge gritted her teeth and gathered her patience as she nodded.
“Yes, no one in this mansion can tell me the answer. For now, I have no choice but to accept his invitation and go to the funeral.”
No, so what on earth is your relationship? And the Grand Duke contacted you personally because the Grand Duchess died, so why are you saying that it’s natural for the wife of that vassal to attend the funeral?
All sorts of words rolled around in her mind, but Marge held them back. There was no way she’d forgotten Blie's temper just because she’d been quiet for the past few days. Before throwing even a single thing, she decided to quietly help with the dressing up. Then she kept a close eye on Blie’s unfamiliar behavior, as she constantly wiggled her fingers and expressed her anxiety.
***
I saw that while the head maid Marge was comfortable with me, the other maids were almost bent over at the waist when they met my gaze. They all looked at me and immediately looked down when our eyes met. Not only that but whenever they tried to say a word, they were clearly tense.
'Blie Acacia was a scary person.'
It was understandable. My whole body was filled with energy. I could run around and scream loudly without any problems. For the first time in a long time, I was wearing shoes instead of slippers, and my body didn't stumble. My hair, which used to fall out in clumps, didn't fall out no matter how many times I combed it.
“It’s done, Ma’am.”
A young maid named Jonah blushed and said, standing in front of the full-length mirror, a familiar face and an unfamiliar body were reflected. The face, which was moderately plump and good-looking, was strange. I never coughed, and while I was up, eating, and dressing, I did not have a single seizure.
“...I look healthy.”
"Yes?"
Jonah’s face turned pale as if she thought those words were an accusation. But I smiled contentedly. How much I had prayed and prayed to have a body like this.
'Blie Acacia was a scary person.'
It was understandable. My whole body was filled with energy. I could run around and scream loudly without any problems. For the first time in a long time, I was wearing shoes instead of slippers, and my body didn't stumble. My hair, which used to fall out in clumps, didn't fall out no matter how many times I combed it.
“It’s done, Ma’am.”
A young maid named Jonah blushed and said, standing in front of the full-length mirror, a familiar face and an unfamiliar body were reflected. The face, which was moderately plump and good-looking, was strange. I never coughed, and while I was up, eating, and dressing, I did not have a single seizure.
“...I look healthy.”
"Yes?"
Jonah’s face turned pale as if she thought those words were an accusation. But I smiled contentedly. How much I had prayed and prayed to have a body like this.
After being confused and dazed all morning, I finally admitted that this was not a ‘dream’ or a ‘fantasy.’ All the newspapers had the sad news of Adrienne Trovica’s death on their front pages, and the circumstances were the same as the last I remembered. A severe seizure due to a chronic illness, and then sudden death.
I was confused as to whether my dead soul had entered Blie Acacia’s body, or whether I had originally been Blie Acacia but had fallen into a state of insanity. But no matter how much I thought about it, I was Adrienne.
I slowly took a step closer to the mirror. I loved her rosy cheeks. There was only one reason why I didn’t go crazy right away despite experiencing such an absurd situation. This woman’s face was so eerily similar to mine. It was so similar to the image I had always dreamed of. It was as if I were dreaming.
'Did God give me a chance?'
I couldn't shake the feeling that I was born again as if I had shed my sick and diseased body and gained an identical body. It's an unheard-of phenomenon, but isn't it happening to me right now? What if my soul contained in this body tries to return to my original body that is already dead?
'Absolutely not.'
Rather, I want to stop it. I feel a little sorry for Blie, the owner of this body. Right now, I eat alone, walk alone, and do something alone, and every single action I take is touching. I couldn’t believe that my husband and the owner of this body had such a strange relationship. There was no way that Noevian, who put his own face first, would do that, and why would he, who loved me so much and wanted to take me in as a Grand Duchess despite knowing my weak condition, be so regretful?
'Did God give me a chance?'
I couldn't shake the feeling that I was born again as if I had shed my sick and diseased body and gained an identical body. It's an unheard-of phenomenon, but isn't it happening to me right now? What if my soul contained in this body tries to return to my original body that is already dead?
'Absolutely not.'
Rather, I want to stop it. I feel a little sorry for Blie, the owner of this body. Right now, I eat alone, walk alone, and do something alone, and every single action I take is touching. I couldn’t believe that my husband and the owner of this body had such a strange relationship. There was no way that Noevian, who put his own face first, would do that, and why would he, who loved me so much and wanted to take me in as a Grand Duchess despite knowing my weak condition, be so regretful?
When I imagined someone so busy that he could hardly visit the capital, let alone the Grand Duchess, leisurely enjoying a date with a government, I could only laugh. The man I know is definitely not that kind of person.
What about dating?
He’s a man who’s half-crazy about work. I’ve even heard that there are women in high society who secretly gossip about Noevian’s attractive government. However, that was something they said without knowing how busy Noevian was solving incidents and accidents on behalf of the royal family.
***
I got into the carriage with a strange feeling of both joy and sadness. It had been a long time since I’d dressed up and gone out like this.
Arriving at the Trovica family cemetery, I calmed my pounding heart and got off the carriage. As I got closer to the cemetery entrance, my spine started to tingle. The strange excitement didn't last long. My joy at being healthy was also fading away.
As I approached, step by step, I saw myself lying down, neatly dressed as if I was not dead.
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