Chapter 1 - I Died

Grand Duchess Trovica is weak.

If you were a resident of Ronta, chances were that you’ve probably heard of it at least once.

The only grand duchess of the empire is weak, while the duke’s worries were skyrocketing.

“Cough, cough!”

“Oh goodness, Grand Duchess! I’ve told you that you have to drink the water slowly!”

Her body was so weak that she couldn’t even say anything to the maid who dared to cause a ruckus.

After her marriage with the Grand Duke, her body, which was still

weak, was always causing problems, and the only people she could rely on

in this spacious mansion were the maids.

“Ugh, this heat is seriously too much. Your Highness, you can’t just

have a glass of water for the whole day. What would you like to eat?”

“I can, I can eat…”

“Sure.”

Annie, her personal maid, whispered something to the other maid and giggled.

Soon after that, she heard the sound of another maid carrying a tray she had brought in from outside into the bedroom.

No, no way!

Adrienne cried out desperately in her heart, but she couldn’t make a sound.

The reason being the fact that she was a noble among nobles who was not in any position to lose her face over food.

Annie, who knew this, comforted her while giving her a sweet smile.

“I worked really hard to make it, but Your Highness doesn’t even have the strength to lift her spoon, what are we going to do?”

“Even if it’s just plain soup, as long as you bring it…”

“That’s not possible, Grand Duchess. You threw up all over the

clothes and blankets that you were wearing last time. Do you know how

hard it was for the people in the laundry room?”

But, that’s your job.

Adrienne didn’t even change her clothes, which were meant to be changed twice a day, for over a week.

Furthermore, the only reason she couldn’t keep the soup down in the

first place was because it was ridiculously salty and mixed in with

something grainy, like sand that made her tongue tingle.

Besides, as Annie said, Adrienne was now in a state of overexertion just by holding the spoon for such a long time.

The maid who was supposed to feed her and wipe her mouth merely stood

with her arms crossed and looked at her with an expression that told

her to hurry up and eat quicker, but she was so nervous that she

couldn’t chew the food properly.

“Grand Duchess—”

Less than a minute after the maid took the tray away, the Duke’s aide, Jimsker, came in after a knock.

Adrienne’s face lit up immediately.

“Your Highness, this is a gift from the Grand Duke.”

“Th-This is?”

The servants who followed him then brought in several gift boxes to the bedroom

But compared to gifts, Adrienne wanted to see her husband’s face even more.

They had already been married for two years.

Her husband who had taken the title of the Emperor’s secretary, was

called up to take care of the east, west, north and south borders,

taking care of both small and large affairs on behalf of the Emperor, so

they were not able to enjoy their time as newlyweds.

Adrienne was proud of him, but at the same time, she was also lonely.

“He has returned to the capital, but had to enter the palace immediately at the Emperor’s command…”

Jimsker, who was familiar with the couple’s situation, said with an awkward expression.

“The house…cough. Can he not even stop by for a minute?”

“But there is also a meeting right after his audience with the Emperor is over…”

Jimsker took a slow look at Adrienne who was young and beautiful, but was extremely ill.

The Grand Duchess sat, leaning against the head of the bed in

pajamas, which by aristocratic standards, was ‘akin to wearing nothing

at all’.

The mistress of this mansion, who should be dressed elegantly and

greet him in the parlour of the Grand Duke, which was as luxurious as

the Imperial Palace.

The illness was so severe that it was impossible for her to carry out such etiquette.

“I will try to persuade him to stay in the capital for a day or so before we leave again.”

Jimsker had a sad expression on his face as he told her.

“Cough. I beg of you, Sir Jimsker.”

Adrienne quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief.

As the cold air entered the room, she suddenly started coughing.

Shortly after that, Jimsker left the bedroom, as if he was driven out by the butlers and maids.

Fearing that Adrienne would say something nonsensical, the servants hastily showed him out.

The Grand Duke’s residence suddenly became busy.

The reason being that the Grand Duke, Novian Trovica, who had gone to inspect the northern estates, was about to come back.

[ / / / ]

“Hey, I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“When did you arrive? I asked you to wake me up if you ever came back…”

“I haven’t been here for a while.”

Novian returned to the mansion at dawn.

Adrienne, who did not fall asleep until midnight, could not overcome

her drowsiness and after a long time, finally fell into a deep sleep.

Novian’s friendly blue eyes stared at her.

As soon as Adrienne got up, he scooped her into his arms.

It was a nostalgic smell. The cigar he smokes. The scent of something that was freshly washed with rosemary soap.

“I missed you, Noah.”

“So did I.”

He hugged Adrienne as she embraced him, and whispered.

“I missed you too.”

“Thank you for the gift as well. So often, cough. You don’t have to.”

“I would pick the stars from the sky just to see you. If I don’t even give you presents, you might forget about me.”

Novian smiles sweetly.

“Ah…”

He had a rather sensitive and cold appearance, but when he smiled, he

was so beautiful that the area around him started sparkling.

Adrienne looked at his face while she was in his spacious and firm arms.

They haven’t even finished the first night of their wedding yet two years had already passed.

However, she still had that affectionate feeling from when she was still young.

“The servants are all very worried about you. Are you taking all the

medicine that Piretta sends you, and the ones that I send you?”

“O-Of course.”

It was very hard for her to swallow the drug every time.

She couldn’t even do a single thing on her own, so she had turned to

the maids for help. In the end, she, the mistress of this huge mansion,

looked at him and…

“Even though I always tell you, you don’t need to worry about anything.”

“…But I can’t just lie here like this forever.”

The position of the Grand Duchess was a position comparable to that

of the Imperial Princess. As the wife of someone like Novian, it was he

duty to participate in social gatherings, big or small, and socialise

with the empress and princess.

“Well anyways, everyone in the Empire knows that you have a weak body.”

“People are more forgiving than you think, Adrienne.” Novian whispered, stroking her face with his long, delicate hands.

“Are they really?”

Even the maids, who are supposed to serve me as their master right now, treat me like a useless person.

If you were to leave tomorrow, they would raise their lowered heads

and spout all sorts of sarcastic remarks about me, the Grand Duchess.

I have no choice but to rely on them, who were all sent by the Emperor himself, so I can’t even say anything…

‘The people outside the mansion couldn’t possibly be so kind and forgiving of me.’

Over the past two years in which her health was deteriorating, she had become endlessly pessimistic and lethargic.

Although she was weak in the past, there was still no problem with her walking or writing.

Although she got tired easily, she often danced at the ball.

Seeing her depressed expression, Novian was silent for a moment before opening his mouth.

“If anyone bothers you, no matter who they are, I’ll decapitate them.” He whispered lowly.

Adrienne’s body stiffened at his cold voice.

After releasing the cold tension in the air, she nestled herself back into her husband’s arms and closed her eyes quietly.

‘I wish I could somehow do something to help you.’

I can’t do my part because of my weak body, I can’t even win the hearts of the people here in the mansion…

Her status as the Grand Duchess was grand, but in reality, her weak mentality was worsened with her weak body.

Compared to the love he gave her, he received too little from her.

Other couples would **** **** passionately after they had been

separated for a long time, but they couldn’t do anything without the

help of others since she couldn’t even get up or sit down by herself.

Anyhow, it was very miserable.

Novian would give her a warm hug, give her anything that he thought

would suit her, even if he was called to various places to act on behalf

of the emperor, if he found a good medication, he would send it to her

at any cost.

The perfect husband.

Novian Trovica was that sort of man.

So she couldn’t say anything.

How could she say that she was being bullied by the maids, who were

far below in status to her, whose only job to do at home is to lie down,

eat, and sleep?

It is a disgrace, for the aristocracy that looks down on people, especially the commoners.

What would happen if Novian knew she was such an insignificant person?

What if he witnessed it with his own eyes?

As he had told her, the heads of the maids and butlers would be cut

off, and at the same time, Adrienne’s last strand of pride which she had

so carefully hidden, would also be cut off.

‘Let’s start with the body.’

Her weakened mentality was the result of her emaciated body.

Once she regains her health, takes care of the household chores he

entrusts her with, and gets her assigned tasks from Novian, who had

taken over her share of the work…

Just thinking about it made Adrienne feel a little better.

The pleasant voice of Novian filled her ears up until she closed her eyes to sleep.

He was singing a familiar lullaby.

Three baby ducklings. The lullaby that the children of her hometown, East Piretta, grew up listening to.

“I don’t want to sleep…”

He would no longer be there when morning came.

Several months could pass by before they met again.

Without him, no one would be her companion.

[ / / / ]

The servants of the Grand Duke Trovica’s residence trembled as they ran through the vast mansion.

“Hurry! Find the doctor!”

“Heavens!”

“Contact the Piretta Duchy!”

Grand Duchess Adrienne, who had been living like a ghost in her bedroom on the second floor, was in critical condition.

Unlike before, the severe seizures showed no signs of stopping. Even

the faces of the maids who had been neglecting her the whole time turned

deathly pale with fright, almost confining the doctor who was sleeping

into her bedroom.

“Your Highness…!”

It had been two months since the Grand Duke had left the mansion.

On a night when the early winter was fast approaching and the first snow had already piled up to their knees.

“No…vian…”

“Quickly, check her pulse!”

The Grand Duchess’ maid, Annie, began to push the doctor into the room.

The Grand Duchess was already half way out of bed.

“Cough!”

Large droplets of blood spilled onto the carpet.

The servants who had gathered together, screamed.

The trembling doctor quickly took the medicine from his pocket and handed it to Annie.

“Quickly, make sure she swallows it!”

Annie and the other maids grabbed Adrienne’s blood-stained body and gave her a huge pill.

The maid almost spilled the water out of her mouth whilst holding on

to Adrienne, who couldn’t swallow it properly because the medicine was

too big.

Cough, cough. Cough!

Adrienne, who was struggling with the pain as if she was drowning,

inhaled air desperately with her whole body, as if surfacing for air.

Those who thought that her seizures had started again held onto her

tightly, as if they were pulling Adrienne deeper into the sea to drown.

‘This is so frustrating…!’

She wanted to get rid of all these people’s hands!

‘Just let me go! I want to stop drowning in all this water!’

Adrienne struggled for a while, but like a lie, she finally broke free.

‘Ah, finally…!’

But Adrienne could no longer move anymore.

She opened her eyes and couldn't see anything, she listened carefully but could not hear any noises.

I didn't have anything in my head, like an empty white box.

"Save me...!"

Save me, save me. Save me!

When she opened her mouth, no sound came out of it. Then, when she

thought about the white box which was not in her head, but her, Adrienne

vaguely realised it.

'I' died.

Chapter 2  -  The Suspicious Countess

I had a terrible nightmare.

One where I struggled to get out of the water, deeper than my feet could reach, but couldn't, and eventually drowned to death.

"Have you woken up now?"

"Mmhm, mmhm."

I stretched my tense neck. My back was still slick with sweat, as if I had just had a nightmare.

I twitched my fingers.

After having a body like porcelain, I started to twitch my fingers

when I woke up in the morning. My whole body would start to hurt like it

was about to break if I made any sudden movements.

"anyway... No matter what you say, you should get up now—"

Other than Annie's voice interrupting my thoughts from time to time, my mind was clear.

Has it ever been this good in these last few years? My head was as clear as I had always wanted it to be.

Other than a bit of cold sweat, my chest which normally seemed as if it was on fire just by breathing, seemed fine.

"Are you even listening to me?"

But was Annie's voice always so old-fashioned?

As if my whole body was submerged in water, I shut my heavy eyelids that I had just opened a while ago.

Contrary to my clear mind, my whole body ached as if it had just been beaten.

"Lady Blair!"

“...”

All of a sudden.

"Ah!"

As I was about to fall asleep again, a tremendous force lifted my body up from the bed in an instant.

There was no smell of bitter herbs that greeted my nose every

morning. Instead, all I could smell was the scent of red roses, wafting

through the room.

"Annie, just why did you..."

"The Grand Duchess is dead."

“... Annie."

And now, I hear the voice of Annie talking to me about my death... No, wait a minute.

"Annie?"

"Just who is this Annie that you are looking for?"

The middle-aged woman's grumbling voice was unfamiliar to me since it was a really strange voice.

Furthermore my voice, which was always stuffy due to frequent coughing, was normal.

"W-What were you saying earlier?"

"What?"

"The Grand Duchess... The Grand Duchess is dead? What grand duchess?"

Were there any other grand duchesses in this empire besides me?

It was then that I noticed the decorations in the room which I had never seen before.

Unlike my room which was all green, this room was filled with the white and pink that made me feel exhausted.

I felt the goosebumps rise all over my body in an instant.

Ignoring the bewildered woman reaching out to me, I rushed hurriedly to the mirror.

"Haaa."

A sigh of relief.

Light green eyes and golden eyelashes glistened in the sunlight.

The person in the mirror was one that I had seen enough of.

It was a little unfamiliar to me as the rosy cheeks and healthy

complexion were different from my normally pale and gaunt face due to

the morning fevers that I usually got.

“D-Did I collapse again yesterday?”

Normally, I couldn’t make any loud noises due to my sore throat, but somehow I felt as if I could sing today.

Hang on. Did I just get out of bed and run to the mirror by myself?

My stiff legs suddenly trembled for no reason.

“What are you talking about? You were idle all day yesterday as well,

and only once the sun has well and truly risen at noon, only then do

you wake up…”

“I did…?”

I was a bit dazed because of my strangely healthy and firm body, but the woman made a strange noise.

Although I was sick all day yesterday and my body was weak, did people describe it as ‘lounging’?

The middle-aged woman whom I had never seen before in my life shot me

a condescending look and cleaned the bed I had just woken up in.

There was a sense of absurdity as I noticed discrepancies in

everything that I saw and heard, the biggest difference being my body

which remained standing without the need of anything in my hands.

“Madam.”

“…”

A servant, who should’ve respectfully called me ‘Grand Duchess’, casually entered my bedroom.

And the middle aged woman, without doing anything, just watched as he did so.

Was this not the Grand Duke’s residence, but a large hospital somewhere in the capital?

Unfortunately, these impolite actions were also the only parts that

coincided with her normal situation, which she felt no sense of

dissonance from.

“His Highness the Grand Duke Trovica, has asked if you would like to attend his wife’s funeral ceremony.”

“…My husband?”

Pfft.

At that moment, a burst of laughter erupted from the woman’s mouth after she had cleaned the futon.

I immediately escaped the clutches of drowsiness and completely woke

up, as everything in this room approached me with a sense of absurdity,

the sound of her laughter making my body stiffen as if it had been

splashed by cold water.

“Well, he could be your husband now, my lady. Since Grand Duchess

Trovica has now dead, wouldn’t it make some very interesting gossip if

the person who took that spot next was Blair, who was her husband’s

mistress?”

“G-Grand Duchess Trovica is dead?”

Only then did I flounder in the memories that rushed in like a flooding tide.

It wasn’t a nightmare.

The doors on both sides of the bedroom which had always been firmly

closed were opened wide. The faces of the normally sarcastic maids

turning deathly pale with fright.

The seizures that were so severe they had even Annie, who had always harassed me, run away.

Her body which was shaking so much that she hadn’t even cared about

the herbal scent that was strong enough to make her nose sting.

On a snowy night, the nightmare that had come the moment I had smiled while thinking about a hot kiss with Novian.

No, rather it was reality.

The rough hands that tried to make me swallow the terrible tasting medicine that was given every time I had a seizure.

I had struggled because I couldn’t handle the water that was poured

into my mouth, then not being able to breathe and my vision gradually

turning white...

"Ack!"

"Ms Blair!"

"My lady!"

Mindlessly pushing aside the two pairs of hands that reached out to me, I rushed to the mirror that I was looking into earlier.

My light green eyes, glittering gold eyelashes, nose and mouth that people had praised for being beautiful.

Although everything was the same, both my name and identity were different. Just why... wait a minute.

Like a person possessed, I untied the ponytail that was tied loosely behind.

At the same time, I took off the bonnet that was on my head.

The hair that poured down my back was black like my husband's, not my

usual shiny blonde. The naturally wavy hair was thick and exuded a

sensual vibe.

It was definitely my face, but it wasn't me.

"What, What in the world...!"

Bewildered, I staggered back, leaning onto a vanity filled with cosmetics.

I reached out to a bunch of papers that caught my eye.

Rather than the 'Empire Daily' which I usually read, there was 'The Back Alley', a gossip magazine full of all kinds of scandals.

"Grand Duchess Trovica, why was the body found cold at dawn? The short life and scandals of the young Grand Duchess."

"Ahh..."

I shook my head and stumbled. The strong middle aged woman clicked her tongue and held onto me firmly.

"Do you think passing out is that great?"

Adrienne Trovica. The very name of me, who died last night.

That painful and strange sensation was not a dream, but a reality.

"If you wanted to attend the funeral ceremony of the Grand Duchess, it's only possible for you to attend in the afternoon."

And according to the maid's words, I was reincarnated into the body of the mistress my husband had met.

[ / / / ]

The table was set with an exorbitant amount of food.

I stared at it blankly.

None of it seemed real.

In the luxurious dining room, which must have been decorated

according to the tastes of the mansion's hostess, various types of

artwork were hung all around as if they were rags.

As if she had liked things to be filled, the gaps between the frames

were crammed with vases with artificial flowers the size of a human

being.

It was as if I was sitting and eating in the studio of a mad artist.

Right, as long as one was sane, they'd immediately get that feeling.

The breakfast course, which started with a salad with brie cheese,

only ended after a piping hot lamb stew was served in front of me.

"Is it not to your taste?"

The middle aged woman who used a huge fork to shred the lamb from the bone into the stew spoke up.

"Y-You, what's your name?"

“... Just what kind of game are you playing at again?"

"I asked what your name was."

The woman put down the fork she was holding and examined my face with a serious expression.

It was as if she was examining a lunatic.

“... I'm offended."

"Have you really gone crazy?"

Oh my god.

No matter how hated I was as the hostess, to be insulting me to my face like this was crossing the line.

This 'Blair', who was for some reason called my husband's mistress, was the owner of the body I had entered.

A blunt, but adequate treatment.

But this woman, who looked like a maid, wouldn't be in a position to treat her like this.

As I was speechless at her rude treatment, she merely looked at me and clicked her tongue, calling herself 'Marge'.

"I was locked up in my room for a few days, laughing and crying and

then went into a really bad rage, then suddenly got up when you heard

the news that the Grand Duchess had died, then suddenly, even your

name..."

And then straight out of Marge's mouth, "If you want to go crazy, at least go crazy gracefully."

As soon as I heard those words come out, I lost my appetite.

If that's the reaction I'd get just from asking one name, if I say

that I'm actually the Grand Duchess Adrienne, I'll definitely be treated

like a crazy person.

I only drank a cup of cold water.

"Countess Blair Acacia."

The servant who had entered my bedroom had called me that name, all the way until I had reached the dining room.

I had never heard of the name 'Blair', but I was familiar with title of Count Acacia, a name I often heard.

Count Acacia was a vassal of our Grand Duchy, but did not hold an important position in the center.

He was old enough to have grey hair, so even if he died right now, it wouldn't be regarded as a suspicious death.

She seemed pitiful as she was part of a lowly household, stuck running errands for her husband's estate.

I was told he had a young and beautiful wife, but since I was ill at the time, I couldn't attend their wedding.

Of course, there was no way a person who had the standing of a grand

duchess could attend the wedding ceremony of a humble vassal household,

even if they were vassals.

There is no way I would have dared to covet the wife of the master I serve, and live in search of a woman who looked like this.

I had seen his face many times, but he was the one who did not look

up at me, the Grand Duchess, but instead kept his eyes lowered.

After all, after my marriage, I was only able to attend one of two

parties due to my weakened body, so it was difficult for me to recognise

the face of not only the Count but also any other nobleman.

'Although it's a coincidence, I feel very uncomfortable.'

Other than the colour of her hair and her temperament, this woman was a complete carbon copy of me.

Although the appearance of a woman can be changed by a feather hat

over her head or the colour of her lips... How is it possible for me not

know of a woman who resembles me this much, and who has a face I so

often see in the mirror?

"You're eating well."

As I continuously put food into my mouth while thinking, Marge smiled and continued to hold out the plate of food.

Despite her blunt words, she didn't seem like a bad person.

Was she someone like a nanny from Blair's family? Ah, that seemed to be the case...

'I wonder how much it costs to eat with my own hands...?'

Blair's body seemed very hungry so there also never seemed to be a sense of fullness.

I had been shovelling food into my mouth as if I was a starving person who hadn't eaten for several days.

It wasn't wrong though.

Due to the childish bullying I had experienced in the Grand Duke's

residence, it had been a long time since I had eaten proper food.

Munch, munch.

At first, I had been distracted by the different surroundings and

strange place around me and had eaten the food robotically, but at some

point in time, eating with my own hands had become so intriguing that I

had no choice but to keep eating.

Although Blair's hands were just as pale and slender as mine, they possessed a completely different amount of strength.

Even though my body still ached, compared to my previous body, this was a 'healthiness that I would never see again'.

"Excuse me, madam. What should I tell His Grace...?"

The servant who was sent from the Grand Duke's residence stood by the dining table restlessly.

Waiting for my answer.

Waiting for my answer to 'whether I was going to attend the funeral ceremony of Grand Duchess Adrienne'.

Is this 'Blair', really my husband's secret mistress?

Chapter 3  -  The Healthy Body of Blair Acacia

Marge, a maid and longtime servant of the Count Acacia's residence, narrowed her eyes as she watched the mansion's hostess.

Watching Blair, who was reading an issue of the 'Empire Daily' that the butler had hastily rescued.

Exactly. That 'Empire Daily'.

The newspaper that you had tossed away, mockingly saying that it was full of crap while laughing.

When the Count wasn't home, you had asked why they still kept leaving

them at the front of our house and to just use it as firewood; that is

newspaper.

'You're definitely crazy.'

Walking on both legs with no problem, then suddenly stopping and rejoicing.

Asking for a glass of water and saying 'thank you' with thrilled eyes once its handed over.

Besides, normally the Countess Acacia sits in the parlour sipping tea

and has sudden mood swings, so since when did she start reading proper

newspapers and not gossip...

As expected, when she turned her eyes to the entrance of the drawing

room, the other maids all came rushing in and started whispering.

Just the combination of Blair and the newspaper was enough for the maids to start talking.

"Didn't someone deliver a shopping catalogue?"

"I'm pretty sure there's a news article of a big fire or a flood somewhere."

"There could be. If you're the madam, there's a chance she'd like that."

The whispers were barely audible but Marge hastily pursued them.

Whether it was hatred or affection, either way, bad rumours about the hostess of the mansion shouldn't be spreading anyways.

There was also unexpectedly, another reason for her to be worried again.

Contrary to the fact that she had only been worried about the

'obviously unlearned' Countess, she now also worried about Blair, who

had been sitting in her room for several days, and suddenly began to ask

strange questions.

'W-What exactly is my name?'

'Where is Count Acacia?'

'Are you, are you perhaps my nanny?'

Et cetera, she asked very silly questions such as these.

But it was also asked very cautiously.

It was a good thing that she had asked Marge when she was alone,

otherwise, if the young and loose lipped maids had heard her question,

the rumour might have already been spread throughout the capital, that

the 'Countess Acacia is crazy'.

"Marge."

Hence why Marge was now very nervous when she heard the voice that was calling for her.

She made sure that the drawing room's door was closed properly, then walked over to Blair with her mouth tightly shut.

After reading the Empire Daily, Blair was silent for a while before calling her.

'What kind of nonsense will she say this time...'

"Am I... am I the mistress of Novian Trovica?"

“!”

Oh my god, oh my god.

Marge quickly glanced around the empty drawing room before lowering her voice to reply.

“Are you finally going to tell me the truth?”

“…the truth?”

Blair’s beautiful pale green eyes stared at her intently.

Marge nodded and whispered next to her.

“Are you in that sort of relationship with the grand duke or something?”

“…w-why did you think so?”

Blair’s tone of speech, which was usually no different from that of a commoner’s, had somehow changed into an aristocratic one.

Like Count Acacia.

Marge felt a strange sense of dissonance, but was afraid that Blair,

who had suddenly become cautious, would keep her mouth shut even

tighter.

“I mean, if you weren’t his mistress, there’s no way you would be so interested in the grand duchess’ personal affairs, right?”

“…I did?”

“Of course, and the grand duke would also frequently send over pendants or dresses even…”

“He…he did.”

Blair’s voice drifted off and cooled a notch lower.

Marge pondered for a long time, wondering if she had said something wrong.

In fact, Marge had already long established her theory as a fact.

In the morning, she had even sneakily wanted to see how the grand

duke’s mistress would react to the death of the grand duchess and

whether she thought it was good or not.

“Even now, you still affectionately call the Grand Duke ‘he’[1]…oh

right, madam. Isn’t that right? Would the Grand Duke invite the madam

to the funeral and take care of you like this simply because his vassal,

your husband was absent?”

Count Acacia was busy with the affairs of the estate, so the most

difficult thing for him to do was coming back to the mansion in the

capital.

When a vassal was absent, their spouse would then naturally be under the protection of the lord, the Grand Duke.

No wonder he could personally invite that woman to the Grand Duchess’ funeral. However…

“Well, seeing as how the Count turns a blind eye to any outings I go

on, it doesn’t seem like you are in a normal relationship either. Now,

stop hiding it from me and just tell me the truth.”

After thinking about it for a moment, I sent the shocking reply that I would attend the funeral to the servant.

Grand Duke, you dare?

If the reason Blair can do that isn’t because she’s his mistress, then what the heck is it?

However, as a long time servant that has served in this house, Marge

was both uneasy and unfamiliar with the Grand Duke’s character.

Because it was not likely for the Grand Duke to display very much patience toward his mistress.

‘I need to dress her up quickly and get the carriage ready…’

She was suddenly worried about the possibility of getting fired by the Grand Duke!

However, there was no sign of urgency or haste found in Blair, who was the party involved.

“It seems as if you don’t know either.”

‘I mean, this isn’t something that directly involves me anyways, so how is a mere maid like me supposed to know?!’

There is a limit to how much strangeness people are able to find acceptable in a certain situation.

Marge clenched her teeth and gathered her patience, nodding.

“That’s right, no one can tell me the right answer in this mansion.

But for now, I have no choice but to accept his invitation and go to the

funeral.”

No, so just what kind of relationship do the two of you have?

Furthermore, although the Grand Duke himself had personally contacted

her to tell her that the Grand Duchess was dead, you’re giving a

vassal’s wife the right to attend her funeral?

All sort of words clambered around through her chest, but Marge held them all back.

Because she had been quiet for the past few days, it was possible that she had forgotten what Blair’s temper was like before.

Before she could throw even a single object, Marge quietly chose to help with her makeup.

Then, she paid close attention to the unfamiliar behaviour of Blair,

who was constantly fiddling with her fingers in anxiety and feeling very

sluggish.

[ / / / ]

I was comfortable with my maid, Marge, as well as the other maids who all folded themselves in half and bowed 90 degrees.

Even if someone had accidentally made eye contact with me, our eyes would meet and the immediately dart away.

Not only that, but every time I was about to say something, they all had a very tense look on their faces.

‘Blair Acacia was a very scary person.’

And with good reason.

My whole body was full of energy and strength. Even if I ran around and yelled energetically.

It had been a long time since I had worn anything other than

slippers, however, when I wore the shoes, my body did not stumble or

falter at all.

My hair, which had been falling out, one by one, strand by strand, did not fall out, no matter how many times I combed it.

“It’s all done, my lady.”

A young maid named Yona said with a bright and blushing red face.

I stood in front of the full length mirror, a familiar face, but an unfamiliar body had appeared in its reflection.

It was strange to see such a good looking face with a decent amount of fat on it.

There was never a single cough, nor a single seizure that interrupted me whilst waking up, eating or dressing.

“... I look well."

"Sorry?"

Thinking those words as a reproach, Yona's face turned turned deathly pale.

But instead, I just laughed happily.

How much had I prayed and prayed for a body like this?

After alternating between confused and dazed states all morning, I finally accepted that this wasn't a 'dream', no a 'fantasy'.

All the newspapers had the sad news of Adrienne Trovica's death on

their front cover, a situation which had been the last thing I had I

remembered.

Serious seizures due to chronic illness and then finally arriving at a sudden death.

I was confused as to whether my dead soul had entered Blair Acacia's

body or if I was originally Blair Acacia, but had a mental illness.

But no matter what I thought, I was still Adrienne.

I took a step closer to the mirror.

The rosy cheeks were lovely.

There was only one reason why I didn't go crazy, even after going through such an absurd situation.

It was because this woman's face looked awfully similar to my original face, it was enough to give me goosebumps.

It was just like the appearance I had always dreamed of. It was as if I was still dreaming.

'Did God happen to give me another chance?'

I couldn't erase the feeling, as if I had been reborn, leaving behind

my sick and diseased body and gaining an identical, but healthy body.

It was a phenomenon that was unheard of, but I was experiencing it now.

But what if my soul in this body wanted to return to my dead body?

'No way.'

Rather, it was the very feeling that I wanted to block.

I felt a little sorry for the owner of this body, Blair.

Now I ate alone, walked alone. Every time I did something without any

assistance, the feeling of independence I felt was thrilling.

At first, I couldn't believe that my husband and the owner of this body had a strange relationship.

Novian, who always thinks of and puts his own reputation first, could

never have done this. And what was it that about me, who possessed such

a weak body, that he loved so much, that despite knowing about my

situation, still made me the Grand Duchess? Was it pity?

I laughed out loud when I imagined a man who was too busy to even

stop by the capital even once, let alone accompanying his mistress on a

leisurely date.

The person I knew would never be a person like that.

What about dating? He was a person who was half crazy about work.

At first, I had heard that during the social gatherings, there were

many women who secretly talked about Novian's attractive and charming

mistress.

However, it was a rumour that Novian was unaware of due to how busy

he was trying to solve incidents and wandering around under the orders

of the Imperial Family, so I had put it to the back of my mind.

[ / / / ]

I got into the carriage with a strange mixture of emotions, I felt both happiness and sadness.

It has been a long time since I had last dressed up and come out of the mansion.

Arriving at the Trovica cemetery, I calmed my pounding heart and got out of the carriage.

The closer I got to the entrance of the cemetery, the more my spine tingled.

The strange excitement did not last very long.

My happy thoughts because of my health was gradually fading away.

As I stepped closer, one step at a time, I finally saw 'myself', who was lying down like an undying person in the coffin.

the mistress and the wife

Footnotes

[1]: pronouns are not commonly used in korean and the 'he' pronoun that adrienne uses here [ 그이가 ] is commonly used by women to refer to their husbands\, so it shows a more formal married relationship which makes marge think the duke has established their relationship as something that might head

towards marriage.