Inside the mansion, Aiden was making his way toward his quarters.
The quiet halls echoed with the footsteps of a few busy servants.
Yes. This was his world.
"I feel like my ears are going to start bleeding."
And yet, the corners of his mouth wouldn’t stop twitching upward. Ears bleeding—where did she even learn such an amusing expression?
Aiden cleared his throat a few times, trying to suppress the rising smile.
Fortunately, he managed to hide it. But he couldn’t stop the thoughts flooding his mind.
Why had his once-merciless master suddenly taken his side?
Could it be... she had truly changed?
No. No way. Something this trivial...
He forced himself to recall that day when he was seventeen.
The day she had hurled insults at him. The day she had thrown things at him.
He shouldn’t let himself be fooled by a fleeting moment.
But it was no use.
Instead of the memories of his seventeen-year-old self, all that surfaced was the image of two noble figures strolling through the garden together.
Aiden’s eyes darkened with quiet resolve.
I was sticking to my plan.
Three full days of staying in bed.
Lucas had interrupted a few times, suggesting that we take a walk.
I had resolutely shaken my head.
No one could interfere with my plan.
I even had my meals in bed, rolling around as I ate.
I skipped afternoon tea and cake, too.
Not because I disliked them, but because having a set routine was more important than actually enjoying them.
Aiden was probably a little disappointed.
Knock.
Speak of the devil.
Aiden entered the room, swapping places with the maid who had been attending to me.
Whenever he had something to do outside, he always made sure another maid was present before leaving.
"Aiden, how long are you planning to stay here?"
"...Pardon? Until the Duke or the Madam dismisses me, I suppose?"
"Yeah. I figured."
I hadn’t been expecting much, but I’d asked just in case.
Hearing his inevitable answer, I flopped onto the bed.
"Ah, right—by the way, the Duke, the Madam, and Lord Aaron have invited you to dinner."
"What?"
"They believe you’re feeling much better now and suggested that you join them for dinner downstairs."
Dinner, huh...
Surprisingly—though perhaps not so surprisingly—I had never shared a meal with anyone in this body.
Sure, I had tea and snacks with Aiden, but full meals? I had always eaten alone.
The reason?
It was uncomfortable.
In my past life, I had almost always eaten alone.
At home, I ate alone or with my sibling.
At school, I ate alone.
At work, aside from the rare occasions when I was dragged along, I ate alone.
When I was younger, there had been a time when I shared meals with my parents and sibling, but as the years passed, that changed.
If there was ever a time when my parents and sibling sat down for a meal together, I would take the hint and disappear.
With each passing day, I felt more and more like an outsider intruding on their family time.
No matter how much they ignored me, the moment my sibling called, "Sister!", their gazes would sharpen with disdain.
"Why are you even here?"
That look had been unbearable.
Eating felt like swallowing stones under the weight of their silent rejection.
It was better to eat alone.
That’s why, even after waking up in this body, I had insisted on eating by myself.
But... this body belonged to Selina.
And if I had decided to keep our boundaries clear, then I should at least fulfill some of Selina’s duties.
In other words, I owed it to her to give her family at least one final meal together—a last, happy family dinner.
"Alright. Tell them I’ll be there for dinner."
After answering, I buried my face in my pillow.
"Selina, come in."
"I’m on time, aren’t I? Did I keep you waiting?"
Dinner was scheduled for 6 PM.
It was currently 5:50 PM.
So punctual.
Or maybe... had they all arrived early because they were excited that I would be joining them?
"No, not at all. We just got here too. Come, have a seat!"
"Yes, Mother."
The way Selina’s mother subtly avoided my gaze confirmed my suspicion.
They had all been waiting.
I slowly scanned the faces around me.
Wide eyes, bright expressions—if nothing else, they certainly looked like a family.
Was this what it had been like when my parents and sibling sat down for a meal together?
A picture-perfect family gathering, evident to anyone who saw them.
I took a small breath and sat down.
I hoped that, at the very least, this dinner would become a happy memory for them.
A quiet little blessing.
"Selina, how are you feeling? Are you still feeling dizzy?"
"No, I think I was just a little overwhelmed that day from dealing with so many unfamiliar people. I’m completely fine now."
It was hard to take even a single bite.
As soon as one person asked me a question, they would eagerly watch me chew, waiting for me to finish.
Then, the moment my throat moved to swallow, another question would come flying my way.
At this rate, wouldn’t it have been better to just invite me for tea instead?
At least with tea, I could take a single sip and be done with it.
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My brother, Aaron, was now staring at my mouth, watching me chew.
"Brother."
"Huh? Yes?"
"This is... a little uncomfortable."
"What is?"
He blinked, genuinely clueless.
It must have been an unconscious habit.
"Waiting for me to finish chewing before speaking. How about I just raise my hand when I’m done?"
"...What?"
"I’ll finish chewing and then raise my hand. That way, you can talk without staring at my mouth the whole time."
A perfect solution.
Now they wouldn’t have to anxiously time my swallows, and I could eat in peace.
Ideally, I would have told them to just save the questions for later, but I had a responsibility to leave them with a pleasant family dinner, so this was my compromise.
But from their expressions, they didn’t seem to think it was all that wise.
Had I just exposed myself?
Did they figure out I wasn’t really Selina... just because I said I’d raise my hand?
Just as I started regretting my words, the Duke cleared his throat.
"Ahem. It’s important to converse during meals, but let’s also enjoy the food comfortably. We can discuss other matters during tea later."
My mother and Aaron nodded in agreement, smiling, before returning to their food.
...Duke?
If you say something like that, then what does that make me?
Still, I had achieved my goal—being able to eat in peace.
That was what mattered.
And surprisingly, the food tasted better than usual.
Was it because it was freshly prepared in the nearby kitchen?
Despite the mild discomfort, I found myself enjoying the meal more than expected.
What a strange thing.
"Her Highness invited you to the palace, didn’t she?"
“Yes, we agreed to have lunch together the day after tomorrow. Um... Selina, if you’re comfortable with it, would you like to join us?”
Perhaps still shaken by my earlier hand-raising suggestion, my family had adjusted their approach. Now, instead of directing their entire attention at me, they seamlessly included me in their conversations only occasionally.
“I’m sorry. I still don’t feel comfortable going to the Imperial Palace.”
Ssssaaah.
For a second, I thought I was drinking iced tea.
The atmosphere chilled instantly.
Everyone froze, staring at me. Then, as if collectively deflating, they all seemed to slump slightly.
Was it because they hadn’t considered that I might not be ready?
Or... were they just disappointed?
Based on their reactions so far, the former seemed more likely.
“I’ll go when I feel more comfortable around people and when my memories return a little more. We’ll all be family soon anyway, so there’s plenty of time...”
I added that little white lie to lift their spirits.
Dinner hadn’t exactly felt happy, so at the very least, I wanted tea time to be a genuinely pleasant memory for them.
“Yes, of course. There’s no rush. Selina, your well-being is always our top priority.”
Selina, your well-being is the priority.
I pressed my lips together.
Faced with three pairs of warm, expectant eyes, I forced myself to nod slightly.
That was the best I could do.
Because in reality, I had no intention of staying alive for much longer.
I swallowed the words before they could escape. I didn’t have the heart—or the courage—to say them.
The conversation soon shifted toward political matters.
But given the lack of world-building in the third-rate novel I had read, I didn’t know enough to contribute meaningfully.
So I simply stared off into the distance, fully committing to my role as an amnesiac noblewoman.
At this level of performance, I could probably walk into my room, look Aiden straight in the face, and say, Who... are you? without flinching.
Complete method acting.
Finally, the tedious conversation came to an end.
Everyone took a sip of tea, as if collectively catching their breath.
I considered maintaining my flawless act until the end of tea time, but a thought struck me.
I blinked a few times, then refocused my gaze.
“Mother, Father. I have a request.”
At the word request, their eyes gleamed with anticipation.
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Hiding my true intentions behind a composed expression, I opened my mouth to speak.
Carriages were much rougher than I had anticipated.
Seriously. Unbelievably rough.
My backside hurt.
How did nobles manage to sit so straight in these things? Did they have iron-clad asses?
I glanced at Lucas, who sat across from me.
The perfect example of a noble maintaining proper posture in a carriage.
My eyes almost drifted downward toward his seat, but I quickly resisted the urge and turned my gaze out the window.
“Are you all right?”
“Sir Lucas, you always ask me if I’m all right.”
“Well, every time we meet, you aren’t all right.”
Damn. He wasn’t wrong.
I turned to face him.
He was smiling, his eyes locked onto mine.
The fact that he could maintain such a composed expression while bouncing around in this death trap of a carriage...
He must have an iron ass.
“It seems we have a fated enmity, then.”
With that, I turned back toward the window.
I just wanted to get to the plaza quickly.
As we passed through the forest connecting the Duke’s estate to the city, buildings slowly began to appear.
The further we approached the central square, the more structures—and people—came into view.
“This is your first time leaving the mansion since you collapsed, isn’t it?”
“Yes, thanks to someone.”
“Indeed. Thanks to someone who was about to jump from a window.”
He had a way of making me speechless.
“Milady, we’re approaching the carriage storage area.”
Just in time, the coachman’s voice called from outside.
Today, I planned to explore the plaza—the liveliest part of the duchy.
This was what I had asked Selina’s parents for permission to do yesterday.
Of course, sightseeing was just an excuse.
My real goal was to find a good place to die.
Finding a proper spot to die...
It sounded absurdly dramatic, even to me.
But it was necessary.
The problem with the Duke’s mansion was that it had too many people for its size.
In other words, I was under constant surveillance.
So I needed to step outside.
Unfortunately, leaving the estate came with a catch.
Lucas had to accompany me.
Still, getting out at all was an achievement.