Chapter 2
Chapter 2
The soft rustling of the sheer silk curtains brushing against the wind, the gentle breeze tapping against the windowpanes, the faint aroma of jasmine tea lingering in the air, and the comforting warmth enveloping her body.
“Am I… dreaming?”
She once heard that when the human body is pushed to the brink of unbearable pain, it unconsciously conjures hallucinations. Perhaps her mind simply wanted to hide from it all to shield her from the cruel betrayal and the nightmare that felt like it would never end.
“My lady, are you awake?”
She slowly turned her head. It wasn’t to see who it was, rather just an instinctive reaction to a familiar voice.
Illiana’s unfocused blue eyes blinked up at the blurred silhouette. She made no effort to recall who the person was. But the moment she heard that voice, she knew.
It was Bessie, her maid, and her friend, who had always stayed by her side.
“Bessie…”
“Yes, it’s me. Do you recognize me?”
Worried by the blank look on Illiana’s face, Bessie gently laid a hand on her forehead.
“No fever… Are you in pain? Anywhere hurting badly?”
The touch of Bessie’s hand was so vivid, so real, that it felt foreign. No illusion brought on by fear of death could possibly feel this tangible.
Illiana suddenly bolted upright in bed.
“My lady? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
Without meaning to, she grabbed Bessie’s wrist. Surprised, Bessie blinked wide, round eyes. Even in a dream, she upheld her role faithfully.
Illiana had gripped her so tightly that red marks bloomed on Bessie’s pale skin, yet she didn’t pull away.
“This… this can’t be real. It just can’t be.”
“Oh dear… You must’ve been in too much shock.”
Bessie gently lowered Illiana’s weakened hand and turned, her apron clenched tightly in her fingers.
“But it feels so real…”
Illiana shook her head slowly, pulling the covers around her shoulders. Bessie, who had started toward the door, stopped and turned back, eyes glistening with tears.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t even realize how much you were suffering. I should’ve stayed by your side…”
Sniffling softly, Bessie reached for the teapot on the nightstand and poured steaming jasmine tea into a delicate cup. The tea rippled gently as it filled the cup to the brim.
“Please, drink this. It’ll warm you up a little.”
She placed the cup carefully atop the blanket covering Illiana’s lap then Illiana silently cradled it with both hands. Soon, warmth seeped through her fingertips, slowly heating her trembling hands.
“You’ll burn yourself if you hold it like that. Let me help.”
Alarmed, Bessie quickly took the cup from her hands and gently brought it to her lips. The warm liquid trickled into her half-parted mouth.
“I brewed your favorite. Do you like it?”
“……”
“Whenever I made it, it always came out too bitter or too dry. So you’d end up making it yourself… Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be rambling like this.”
“Bessie.”
“Yes, my lady?”
Illiana had called her, but had no idea what to say next. This couldn’t be a dream but it couldn’t possibly be reality either.
She stared at Bessie quietly. She had tried to protect Illiana with her life when she was dragged from the mansion. Illiana had longed to know if she had survived, but she’d had no power to find out. She had wept, bitterly, at her own helplessness, unable even to save the one person who had lived for her.
So what could she possibly say to this girl, who was still so devoted to her, even in a dream?
“If it weren’t for that carriage accident, you wouldn’t be this sick… This is all my fault.”
“Carriage accident?”
“You went out to the plaza while I was briefly away visiting home. That’s when it happened.”
“I did? When?”
“It’s been about five days now. Don’t tell me… you don’t remember any of it?”
Illiana searched her memories. There was no such accident, none that she recalled. Were her memories wrong?
Or…
“No way… did it really work?”
“…Sorry?”
Bessie blinked and tilted her head, setting down the cup. She gently pulled the blanket higher to cover Illiana’s chest.
“You need more rest. I’ll stay by your side until you fall asleep.”
Perhaps worried about leaving her alone, Bessie pulled a small chair over and sat by the bed. But Illiana had no intention of sleeping. She had slept more than enough in that prison cell.
What she needed now was proof, something to help her accept what had happened.
Her eyes began to register more of the world around her. Illiana started to look around as though seeing this place for the first time. The plush bed, the arched window draped with curtains, the rose-patterned sofa and carpet. Everything was exactly as she remembered it.
It was her room in the Kritia estate.
But she had died on the execution scaffold, certainly. Still stunned, Illiana opened her palm.
“No wounds.”
The day before her execution, in a last desperate act, she had cast a spell on herself. A forbidden spell, one no one could use, though all knew of its existence. A spell from the grimoire hidden away, capable of turning back time.
‘You hold a power more noble and mighty than anyone in this world.’
When I was young, my grandfather told me this after I accidentally discovered the forbidden magic book. After that, I would occasionally visit the capital to see Iliana or spend time with my grandfather when I went to the north with my mother. Every time, he would always praise me for being smart and having abilities.
‘Maybe… maybe I really do have something special.’
She hadn’t truly believed the spell would work. She hadn’t even expected it to. But now, everything seemed to point to one truth:
‘Regression.’
That had to be it. If she hadn’t gone mad, there was no way those vivid, harrowing memories were false.
‘Did I really come back?’
If the spell had succeeded… then to what point in time had she returned?
“What year is it in the Imperial calendar?”
If this was just a dream, there was no way her mind could fabricate the exact date. As expected, Bessie’s face darkened, and she let out a long sigh.
Of course. What had she been expecting?
Illiana gave a bitter smile and was about to lie back down under the covers when—
“It’s the year 635.”
“And the date?”
“May 7th.”
Though visibly confused, Bessie answered as sincerely as possible.
“That’s… before the wedding.”
“Ah, yes. The Count was just saying that because of the accident, he’s considering postponing the June wedding.”
‘I came back. I really did.’
Tears welled up and began to fall, slowly soaking the back of her hand. Bessie, already worried, jumped in surprise and rushed to pull out a handkerchief.
“Does it hurt that much?”
“No.”
“Is it because the wedding might be postponed? Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone you’re still sick. I won’t breathe a word.”
But even as she spoke, Illiana’s tears wouldn’t stop. Bessie wrung her hands, trying to figure out what more she could possibly do.
“That’s not it.”
“Then why are you crying?”
“… Because I’m happy.”
“…What?”
She was grateful that her desperate plea had reached the heavens. Grateful that she had returned to this moment, right before the wedding. To Illiana, it was nothing short of a blessing. Rather, it was a full miracle.
She was still reveling in this overwhelming joy when…
Knock, knock.
There was a soft knock at the door, and then a man entered with pale blond hair and a face so fair it seemed almost translucent.
“Rina, you’re awake?”
Rina.
A name only one person dared to use so freely. The only person in this house she could truly trust, her brother, Jeffrey. The moment he arrived, he rushed to her and pulled her into a tight embrace.
“I knew it. I knew you’d wake up. There’s no way you’d die on me.”
A soft breeze danced through the window, ruffling her hair like spring petals. Thus began Illiana’s twenty-first spring.
* * *
“Cedric Piaje is here?”
She repeated the name like a curse, the name of the man who had ruined everything.
“Yes, my lady. I told him you were still unwell, but he insisted on seeing you.”
Bessie spoke while helping Illiana change after her walk through the garden.
“Father’s away, isn’t he?”
“Yes. He probably won’t return for another week.”
Perhaps because of the doctor’s strict orders to let her rest, her father hadn’t said much.
Just a single sentence: ‘I’m just glad you woke up.’
Then he had departed on a diplomatic mission summoned by the Imperial Court.
In a way, it was fortunate. Her father had been ecstatic about forming a connection with Cedric, a member of the Imperial family. If the wedding were delayed, he would’ve surely flown into a rage.
Cedric’s mother, once a princess of the Empire, had fallen in love with Baron Piaje at first sight. She begged the Emperor to allow their marriage. Though the Emperor initially refused, he relented when he discovered that Baron Piaje was distantly related to the Empress, and allowed the marriage to strengthen the Imperial family’s internal alliances.
Through that marriage, Baron Piaje was elevated to Marquis.
After the princess bore Cedric, she died within a few years, and Cedric was quietly forgotten by the royal family. He was far down the line of succession, and most attention was given to Rian and the future children of the Empress. But everything changed when the Empress could no longer bear children.
Empress Melissa openly favored her nephew Cedric, hailing him as the rightful heir and doing everything in her power to secure his position.
One of those efforts was arranging a marriage, with none other than Illiana, daughter of Count Cretia, a woman of great influence among the nobility.
“Shall I ask him to leave?”
Seeing her mistress’s expression grow cold, Bessie immediately suggested it. But as she reached for the door then Illiana stepped forward first, entering the hallway.
“You’re going to see him?”
“It would be rude to turn away a guest. Even if that guest is insufferable.”
“Then I’ll quickly go prepare some tea.”
Bessie, catching the shift in Illiana’s mood, opened the parlor doors for her and hurried to the kitchen. Once Bessie was gone, Illiana took a deep breath and stepped inside.
‘It’s alright. I can do this.’
She had every intention of being calm and composed.
At least, until the moment Cedric Piaje shamelessly pulled her into his arms the second he saw her and said…
“Rina, do you know how worried I was about you?”
