Chapter 1
Father was always busy.
Whether on weekdays or weekends, he was rarely home.
On the rare occasions he came home early, he would lash out at Mom and me in anger.
He said it was because we wouldn’t let him rest after a hard day of work.
There were many reasons why Father couldn’t rest: The house was dirty, the side dishes lacked flavor, Mom looked gloomy, or I didn’t act cute like the daughter of some other family.
One day, as Mom silently endured Father’s shouting, she packed her bags and left.
The next day was the weekend.
Father called her several times on her cell phone.
“The person you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please leave a message…”
Through the phone, I could hear Mom’s firm resolve.
Father clicked his tongue and looked at me.
“…Hey. Want to go on an outing with Daddy?”
I was young and easily swayed by his sudden kindness.
I clumsily tied my hair into pigtails, put on my favorite dress and pink stockings.
I even took out my red shoes—ones I cherished so much I hadn’t worn them more than a few times, even to kindergarten.
We drove somewhere, and when we arrived, a pretty young woman was there.
“Hi there. You must be…?”
Shyly, I hid behind Father’s leg.
“You should behave politely in front of Daddy’s friend.”
I gave a polite bow, and the woman covered her mouth as she laughed.
“The kid’s mom suddenly left for her parents’ place. Had to leave the child with someone. Sorry about that.”
“No worries. Being like this—it almost feels like you and I are the parents, and she’s, our daughter. I kind of like it.”
The three of us went to an amusement park in Father’s car.
I picked out a cute animal headband and we took photos.
Father spoke kindly, wore a soft expression I’d never seen before, and treated the woman gently.
We had a great time, and then went to a family restaurant where I ordered the kids’ meal.
Even just looking at the omelet rice with the little flag in it made me hesitate to dig in—it felt too special.
“…Shall I feed you?” the woman offered.
It felt awkward, and I glanced around nervously, but Father looked so pleased.
So I slowly opened my mouth.
As luck would have it, the restaurant was holding a Family Month event.
A staff member in a colorful uniform approached us, camera in hand.
“Little one, could you scoot a bit closer to Mommy?”
“Mommy?” I asked.
The woman laughed out loud and wrapped her arm around my shoulder.
Father wrapped his around hers.
Click.
The flash went off, and a photo was printed on the spot.
The staff handed it to me, and I took it without thinking.
We came home late that night.
Mom’s shoes were at the door.
“Mom!”
I rubbed my sleepy eyes and looked for her.
She came running out in a hurry.
Father’s face turned stiff the moment he saw her.
He was completely different from how he had been with the woman earlier.
“…Go to your room.”
At his stern command, I hesitantly retreated.
The door hadn’t even fully closed before shouting erupted.
I buried my ears under my pillow.
“Lady Cecilia! Lady Cecilia!”
I hadn’t dreamed about the past in such a long time.
Looking back, that day might’ve been the only time I ever felt truly happy.
“Lady Cecilia, are you awake?”
After that, my parents divorced.
It was because Mom had seen the photo I left inside my bunny backpack.
That single picture confirmed the suspicions she had long harbored.
She handed Father the divorce papers.
He signed them without protest.
Did she think he would try to stop her?
His cold decisiveness left Mom in shock.
“Lady Cecilia, please! Try to come to your senses!”
Naturally, I went to live with Mom after the divorce.
Father remarried the woman from before.
From what I heard, they lived happily.
Mom developed depression.
After the divorce, she blamed me for how her life had turned out.
Said everything was my fault.
“Lady Cecilia!”
A persistent voice interrupted my thoughts.
I struggled to lift my heavy eyelids.
“Look! Lady Cecilia has opened her eyes!”
Who on earth is this Cecilia they keep shouting for?
And why won’t she respond when they call her so desperately?
“Lady Cecilia!”
A stranger’s face suddenly filled my vision.
It was a kindly looking older woman.
“Um…”
“Yes, Lady Cecilia! Please speak!”
Why is she calling me by such a strange name?
I was confused—but I couldn’t even move a single finger.
“You! Go call the Count at once! Tell him Lady Cecilia has awakened, hurry!”
Someone seemed to rush out of the room.
“Lady Cecilia, do you recognize me? It’s me—your nanny!”
A nanny? What is this, 19th-century Europe?
Even in the haze of confusion, I let out a dry chuckle.
Still, I needed to get up soon or I’d be late for my part-time job.
I braced my elbow against the bed and tried to sit up when—
“She’s awake.”
The cold voice stilled the room in an instant.
“My Lord Count.”
“My Lord Count.”
It sounded like the people beside me had dropped to their knees.
“Cecilia.”
A shadow fell over me.
A rather handsome man leaned down and looked into my face.
When our eyes met, he clicked his tongue.
“You look just fine.”
“My Lord! Lady Cecilia was poisoned! The fact that she woke up at all is a miracle!”
The woman who had called herself my nanny cried out in anguish.
“This isn’t the first time she’s swallowed poison. And you’re still falling for it?”
“My Lord! Lady Cecilia is the mistress of House Linton—and your wife! The least you could do is pretend to be worried!”
The man scoffed.
“I’d be grateful if she just died quietly. There’s never a moment of peace in this house with her constant dramatics.”
“My Lord!”
“Enough. I brought you here because you begged, but it’s best you return now.”
With those cold words, the man turned and left.
The woman— “the nanny”—watched him walk away, her shoulders shaking with sobs.
I had no idea what kind of scene I’d just witnessed.
The confusion was overwhelming, and before I knew it, I’d slipped back into sleep.
When I next opened my eyes, it was just before dawn.
It felt like I had been dreaming—but I couldn’t recall what about.
I frowned and shook my head.
The part-time job I’d skipped without notice was now worrying me.
I figured I should at least text my team leader, so I reached out beside the bed to find my phone.
“Huh?”
My fingers brushed against smooth bedsheets.
They felt completely different from the cheap, worn-out covers I’d washed so many times they were full of holes.
“Wait, what… Where am I?”
I sat up abruptly. My bare feet sank into a soft carpet.
I looked around in a daze.
It was a place I’d never seen before.
“Okay. First, find the phone.”
I had worked hard to land that job.
All I had to do was transcribe data into a computer from documents—it paid well considering the minimal effort.
I started looking around for my phone.
“Did I get kidnapped by some lunatic?”
Wherever I looked, I saw antique, ornate furniture.
It looked exactly like something out of 19th-century European nobility.
“No… It can’t be kidnapping.”
There was no gain in abducting someone like me.
I’m an orphan with no family to demand ransom, and I can barely pay rent.
“Maybe I collapsed on the street and someone brought me here?”
This seemed like a much more reasonable theory.
Maybe I’d been helped by someone with a peculiar taste in interior design—and here I was, nearly being rude to my savior.
I needed to find my phone and thank the person who took me in. Then I’d look for the nearest bus stop and head home.
Once I organized the situation like that, my heart—which had been pounding with anxiety—finally began to settle.
“This vanity is huge.”
I had searched every drawer, but still couldn’t find my phone.
I had put off checking the vanity since it felt too personal, but now I had no choice.
I approached it with the intention of apologizing later.
“…Huh?”
The face in the mirror wasn’t mine—it was mimicking my every move, but it was a stranger.
“Am I still dreaming?”
I pinched my thigh hard.
It hurt. That meant this wasn’t a dream.
A wide-eyed woman with flowing blonde hair stared back at me.
“Maybe… it is a dream.”
Just because it hurts doesn’t mean it isn’t a dream.
There’s no rule that says dreams can’t be painful.
I tried to convince myself—but the reality staring back refused to budge.
The phone was no longer the problem. I needed to get out of here—fast.
I rushed to the door and flung it open.
“Lady Cecilia?”
Right outside stood a woman in a white apron.
“Why are you up? You should be resting. The doctor said you needed more time.”
There it was again—that name.
“Ce… Cecilia? No, I’m—”
“Lady Cecilia, please, don’t be like this. Go back inside. If the Count finds out, it’ll be a disaster.”
The Count?
So this person wasn’t just obsessed with antique decor—were they also roleplaying some sort of historical drama?
“Lady Cecilia, please! The Count will be here soon. He won’t be pleased to hear you left your room.”
The woman tried urgently to push me back inside.
I braced my feet and resisted.
“Wait—please move. I appreciate the help, but I need to go home now. I’ll repay your kindness later.”
“Home? Oh… do you mean your family estate?”
She’s not making any sense.
I wasn’t married, so what “family estate” was she talking about?
“I mean my home. I’ve got an early shift—I need to get there ASAP.”
“Lady Cecilia…”
The woman sighed deeply.
“No matter what you say, you’re Countess Linton. Like it or not, this is your home—until death do you part.”
She kept spouting nonsense.
I realized talking wasn’t getting me anywhere.
So I pretended to comply, then suddenly spun around and ran.
“Ah! Lady Cecilia!”
I flew down the stairs two steps at a time.
At the end, I spotted a large door and turned toward it.
That must be the main entrance!
“Lady Cecilia, no—please!”
“Ack!”
Startled by the woman’s voice from behind, I turned my head—only to slam straight into someone.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
That voice…
It was him.
Even though it had only been a brief encounter earlier, his cold, cutting tone had left a lasting impression.
“My Lord!”
The woman chasing me instantly dropped to her knees.
“You’ve lost your mind now, have you?”
The man grabbed my arm.
The door was right there—but his grip was so tight, I couldn’t move an inch.
“Let go of me.”
He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
“Make up your mind, Cecilia. Either die or go mad—just pick one already.”
With that, he dragged me back to the very room I had so desperately tried to escape.
