Hayden Roger let out a painful scream and collapsed to the ground.
“It worked!”
I didn’t miss the opportunity and quickly got up, bolting toward the door.
Behind me, I could hear the duke’s groans of agony.
“You crazy—! Ugh!”
“What, did you think you were the only one allowed to lose it? Try being a little nicer, will you?”
I kicked the air in his direction and rammed my shoulder into the door.
Fortunately, the door, made of old wood, crashed to the ground with a loud bang, leaving my shoulder throbbing in pain.
“Ugh, that hurts!”
But there was no time to dwell on the sharp pain. I had to run straight ahead through the forest path without looking back.
Not yet. If I get caught, I’m as good as dead.
“Argh! Catch that crazy wench!”
I hadn’t even gotten a few meters away from the decrepit warehouse when Roger’s enraged voice thundered through the forest.
Soon, I began to hear multiple sets of footsteps closing in behind me.
Even without turning around, I could tell they were the hurried steps of several strong men.
“I have to find a place to hide. Anywhere…”
If I get caught, I’m done for.
Desperately scanning my surroundings, I ran with all my might, but my body wouldn’t obey me.
“Haa, haa, ugh!”
Still reeling from the carriage accident and burdened by the pain I’d just endured, my pace slowed down.
During that moment, one of the men, now close behind me, grabbed a fistful of my hair.
“Where do you think you’re going, you insolent brat?”
“Aah! Let go, you lunatic!”
One of his hands yanked my hair while the other gripped my arms, tied behind my back, with a crushing force.
Why do these people keep grabbing my hair?!
“Let go, I said!”
“Stop squirming, will you?”
I thrashed wildly, but it was no use.
As I struggled fiercely, I distinctly felt my bracelet snap, and my scalp burned as if my hair was being ripped out.
“You little—do you think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re some noble lady? I’ll show you—”
Whoosh—Thud!
A sharp sound sliced through the air, and the man who had been manhandling me fell backward with a dull thud.
Before I could grasp what had happened, I spotted faint flickers of light in the distance.
“We’ve found the Grand Duchess! Over here!”
“…Huh?”
I froze at the faint voice coming from the other side.
“…Ian?”
He had come to save me.
I’m saved.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, the strength that had kept me running drained away, and I collapsed to the ground.
“I’m really… safe….”
But then—
I’m ready now.
Without warning, a familiar voice echoed strongly in my mind.
“Ugh!”
At the same time, my vision blurred, and a splitting headache overwhelmed me.
Before I could react, my body collapsed helplessly to the side.
“Eloise!”
And just like that, the last thing I saw was a white figure rushing toward me before the world went dark.
❖ ❖ ❖
Half-asleep and groggy, I shifted my body and finally managed to open my eyes. My vision was blurry.
I lay there blankly for a while until I noticed sunlight flickering over my face through the gap in the curtains.
As I slowly regained my senses, familiar sights came into focus one by one.
A white ceiling, the still-lit bedside lamp, and the faint sounds of early morning filtering in through the half-open window.
It’s my room.
After blinking away the haze for over ten minutes, I finally dragged myself up with some effort.
“Ugh, my head….”
Had I slept too long? My shoulders were stiff, and my head throbbed.
What was it? I felt like I had been dreaming about something.
“…I can’t remember.”
How long was I asleep?
As I sat there, half-upright and dozing, I stretched my arms above my head—
Clink.
I felt something catch on my left hand.
“Huh?”
I reflexively turned to look and saw a broken bracelet, scattered beads, and a blue thread lying haphazardly on my hand and the bed.
“…What is this?”
Did I sleep wearing a bracelet last night?
No, wait. I don’t even own a bracelet like this….
Frowning, I picked it up and examined it closely.
“…Did I buy this at some point?”
It’s definitely not my style, but for some reason, it feels familiar.
Still half-asleep and squinting at the bracelet, I groped around for my phone on the bedside table.
“Ugh, this is driving me crazy. I really can’t remember anything. What did I even do yesterday…?”
The moment I pressed the button to check my phone screen, all my leisurely pondering vanished, and I bolted upright.
“Ahhh! I’m late!”
No wonder I woke up without an alarm! I have a first-period lecture today!
The clock on the lock screen showed it was already 8:30 AM.
Without another thought, I hastily placed the bracelet and thread I had been holding onto the desk and dashed into the bathroom.
But as soon as I stepped into the bathroom and faced the mirror, I froze again.
“…Was my face always like this?”
Unconsciously, I touched my cheek and murmured.
The reflection in the mirror was unmistakably me—medium-length hair brushing my collarbone, faint double eyelids, and even a dimple on one side.
It was a face I was very familiar with, yet it felt strangely foreign.
“My eyes….”
When did they become black?
Weren’t they teal?
A sudden thought crossed my mind, and I widened my eyes in shock.
“What the heck, am I crazy? Am I some kind of otaku? Teal eyes, seriously….”
I let out a small laugh at the ridiculous thought, but my voice gradually trailed off.
Now that I thought about it, not just my face but everything around me felt strange.
First, the bathroom I was standing in.
There was nothing crooked or odd about its shape, but it felt as alien as if I had been dropped into an unfamiliar world.
Feeling dazed, I wandered out of the bathroom as if possessed and surveyed my room.
I stood still for a long time, blinking in disbelief.
“My room….”
Is this really it?
❖ ❖ ❖
It was, without a doubt, a strange day.
When I braced myself to be scolded by my professor and walked into my first-period class, I was met with an empty lecture hall.
If it weren’t for a passing teaching assistant asking if I had confused the schedule with last year’s, I might’ve stood there the whole time.
That wasn’t all—when I finally pulled out my phone and found my actual timetable, none of it looked familiar.
And on top of that—
“Why do you seem so out of it today? Are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
After class, someone tapped me on the shoulder in the hallway, and I turned to see a familiar face.
…Who was this?
I knew I recognized them, but their name wouldn’t come to me.
While I stared at her blankly, another girl ran over, laughing, and playfully shoved the both of us.
“She passed out after drinking yesterday, and she still hasn’t recovered!”
“…I drank? Yesterday?”
“Oh my, look at her.”
At my dazed question, the girl’s expression grew serious.
“…What? You really don’t remember?”
“I told you we shouldn’t let her drink! It hasn’t even been a year since her accident.”
“Hey, I didn’t force her! She was the one who said we should drink because she messed up her assignment!”
“Still, she went overboard yesterday….”
“Wait, wait. Hold on, you two.”
Their overlapping voices tangled in my head, making me feel dizzy.
I raised my hand urgently to stop them, frowning, and the two girls fell silent.
“…Sorry, but.”
I slowly looked up.
“I was in an accident a year ago? When? And what assignment are you talking about?”
At my confused and rambling questions, the two exchanged shocked glances.
According to them, I had drunk with them yesterday and apparently had an assignment due.
But I couldn’t remember a single thing.
It was as if someone had cleanly cut out a piece of my memory.
And then there was the accident—now that I thought about it, it felt like something had happened, but I couldn’t grasp what it was.
Before I could think any further, a strong hand gripped my arm.
“Hey! Are you okay? Is this some kind of aftereffect from your car accident?”
“Damn, did we let her drink too much? I told you Professor Kim’s insane workload is—”
“Forget this, we need to get her to the hospital. Or should she rest instead? Did you take your meds at home?”
Their loud voices overwhelmed me, and I barely managed to process what was happening before the two girls forcibly pushed me toward the idea of going to the hospital.
In the end, unable to argue, I returned to my studio apartment and found myself staring at a familiar yet strangely alien space.
“This is so weird….”
What the heck is going on?
The sense of unease refused to leave me, but every time I tried to piece things together, it felt like a fog clouded my thoughts, blocking me from making any sense of it.
Eventually, I collapsed onto my bed, clutching my aching head.
Even then, the mattress, which I was sure was mine, felt odd.
The bed I remembered was softer and wider than this one.
“Did I really not sober up yet? Is this some kind of alcohol-induced amnesia?”
Just as I closed my eyes tightly, unable to shake off the discomfort, a voice rang out suddenly.
—So, how is it?
I instinctively opened my eyes wide.
“What…? Who’s there?”
I shot up reflexively—
“Ahhh! A ghost!”
A woman in a dress was sitting beside my bed, staring intently at me.
• • •
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