Chapter 06
“Hurry up and undress her, Gloria.”
Under the sharp moonlight, Cedric and Gloria were in the middle of their crime.
When they entered Marieanne’s bedroom, Cedric urgently ordered Gloria to remove her clothes.
“If you sneak a peek at Marieanne’s body, I swear I won’t let it slide.”
Gloria snapped at Cedric, who was turned toward the wall.
“I get it. But you have to change even your underwear.”
“Just keep your eyes shut tight. No, better yet, go stand in the corner.”
But undressing a limp adult woman was no easy task. Even Gloria, who had confidently taken on the job, struggled with the effort.
“Need help, Ria?”
“No!”
She screeched. It might be easier if Cedric helped, but the idea of him seeing or touching Marieanne’s naked body was unbearable.
“Ugh, look at all this sweat.”
Gloria grumbled as she finally stripped Marieanne. She didn’t want to wear clothes soaked in someone else’s sweat.
“This stinks. How long do I have to wear this?”
“Just until morning. When the sun rises, wake up naturally and call for me. I’ll handle everything after that.”
“How am I supposed to sleep in this?”
Despite her constant complaints, Gloria finished changing.
“I’m done. You can look now.”
After a long wait, Cedric approached the bed. Marieanne was now wearing Gloria’s clothes, and Gloria was dressed as Marieanne.
“You need to fool everyone. The servants, your parents—everyone. Can you do it?”
Cedric asked.
“Don’t worry. That’s easier than breathing for me. Even my mother can’t tell us apart when I pretend to be Marieanne.”
That was never a problem for Gloria.
She had fooled their father plenty of times, pretending to be Marieanne just to get an extra allowance.
“Just pretending isn’t enough. You need to prove that you are Marieanne.”
“How am I supposed to prove that?”
“How well do you know Marieanne?”
“There’s nothing about her I don’t know. We spent our whole lives together until she got married.”
“What about after that?”
“I know everything except the time we were apart. But we’ve been together again recently.”
While her husband was away at war, Gloria had stayed in a southern estate for about a year under the pretense of recovery.
After that, she spent time partying and moving from place to place.
Even Cedric, who had once been hopelessly in love with her, hadn’t seen her much during that time.
Almost no one knew exactly how Gloria had spent those long years.
“Damn it, Ria. Think. You have to be more like Marieanne than she ever was.”
Cedric ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
“Is there anything you know better than she does?”
“Of course.”
Gloria answered easily, making Cedric lean in with interest.
“What is it?”
“You, Cedric.”
It was simple. She knew everything about Cedric—more than Marieanne ever could.
Like how many moles he had on his side.
Which of his thumbs was longer?
Even what position she had to be in to drive him wild.
These were things Marieanne could never know, no matter how many times she died and came back to life.
“I know you better than your wife, Cedric. So stop worrying about stupid things.”
“…Alright. I’ll trust you. Now go stand watch while I move Marieanne.”
“Wait.”
Just as Cedric was about to lift Marieanne, Gloria blocked him.
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!
Before he could stop her, Gloria struck Marieanne’s face exactly six times.
Cedric flinched in shock, immediately checking if Marieanne had woken up.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
Slapping an unconscious person like that—it wasn’t normal behavior.
“Are you insane? What if she wakes up?”
“You think I hit her for no reason? Look at this—she did this to my lip.”
Gloria pointed at her swollen, bruised mouth.
Cedric glanced between Marieanne, who lay still, and Gloria, who was scowling. Now, their faces were equally battered.
It wasn’t what Gloria had planned, but it was a necessary touch to fool even Marieanne’s maid.
“Fine, I get it. Now get out and keep watch. We need to finish this before morning.”
Cedric reached for Marieanne again—then paused.
‘Ah. The wedding ring.’
Gloria had switched clothes but not the ring.
Cedric sighed and pulled the ring from Marieanne’s left hand.
“What’s this, Cedric?”
“What do you think? It’s yours now.”
He slid the ring onto Gloria’s finger.
Her face lit up with a dazzling smile as if she wasn’t aware of the storm raging inside him.
“It’s beautiful.”
When the sun rose, she would be reborn under the golden light.
She would no longer be Gloria Ernst.
She would be Marieanne Drake.
And with that, they believed everything was perfect.
Scene Break
“Ah…”
Every muscle in my body ached.
My head throbbed as if it were being crushed. My vision was blurry.
I blinked several times before I could finally focus.
“Oh, my goodness! My dear, are you awake?”
A very familiar voice.
Looking down at me with worried eyes was none other than my mother—Marchioness Louisa Seymour.
“…Mom?”
“What are you waiting for? Go call the doctor immediately!”
A serious voice followed.
My father, Marquis Arthur Seymour, stood beside her, his face grim.
‘Why are my parents here…?’
Before I could ask, another sharp pain shot through my head.
I winced, barely able to sit up with my mother’s support.
“Oh, Gloria. What have you done?”
My mother whispered.
‘Why is she calling me Gloria?’
I looked at her in confusion.
Tears welled in her eyes as if she didn’t understand what was wrong.
“Why did you do it, dear? You had everything. Why would you go after Marieanne’s husband? I tried so many times to convince you to remarry, but you refused—”
“Darling, that’s enough. People are watching. Let’s take Gloria home first.”
“But Arthur, I just can’t believe this.
How could something like this happen…?”
My mother broke into quiet sobs. My father held her, patting her back gently.
I was frozen in place.
Why were they treating me like I was Gloria?
Why did they sound like I had done something terrible?
‘Why does everyone keep confusing me with Gloria?’
I was already frustrated from experiencing this mix-up before, but this time, it was unbearable.
I struggled to speak.
“Wait, this must be a mistake—”
“The duchess has regained consciousness, I see.”
Before I could finish, the doctor walked in.
As he checked my head, vision, and reflexes, everyone in the room continued calling me Gloria.
“Fortunately, there are no major issues. Except for a small wound on the back of her head…”
“No, stop. Hold on.”
“What’s the matter, madam?”
“It’s just that…”
I took a deep breath.
“I am not Gloria Ernst.”
A heavy silence fell.
I could feel the temperature in the room drop.
“There’s been some misunderstanding. I am Marieanne.”
“….”
“Has Gloria woken up yet? And where is Cedric? I need to speak with my husband immediately.”
No one answered me.
Instead, my parents exchanged glances with the doctor, as if silently urging him to explain.
After a long pause, he spoke.
“It appears to be a case of cognitive dysfunction. A common psychological issue after severe head trauma—”
Cognitive dysfunction?
“A mental illness? No! I am Marieanne!”
I clutched my chest in frustration, but the doctor averted his eyes.
I thought I saw a flicker of guilt cross his face.
“Oh, dear God.”
My mother groaned, clutching her forehead. My father held her up before she collapsed.
“Enough, Gloria. Marieanne and the Count have already suffered enough because of you.”
I knew they wouldn’t believe me.
I turned to a nearby maid instead.
“So, where is Gloria?”
“…Pardon?”
The maid hesitated.
I sighed.
“My twin sister. Where is she now?”
“Oh… The madam has recovered fully and is back to her usual life.”
“…What?”
I had assumed Gloria was unconscious, which was why this mess had happened.
But no.
While I was lying here, Gloria Ernst was living my life.
That meant this was no simple mix-up.
This was a crime. A perfect crime.
