Chapter 3
No… I thought I had died.
“……Mmm.”
Diana slowly opened her eyes.
“Your Grace the Grand Duchess, you’re awake?”
She turned her head toward the voice. Through the thin blindfold covering her eyes, she could clearly see the face of the maid tidying her room.
“This is…!”
Diana bolted upright in bed. It wasn’t the cabin. It was her room in the grand duchy.
“What’s going on…? What day is it today?”
“Pardon? It’s the 1st day of Imperial Year 22. You were injured yesterday after returning from the temple…”
The 1st of the year, Year 22—that was the day after Catherine supposedly injured her eyes and Diana had given her sight in her place.
At the time, the maids believed Diana had been the one injured during the picnic.
Worried that the gossip might hurt Catherine, Diana had instructed them to lie. It had been an act of pure concern, done entirely for Catherine’s sake.
But now, strangely, her eyes could see everything clearly. Vividly.
‘Could it be…’
‘Did the gods really give me another chance? A chance to take revenge on those who mocked and betrayed me?’
In Diana’s eyes—once the serene green of a forest—darkness settled in.
She clenched her fists.
She made a vow: never again would she be deceived by them.
And she would find the daughter she lost without ever even seeing her face.
Diana dismissed the maids. Then, she removed her blindfold.
As expected, once the covering was gone, she could see everything with perfect clarity.
She dipped the tip of a quill into ink, spread out a piece of parchment, and began to write.
She would start by sorting through her memories.
‘When exactly had their betrayal begun?’
‘How had they managed to switch the children? When did the Catherine she loved and raised all her life become Alicia’s accomplice?’
There were still so many unanswered questions.
Alicia had been a childhood friend, practically like a sister.
‘Alicia…! Why did you…?’
Her clenched fist dug her nails into her palm.
Alicia was the daughter of the lesser Blair noble house, which had been struggling financially. So Diana had asked her own family—the prestigious House of Pereshte—to support Alicia.
Thanks to their help, Alicia had obtained the highly coveted position of an imperial physician.
But she never went to the palace.
Using the excuse of wanting to stay close to her best friend, she came to serve as the Grand Duchy’s personal physician instead.
They had been overjoyed back then, clapping each other’s hands in celebration. The memory was still fresh.
In a field bursting with blooming flowers, Diana had shed tears of genuine happiness—and Alicia had warmly wiped them away as they cried together.
‘Back then, I truly believed alicia’s feelings were sincere. Foolishly so.’
“Haa…”
A sigh escaped her lips. Rage welled up inside her, so strong she wanted to smash everything on the desk right then and there.
Diana crumpled the parchment she had been scribbling on and tore it apart so thoroughly not even a trace remained. Now was not the time to be sighing. She had to protect herself and her daughter in this den filled with enemies.
She forced herself to calm down. If she let her anger take control, her judgment would become clouded—just like before, when she’d been blinded by her emotions.
“Dry bread…”
The child who had brought her dry bread. Alicia had clearly said that her daughter had lived a harsh life as a maid.
The fact that she had brought Diana bread meant she must’ve been a maid in this mansion.
“I need to go to the maids’ quarters.”
Diana covered her eyes once more. But since the cloth was thin, she could still see everything through it.
Then, she picked up her blind cane—one with a small jewel at its tip. She planned to pretend to be blind until she uncovered every bit of their conspiracy.
That way, they’d never suspect her.
She flung the door open wide.
Standing outside were more maids than before she had lost her sight. Were they trying to monitor her every move?
And among them, not a single familiar face.
They had all been replaced—undoubtedly handpicked and bought by Alicia.
‘Was it from this day on? From the day I lost my sight, that Alicia began acting like the true mistress of the estate?’
Come to think of it, around that time, the maids who had served Diana since her wedding had all been reassigned elsewhere.
It had been Calypso’s order.
He’d said it was because he wanted only reliable people around her. And she had believed him—without question.
‘Stupid Diana.’
Alicia’s voice, filled with scorn, echoed in her mind.
‘You were right. I really was stupid.’
Diana masked her shock. Her hands trembled, but she didn’t let it show. Slowly, with her dry lips, she spoke.
“Is someone there?”
The maids exchanged nervous glances, nudging each other to speak. Eventually, the youngest-looking one stepped forward hesitantly.
“Yes, Your Grace. I’m here.”
Diana’s eyes swiftly scanned the hands of the maids standing in the hallway.
Serving the Grand Duchess was considered relatively light work. Their hands were white and smooth—untouched by hard labor.
There was no way her daughter was among them.
The child’s hands had been rough and dry, as if she had done nothing but chores all her life.
“Would you escort me to the maids’ quarters?”
“Please, take my arm.”
Diana followed the maid to the quarters and ordered all the maids to gather outside.
They filed out with confused expressions.
As expected, she didn’t recognize a single one of them.
“What’s the matter, Your Grace?”
Julia, the head maid, stepped forward, her posture perfectly upright.
She had been personally recommended by Alicia when she first joined the Grand Duchy as its physician—claiming Julia was trustworthy.
Every little thing was chilling in hindsight. Alicia had planned this all so thoroughly.
‘You were meticulous, weren’t you, Alli..’
Diana clenched her dress tightly to suppress her trembling.
“Oh, I just have something to tell you all.”
She answered vaguely, scanning the gathered maids.
But the thin child—about fifteen years old—was nowhere to be seen.
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes, they’ve all gathered,” Julia replied, eyeing Diana with suspicion.
Diana had never once summoned the maids before.
She had always been kind to them, but she had shown little interest in managing household affairs.
To be more precise, she believed that if you hired someone to do a job, you should trust them to do it. So she had never interfered or called them together.
Until now.
Julia, watching Diana closely, felt a flicker of concern.
Alicia’s grand plan was just about to begin. So why was the duchess suddenly doing things she had never done before?
There must be no unexpected changes with the Grand Duchess.
Not until that foolish woman was dead and Alicia became the true mistress of the Grand Duchy.
Julia furrowed her brow and spat on the floor.
Her underlings, who were well aware of everything, let out a stifled laugh.
They were sure Diana couldn’t see a thing.
“I gathered you all because…”
Diana gritted her teeth. So this was how the maids had treated her while she was blind.
She had truly believed she was living in a garden of flowers, surrounded by those who loved and cared for her.
But the truth was cruel and wretched beyond words.
It made her wish she had never regained her sight.
Swallowing her trembling heart, Diana spoke clearly and calmly.
“Since the accident yesterday left me like this, I just wanted to ask for your continued support.”
Then, she smiled sweetly—just as they had always done to her, with practiced deceit.
If they could fake it, so could she.
“Yes, of course. Don’t worry, Your Grace,” Julia replied, forcing a gentle voice out through her twisted expression.
Diana steadied her breath and took the young maid’s arm again.
As they made their way back to her room, she saw Catherine approaching from the end of the hallway.
Her beloved daughter, who had so cruelly played with her heart.
Diana swallowed hard and kept walking.
Catherine froze when she saw her, then quietly raised a finger to her lips, signaling the maid to stay silent.
The maid nodded obediently, sealing her lips.
Catherine then waved her hand right in front of Diana’s face, as if testing whether she was truly blind.
Diana kept walking, showing no sign of reaction.
When she didn’t respond, Catherine’s lips slowly curled into a smirk.
That expression sent chills crawling across Diana’s skin, as if insects were swarming over her.
It was not a face a fifteen-year-old girl should have.
It was a look of pure, cold satisfaction.
Diana felt tears threatening to fall.
Even if Catherine wasn’t her real daughter, they had spent fifteen years together.
She had loved her deeply—so much that she gave up her sight without hesitation. If she’d had to give her life, she would have.
That’s how much she had loved her.
But in Catherine’s face, there was not a single trace of concern for her.
Only relief. Joy that she could no longer see.
The beautiful, angelic Catherine she once knew was gone.
What stood before her now was a demon, ready to drive a knife into her throat.
Diana walked past her and returned to her room.
The silence there was heavy and absolute.
Her heart swelled and churned like a stormy sea.
Seeing Catherine’s face made it all too real.
And she realized—deep in her soul—that everything she had gone through wasn’t just a terrible dream.
It was the grim, undeniable truth.
She lifted the pen. She was thinking of sending a letter to the Pereshte Marquis family. This place felt like nothing more than a stronghold of her enemies. She needed strength and allies to oppose them.
Diana’s hand moved rapidly as she scribbled something down. Then, she opened her magic chest and rummaged through its contents.
She had shown a remarkable talent for magic and alchemy when she was young. So, when she felt lonely, she had occasionally prepared magical tools or potions to pass the time. She never imagined this magic chest would be so useful now.
Diana smiled bitterly and mixed golden powder with a white light from a flask, stirring them together.
Soon, the light began to puff up like cotton candy, and she blew a breath toward the letter. The writing on the letter slowly started to rise and reassemble, turning into a simple greeting.
“They are surely watching my letter,” Diana thought to herself.
Satisfied, she looked at the letter, then opened the door and called for the maid.
“Would you send this to the Marquis family?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The maid, instead of heading to the first floor to send it, took the letter to the second floor. It was clear the letter would be going to Alicia or Calypso.
Calypso. The thought of him made her rage rise again. Just then, someone knocked on the door.
“Yes, come in.”
It was Calypso, and Alicia followed behind him.
“How are your eyes?”
It seemed that he had come to check again if Diana was truly blind.
“I’m fine. It’s… fine,” Diana barely responded.
Calypso’s face was completely stiff as he spoke, acting as though he was only concerned about her voice.
“I’m relieved. I’m glad there are no other injuries.”
But something was strange. Alicia, instead of speaking, just grinned mischievously, not saying a word.
At that moment, Calypso grabbed Alicia’s waist tightly.
And, before Diana’s eyes, Alicia kissed his collarbone silently.
Calypso, with a look of pure affection, gently kissed Alicia’s lips.
Alicia’s cheeks flushed red. They smiled widely, clearly enjoying the illicit act they were committing right in front of their supposedly blind mistress.
Calypso casually caressed Alicia’s body, and she kissed him in return. It seemed like they had done this many times before, so naturally.
Even in the face of this shocking scene, Diana couldn’t say a word. She had to pretend her eyes were still blind.
Now that she could finally see their deeds, Diana felt her stomach twist and nausea rise. She could no longer watch. Clenching her fist, she steadied her voice, trying to hide her inner turmoil.
“I’m a bit tired today. Could you leave?”
“Then, rest well.”
“…Yes, my dear.”
Calypso and Alicia left the room still tightly entwined. Of course, just before leaving, Alicia didn’t forget to sneer at Diana.
That sneer felt like it was speaking directly to her, saying, “You foolish woman.”
As soon as they left, Diana collapsed to the floor. She bit her lips until they bled.
“You’ve really underestimated me, my dear. And… Alicia.”
I am no saint. I cannot forgive you for doing such things.
Diana removed the blindfold she had been wearing. Then, she glared at the door through which they had just exited.
In her emerald eyes, deep rage and sorrow festered.
“Just wait. I’ll show you how I get my revenge.”
I’ll gladly fall into corruption, no matter the curse that may come.
It was the moment when the once-pure saint began to transform into a villain. Behind her, it seemed as if wings darker than the night itself were emerging.
