Celeste’s rhythmic and colorful breathing flowed from her lips. She seemed to be deeply asleep now. Lying on her side with her hands under her head, she looked almost innocent.
The Celeste who had been the epitome of the arrogant woman he so despised was gone. It seemed she had completely disappeared.
Who could even recall the old Celeste when looking at this childlike woman sleeping peacefully?
With her eyes tightly shut, Celeste occasionally mimicked eating by moving her lips as if she were dreaming of food. Was she having a dream about eating? Karl couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
Her hair, cascading beside her face, suddenly seemed to annoy him. He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear.
But it seemed that his fingers brushing her cheek tickled her. Celeste shrank her shoulders slightly and let out a little laugh before returning to her steady, colorful breathing.
The way her mouth had been smiling moments earlier while giggling was just like Valerie’s innocent babbling in her sleep. Perhaps that was what they called “unchanged as ever.”
Another soft sound escaped Karl’s lips as he continued to laugh.
“Sweet dreams, Celly.”
The campfire he had lit crackled gently, its warm glow filling the air. As night deepened, the sound of insects began to creep in.
The chirping of insects mixed with the crackling fire brought a sense of tranquility.
Karl smiled as he watched Celeste sleep before turning his attention back to the pile of papers.
His decision not to lie down was partly out of consideration for Celeste, but there was also the issue that he had no time to sleep if he wanted to get through the paperwork. He could work while Celeste slept comfortably; it was a win-win.
It was a peaceful night. As Karl read through the documents, a soft smile graced his lips.
***
After three continuous days of camping, we finally arrived at the Otaka Highland.
However, the highland was much larger than expected, and it would take us another two full days of traveling to reach our lodging.
It was indeed a long journey. I was reminded of how excellent trains are as a means of transportation.
Still, the time of endurance will eventually end. The seemingly endless dirt road relay came to a close as we finally arrived at Karl’s secret villa.
So, this is the ‘secret villa.’ I looked around as I got off the carriage.
While it was called a villa, it was more like a fortress buried in the mountains. The solid stone walls built from gray rocks demonstrated a strong resolve to prevent any outsiders from entering.
Seeing it up close, I understood why Karl described it as a secret hideout when he needed to stay hidden.
But Celeste found this secret villa in such a rugged mountainous area?
Karl had said that Celeste suddenly came to him while he was hiding in the secret villa. What’s more, she came alone.
He asked her multiple times how she knew about this place and how she made it here by herself, but Celeste never answered.
At the time, I brushed it off. However, now that I had seen the villa with my own eyes, I couldn’t help but think that anyone who knew this place would have grilled Celeste about it.
This was definitely not a location where a noblewoman would come dressed up on her own.
Having come this far, I found myself thinking about the old Celeste again. I shook my head to dispel the thoughts.
Even after hearing Karl’s detailed account of what happened with Celeste two years ago, none of my inner questions were resolved. The unpleasant feelings I had before hearing the story still lingered deep within me.
Ah, it was clear that Celeste and Karl were not in a romantic relationship. That was the only thing I felt relieved about. Since they were not in love, I didn’t need to feel guilty about marrying Karl while taking on Celeste’s appearance.
“It’s much starker than I expected, isn’t it?” Karl asked as he approached.
The knights were busy unloading all the luggage from the carriage. When do those people take a break? Now that we’ve arrived at our destination, wouldn’t everyone want to relax for the day? I thought about this as I walked alongside Karl.
“Yes. It definitely doesn’t feel like a vacation home. More like a fortress.”
“A fortress. You see it accurately. Although this is called a vacation home, it’s actually my secret hideout. A hideout, in its essence, is a space for concealment, designed for immediate defense against unexpected intrusions or detections. This place is particularly so.”
I nodded. Listening to his explanation helped me understand why the vacation home looked this way.
Even after the conversation ended, Karl continued to match his stride with mine. He felt a little closer in the few days since we had met, a shift I hadn’t anticipated.
***
The mansion was completely empty. Margaret found herself lost in thought as she gazed at Celeste’s bedroom.
She had been with Celeste since the day she was born, but the Celeste she knew these days seemed very different from the person she remembered.
During their time together, Margaret had been so busy managing everything that she hadn’t noticed it, but upon reflecting after saying goodbye, there were many moments that felt out of place.
It wasn’t just that there were gaps in her memories; even minor habits had changed completely.
First of all, Celeste had always been able to use both of her hands. However, after waking up from the carriage accident, she could no longer write with her left hand.
That could be explained by brain injury, but what followed was even stranger.
Celeste, who used to refuse food she found foul-smelling, now ate everything without hesitation. Could it be that merely losing her memory changed her taste and habits entirely?
Is it really possible to change so drastically that one becomes a completely different person, with a different personality and preferences, just because of memory loss?
She had always been someone who refrained from unnecessary words and kept her distance from her attendants, yet after the accident, she treated the maids as if they were her closest friends.
“Giving birth to Miss Valerie….”
It was strange. Celeste was far from being a devoted mother who cherished her child.
She had always valued herself above all else. So, the thought of harming her own body through childbirth and child-rearing was something she not only avoided but almost detested.
If the need arose, she might consider finding the best way to have a child, but the idea of secretly bearing and giving birth to a child without anyone’s knowledge was unheard of for her.
Yet, given that they had completed a paternity test with magic, it seemed that Valerie was indeed Celeste’s child.
“What on earth is going on?”
Everything was nothing but confusion. Margaret sighed dramatically, as if the ground might collapse beneath her.
She felt swept away by a sudden storm. When things actually happened, she had been so caught up in handling them that guilt washed over her for not thoroughly checking on Celeste’s exact condition.
Was our count really okay? Had she merely lost her memory, or had she sustained a severe head injury that made her act strangely? If she was behaving differently like someone else, wouldn’t it be necessary to provide the right treatment quickly? A flood of thoughts continued endlessly, leading to a headache.
“Um, Lady Margaret.”
At that moment, a maid came to find Margaret. What was this girl’s name again? Margaret looked down at the freckled young maid.
“My name is Callie.”
“Right, Callie. What is it?”
“Um, I’ve been unsure whether I should say this or not….”
What could be so urgent that she hesitated like this?
It wasn’t common for a maid from the bedchamber to approach the head maid directly. Usually, this happened when a young maid, not very good at managing herself, caused some trouble she couldn’t handle and, before being caught, came forward to confess.
Considering this, Margaret thought about what kind of trouble the girl might have gotten into, addressing her with a somewhat lighter attitude. But then.
“What?”
“I-I’m afraid that the incident a few days ago might have happened because of me.”
The maid’s confession completely blindsided Margaret. It felt like her mind went blank. She raised a hand to her head in disbelief.
“Are you out of your mind? Why would you talk about the Count’s matters outside…!”
“I truly apologize. I didn’t mean to spill anything intentionally; I simply met my cousin and we talked about various things. I didn’t even mean to bring up the Count… it just slipped out while we were discussing other topics.”
With a resounding slap, the maid’s head turned. Margaret’s palm had struck the young maid’s cheek without hesitation.
“Are you trying to make excuses now? How dare you speak carelessly about your master’s matters!”
The thunderous reprimand echoed. The maid, clearly in pain from the slap, covered her cheek and began to cry profusely.
“I’m so sorry. But what if what I said really caused the Count to… act like that?”
Margaret felt dizzy. In a fit of rage, she raised her hand and struck the maid’s cheek once more. It seemed the girl had no idea how grave the consequences of her actions truly were.
