Jeez, it’s a miracle, no matter how many times I see it…
I sat on a chair set up on the balcony and looked out at the lake in a daze.
The first day I woke up, they didn’t let me out of bed, as expected.
After that, I was allowed to stay awake in my room, but there was no way they would let me out of course, so I went out into the corridor for a little while yesterday, feeling suffocated, and got lost in this large castle while I was walking around looking at the pictures hanging in the corridor.
I thought I had managed to get back to my room, but a group of strong men chased me and I reflexively ran away, got lost in the castle, got dizzy at the crash site, and fell back to bed.
Those were probably the people who were looking for me.
It was amazing that I was able to run away though.
Maybe it was all just a big blur.
I passed out and I don’t know how it happened.
I’m sorry, I won’t go out into the hallway without permission anymore.
I murmured an apology in my mind and let out a small exhale.
I shouldn’t have slipped out of the room after an incident like that. Even though I didn’t intend to escape…As expected, there is no excuse for me to be judged as having slipped out because I got lost.
It’s no wonder that Lilia reminded me not to leave the room.
It’s because I’m remorseful that I’ve been sitting meekly in my chair all morning like this.
I feel like a doll.
The scene in front of me is like a painting.
The bright blue sky and the deep forest on the other side of the river.
The Great Cerrado Forest…is one of the largest forests in Dardinia, with more than half of its trees over five hundred years old. In the depths of this great forest are said to be the ruins of the old imperial era.
The scenery is beautiful…
It’s hard to enjoy the scenery though. Somehow, I fee like suffocating and cowering.
My current room is on the first floor, and even just falling off this balcony overlooking the lake would be very dangerous, and just thinking about it makes my whole body feel like it’s going to shrink.
Just looking at the balcony from a place where there was no danger, I was deeply impressed by my good fortune.
I was really lucky to be saved.
I heard that I was unconscious and was in bed for a week, but of course I don’t remember it.
I think my current state was nothing compared to the fact that I was in a coma for a week.
When I first woke up, I had some pains here and there because I slept all the time, but I’m totally fine now. I didn’t have any injuries at all, just a few bruises.
The person who was trying to kill me must have been surprised.
The balcony where Arthirea is said to have fallen is at the end of the third floor. It’s the kind of place where the maidservant stresses that it’s definitely not a place for Arthirea to go alone.
In the first place, that place is an entertainment room.
There are games like billiards and darts, and it is a room where the male participants play games while enjoying cigarettes after an evening party, but of course it was not used that day. Besides, the entertainment room is a room that women rarely set foot in.
And it’s not a place that a girl who knew it was an entertainment room would go alone, even if no one else was there.
If that’s the case, the probability of it being an accident is extremely low.
In general, Arthirea is not the kind of girl who goes somewhere alone.
She was raised as a princess, the crown princess, ever since she can remember. Probably, the idea of going somewhere alone does not exist in her mind. That incident yesterday was the result of being ‘me’ being in the inside.
So it’s impossible for her to fall from a place that she would never set foot in before any of the escorting knights or accompanying attendants were aware of it.
Lilia and others, though they don’t say it outright, believe that Arthirea was kidnapped by someone and pushed off the balcony.
The Duke of Elzevert is desperately trying to mend the situation and calling it an ‘accident’, but this is actually an ‘incident’.
It’s also the “Attempted Assassination of the Crown Princess.”
There was also the influence of my attempt to escape, but it’s no wonder that Lilia and the knights in the guards were so touchy.
If I remembered, though, the story would have been easy to tell…but… there’s no way to determine that it wasn’t an accident…
I shake my head to shake it off, a bit of a nasty thought.
Out of the corner of my eye, the chalky castle reflected on the surface of the lake sways in front of my eyes.
A castle built on a lake looks very picturesque, but not very useful.
The only thing connecting the island where the castle is located to the land is a drawbridge that is raised and lowered by a hoist that can only be moved by three adults.
That drawbridge is raised and lowered every morning and evening. It made a horrible sound, which sometimes woke me up. Once, when I heard the sound of it being lowered, I thought it was a thunderbolt.
…Why not just oil the hoist?
No, maybe it’s not as simple as oiling it.
With a sigh, I turn around to see Lilia approaching me.
“Would you like some tea?”
I nodded my head.
Perhaps it’s because of the accident, but the days go by without a hitch.
When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is wash my face and set my hair.
After that, it would take me about 40 to 50 minutes to finish changing clothes.
Oh, you can read the units of time in this world as “minute = din” and “hour = dida,” and 24 hours is still the same as one day.
There’s a decent clock, and the numbers are a bit different from Arabic numerals, but I can read them, so it’s not a problem.
After getting ready in the morning, I spend about 30 minutes having breakfast. I’ve heard it’s supposed to be slower, but it’s a meal for one person, so it doesn’t take too long.
I’ve heard that I’m supposed to be greeted after breakfast, but when I wake up, the only person who comes to see me is my father, the Duke.
Even though he’s my father, I probably don’t feel much like a daughter because Arthirea has been living in the royal palace since she was seven months old. They don’t spend time together at all. They just greet each other in the morning and do not see each other the rest of the day.
No one else comes to greet me, and I never go to someone else to greet them.
That’s because there is no one else in this castle with enough status to see me, Lilia said, and the only people I would go to greet on my own are the King and Queen and my husband, the Crown Prince. In the first place, she said, even that is currently exempted because of my young age.
More like neglected.
So after this greeting, I had some free time.
Perhaps in the royal palace, there may be various things to learn during this time, but here, even though it’s my family’s home, I don’t have anything here like a travel destination.
Surrounding me are several handmaids, including Lilia.
They are the maidservants of the royal palace, not the maidservants of the castle here. Their uniforms are also different. Only the handmaids of the palace are allowed to wear black.
The leader of them is, after all, Lilia, who is about 20 years old but has been appointed as a formal lady-in-waiting. After all, she is the daughter of a Viscount who is the tax administrator of the territory directly under the royal family.
She feels very responsible for my accident, and she tells me all sorts of stories when I’m thought to be speechless. I think she’s also making an effort to restore my voice, and my words, as much as possible.
Previously, Arthirea was a quiet child who rarely spoke, but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t speak.
The meaning of being quiet and not being able to talk is completely different, even if the result is not so different.
…Sorry, I didn’t speak.
I am Arthirea.
As long as I’m here like this, that is my reality now.
But…I’m not opening my mouth, telling myself that I’m just going to check in on the situation first, but maybe that’s just because I can’t admit it yet.
According to a doctor’s diagnosis, Arthirea has apparently lost her words and memories in the shock of the accident. I say “apparently” because I don’t speak, so I can’t confirm it.
To put it simply, I can’t get a handle on it.
I know that I am Arthirea.
I’m also much more aware of the situation I’m in.
… But I haven’t been able to make the final decision to actively live in this world as Arthirea.
I’m just indecisive…
Arthirea is pretty. She’s not only incredibly well-bred, but she’s also the crown princess. If I do well, I will be able to survive in this world.
There are risks, but on the basis of conditions alone, the conditions are incomparably better than in my original world.
Nevertheless, I can’t help but think of the original world
I can’t go back.
I knew that much, somehow.
At that time, maybe my—my —Izumi Maya’s life was lost.
And I think my soul was reborn as Arthirea.
…Most likely, by all accounts.
In the stories, there were times when one would turn into a ghost and such, but that was a different personality for that body. But I am different now. I only have one soul in one body.
Well, there’s nothing I can do about it…
I sighed.
Since I woke up, I’ve been sighing because there was nothing I could do about it.
The doctor’s decision to call it amnesia is convenient though…
Even if something goes a little bit wrong, I can cover it up with the shock of the incident.
Besides, apparently Arthirea was pretty quiet to begin with.
After all, her nickname is The Doll Princess…
The nickname that the servants gave to Arthirea was ‘Doll Princess’. Some people also called her ‘Ice Princess’…Either way, I could kind of imagine what she was like.
I wondered if it wouldn’t be disrespectful, but, well, I was doing the same, too. I would talk to the people at the head office and the manager with a code name.
After all, if you say your name outright, you have no excuse when they ask you.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
The wagon that Lilia brought in smelled so good.
The moment I saw the freshly baked financier and madeleines, I couldn’t help but smile.
Wow. Yummy.
“Princess…”
For a moment, Lilia stopped moving.
I looked up at her with a small tilt of my head.
“No, it’s nothing. Now, please enjoy your meal.”
I nodded. At the time, I didn’t think Lilia would be surprised that I laughed at her.
After all, that’s how much Arthirea was a doll.
Hmm…delicious! Wow, whoever made this is a genius! I want to know the recipe!
The beautiful golden-colored financier is excellent, with plenty of butter and a hint of sweetness.
The most difficult part of baked goods like this is how to bake them without turning the golden brown color into a burnt color. Even though it’s modestly sweet, it’s still easy to burn because it’s made of sugar.
Hmmm, but I think this one is more honey than sugar…yeah. Maybe it’s honey.
It has a slightly addictive sweetness. But because it’s made with milk, that is a nice touch. This is an exquisite balance.
I’m sipping a beautiful amber light tea while getting my hands on a second one.
What’s this green…spinach? Mugwort? Maybe matcha…but is there even any in this country…?
A green financier. I think it’s some kind of vegetable leaf. It’s delicious and a little bittersweet.
“It’s a Zade financier. Zades are very nutritious.”
For some reason, Lilia happily explains to me.
I see. Why does eating something sweet make me feel so happy? It’s a strange thing.
What should I do, should I have a third one, or should I stop…?
I’m not old enough to pay attention to my diet, but I don’t want to be unable to eat lunch.
“These are carrots, but they don’t even taste like carrots very much.”
I’m fine with carrots, but I guess Arthirea didn’t like them…
I thought to myself, ‘Well, okay,’ and reached for the third one.
It’s delicious with a slight sweetness of carrot.
The person who made this is a master. I want to be his apprentice.
It is delicious as a snack while bringing out the original taste of vegetable.
I’m sure it will sell well when it’s on the market! Oh, but it looks like there is sugar and other valuable items, so it’s not cost effective.
Later on, there would be a bit of a row over these sweets, but of course I didn’t know anything about them at the time, and I ended up eating a total of five of them, including the almonds and raisins.
For some reason, all the handmaids seemed to be satisfied.
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