Although he had lost a lot of weight, Claire’s physical strength was not good enough to support an adult man. Despite exercising and taking medicine regularly, Claire was born with a weak constitution.

Rather, if it had been me in the past, I could have carried someone like Ian on my back. I had such a strong body that I was stronger than I looked, and doing this work, I was even able to carry adult men.

Of course, I mean average-sized adult men. Even I couldn’t manage a man with a huge belly.

A bench under a tree caught my eye. With trembling arms supporting him, I glared at the bench.

“It’s just two steps…”

Though it was only two steps, it was nearly impossible to lead him there when he had completely lost consciousness.

Compromising with reality, I gave up on the bench and decided to slowly lay him down on the ground.

“This was really a dress I liked… You’ll have to buy me the same one later.”

If Ian had heard me, he would have surely answered like this, as he usually does:

‘If you want, I can buy you not just one, but a hundred more.’

Recalling his unique, cheesy way of speaking, I couldn’t help but smile.

“No, get a grip. This isn’t the time for this. Heave-ho!”

Even though I wasn’t moving him, just laying him down in place, it required tremendous effort and took a considerable amount of time.

Having finally managed to lay him down safely, I placed his head on my lap and searched for the medicine. My arm muscles were trembling from the exertion. Even taking out the medicine bottle was not easy due to the cramps in my arms.

“It’s good I brought this, just in case.”

I had brought it with me on the off chance it might be needed. Ian had enough medicine to take during the period I was away.

Nevertheless, unable to shake off an uneasy feeling, I had packed medicine in case Ian forgot to take his medication on time and collapsed. I never thought it would actually be used like this.

“Your Highness! Wake up and drink this!”

I slapped his cheeks to wake him up. Although the medicine was liquid, I couldn’t just pour it into his mouth forcefully as it might go down his windpipe.

Ian slowly opened his eyes, briefly regaining consciousness, and I quickly poured the medicine into his mouth. After drinking the medicine, he closed his eyes again.

“I guess I’ll have to stay like this until he comes to his senses.”

I wiped away the cold sweat beading on his forehead with a handkerchief. After staring at Ian’s face, who had lost consciousness again, for a long while, I suddenly looked up at the sky.

“It’s incredibly beautiful.”

The black night sky was filled with brightly shining stars scattered all over. The cold, damp air of the garden refreshed my lungs.

“This isn’t so bad.”

Although my bottom was cold from sitting on the dewy ground, and I didn’t know when someone would come to help, I didn’t feel too terrible.

Since taking over Claire’s body, I don’t think I’ve ever felt as comfortable as I do now. For this moment, it felt like I had returned to being Jane.

“Is this… relief?”

I wondered if Ian felt the same way when he smiled with relief, muttering ‘It’s really Jane.’

Although Claire’s family treated me kindly and preciously, I couldn’t help but feel anxious among them. They were strangers to me, and to them, I was an intruder occupying Claire’s body.

Regardless of Ian’s condition, only after meeting him could I feel the comforting sense of security, as if I had returned to the embrace of family.

“Is this what family is…?”

Though not related by blood, Ian was clearly like family to me. A family I could rely on emotionally. I gazed down at him intently. His face had deteriorated a lot during this time. I could feel how much he had grieved over my death.

“Thank you for not forgetting me. But now, don’t be sad because of me… no, because of Jane. Forget her. You’ve grieved enough.”

I kissed his forehead with gratitude. Just as I used to kiss his forehead when he had a high fever as a child, telling him to sleep well.

When Ian was young, he wasn’t as brazen as he is now, so he would pretend to be asleep with his eyes tightly shut, his cheeks flushed as if they were about to burst. Even so, he would hold my hand tightly with his fever-hot hand. As if he would never let go.

“You said before… that Your Highness would recognize me at a glance, no matter what form I took…”

Of course, it was a hallucination induced by fever, but he kept his promise.

“When you say things like that, everyone misunderstands. That ridiculous misunderstanding that Your Highness and I were in love.”

In truth, I hadn’t completely dismissed the thought that he might actually like me.

Afraid of getting hurt, I forcibly told myself it was just his mischievous joke. For my own sake, I laughed it off as a joke. And now, it had to be a joke. For his sake too.

Because living with a dead person buried in your heart for a lifetime would be too cruel.

“So, shake it off quickly. It’s enough for me if you occasionally remember, ‘Ah, there was that commoner apothecary who used to take care of me. She was quite skilled.'”

“Your Highness! Your Highness! Where are you!”

I listened to the distant calls. It was the voice of Simons, Ian’s head attendant. It seemed he had come looking for Ian, worried when he couldn’t see him in the banquet hall.

If it was Simons, he would have strongly objected and worried when Ian said he would attend the banquet in this state of health. But even so, he wouldn’t have been able to stop the stubborn Ian.

I waved my hand to call Sir Simons, who must have been so worried all this time.

“Over here! Sir Simons, we’re over here!”

Hearing my voice, Simons quickly found us.

“Your Highness?”

He came running with quick steps.

“Is Your Highness alright?”

“You looked unwell, so I brought you out…”

“No… This is…”

“Your fever was so high, I thought you needed some cool air, but then you fainted like this.”

“Oh my… I’ll go call someone right away.”

“No! Could you support His Highness’s head instead of me first? If I stay here, people might misunderstand.”

“But…”

“Sir Simons, it’s been difficult for you to run since you injured your knee slipping on ice last year, hasn’t it? You’d better wait here. I’ll go call someone.”

“Ah! Then… I’ll leave it to you.”

Simons took off his jacket, rolled it up, and used it to support Ian’s head. Then he told me who to call.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

“I’ll call someone quickly.”

As I turned to run, he hurriedly called out to me.

“Lady Hydrangea!”

In my haste, I didn’t immediately recognize his call. I was still used to my name ‘Jane’.

I hadn’t even gotten used to the name Claire, and now being called by the unfamiliar name and title ‘Lady Hydrangea’, it felt like he was calling someone else.

Only after Simons raised his voice considerably and called several times did I realize he was calling me. I quickly stopped my steps and turned to look at him.

“What is it? What’s the matter?”

“Weren’t you going to the banquet hall?”

“That’s right.”

“Then you need to go that way. That direction leads to the inner castle.”

“Ah! Is that so? I thought I came from that direction earlier… I must have been confused. I’ll call someone right away then.”

“Can you find your way alone? Perhaps I should call people instead…”

He looked quite worried. He seemed concerned whether I, who couldn’t even find the right direction, could properly call for help.

It was just that I had gotten confused in my urgency about the direction, but it was a simple matter of running in the direction he pointed. I nodded confidently and said,

“It’s alright. I just need to follow those lights, right? I think I can manage that. See you later!”

I answered cheerfully and ran towards the bright lights.

By the way, why do I always seem to get lost when I come to the Imperial Palace? I didn’t think I had a bad sense of direction before, but was Ian right…? If Simons hadn’t called out to me, I might have become a lost child instead of calling for help.

As Simons instructed, I called a few knights and told them where Ian and Simons were. It was fortunate, at least. Because of the banquet, there were people I could ask for help.

“Or is it a problem that there are too many people?”

I sighed deeply looking at my ruined dress. Wrestling with Ian had left it covered in dirt and a mess, with some ornaments torn off in places.

Even my hair, which I had spent since dawn styling, was in disarray. If it was this obvious in the dark, I worried how visible this disheveled appearance would be in the banquet hall, which was brighter than day due to the lighting.

If those who love to spread rumors saw me, they would surely start strange gossip about me fighting and pulling someone’s hair.

“What should I do…”

I couldn’t just go home either. I needed to know how to get back before deciding whether to leave or not. It was my first time out from the McCain household today.

And since I came by carriage, how would I know the way back to the McCain mansion? Moreover, it didn’t seem like a distance I could walk…

“What should I do…”