“……Valerie?”

Franz’s attention, which had been focused on Carl, shifted to the child. It was right after hearing the name Valerie.

“Did you say Valerie?”

Franz’s eyes quickly scanned Valerie. It took only 5 seconds for his gaze to move from head to toe, examining thoroughly. After inspecting Valerie’s entire body, Franz stared intently at the child’s face, then shifted his gaze to me.

“You said ‘Valerie’.”

And then he showed that smile again. For some reason, the smile that spread across his face, which Carl had shaken, gave me chills.

There is a river in the empire that plays a very important role in agriculture and transportation. It is the Manus River, which has its source at the eastern end and flows westward.

The Manus River played the role of dividing the capital exactly in half, and it had such a great influence on the lives of the imperial people that a bustling area was created around it.

If you cross the Manus River from the imperial palace and go southeast, you come to a very wide land surrounded by fences. The gently sloping land leads to the Ardus mountain range, which crosses over to the boundary of the capital, and all of that was the territory of the Louisette Count family.

Climbing up the hill surrounded by iron fences, there was a large mansion boasting the majesty of a fortress, the Louisette Count’s residence. The count’s residence, which had been quiet while Celeste was away from the capital, was bustling with activity after a very long time.

Thus, the people of the count’s residence finished all preparations to welcome their master returning after half a year.

Many wanted to go to the train station to greet her directly, but not everyone could leave the mansion empty. People other than the direct servants who assisted the count’s life had to remain at the mansion. The most representative of these was none other than Madam Cecil.

Cecil, who had raised and watched over Celeste since she was an infant, was fifty-six years old this year.

Due to her knees not being good for her age, she was trying to minimize activity as much as possible, so she couldn’t accompany them to the train station and was waiting for the procession with her eyes nearly popping out.

“Young lady, no. My lady!”

And finally, the long-awaited count and her entourage arrived. Cecil moved her uncomfortable legs and ran towards Celeste, who was entering the mansion. To others, it might have seemed slower than walking, but Cecil’s heart was no less than that of a sprinter.

“Oh, my goodness. Our lady. Coming alone from far away without even an attendant… How much you must have suffered. There, there.”

She even pretended to wipe away tears with a handkerchief from her bosom. Truly, the people of this count’s residence were all desperate to overprotect me, that is, Celeste.

What, you say I’m a villainess? Then shouldn’t the family members usually dislike and fear me?

Unlike the stereotypes of villainesses in numerous romance fantasy novels, those around me reacted to, were moved by, and shed tears over my every action, even though I wasn’t a three-year-old child. Seeing their behavior made me want to hide for some reason.

“It’s… it’s fine.”

“You’re speaking formally again, it seems your head hasn’t fully recovered yet, my lady. Oh my…”

I wonder what kind of life the original Celeste lived… Just for raising the end of my sentences slightly, the nanny’s tear ducts were about to burst. Seeing this, it seems she was the type to act recklessly like other villainesses.

“Cecilia.”

The butler Mueller calmly called Cecil. To Cecil, who looked at him without understanding, Mueller gestured with his head towards Valerie. Large question marks appeared in Cecil’s eyes.

“Who is this baby?”

Then she blinked repeatedly. She sent a look that demanded an explanation.

I don’t know how many times I repeated the same words explaining about Valerie to the mansion’s people while returning to the residence by carriage.

Who is this child? I don’t know. Someone suddenly left the child in Wrentum. But she is my daughter. Does that make sense? What can I do when I have no memory? I have no memory from before half a year ago, so I don’t know anything about the child either. Then how did you know the child is yours? I hired a private detective to confirm.

After repeating questions and answers several times as if being interrogated, we fortunately passed Keleber Street and arrived at the mansion. It was fortunate to be able to stop the barrage of questions from Mueller and Margaret as we got out of the carriage.

“What? The count’s child?”

Cecil’s eyes grew so large they looked like they might pop out. If someone were to tap her head in that state, it really seemed like her eyeballs would spill forward.

Hoping she didn’t have high blood pressure, I took off my outer coat and handed it to Liv, who was extending her hand.

“A child? Oh my goodness, oh my!”

Even after that, Cecil repeated the same words for quite a while longer. It was roughly a cycle of ‘Oh my goodness, oh my, it can’t be, how could this happen!’

“What is this about, my lady. A child? You’ve only been away from the capital for half a year! A child, you say, a child!”

Though my head didn’t remember, my body seemed to remember home, and fatigue rushed in from the moment we entered the mansion. Thinking it might be an aftereffect of getting sick on the train, I followed Liv towards the bedroom.

Even during this, Cecil followed closely behind, showering me with questions. My ears are going to bleed, Cecil…

“So that’s why you left the mansion? A, a love elopement?”

Cecil’s voice, which had been screaming loud enough to burst eardrums, lowered only at ‘love elopement’. Even though this was Celeste’s home and strangers wouldn’t hear such stories, she looked worried that someone might hear.

“Even so, to have a child when you’re not even married. Oh my. If the previous count were to know, he’d faint from shock.”

“Yes. I thought I might faint from shock too when I first saw Valerie.”

“Valerie? Is that the baby’s name?”

“That’s what they say.”

“‘That’s what they say’?”

“I have no memory, remember? I assumed that was her name because the person who brought the child said it was Valerie.”

“There’s someone who brought the child? Who? The child’s… father?”

Cecil, who was following behind making loud footsteps, lowered her voice once again at ‘child’s father’.

“Who is the child’s father, my lady?”

“Excuse me.”

The one who stopped Cecil’s barrage of questions was an unexpected person.

“I still have business with Count Louisette, so I’ve taken the liberty of accompanying her.”

The large brown-haired knight, Clovis. He was entering the mansion, guided by Kendrick. Cecil, who was flustered by the intrusion of a stranger, completely froze in place when she saw the person entering behind Clovis.

“Y-Your, Your Highness the Grand Duke…”

For Cecil, it was already shocking enough that Celeste, who had been out of contact for nearly half a year, suddenly returned with the Imperial Investigation Team.

But now the Grand Duke, who was said to be second or third in the imperial hierarchy, appeared with her. He even came to her home.

No one would not know what it means for unmarried noble men and women to frequent each other’s homes. Cecil’s gaping mouth showed no signs of closing.

“M-My lady, what is this…”

“I’d like to have a talk.”

At this rate, her jaw might fall off. While I was worrying about Cecil’s face, Carl cut through Clovis and the knights and addressed me directly.

“Please do, Your Highness.”

So I answered that I understood, but there was no reaction. He said he wanted to talk, so why is he closing his mouth? As I blinked and looked up, Hannah was busy gesturing something next to me. What? What is it?

“There are many eyes watching here, Count.”

Ah, so he wants to talk just the two of us. If he has something to say, he could say it here. What could be so secret.

Looking to the side, I saw Mueller quickly making a gesture to guide the way. As befitting the real power of the mansion, the head butler had very quick wit.

Following Mueller, the place Carl and I headed was a study located at the end of the most secluded corridor on the first floor. The description from the novel of a place used for both official and secret conversations came to mind.

I had only read about it in writing, but it was my first time seeing it with my own eyes. Outwardly I was the owner of the mansion, but inwardly I was no different from a guest visiting this place for the first time. So while I was looking around curiously, Mueller left the study walking backwards, saying he would prepare tea.

“Please sit.”

“What? Oh, yes.”

Carl sat down first at the table in the center of the study, in place of me who was just awkwardly looking around because everything felt unfamiliar. Anyone watching would think I was invited as a guest to his home. Who is the real owner here?

“Have you forgotten the interior of the mansion as well?”

“What? Well, yes…”

Carl was still suspicious of my memory loss. Thinking that I would need to be careful with every word to avoid being caught by that sharp radar, I moved with tension.

Knock knock.

Mueller, who said he would bring tea, had returned. Giving a short bow as he entered, I also carefully sat down. Fortunately, the sound of the trolley wheels broke the awkward silence.

“I’ll pour the tea myself, so make sure we’re not disturbed until I call again.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After placing the teacups and teapot on the table and neatly arranging the teaspoons and sugar bowl, Mueller went out with the same polite greeting as when he entered.

Though all his movements were quiet and slow, the time it took for him to prepare the tea and leave felt short to me. Saying not to disturb until called again meant don’t come in no matter what sound is heard until called, right?

My palms were about to sweat from tension. For some unknown reason, just being in front of Carl filled my whole body with inexplicable tension.