CH 2

The next morning, I woke up and had to go work in my still bewildered state.

No matter what the past was like, the current me was a maid who worked at this residence.

This meant that I had to work without fail every day.

“There’s no way.”

The words I spouted subconsciously caused Aimee, who had been doing the laundry with me, to look at me in confusion.

“What do you mean there’s no way?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I’m just talking to myself.”

“How boring. There’s so much to do today. Let’s move quickly!”

“…Yes.”

Usually, I would have replied “Yes, older sister Aimee”. However, I couldn’t bring myself to call her “older sister” at the moment.

Not to mention, I was five whole years older than this prim person!

“Ha….”

I couldn’t help my sighs.

I had been deeply concerned about what to do after I recovered my memories yesterday.

It seemed like His Majesty the Emperor was my husband Hadel, but there was no way I would be able to enter the palace as a maid like this.

Not to mention, 10 years had already passed and gone by.

Hadel became the emperor, and it was possible that he’d already forgotten about me.

Was it really the right choice for me, his wife from the past, to show up in front of him?

“Enne! I told you to hurry! At this rate, I’ll be scolded by the head maid because of you!”

As I looked into the air, lost in thought, Aimee’s harsh words hit my ear.

My hands felt numb from the cold water.

The numbness crept up from my hands and to the area around my heart in a single moment.

This was all because of the face that had been stuck in my head since yesterday.

Lahadelt, my beloved husband.

And…

“Um… older sister Aimee.”

“What? I’m busy.”

“So, about that.”

“What? If you have something to say, hurry up!”

“So, uh… you know, His Majesty the Emperor.”

Aimee froze and glared at me as soon as the words “His Majesty” came out of my mouth.

It was an expression that said how could someone like you dare to say that name?

I didn’t want to bring this up either.

But what can I do? He’s my husband.

“Why are you asking about His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Do you really think he’s crazy?”

“What?”

“Everyone says that His Majesty the Emperor is crazy.”

“You…! Be quiet! Are you crazy? If you want to die, die alone! Why would you bring me into this?”

Perhaps it was because my words were so shocking, but Aimee used her soapy hands to block my mouth.

“Umph…! Ptooey! Ah, really! What’s wrong? Who else would come to this laundry room besides us?”

“I never thought this of you, but you’re really brave, aren’t you? Why are you acting so differently today?”

“…Just, just because. Since I’m bored. Do you seriously not know anything? Do you think he’s actually crazy? Or do you think there’s a chance that it’s a false rumour?”

Since the Hadel I knew was a truly kind child.

He got happy at the littlest of things, he was afraid at night so he always fell asleep while holding my hand, and he cried for several days when a little chick died.

There’s no way my husband, who was like that, would become a crazy tyrant.

Although the rumours that spread about the emperor were really the worst, I believed in my husband.

There’s definitely no way he’s crazy.

“Gosh. He would suddenly kill people because he didn’t like them, and on a day that the entire empire was celebrating and dancing, he went around screaming and yelling. Then, he randomly threw a bunch of chicken merchants into jail. He’s the kind of person who would put a ban on marriage for one year because he felt like shit. Do you think those are the actions of a normal person?”

“…Ha.”

“And what about the recent incident where Count Lucien was attacked? They say the culprit was His Majesty the Emperor? They say that he suddenly went mad at night and went into the Count’s residence to kill everyone. It was so shocking.”

Nevertheless, Aimee destroyed my expectations and stomped them into even smaller pieces.

Everything she said were things I already knew. These were the rumours about Hadel I had wanted to ignore after my memories returned.

Honestly, before I recovered my memories, I had also been a normal citizen who called the emperor crazy.

“It really is strange… if he’s actually crazy, what do you think made him that way?”

Why would such a sincere and kind-hearted child go crazy?

The thought I tried to avoid kept coming to mind.

That it might be because of me.

It has already been 10 years since my death was announced.

Although he may have struggled at that time, he has since become the emperor, so to think that it’s because of me…

“Hm. This is a secret, but…” Aimee looked around carefully before bringing her face close to mine, narrowing her eyes.

What? What is she trying to say?

“There’s a rumor that the emperor went crazy after losing his lover.”

“…his… lover?”

“Yeah! And ten years ago, at that! They say that there was a person he loved before he became the emperor. No, did they say that he was married to her?”

“M-married?”

“It’s all just rumors. There’s nothing officially announced. I don’t believe it. To think that such a tyrant could love, I can’t even imagine it.”

“Hahaha. Y-you’re right,” I responded to Aimee, laughing awkwardly.

Then, I redirected my gaze to the laundry to hide my shaking pupils.

Ten years ago. That’s right around the time where I was announced as dead.

No way.

Aha, no way.

Ahahaha. There’s no way that’s true.

Right? That isn’t the case, right, darling?

But if that rumor is true…

Then, I think I’ll be a bit happy.

Since it would mean that although I lost my memories due to the accident and forgot you, you never forgot me.

It was when I shook my head to get that thought out of my mind and started to focus on the laundry once more.

Aimee tilted her head and said her last words, as if in passing.

“Ah. There was something else. There’s a rumor that he always holds onto a necklace with a blue gemstone and cries.”

Boom.

It felt as if thunder had struck inside my head.

My fingertips were shaking.

It felt as if something I had thought to be impossible was thrusted right in front of my eyes to prove that it was the truth..

“But there’s no way that’s true. Anyway, stop wasting time and finish your work!”

Aimee said something again, but I could no longer reply to her.

Due to the specific detail about the blue necklace, I could do nothing but believe it as the truth.

“I heard you should never say never…”

I’m going to go insane. I think my husband has gone crazy thinking I was dead.

What should I do?

* * *

That night, when everyone had fallen asleep, I quietly placed my resignation letter in front of the head maid’s door and left Count Tremain’s house.

I considered telling her directly once the day had dawned, but if I did so, those who I’d gotten close to would cry and try to make me stay.

It would be difficult for me to explain without lying, so I decided to leave without a word.

Although I’d been confused due to my recovered memories, my conversation with Aimee helped me make my decision.

Whether I won or lost, I would go and meet Hadel.

Since it would be difficult to meet the emperor as a maid, I had to find my parents first.

The de Ach family, which was previously a duchy, has since been demoted to a viscounty.

With the new memories I had made in these ten years… they were a family of traitors.

I had no idea what the specifics of the situation was.

I only knew that the de Ach family were labeled as traitors but had not been executed because they were a family the emperor favored.

This was information that ‘the maid Serienne’ knew.

But now, as ‘Ashella de Ach’, who regained her memories, I could not believe these rumors.

There was no way our family would betray the empire.

“Huu. It’s a bit cold.”

I could see my foggy breath in the dark night air.

Looking at it blankly, I quickly gathered my senses and started walking.

My plan was to first meet my parents and tell them the full story before going on to meet Hadel.

Because even if they were demoted to a viscounty, they were still nobles, which gave them the qualifications to meet with the emperor.

If my memories served me right, after the de Ach family was demoted from a duchy to a viscounty, they were chased to the southernmost ocean village of Segnoria.

I boarded the earliest carriage I could find to Segnoria.

Although my body ached from the bumpy ride, my heart was light in excitement.

Was it because I would soon be able to meet my family, which I’d been longing for?

Or was it because of Hadel, who had yet to forget me?

“But still. To think he went crazy for ten years.”

Although I spoke curtly, I couldn’t control the giggles that kept coming up.

I was too happy at the fact that he still loved me.

I could see the world becoming brighter through the carriage window.

The sky which was slowly turning red was so beautiful my heart felt like it would explode.

It was a little lighter than a complete red, closer to a pink color.

Yes, much like Hadel’s clear eyes.

* * *

Hadel first came to our house when he was seven years old.

The you, who was trembling behind the residence door on a snowy day, was quite cute.

“Ashella, this is His Royal Highness Lahadelt.”

“His Royal… Highness?”

“Yes. Because of some circumstances, he’s going to stay with us at the residence for a while, so take good care of him.”

My father, who at that time was the duke, couldn’t spend much time with me, but he was always kind and warm.

That day, too, he took the hand of the trembling Hadel and put it into mine, smiling kindly.

“Your Highness, this is my daughter. She’s the same age as you, so you two can spend time as friends.”

“…friends?”

“Although this is an unfamiliar environment, this child will help you a lot. Don’t worry too much, Your Highness.”

Hadel, who was holding my hand because of my father’s guidance, was anxious, his pink eyes shaking. Then, he slowly reached his hand forward.

It seemed like he wanted to touch my face, but his pink eyes were looking into the distance.

That’s how I realized.

Ah. This kid can’t see anything.

So that’s why he was trembling like this.

“It’s this way, Your Highness.”

How does it feel to not be able to see? I didn’t know, but one thing was certain.

That it must be very anxiety-inducing and scary.

So I brought Hadel’s hand to my cheek.

I did it slowly and softly so that he, whose hand was flailing midair, would not be surprised.

“My name is Ashella, but you can call me Asha.”

“Ah… th-thanks,” Hadel said, blushing shyly.

Maybe it was because he could feel the warmth in my cheek, but he stopped trembling.

“My name is Lahadelt. I’ll be in your care, Asha.”

I found out later.

Hadel was a child born from the emperor’s drunken visit to a maid’s room and he had lost his mother to the empress’ hand as soon as he was born.

To make things worse, he was born with terrible eyesight, and he didn’t receive proper treatment since he was continuously neglected.

That’s why Hadel was much more cautious, shy, and afraid than other children his age.

I found out much later that it had taken him incredible bravery to introduce himself to me that day.

* * *

The distinguishable salty smell of the ocean reached my nose.

Though it was hazy, the open view created an atmosphere that improved my mood.

There was a small hill at the end of the beach. On top of that was a small residence: the de Ach Viscounty.

After travelling without a break, I had finally arrived and the residence was now in front of my eyes. I was at a loss for words.

“You’re saying a place like this… is really the residence of the de Ach family?”

Regardless of the fact that they had been chased away for committing a crime, they were still a noble family.

But the residence in front of my eyes was a two-floor building likely smaller than just my room in the duchy.

To make things worse, the outer wall had not been conserved properly and it was crumbling off.

“Just what could’ve happened? How did things get like this…”

After hesitating for a bit, I shook myself off and approached the entrance to the residence.

The guard, with nothing to do, was ripping off some dried fish before glancing at me.

I worried for a while about what I should tell him, but he didn’t seem to care about me at all.

“Excuse me, is this the de Ach Viscounty?”

“…Yes, but who are you, my lady?”