🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter – 08
Part – 01 Hell
Chapter – 01 Return (7)
“But where would I go? Who could protect me from that monster for even a moment…?”
While my body had been stolen, Florence Love Seymour had become Florence Love Lind quist. If I ran away clumsily, I would be caught in no time. If only my grandmother were still alive, I would have gone to her without hesitation.
“Right now, only Linus knows I’ve returned. No one else knows that Jang Hyun-ji was inside my body. Especially my family—they probably just think I lost my memory five years ago.”
I held my throbbing head. I searched through my memories, trying to find someone I could stay with, even temporarily—someone who might at least help me escape.
Damn it. That calculating, insidious bastard, Linus.
If only I could use someone who had stupidly loved “me,” that would have been ideal—but Linus had already cut away anyone like that from my side.
“Disgusting… creepy things…”
I opened the wardrobe. It was filled with clothes I would never have chosen myself. I pulled out a scarf and wrapped it around my neck to hide the handprint. It was a clumsy disguise, but better than nothing.
Everyone in the estate trusted Linus completely. If I tried to escape recklessly, there would be no one to help me. I had to flee to a place where he couldn’t immediately reach me.
And unfortunately, there was only one such place.
The Seymour family home—the house of my relatives who despised me.
“Helen!”
“Yes, Lady Florence.”
I left the bedroom and called Helen. She approached from nearby, looking at me anxiously.
How lucky you are, Jang Hyun-ji.
Your husband choked me because he wanted you back, and your maid already senses you’re not the same person anymore.
No one ever recognized me.
I searched through memories and imitated the expression of Jang Hyun-ji in the mirror. She was someone who smiled brightly without a crease. Helen’s stiff expression softened slightly.
“Could you help me pack?”
“Pack…? Where are you planning to go right after waking up, in your condition…?”
“…I want to see my father.”
“But the master—”
“Him, too, agreed. More than anything, he said he didn’t get anything done while staying by my side while I was asleep. He’s strong enough to be one of the toughest men in the kingdom, so don’t worry. If I stay nearby, he’ll just stop sleeping again and worry about me, right?”
As I spoke gently and cheerfully, Helen seemed to fully relax.
“Well… that’s true…”
“You know my father also heard I collapsed, right?”
“Yes. The Seymour family all visited three days ago. They were very worried, but His Excellency the Marquess was busy, so he couldn’t stay long…”
“I see.”
If it had been me, they wouldn’t have even bothered to visit.
“Are you feeling hurt because of that?”
“Of course not. I’m not a child.”
Helen smiled gently at my pouting tone, like she was soothing a child.
A dull ache spread through my chest. While I was suffering, you lived in my body enjoying all these gentle things. While I swallowed the pain meant for you…
“How long will you stay there?”
“About a week.”
“Then you’ll need a lot of things. The mornings and evenings are still cold…”
“No need to bring much. There are still things I used in the Seymour estate. I can just request anything I need.”
“Of course, but you’re now the mistress of the Baldwin estate. You should clearly distinguish things.”
Helen spoke in a deliberately stern tone. For a servant, it was quite bold—but she seemed to treat “me” like a younger sister she was responsible for. I nodded and smiled.
“Of course…”
“If the master gets upset again, it’ll only make things harder for you.”
“….”
“He gets sulky over small things, you know. Though I can’t even imagine the master acting sulky…”
I answered with a faint smile.
That man—Linus Shane Lindquist—did not suit the word sulky. The only person who could see him as cute was Jang Hyun-ji.
The only person who could find that horrifying obsession endearing was her.
Jang Hyun-ji was strange. She welcomed sympathy directed at her and seemed pleased by Linus’s obsession. The more he bound her, the more secure she seemed to feel.
If she had hated it or resisted, Linus might have set boundaries to avoid being discovered, as he did with Laila Green. But because Jang Hyun-ji liked his obsession, he never set even the smallest boundary over the past five years.
“When will you leave? It’s already getting dark—wait… does the master know? He couldn’t have allowed this…”
“He allowed it and went to sleep. He hasn’t slept for days—it’s pitiful. Let him rest.”
“But…”
“If I’m nearby, he won’t be able to sleep. You know that, right?”
I swallowed the rising nausea and smiled. Only then did Helen nod.
“If you put it that way… it does seem like that…”
So Linus had truly stayed by “me” without eating or sleeping while I was unconscious. Well, otherwise he wouldn’t have collapsed from a little mental shock.
If he had simply broken down completely, it would have been even better.
“Then please prepare the carriage as well.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
“Please hurry. I want to see my father as soon as possible. I’d like to leave as soon as preparations are done—even at night if necessary.”
“Yes!”
Helen brought a large bag and began packing. In truth, whatever she packed didn’t matter. I just needed to leave the Baldwin estate in a way that looked natural to others.
The priority was getting out of that man’s reach.
“Did you miss your father that much?”
“Yes… when people are sick, they want their parents.”
“Lady Florence…”
Helen’s eyes softened with pity.
If it were the old me, I would never have allowed anyone to look at me like that. I swallowed the sarcasm rising in my throat.
“I only have my father. I really wanted to see him quickly.”
“Then we’ll leave at dawn. I’ll prepare everything. I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong.”
“…Please, Helen. Thank you.”
I looked at her. Helen met my gaze and smiled warmly. I froze for a moment, then returned only a faint smile, hoping she would think I was simply weak from just waking up.
Why should I act like her?
This body is mine. I am me.
If anything, she should have been the one imitating me. Then why do I—
While she used the convenient excuse of amnesia and acted however she pleased—
I once dreamed of gentle conversations like this. Casual talks before sleep. In truth, I dreamed of them every day.
The thief was her, so why do I feel like I’m the one stealing her life?
My head sank lower in misery. When I had once condemned Linus as if I were ready to die, the regret was just as refreshing as it was painful. I was glad that they would suffer as much as I had.
“Are you feeling unwell, Lady Florence?”
“…No… I’m fine…”
I quickly lowered my gaze. I knew Helen was looking at her, not me—but even so, her gentle smile made my chest ache as if it would collapse with longing.
The hope that she might smile at me like that, not just at her, kept rising like weeds no matter how much I trampled it down.
I would rather have my throat choked again. I needed to get away from Helen as soon as possible.
I buried my face in my hands while listening to Helen moving around busily. My throat hurt. My head spun. The joy that had surged when I returned vanished like a lie, and I sank into familiar pain.
I had finally come back.
After everything… I had returned.
Grandmother.
I miss you.
I felt like I was drowning in thick, clinging longing.
