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Chapter 2
Even after the marquis had left, Celia remained seated in the teahouse for a long time.In her previous life, she had followed the marquis without hesitation.
It wasn’t simply because of the Brighton family’s wealth and status. More than anything, she had been excited by the prospect of finally fulfilling her long-cherished dream of becoming a physician.
But what awaited Celia there had been the cold contempt of the nobility. The stigma of being born a commoner followed her wherever she went.
Eventually, she had even forgotten her original ambition of becoming an excellent physician. Instead, she desperately tried to turn herself into a proper noblewoman so she could fit in with them.
Constantly worrying about how others perceived her had prevented her from becoming close to Carlisle, even until the very end. She had even been forced to watch her every move around her own husband, who treated her with nothing but disregard.
Celia didn’t want to repeat the same life.
But what frightened her even more was…
What if I end up dying all over again?
The moment she recalled those memories, a chill spread through her body.
The instant she had drunk the tea her husband gave her, she had felt the agonizing sensation of her heart stopping. The paralysis had begun in her fingers before gradually spreading throughout her body, eventually making even breathing difficult.
Know your place.
The last voice she had heard pierced her heart like a sharp blade.
All the etiquette she had painstakingly learned and all the refined manners she had worked so hard to master had meant absolutely nothing to the nobles. Only when she was on the verge of death had she realized that they had merely wanted to make her the subject of their gossip and ridicule.
Celia’s end had been utterly futile.
Her husband had abandoned her as her body grew cold and left without looking back. All she could do was shed tears as her body slowly stiffened.
She had been so preoccupied with trying to catch up to everyone else that she had accomplished nothing of her own.
And now, remembering the dream of becoming a physician that she had long since buried, she was overwhelmed by regret…
As those miserable memories resurfaced, Celia bit her lip.
The family must have passed into that man’s hands, right?
After all, he had been her only family, the sole heir to the marquisate.
The thought of what had happened after her death made her anger surge to the point of nearly exploding.
Celia couldn’t sleep that night.
Left alone in the teahouse, she spent the entire night recalling her previous life and repeatedly turning things over in her mind. She was caught in an endless struggle between her dream and her fear of death.
Then, at some point, her gaze fell upon the medical textbook resting on the table.
The worn-out book bore the marks of years of diligent study.
“……”
Celia’s eyes remained fixed on it.
For a long, long time, she couldn’t bring herself to look away.
Before she knew it, the blue of dawn had given way to the first light of morning.
Celia had barely turned the sign hanging on the door to indicate that the teahouse was closed for the day when the marquis arrived.
“You’re here.”
“Indeed. Have you made up your mind?”
“……Would you like to sit down?”
Celia showed him to a seat before taking the one opposite him. A warm cup of chamomile tea was placed between them.
The marquis studied her carefully.
Unlike the startled expression she’d worn the previous day, she now appeared calm and composed. She even seemed almost detached, like someone who had just overcome a tremendous ordeal.
What happened to her overnight?
Just as the marquis was about to speak first—
“Marquis.”
Celia called out to him.
Her resolute voice made him flinch in surprise.
She continued.
“I will join the House of Brighton. I will do my utmost to become a worthy successor.”
The first place they visited to complete the adoption formalities was the Imperial Palace.
The imperial mages collected blood samples from Carlisle and Celia, confirming that the two shared the same bloodline.
On the day Celia officially entered the Brighton estate, Carlisle explained the requirements she needed to fulfill to become the head of the family.
“There are three conditions you must meet to become the head of the family.”
Celia already knew them, but she listened attentively as though she were hearing them for the first time.
“First, you must have been married for at least one year after reaching adulthood. This is a requirement stipulated by imperial law.”
“Yes.”
“Second, you must work for one year at the charity clinic operated by our family.”
Carlisle folded down his final finger.
“Third, you must develop a new medicine. It must be a drug that can be used to treat an illness for which no cure currently exists. Once developed, it will be distributed free of charge under the name of our family.”
“I understand.”
From the moment Celia decided to inherit the Brighton marquisate, Carlisle had given her practically no time to rest.
She was beginning to understand why her father had run away from home and chosen such a carefree life.
Private tutors also began arriving at the marquisate one after another to educate Celia. She had mountains of things to learn before making her debut in high society, from etiquette and conversation to aesthetics.
And before long, the victory celebration ball was scheduled to take place as well.
Of course, these were all subjects she had studied to the point of exhaustion in her previous life.
But this time, she knew exactly what she needed to prioritize.
Above all else, Celia devoted herself to studying medicine.
Just as in her previous life, Carlisle entrusted her education to Ansi, the director of Brighton Hospital.
Ansi was a cheerful, middle-aged woman.
“You’ve already mastered basic herbal medicine!”
Ansi stared at Celia in astonishment.
Watching how quickly Celia absorbed everything she taught her, Ansi couldn’t help but grow ambitious.
“Not only did you complete introductory herbal medicine in just three days, but you’ve already mastered basic herbal medicine as well…”
Celia simply smiled without saying anything.
She had memorized every medical textbook in her home since childhood. On top of that, she had already received these lessons in her previous life. Naturally, this was the result.
“It’s all thanks to your excellent teaching, Lady Ansi.”
When Celia praised her, Ansi beamed with delight.
“Lady Celia, what do you think about taking the basic medical examination ahead of schedule?”
Ansi suggested, her eyes sparkling.
It would be two whole months earlier than the date Celia had taken it in her previous life.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll speak to the marquis about it!”
Passing the basic medical examination would grant her the qualification to work as a healer without having to go through an apprenticeship first.
In other words, she could begin working at the clinic sooner.
“That sounds wonderful. I’ll leave it to you, then.”
Celia smiled pleasantly.
Celia passed the basic medical examination with ease.
Ansi immediately informed Carlisle of her excellent results, and permission for Celia to begin working at the clinic was granted soon afterward.
Today was her first day on the job.
She was starting a full two months earlier than she had in her previous life.
Even though she had experienced this once before, she couldn’t help feeling nervous.
After all, this was the first day of her journey toward becoming a physician once again.
Celia rose at dawn and reviewed her medical textbooks one more time.
Her maid, Annie, seated her before the dressing table with its large mirror. Then, with practiced hands, she began arranging Celia’s hair.
“Miss, will this do?”
“Yes, it looks fine.”
Celia was satisfied with her modest outfit and neatly pinned-up hair. Smiling, she rose from her seat.
“Before you leave for the clinic, you should visit the marquis’s study. He has summoned you.”
“All right.”
Although it hadn’t been long since Celia regained her memories of her previous life, there was one thing she could say with certainty.
In her previous life, Celia had believed that her grandfather never smiled at her because of her mother’s humble origins.
However, the Carlisle she had encountered again in this life seemed to hold no particular resentment toward her mother. He merely appeared disappointed in his foolish son.
In fact, whenever he saw Celia devoting herself to medical studies, the corners of his mouth would twitch as though he were secretly pleased.
A few days ago, when Ansi had brought Celia to report her examination results, his mustache had practically stood on end with pride.
I think I’m beginning to understand what Grandfather likes.
Suppressing a little giggle, Celia left her second-floor bedroom and headed for the study on the first floor.
When the butler, who was bringing in tea, announced her arrival, Carlisle lifted his eyes from the documents and looked at his granddaughter.
“Ansi has been praising you again.”
“Yes. I think she has a rather favorable opinion of me.”
“She may be a cheerful person, but she’s quite strict when it comes to her work. She wouldn’t praise you without good reason.”
Wait… Is he complimenting me?
Celia’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar praise from the marquis.
Looking more closely, she noticed that his mustache was twitching ever so slightly.
“Hmph. If you need anything for your studies, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Even as he spoke, he avoided meeting Celia’s eyes.
Could it be that he’s embarrassed?
Perhaps her surprise had shown on her face, because Carlisle glanced at her before clearing his throat awkwardly.
“Anyway, today is your first day at the clinic, isn’t it? I heard you were planning to go in the afternoon.”
“No. I’d like to arrive early this morning. I need to familiarize myself with how the clinic operates.”
Carlisle looked pleased with her answer.
Encouraged by his reaction, Celia cautiously opened her mouth.
“And… there’s something I’d like to tell you before I leave.”
“What is it?”
“I’ll carry on the will of our family and work hard for the sake of our patients… Grandfather.”
I finally said it…!
Because she had always found him intimidating, both in her previous life and this one, she had continued addressing him as ‘Marquis.’
She couldn’t begin to count how long she’d hesitated before finally working up the courage to call him ‘Grandfather.’
“……”
“……”
What? Why isn’t he saying anything?
Celia swallowed nervously as she looked at the marquis.
Just then—
“Wha…?”
Carlisle dropped the fountain pen from his hand.
He froze for a moment, but soon the corners of his mouth began twitching.
“Is it… all right if I call you Grandfather?”
Encouraged by his reaction, Celia found the courage to ask again.
“Then what else would a granddaughter call her grandfather?”
Although he tried to act as though it were nothing, Carlisle couldn’t quite control the smile threatening to spread across his face.
For some reason, Celia felt strangely moved.
Could his scoldings in her previous life have actually been expressions of concern and affection for her…?
Feeling overwhelmed by the unfamiliar emotions, Celia quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, why did you call for me?”
“Ah, do you remember our last visit to the Imperial Palace?”
“Yes. They verified that I was a blood relative of the House of Brighton, and I greeted Her Majesty the Empress.”
The Emperor had intended to congratulate the Brighton Marquis on finding his granddaughter. However, due to his busy schedule, he had been unable to attend and had instead sent the Empress to convey his congratulations on his behalf.
“It seems Her Majesty the Empress took quite a liking to you.”
Carlisle took an envelope from his desk drawer.
It was a golden envelope bearing the imperial seal.
“It’s a marriage proposal. The prospective groom is the second son of the Duke of Leonard’s family. He’s also the Empress’s nephew.”
“……”
“His name is Lord Feo Leonard.”
At those words, Celia’s heart sank.
Her mind went cold, and a chill ran down her spine as cold sweat began to form.
It was a name she had never wanted to hear again.
Feo Leonard.
He was her husband in her previous life.
The man who had driven Celia to her death.
