Chapter 9

Grand Duke Middelharnis rested his chin on one hand and fell into deep thought.

His wandering gaze moved from the documents on his desk and stopped on a statue of the goddess Ashif.

At that moment, a brilliant idea flashed through his mind.

That’s right. That method will work. The Sun Festival is coming soon, after all.

A satisfied smile spread across his face.

***

A Few Days Later

Just as Lake had promised, Jason was stripped of all his memories and exiled from the capital to the North.

When I heard the news, I felt an immense sense of relief.

Gaining Lake’s cooperation was certainly valuable, but honestly, what pleased me most was that it felt as though I had finally avenged the grudge from my previous life.

Imagining the furious expression my father must be wearing right now, I couldn’t help giggling.

[Did something amusing happen?]

“No. Nothing.”

Ash Winterton’s ghost looked at me strangely.

For some reason, he was looking at me as though I were a slightly foolish person.

***

Searching for Ian

A few days later, I invited Lake to the drawing room for a private meeting.

Now that Jason’s matter had mostly been resolved, it was time to focus on finding Ian Winterton, just as I had promised the ghost.

I got straight to the point.

“You said you’ve sent more people throughout the Empire to search for Ian. Have there been any reports over the last few days?”

“Unfortunately, no. We haven’t received any information yet. My apologies, Marchioness.”

“It’s alright. If he were easy to find, you would have found him long ago. We can keep trying.”

“Yes. Even if I have to search the entire Hartania Empire, or even the entire world, I will find Lord Ian.”

Lake answered with determination.

I glanced toward Ash Winterton’s ghost standing beside me and silently mouthed,

That’s what he says.

The ghost smiled quietly.

There was something sorrowful about that smile.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

It was Carpenter, the head butler of the estate.

I immediately allowed him to enter.

“What is it?”

“My Lady, a letter has arrived from the Imperial Palace.”

“A letter?”

Tilting my head, I accepted the envelope from him.

Inside was an invitation.

Every year, the Hartania Empire celebrated the day Goddess Ashif drove away the demons and restored the sun. The holiday was known as the Sun Festival.

The invitation stated that I was being invited to attend the worship service held in the Imperial Chapel that day.

I frowned slightly.

Memories from my previous life immediately surfaced.

Back then, the nobles openly whispered about me. They called me a pitiful woman who married a comatose marquis. They even said my neck mark had brought bad luck and caused his condition. My parents and sister ignored me completely.

At the time, I had been so intimidated that I spent the entire ceremony worrying about everyone’s opinions.

Instead of sitting beside my parents or in the Marchioness’s proper seat, I had quietly hidden among the lower-ranking nobles in the very back row.

And afterward, during the banquet held after the service, that incident occurred.

I had ended up fleeing back to the estate.

Remembering the loneliness and humiliation of that day, I let out a quiet sigh.

It’s not like I can refuse to go.

The invitation had come directly from the Emperor himself.

If I didn’t want to be accused of disrespecting the throne, attendance was mandatory.

Feeling like a prisoner awaiting execution, I spoke to the butler.

“Thank you for informing me. Tell His Majesty’s messenger that I gladly accept the invitation. And ask Mrs. Mackenzie and Charlotte to prepare a new dress for me to wear to the service.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

The butler bowed politely and left.

I turned to Lake.

“You should go as well, Sir Lake. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule.”

“Yes, Marchioness. I will return immediately if we receive any news regarding Lord Ian.”

Once Lake left, only Ash Winterton’s ghost and I remained in the drawing room.

The ghost moved to the sofa opposite me and sat down.

[You seem troubled. Is attending the Sun Festival really that unpleasant?]

“Yeah… well… what can I do? I can’t reject an invitation from the Emperor. I’ll just keep a low profile and slip away afterward.”

Just like I did in my previous life.

I kept those words to myself.

Then a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Wait… that incident back then had nothing to do with the Marquis, right?

With that possibility in mind, I cautiously asked the ghost,

“By any chance… do you know someone named Count Curtis?”

[You mean Lea Curtis? Yes, I know her.]

“…You do?”

[Of course. She’s a friend of mine and a white mage. She’s also one of the people who regularly comes to cast healing magic on me. You’ve met her before in my bedroom.]

The ghost answered without hesitation.

One of the people wearing robes behind the butler that day?

My eyes widened.

I hadn’t paid much attention to them at the time, so I had never imagined she was one of those people.

Immediately sensing that this was important, I carefully probed further.

“Just hypothetically… what would happen if something happened to Lea Curtis and she couldn’t return to the capital for a while?”

The ghost frowned as though the very thought was troublesome.

[That would create all kinds of problems. Finding a healer as skilled and trustworthy as Lea isn’t easy. And if someone working for my enemies managed to take her place… I might die.]

“…I see.”

My expression darkened.

The memories of that day rushed back.

After the Sun Festival service ended and the banquet began, a disturbance had broken out near the chapel.

There was a tradition in the Empire during the Sun Festival.

People would throw pouches filled with red powder at a demon statue as a way of praying for good fortune.

Unfortunately, one child accidentally threw all of her pouches at the statue of the goddess instead.

And by sheer coincidence, that child happened to be Lea Curtis’s daughter.

The temple authorities had been furious.

They demanded that the Emperor punish the child.

The Emperor held an emergency religious trial.

As a result, Countess Lea Curtis was sentenced to spend six months confined in a monastery in her territory, repenting before the gods.

I have to stop it.

Thinking back now, the Marquis’s condition had worsened rapidly after that incident.

I couldn’t allow that to happen.

At least not yet.

The Marquis absolutely had to survive.

At least until I safely escaped the Empire.

[Why are you asking? Did you learn something?]

“N-No. I was just curious.”

I brushed off the ghost’s question.

But inside, I had already made up my mind.

***

The Morning of the Sun Festival

Time passed, and before long the morning of the Sun Festival arrived.

After bathing, I changed into a brand-new dress prepared especially for today.

It was a dazzling white dress, fitting for the day the goddess had driven away darkness and restored light to the world.

The maids tied up my long hair with a ribbon decorated with cream-colored roses.

Diamond and pearl earrings were placed on my ears.

Finally, the head maid was about to place an extravagant pearl necklace around my neck when Charlotte glanced at me awkwardly.

I stopped her.

“The necklace isn’t necessary. Instead, bring me a scarf that matches the dress.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

The head maid flinched slightly and lowered her head.

She had been so focused on dressing me according to tradition that she had forgotten about the mark on my neck.

A little later, after I finished preparing, I left my room with the maids.

As we walked toward the carriage, Ash Winterton’s ghost spoke quietly beside me.

[Do you really need to hide your neck that much? I don’t think anyone would say anything if you showed it openly.]

That’s only because you don’t know what people are like.

I smiled bitterly and silently answered him.

***

Arrival at the Imperial Palace

The carriage carrying me, Ash Winterton’s ghost, my maids, and the knights assigned to protect me left the estate and headed toward the Imperial Palace.

Some time later, the carriage passed through the palace gates and stopped in front of the chapel.

With Lake escorting me, I stepped out of the carriage.

We climbed the stairs and entered the chapel.

Inside, members of the imperial family and nobles were gathered in groups, chatting among themselves.

When they noticed me, they paused their conversations and greeted me politely.

Then, as I walked toward the front-row seat prepared for me, they lowered their voices and began whispering among themselves.