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chapter 32
Leo struggled to sit up on the bed. Harsh breaths escaped his lungs involuntarily.
It wasn’t just the weight of his body pressing down like a thousand pounds, but the excruciating pain that seemed to crush his temples.
The moment he opened his eyes, memories he had long forgotten began to flood back, one by one.
[Father! I want to be someone as admirable as you!]
As his memories became clearer, the image of his father emerged—a remarkable man, though not a gentleman in the conventional sense.
Despite respecting his father, who bore countless wounds and deep scars from multiple battles, young Aiden never wanted to follow the same path.
[Damn it. A chastity officer I can’t even mention anywhere.]
He had compensated for his inability to go to war with a warped sense of masculinity. Even if he could never admit it to himself.
“…Haa.”
Leo pressed his hand to his forehead. A wave of dizziness came all at once, making his stomach churn. If he had eaten anything, he would have thrown it all up.
Both the bed sheets and his back were soaked with sweat.
From outside, a faint knock came. The butler, Jace, who had apparently been waiting, spoke.
“Are you all right?”
“….”
When there was no response, Jace opened the door and appeared, worried as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
“You suddenly collapsed. I was so worried. You seem to have been under a lot of stress lately.”
He added that even the doctor could not find anything unusual.
Leo couldn’t hide the grimace twisting his face.
Even if he remembered nothing, living as Leo Winston had been enjoyable.
Everyone looked up to him, praised him endlessly, and there was money that never seemed to run out.
A large, spacious mansion, a golden network that allowed him to meet anyone, a face that could capture women’s hearts—everything was perfect.
Even his physique, one that no one would dare to challenge, was ideal.
If all of that had been truly his, it might have been enough.
But it wasn’t his. Everything, everything was just an illusion.
A faint smile brushed past his lips.
What kind of cruel joke of fate was this?
To grasp the power of authority he had never held, only after becoming someone else’s body.
Before he knew it, he clenched his fists tightly.
Perhaps it was a chance from God, pitying him and giving him the body of Aiden Spencer.
“I must not lose it.”
He mustn’t be discovered either.
Leo curled his large frame deeper into the covers.
Being known as “Aiden Spencer” was effectively a weakness.
And Jace, standing right in front of him, was a close associate of the real “Leo.” Facing him unguarded was dangerous.
Perhaps that’s why…
“Planning to sleep some more?”
“Don’t bother me. Leave.”
Even when Jace asked with concern, Leo replied coldly.
“Pardon? Leave? I’m offended.”
It seemed Jace had no idea that Leo’s memories had returned—or that this was not the real Leo.
That must be why he treated him so familiarly, like an old friend.
“Wait a minute.”
Where was that guy, anyway?
Leo peeked out from under the covers and grabbed Jace’s arm.
“Hey, didn’t I collapse in the Countess Cordelia’s garden?”
“That’s right. The moment the Duke lost consciousness, you were handed over by Viscount Aiden Spencer.”
Leo fell silent.
He remembered confronting that man in the garden that night. Most of their conversation had been caution and provocation toward each other.
Then, unable to contain the anger boiling within him, Leo had suddenly risen…
He remembered clutching his chest, but after that, he had lost consciousness.
Leo asked Jace as he recalled that moment.
“…Did you notice anything suspicious about the Viscount? Headaches, perhaps, like mine?”
“Something in the food, perhaps? Hmm… nothing unusual that I noticed. But come to think of it, his complexion wasn’t very good.”
Trying to hide a headache, perhaps. It must have been unbearable pain. Or maybe it wasn’t a symptom that appeared as a headache at all.
“Shall we check if anyone suspicious was at Count Cordelia’s house that day?”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
“But, Your Grace…”
“…?”
“You really should marry soon.”
Jace said this, eyes sparkling with excitement, his mouth twitching in anticipation.
Leo’s brows shot up in annoyance.
“Suddenly, marriage?”
“You have no idea how worried Lady Viscountess Spencer looked at you. Seeing her expression, I’m sure you would want to marry as well.”
Ha.
To think she worried about the wrong man, not even knowing her husband was here.
Leo, who had always considered her lacking in sense, clenched his jaw so hard that it ached.
“She still doesn’t know? Fine. I’ll make sure she sees with her own eyes.”
Until just a moment ago, Leo had been focused on not being discovered. But now, his intentions had shifted.
He threw off the covers and stood.
“Coat.”
“Going out?”
Jace handed him the coat, concern evident in his voice.
“No idle talk. Prepare the carriage.”
“I have appointments today as well. What should I do?”
“You can go separately! I had no intention of taking you anyway.”
Leo had no plans to bring Jace along.
He only wanted to see Aiden and Sarah for himself. To see whether Aiden had regained his memory was the most important thing.
Holding the coat, Leo glanced at his reflection in the wall mirror. A bitter smile crossed his face for a brief moment.
Sarah, meanwhile, could not leave the hall and paced in circles.
Her teacup had been empty for a long time.
“Ma’am, are you worried about something? You’ve been staring blankly for some time now.”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing.”
“Nothing? I don’t believe you.”
It was obvious to Bibi that something major had occurred. She let out a soft sigh and approached Sarah.
“It must be hard to tell me as well, right? I heard a famous fortune teller has come here. There’s no better place to resolve your worries.”
Sarah looked up, and Bibi’s eyes seemed sincere.
“Why not give it a try? At least your heart might feel lighter.”
Like Bibi said, Sarah wanted to anonymously unburden herself of a secret she could not tell anyone.
Who would believe that two men’s souls had swapped bodies?
But a fortune teller, who predicted unknown futures, might believe such an impossible thing.
“…Maybe they won’t dismiss it as nonsense.”
After much hesitation, Sarah looked at Bibi with determination.
“Could you bring me my outerwear?”
“Yes!”
“And have the carriage ready as well.”
Leaving Bibi upstairs, Sarah stood and stared out the window.
She had to resolve her feelings before Aiden returned.
She needed to be ready to let him go, like cutting off a dead branch.
Living in someone else’s body was already awful. Living with a woman she did not love would be worse.
A lump formed in Sarah’s throat from the complicated emotions.
“I ended up going outside anyway.”
Sarah couldn’t be certain what choice would be rational, or if the fortune teller could answer her question.
The wind chilled her fingertips. If Bibi were here, she would have warmed Sarah’s hands.
[Are you sure you’ll be fine going alone?]
Bibi’s repeated question lingered in Sarah’s mind as she stepped out alone. Carrying a huge secret made accompanying someone difficult.
Inside the carriage, Sarah tightly gripped the address Bibi had written down. The carriage rattled over the cobblestones, mirroring her nervous heart.
When she arrived, a tattered tent came into view.
A long line of people had gathered, hoping to have their fortunes told.
[They’re very famous, so the line might be long.]
Even knowing Bibi’s warning, Sarah had not expected this.
As she approached the tent, her heartbeat quickened.
The thought of revealing the secret she had kept to herself made her tremble.
Time passed, and finally, it was her turn.
“Welcome.”
She lowered her head and entered the tent. An enigmatic figure greeted her in a captivating voice.
The figure wore a hood, obscuring their face, but their bright red lips were clearly visible even in the shadows.
Inside the tent were only the fortune teller and a small crystal ball on the table. The purple crystal emanated a strange aura.
“Do you believe in fate?”
Sarah swallowed.
“Fate…?”
The fortune teller nodded, tracing the crystal ball with long fingernails, waiting for Sarah’s answer.
“I… I don’t know.”
Even in the small space, Sarah felt an overwhelming presence.
She straightened her posture and touched her neck to calm herself.
“Well… that’s an ambiguous answer if ever there was one.”
The fortune teller seemed to want a different response, but Sarah’s answer was honest.
If her fate was to lose her parents in an accident, be abandoned by the Count’s family, and eventually marry Viscount Aiden Spencer to live a miserable life… she would feel some injustice.
No one would willingly be born into such a fate.
But fate wasn’t the important thing right now.
Sarah handed over a pouch of gold coins she had prepared.
“I came here today to reveal a secret.”
The fortune teller weighed the pouch in her hand without hesitation, the coins clinking dully against each other.
“Oh my. What should I do? The price is fine, but it’s difficult to hear the secret.”
Difficult?
Sarah looked at the fortune teller, bewildered. The woman smiled mysteriously, revealing perfectly white teeth beneath her red lips.
“Instead, I will give you one piece of advice. Soon, the real one will come.”
“…The real one?”
The fortune teller only gave a meaningful smile, offering no further explanation.
