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Chapter 3
“Please put this on.”
“Thank you.”
I unfolded the classic-style shawl the Grand Duke had given me, intending to drape it over my shoulders. But it had been ironed so perfectly that I couldn’t get a good grip on the folded edges.
Why won’t this open?
As I wrestled with the stubborn shawl, the Grand Duke, who had been silently watching, took it back from my hands.
Huh? Is he taking it back?
“You’re quite a high-maintenance lady.”
With a single smooth motion, he spread the shawl wide and gently wrapped it around my shoulders.
In doing so, it almost looked as though he was embracing me.
Oh my goodness! What a blessed moment this is!
My face flushed crimson with emotion. Afraid the shawl might slip off, I hurriedly clutched it tightly with both hands.
“L-Lady Aileen?”
“Yes?”
Perhaps because I had moved too quickly, I had accidentally grabbed his arm along with the shawl.
In other words, my instinct—wanting him to keep holding me from behind for just a little longer—had acted before my reason could stop it.
Well done, me. You’re amazing!
“Oh! I’m so sorry.”
Of course, I couldn’t let my true feelings show, so I reluctantly let go of his arm.
Despite my apology, the disappointment in my eyes was impossible to hide.
The Grand Duke’s eyes widened in visible surprise.
Time passed, and before long, night fell.
With the help of the maids, I washed thoroughly from head to toe. After my bath, they rubbed fragrant oil all over my body and carefully brushed my long hair.
Aileen was technically a prisoner, yet they treated her this well.
Who could possibly call the Grand Duke a villain after seeing this?
After finishing my preparations for bed, I climbed into the soft bed. Just as the maid who had tucked in the blankets was about to leave, the Grand Duke entered the room as though taking over her shift.
“Your Grace.”
I wasn’t sleepy yet, so I tried to sit up, but he stepped closer and gently stopped me.
“I came to put out the lights.”
Oh my goodness. My favorite is turning off the lights so I can sleep well.
If I had followed my heart, I would have asked him to sing me a lullaby until I fell asleep.
But I barely managed to suppress that urge.
“Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?”
I never said I wouldn’t ask for anything else.
At my sudden request, another earthquake seemed to strike the Grand Duke’s eyes.
Seeing him spend the entire day flustered by me made me feel a little guilty.
But he was just too adorable.
There was no way I could stop.
“Do… do you wish me to?”
he asked cautiously.
Considering I was supposedly his prisoner, his response was almost unbelievably courteous.
“Yes. I’d appreciate it. This place is unfamiliar, so it’s hard for me to fall asleep.”
I answered shamelessly.
In truth, if he stayed beside me, I’d probably sleep even less because I’d spend the entire time staring at his face.
But that was exactly what I wanted, so I lied with a perfectly innocent expression.
After thinking for a moment, the Grand Duke sat down in the chair beside the bed.
“If that is what the young lady desires, then I shall stay.”
He always acted like a fearsome villain, but when you looked closely, he granted almost every request.
The Grand Duke remained quietly seated.
He looked awkward, seemingly unsure where to direct his gaze.
Before coming to this world, it had been my nightly ritual to gaze at my favorite character’s face before going to sleep.
Only now…
He wasn’t a flat illustration.
He was real.
That fact filled me with overwhelming joy.
This isn’t a dream… is it?
Honestly, believing it was a dream seemed far more convincing.
It was simply too perfect.
My favorite is right in front of me…
My beloved favorite…
Filled with emotion, I forced my eyes open wider.
The warm, fluffy blankets gradually made me drowsy, but the sleepier I became, the harder I fought to keep my eyelids open.
I didn’t want to miss a single second of looking at him.
Unfortunately, despite my determination, the exhaustion of my newly begun life finally overwhelmed me.
Before I knew it…
I had fallen fast asleep.
Thankfully…
Being transported into the novel hadn’t been a dream.
The room I saw when I woke beneath the bright morning sunlight was exactly the same room where I had fallen asleep.
The only difference…
Raymond Ruslow, who had been sitting beside me until I drifted off, was gone.
I had tried so desperately to keep my heavy eyelids open just so I could keep looking at him.
But in the end, I had lost to sleep.
Thinking about it now, it felt like such a waste.
I had wanted to look at him for as long as possible.
As I was about to sit up, there came a knock at the door.
Knock, knock.
“Who is it?”
“My lady, may we come in?”
The voice was polite.
After waiting for permission, the speaker remained silent.
It sounded like the maid who had attended me yesterday.
“Yes. Please come in.”
“Did you sleep well?”
The maids entered all at once and immediately began helping me wash.
It was exactly the same routine as the night before.
Having someone else bathe me and dress me still felt awkward, but I simply accepted it.
After all, every newborn relies on others.
And, in a sense…
I had just been born into this novel.
“My lady, please raise your arm.”
As I lifted my arm, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
If my soul entered Aileen’s body… then what happened to Aileen’s soul?
Did we switch places?
Just before I came here, I had been hit by a car.
Given the circumstances, I should have died instantly.
But…
Perhaps I had miraculously survived.
Maybe Aileen had entered my body instead.
If that were true…
I hoped the proud Aileen would teach my arrogant older brother a lesson.
Thinking about that annoying brother naturally led me to think about my parents.
I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing.
They must be terribly worried about me…
“My lady, I’ll scrub your back now.”
As the rough bath towel rubbed against my back, tears quickly welled up in my eyes.
I couldn’t tell whether the stinging sensation came from my skin…
Or from my heart.
My chest tightened painfully.
I shook my head firmly.
Enough.
I’ve already been transported into this world. What’s done is done.
With my usual optimistic attitude, I decided to let go of my previous life.
Since I was living inside this novel now…
This world had to become my home.
Wrapped in a large, fluffy towel, I dried myself before stepping out of the warm, steam-filled bath.
The maids applied fragrant oil that left my skin soft and glowing.
Today’s outfit was a beige dress prepared by the Grand Duke’s household.
It lacked the elegance expected of a duke’s daughter…
Yet it was far too refined for someone considered a prisoner.
“Please step into the dress.”
As I lifted one leg to put it on, I tried to focus less on my sadness and more on understanding my current situation.
For one thing, I could speak the language and read the writing.
So the hardware seemed to have transferred successfully.
The problem was the software.
The memories I possessed were entirely those of Lim Yoon-kyung.
Everything I knew about Aileen Cowett came solely from the novel—not from her own memories.
It would’ve been much easier if I’d inherited her memories too.
There were probably pros and cons.
But adapting would certainly have been easier.
No matter how much I thought about it, the biggest question remained the same.
Why did this happen in the first place?
There was no answer.
All I could do was continue living…
And someday find it myself.
Lost in thought, I finished getting ready and was escorted to the dining room.
The Grand Duke of Ruslow was already waiting there.
“My lady, you’ve arrived.”
He looked up and met my eyes.
No way.
This has to be a dream!
There was no other explanation for such an impossibly handsome man existing right in front of me.
The moment I saw him, every worry and lingering sadness vanished into thin air.
His black hair had been neatly slicked back, exposing his striking forehead.
It made his sky-blue eyes stand out even more brilliantly.
The sight I had wanted to gaze upon forever…
The sight I had dreamed of every night…
Was before me once again.
I couldn’t contain my excitement.
“Wow… wow…”
I covered my mouth in amazement before clutching my chest with both hands.
The Grand Duke looked at me in confusion.
“My lady… are you feeling unwell?”
“My heart…”
It feels like it’s about to burst… because I’m looking at you.
But before I could finish, the Grand Duke jumped to his feet in alarm.
“I’ll summon a physician immediately.”
“N-No, it’s fine!”
I frantically waved both hands to stop him.
“I know my own body best.”
“Do you suffer from some illness?”
Yes.
I do.
It’s called lovesickness.
But don’t worry.
As long as I keep looking at you, it’ll disappear.
While I silently entertained myself with those thoughts, I couldn’t bear to let the worried Grand Duke continue panicking.
So I quickly composed myself.
“No, I think… I’m just hungry.”
“I see. Then let us eat.”
Only then did the Grand Duke relax and sit back down.
I looked at the breakfast waiting for me.
There was soup, bread, fried eggs, and a simple sautéed salad made with cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions.
Beside it sat another plate of the soft mushrooms I had eaten yesterday.
“Oh! Soft mushrooms!”
I eagerly speared one with my fork and popped it into my mouth.
Just as expected…
It was wonderfully chewy.
Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.
Absolutely perfect.
But I soon found myself facing an impossible dilemma.
I couldn’t neglect the food the Grand Duke had thoughtfully prepared for me.
At the same time…
I didn’t want to waste even a second of my precious opportunity to admire his face.
Outside of meals, he was always too busy for me to see him.
So I came up with a brilliant solution.
I stuffed as many mushrooms into my mouth as possible.
Like a squirrel storing acorns in its cheeks.
I’ll just keep them in my mouth and chew them one by one with my tongue.
That wonderfully simple plan quickly puffed out my cheeks.
The Grand Duke stared blankly as I continued shoveling mushrooms into my mouth.
Then…
“Pfft.”
A laugh escaped him.
Lowering his head, his shoulders trembled as he struggled to hold it in.
Was I really that funny?
Personally, I thought my strategy was perfect.
Both my mouth and my eyes could be happy at the same time.
Besides…
Mushrooms are easy to digest!
With that thought, I happily continued chewing away.
