Chapter 87

"I see. I apologize for not greeting you earlier. Actually, I lost some of my memory in an accident... If I have been rude to any of you in the past, I am truly sorry."

I expressed my sincere regret, apologizing on behalf of the past Grace as well.

"Who would have thought that Lady Grace would apologize to us..."

They looked at me in disbelief, their eyes fixed on my face.

Although Grace was a minor character and her specific misdeeds were not detailed in the novel, the contrast with her past must have been significant. After returning home, I should ask the unusually knowledgeable Evan about it.

Not wanting to ruin the atmosphere any further, I bowed my head and left the scene. They were friendly towards Mariabel, so it should be fine.

"I knew this, but it still hurts to be disliked..."

The scars of the villainous Grace still linger, and it seems I will have a lot of trouble ahead.

However, if I am to live with Lord Zain, I want to erase the negative image as much as possible.

Instead of moping, I should take proactive action. With that thought, I decided to speak to a petite and gentle-looking young lady nearby.

"Um, this dessert is delicious, isn't it?"

"Huh?"

"......I'm sorry, never mind."

But she had no intention of interacting with me, and the atmosphere instantly froze.

From her one-word response, I could feel an overwhelming anger and rejection. I wondered what the past Grace had done to her.

With a heavy heart, I picked up a glass from the table.

"Kyaa!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional."

I bumped into a young lady who had come from behind, spilling the contents of the glass onto her dress.

When I turned around, I saw Lady Dana, whom Mariabel had described as "very kind," wearing a pink dress.

"Didn't Lady Grace say before that slipping hands should be forgiven?"

Her apology, laced with sarcasm, clearly showed her hostility towards me. The collision must have been intentional when I picked up the drink.

I was more curious about what the past Grace had done to her, given that Mariabel had described her as very kind, rather than being angry at the harassment.

Mariabel, who had just finished greeting the young ladies, hurried over.

"Big sister, are you okay...?"

"Yes, I'm fine. This won't leave a stain."

I didn't want her to have an unpleasant experience because of me, so I responded with a smile and a bright tone.

However, I felt disheartened, realizing that dealing with the aftermath of the original Grace's villainy would be much more challenging than investigating Charlotte or the Holy Maiden.

Feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work I had to do, I felt dizzy.

"...Oh, right."

I called a nearby maid and had her prepare a wet cloth immediately.

After wringing it out, I started dabbing the stained area gently.

"What are you doing?"

"Doing this will easily remove the stain."

Acting quickly to clean the important dress given to me by Lord Zain, the young ladies, including Mariabel, looked at me in confusion.

Upon reflection, this was something a servant should do. Moreover, the fact that Grace was calmly removing the stain herself was bound to surprise them.

"Since she saved children from a kidnapping incident, perhaps she has reformed a bit."

"I heard she lost her memory. Maybe that's the reason..."

Whispers like these made me feel uncomfortable.

After confirming that the dress was clean, I took Mariabel and moved to a less crowded area as if fleeing.

We sat on a bench at the edge of the venue and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I must have made you feel awkward, Mariabel."

Mariabel, who had not yet made her debut in society, probably didn't know about Grace's misdeeds, but the perceptive girl must have sensed something from the others' attitudes.

However, I couldn't explain to the innocent Mariabel that "Before I lost my memory, I was a greedy and promiscuous villainess."

"There's no such thing. I'm happy just to be with you, big sister."

"Mariabel...! Thank you. I really love you."

"Hehe, I love you too."

I truly cherished her, who continued to admire me without asking any questions. I hugged the angelic Mariabel and stroked her soft silver hair, the same color as Lord Zain's.

Thanks to the improved diet, Mariabel's body, which she hugged back with joy, was healthier and better-nourished than before.

"Kyaaa!"

Just as I was relieved, a sudden scream echoed around us.

Turning my gaze towards the source of the sound, I saw Lady Dana sitting on the ground.