Chapter 2

"Father... Mother...!"

After stepping into my home for the first time in ten years, I traced the distant memories of the past and headed straight for the grand hall.

There, I saw the unmistakable figures of my parents. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my eyes.

Over these ten years, whenever I felt sad, I always thought of my beloved parents and endured. I had longed to see them so much.

"Saidi? What's wrong, all of a sudden... and in that state...!"

Seeing me suddenly burst into the grand hall, drenched and sobbing, my parents were greatly shocked and bewildered.

"It's me... I'm Saidi..."

"Yes, we know. We're your parents."

"No, it's different. I've been possessed by someone else since that summer ten years ago, and I just came back..."

I had intended to explain everything in order, but once I saw them, a mix of happiness, sadness, and loneliness overwhelmed me, and I couldn't find the words.

However, the moment I said "that summer ten years ago," my parents' eyes widened in shock. Perhaps they too had some idea of what had happened.

Seeing my strange behavior, they hurried over, looking older and more worn out than in my memories. I realized again that it had really been ten years since that day. Thinking of the time that could never be reclaimed, my tears wouldn't stop.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Gerald Findlay."

"Could you be from the Findlay family...?"

"Yes. In fact, I am also one of the victims of the same incident. While she gets ready, could you listen to my story?"

Gerald, who had accompanied me, spoke on my behalf, even though he too must have been bewildered by the situation. He prioritized me over himself, and that kindness made me cry even more.

"Alright. Please have a seat. Saidi, take your time to get ready."

"Yes... Gerald, thank you..."

"It's fine. You've always dug a lot of potatoes for me, even though I have a bad back."

He had always been kinder and better than anyone else. We had always helped each other and struggled to survive. There was no need for thanks.

But in my current drenched and messy state, I couldn't help but take advantage of the offer. So, I hurried to take a shower and change.

◇◇◇

"... I looked like this?"

Finally, after stopping my tears and washing off the heavy makeup, I looked at myself in the hand mirror while soaking in the bathtub. I was struck by how beautiful the woman in the mirror looked.

The last time I was in this body was when I was seven. At seventeen, I had grown much more than I had imagined.

Still, why had I been wearing such heavy makeup just a moment ago? This way is definitely better.

Even though I knew it was me, the other body felt so foreign that it was like looking at someone else.

"..."

How long had it been since I last soaked in a warm bathtub? It felt so good that I could have floated away. By the way, I had asked the maids to leave me alone for a moment.

I just wanted to be alone.

As I stretched my limbs, a knock sounded.

"Miss Saidi, I'm coming in."

"Ah, yes."

I answered and looked towards the door. Soon, a maid entered the bathroom.

Her burnt brown hair and the same color soft gaze were very familiar.

"... Could it be?"

"Yes, Miss. It's Hara."

Hara had been my personal maid since I was born. I had always looked up to her like a sister and loved her.

Seeing her again made me so happy that my vision blurred again. Hara, seeing me like this, also had tears in her eyes and took my hand.

"Is it really you, Miss...?"

"Yes, it's me...!"

It seemed she had heard a brief explanation of what had happened on the way here. I was grateful that she believed such an unbelievable story.

After that, she carefully helped me get ready while I listened to stories about my parents and myself.

"In other words, I was the worst person?"

"... Yes. You were called a notorious villainess."

"Villainess..."

Indeed, the more I heard, the more I realized that I had been a terrible person over the past ten years. I treated those of lower status as less than human, spent the family's money like water, and continued to have affairs despite having a respectable fiancé named Rufus.

I also often lashed out at the household staff, which led to a high turnover rate.

If this is what a mere maid knows, I can't imagine what the gossipy nobles in society would say. I could understand the reactions of Rufus and the people around him at the party earlier.

"What should I do from now on..."

Unlike my family and Hara, the world wouldn't believe a ridiculous story like "I was possessed all this time, and the real me wasn't like that."

Would I have to live the rest of my life with the label of a villainess? After enduring so much pain for ten years, it was a cruel fate.

There was one thing that bothered me.

"About the affairs... um, did I...?"

"Don't worry. You often said in front of your parents, me, and the other staff, 'I'll save my first time for Lord Rufus, so don't worry.'"

Although I couldn't express it clearly, Hara understood. Still, it was unbelievable that I had affairs and said such things in front of everyone, including my fiancé.

The more I heard, the more dizzy I felt. The me from the past was clearly not in her right mind.

"By the way, how did Rufus react to me?"

"... He would always say, 'Can't you stop?' and look down as if enduring something."

"I see..."

"Yes. He was a very kind and considerate person."

Hearing this from Hara, even though it wasn't my doing, I felt a deep sense of guilt. How much had he suffered because of me over the past ten years?

Even if I explained everything again, he probably wouldn't listen or believe me. He had told me never to show my face again. All I could do was quietly pray for his happiness.

"Done. You are the most beautiful person in the world, Miss."

Hara's words made me look up at the mirror in front of me. The woman reflected there was even more beautiful than the one in the hand mirror. She looked like a princess.

It was hard to believe that this was me. The me from the past had a sunburned, freckled face with thin, sharp eyes, and looked like a middle-aged woman.

"Thank you, Hara. I'll go back to the grand hall."

"... Yes, you're welcome."

I lightly slapped my cheeks to gather my courage and headed to the parlor where my parents and Gerald were waiting.