Chapter 12

When Charlotte woke up, the room was bright.

She slowly sat up and looked around. The room was spacious and so quiet that her ears were ringing.

(Lord Ozvalt. My husband, strong and very kind. ...Yes, it's fine!)

She placed her hand on her chest and sighed in relief.

(I'm glad. This morning, I could still remember Lord Ozvalt.)

The memories of yesterday had not faded. This made her incredibly happy.

The room was warm even after getting out of bed. It was probably due to the room temperature being adjusted by magic.

As she tried to open the curtains, Charlotte noticed the scenery outside.

"Snow...!!"

The outside of the mansion was covered in pure white.

That's why it was so quiet. The window glass was very cold, and Charlotte's breath fogged it up when she got close.

(I wonder if Lord Ozvalt has caught a cold?)

It must have been cold yesterday too. She was worried about him, who had lent her his coat.

His coat, which she had folded, seemed to have been collected.

(I wanted to thank him properly again...)

Thinking this, Charlotte closed her eyes.

(...I mustn't regret it, me. Didn't I decide to be patient yesterday...! That coat was borrowed from Lord Ozvalt. I mustn't hug it. I mustn't hug it. That's the right thing to do. I resisted that temptation and won!! --But, but, but, I wanted to wear it one last time and spin around--Ah!!)

Charlotte suddenly stiffened and rushed to the door.

She thought she heard someone's footsteps in the corridor.

The red carpet should have muffled the sound, but she had caught a faint noise.

She pressed her ear to the door and listened intently. When the footsteps stopped in front of the door, she was certain.

"Is this... Could it be, the footsteps of my beloved Lord Ozvalt...?"

"Don't make wild guesses just from hearing footsteps."

"Ah, Lord Ozvalt!!"

"And don't make them come true!"

The door opened, and Charlotte couldn't help but jump at the sight of the person standing there.

Ozvalt still had a stern expression as he looked down at Charlotte, who was shorter than him. Charlotte took a few steps back and clasped her hands in front of her face.

"Lord Ozvalt...! Today, I'm so grateful that you're still breathing in this world...!!"

"No, what kind of thanks is that...?"

"I'm just so happy that you're alive, Lord Ozvalt!!"

"Stop praying. --No!! You don't have to kneel!!"

Ozvalt pulled Charlotte up as she was about to kneel, his voice raised. He sighed tiredly, but Charlotte was too excited to notice.

(He grabbed my arms...!)

"I came to give you the list of attendees for the ball next week."

Hearing Ozvalt's words, Charlotte's dazed mind snapped to attention.

The ball was an important event. She needed to work hard to avoid causing trouble for Ozvalt.

"Thank you, Lord Ozvalt."

"And I need to confirm something about your participation..."

She tilted her head as he looked at her.

"Do you need a tutor?"

"A tutor, sir?"

"The ball has several protocols. The way to enter, how to walk, the order of greetings."

(Ah!!)

This was serious. Charlotte searched her memory and realized she didn't know these protocols.

It seemed her memory was patchy.

She had a fair amount of general knowledge, daily life skills, and memories of magic and divine power, but there were many gaps.

(Did my previous self know the ball protocols...?)

"You lived a long time as the 'Holy Maiden' and avoided social gatherings, so you didn't attend balls."

"! Yes, that's right!"

"Then, even if you learned them in your Holy Maiden education, you might have forgotten. --If you need it, I can arrange a tutor."

"Lord Ozvalt...!!"

What a considerate husband he was.

"Thank you! Please, please, I want to request it immediately!!"

"Understood, but don't try to hug me!"

(Charlotte thought, Lord Ozvalt doesn't know about my memory loss. Yet, he's offering such precise help. In a way, it's like we're communicating telepathically...!)

Seeing Charlotte's happy smile, Ozvalt let out a soft sigh.

"Lord Ozvalt?"

"It's nothing."

"...Ah. But, what should we do? The tutor might be afraid of me..."

From the reactions of the maids, Charlotte knew that everyone was afraid of her.

"You're not the kind of person they would be afraid of."

"R-Really?"

"But, they haven't been kind to you, have they?"

Hearing this, Charlotte blinked.

"What should we do? I should tell you that the only person who can teach you the protocols without being afraid of you is--"

"I would like to request it! Please!"

Answering without hesitation, Charlotte saw Ozvalt's slightly surprised face.

"If it can be done without causing trouble for Lord Ozvalt, I welcome any hardship!"

"..."

"It's not that I want to scare them, but I can't bear to be rude to them..."

Ozvalt closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"---When the time comes, someone will come to fetch you. I'm going to work."

Then, his red eyes stared straight at Charlotte.

"Listen, 'Charlotte.' Whatever you do, don't make any strange moves."

"Yes!"

After answering energetically, Charlotte saw Ozvalt off as usual.

***

(...Well. I was brought here by the person who came to fetch me...)

In the reception room of the mansion where she was brought, Charlotte sat quietly, waiting for someone.

The women standing on either side of her seemed to be magicians.

They were wary of Charlotte and watched her with tense eyes. Even the slightest movement from Charlotte made them instinctively tense up. She felt very apologetic.

Trying not to fidget, she observed her surroundings with her eyes.

(This is a very luxurious room. My bedroom is impressive, but this room is also quite something! What is the purpose of that armor over there?)

As she was thinking about this, the door opened.

"---Charlotte Lya Langheim?"

"!"

The cold voice that called out to Charlotte belonged to a slender, elderly woman with her gray hair elegantly tied up.