“Lady Emily… sniff… sniff… Lady Emily…” The faint sound of someone crying could be heard, at first soft and muffled as if coming from underwater, but gradually becoming clearer.
“Is it time for me to go to work, Mom?
But my phone alarm hasn’t gone off yet?” Emi asked, her eyes still closed.
Her right hand groped the mattress, searching for her phone to check the time, but she couldn’t find it.
Instead, it felt as though her hand had grasped someone else’s.
‘Is this Mom’s hand?
Mom’s hands are usually rough—why are they so soft now?
Did Mom secretly buy new hand cream without telling me?
She’s so stingy.’ She thought to herself.
Emi wanted to open her eyes, but they felt too heavy to lift.
She felt someone shaking her hand and shoulder.
“Please call a doctor—Lady Emily seems to be waking up!” a woman shouted.
Then the sound of people rushing back and forth could be heard; they sounded so panicked.
“Did I fall asleep in the doctors’ lounge?” she wondered.
“Let me sleep for 15 more minutes!
No, 5 more minutes!” she mumbled in her sleep.
“Lady Emily, wake up!
Sniff… sniff… sniff…” The woman’s voice, this time as she clutched Emi’s hands tightly.
With a lot of effort, Emi opened her eyes; her vision was still a bit blurry, and she couldn’t immediately make out the scene in front of her.
Emi tried blinking her eyes; only after a few minutes did her vision become clearer.
She saw a luxurious room with a golden European-style ambiance—the kind she’d seen in foreign architecture magazines in the hospital director’s office—and a beautiful woman she didn’t recognize holding both her hands.
“What the hell?” she exclaimed in surprise.
“Lady Emily!
You’re awake?
Thank goodness!” said the woman, who had been crying all along, as she hugged Emi tightly.
“I thought Lady Emily wouldn’t wake up again!
Waaaaa… Sniff… sniff…” “Wait—wait… who are you?” Emi asked, confused, as she pushed the woman away from her.
‘Is this some new modus hypnotic?
Or a hidden camera show?
Mom would scold me if she found out I’d been conned.
“Lady Emily?
Don’t you remember who I am?
I’m Anna, your personal maid… sniff… sniff… sniff… did you lose your memory due to falling from a high place?,” asked the girl named Anna with a worried expression.
“Wait a minute, Anna, there seems to be a misunderstanding.
It seems I’m not the person you’re referring to.
I’m not Emily; my name is Emi.” Emi explained as she forcefully pulled her hands away from the grip of the woman claiming to be Anna.
Quickly, Emi tried to get out of bed, intending to move away from the stranger.
But when she stood up, her legs felt weak; Emi almost fell because her legs gave out, but luckily Anna caught her just in time.
“Thank you, but… I’m sorry, I don’t have any money, and I’m not interested in stocks or any kind of multi-level marketing,” Emi said as she tried to stand on her own, pushing Anna away once again.
With a heavy heart, Anna was forced to let go of her master’s hand, sensing that Emily’s mental state was unstable.
Emi walked slowly toward the exit to leave the room, but halfway there she passed a full-length mirror attached to the wall.
Her eyes caught a strange reflection in the mirror.
‘Who is that woman?
Why is she moving in sync with my movements?’ she wondered to herself, as she saw the reflection of a blonde-haired woman, petite with a slim waist and a beautiful face.
When she touched her face, her hair, and even her own chest, the woman’s reflection in the mirror followed suit.
“Wait, is that me?!” Emi screamed in shock, falling to the floor in front of the mirror.
“Lady Emily?
Are you okay, My Lady?” asked Anna, quickly helping Emi to her feet.
“Lady Emily needs to rest first; the doctor will be here shortly to check on you.” ‘Yes… maybe resting isn’t a bad idea.
All of this is so confusing.
In a confusing situation like this, thinking it through slowly and calmly is the best approach,’ Emi thought to herself, trying to stay calm.
Anna helped Emi lie down on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
A moment later, an elderly man wearing glasses came in carrying a small black suitcase.
He then took out a stethoscope to examine Emi.
‘Wow, look at that stethoscope—you only see things like that in museums,’ Emi thought.
*The stethoscope the doctor took out was a binaural stethoscope (its design is similar to modern stethoscopes, featuring two earpieces connected by a flexible metal or rubber tube, developed in the 1890s).
Emi remained silent, but watched closely as the doctor performed the examination, awaiting his diagnosis.
Although Emi was a consulting physician, she couldn’t diagnose herself, as the results would be biased.
“Thankfully, Lady Emily fell from a relatively low height and didn’t land directly on the ground.
Her body suffered a *spinal cord injury, so it’s a miracle she regained consciousness.
However, she should rest in bed for two weeks, then practice walking gradually, step by step,” the doctor explained as he packed his bag.
* Neurogenic shock: a life-threatening emergency caused by damage to the autonomic nervous system.
This condition triggers extreme dilation of blood vessels (vasodilation) and a decrease in heart rate (bradycardia), leading to a drastic reduction in blood flow.
One of the causes is trauma or a physical accident affecting the central nervous system.
“Dr.
Galen, it seems Lady Emily has lost her memory—even her own name.
Is there a medication to restore her memory?” Anna asked worriedly.
“Hmm… I think Lady Emily has lost her memory due to shock.
We don’t know if her memory is gone permanently or just temporarily, so it’s best to let her rest and not force her to think too hard.
Hopefully, her memory will gradually return.” “I’ll inform the Grand Duke about Lady Emily’s condition, including her memory loss, so there’s no need to worry—just rest.
I’ll take my leave now.” The doctor crossed one arm over his chest and bowed slightly, then stepped out of the room.
‘Grand Duke?
Who is that?
I feel like I’ve heard the name before, but where?’ Emi thought.
The answer seemed right in front of her, but she struggled to recall it.
“Lady Emily, please drink this warm honey tea,” Anna said, offering a cup of warm tea.
‘It’s hard to believe—in any part of the world, Are sick people always served warm sweet tea ?
Like the 101 things you must give to a sick person ?’ Emi thought.
“Hmm… Anna, can I ask you for a favor?” Emi said, breaking the silence after returning the teacup to Anna.
“Of course, Lady Emily.
What can I do for you?” Anna asked hopefully, her eyes sparkling.
“It seems I’ve truly lost my memory, so there are a few things I’d like to ask you,” Emi began.
“Yes, my Lady, please ask me anything; I’ll do my best to answer to the best of my knowledge.” Anna nodded enthusiastically.
“Huh…” Emi let out a long sigh, trying to calm herself down.
“Alright, let’s start slowly.
So… you said my name is Lady Emily?” “That’s right, My Lady.” “Why am I lying here sick from shock?” “Hmm… well…” Anna seemed hesitant to answer, her face sad and anxious.
Emily, seeing the fear in her face, reached for Anna’s hand and held it tightly, as if to say it’s okay.
“Three days ago, Lady Emily fell from the bedroom balcony.
Luckily, the Grand Duke and his attendant were patrolling below by chance, so they managed to catch Lady Emily before hit the ground.” Anna replied slowly, tears falling one by one from her eyes.
“Please never do that again, My Lady.
I was so worried.
I don’t know what I would have done if Lady Emily weren’t here…
sniff…
sniff…” Anna pleaded, clutching Emi’s hands tightly.
‘Emily, you’re so guilty for making such a kind girl sad,’ Emi cursed inwardly, feeling sympathy as she watched the girl cry.
“I’m sorry, Anna.
I promise I won’t do it again,” said Emi as she wiped away Anna’s tears with her hand.
“So… do you know why I did it?” Emi asked cautiously.
Anna didn’t answer right away, but she took a small notebook out of the drawer of the bedside table and handed it to Emi.
“I found Lady’s diary on the table that day.
From what’s written in it, it seems Lady acted recklessly because My Lady didn’t want to become the Grand Duke’s wife,” Anna explained slowly.
Emi flipped through the pages of the diary one by one; the last page indeed contained Emily’s farewell message to Anna.
‘What was Emily thinking?
Wasting such a beautiful face like that?’ Emi muttered.
“Do you know why I refused to marry the Grand Duke?” Emi asked again, curious.
“I’m sorry, Lady, but I don’t understand that either,” Anna replied, bowing repeatedly.
“It’s okay, Anna,” Emi said, placing her hand on Anna’s shoulder to stop her from cosplaying as a bobblehead on the car dashboard.
“Alright… Let’s solve this puzzle step by step!” Emi tried to think again.
“Yes, Lady!” “Does the Grand Duke like to drink alcohol?” Emi asked, beginning her interrogation.
“No, Lady Emily.
The Grand Duke only drinks for social and business purposes, within reasonable limits,” Anna answered firmly.
“Is the Grand Duke addicted to gambling?” “No, Lady Emily.
The Grand Duke even prohibits gambling within his domain.” “Does the Grand Duke like to fool around with women?” “Not at all, Lady Emily.
The Grand Duke is known for never touching women.
In fact, the rumor is that because he’s so ruthless on the battlefield and seems so cold, no noblewoman dares to approach him,” Anna explained.
Emi grew even more confused as she listened to Anna’s answers.
‘If a man doesn’t drink alcohol, doesn’t gamble, and doesn’t have sexual affairs, then he’s perfect.
What else could Emily possibly need?
Or could it be…?’ a thought crossed Emi’s mind.
“In that case, does he like men?!” Emi asked in shock.
“Lady Emily… please don’t speak carelessly; we could get into trouble,” Anna whined, nearly in tears again.
Emi just nodded, trying to make sense of the situation, but her mind remained blank.
She sat on the bed, hugging her knees, and rested her head on them.
“Anna… what’s the Grand Duke’s name?” “Lady Emily’s fiancé’s name is Grand Duke Cedric Archibald,” Anna replied.
“Hmm… Cedric Archibald… Archibald—I feel like I’ve heard that name before, but where?” After thinking and trying to remember for a while, a memory suddenly surfaced in Emi’s mind.
Although it was impossible, seeing all these oddities—the room styled like a royal European era, the strange names—it seemed as though Emi was beginning to piece together the missing puzzle.
“No way!
This can’t be!
Am I in a historical romance novel?” Emi suddenly shouted as she stood up on her bed.