Layla slowly gained consciousness when she felt a soft, damp fabric on her legs. She opened her eyes slowly, then stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before noticing a female servant wiping her legs with a soft soaked fabric.
Layla frowned at the scene in front of her.
"What are you doing?" she questioned with a hint of annoyance in her tone.
The servant immediately looked at her with her eyes wide open and her mouth agape.
Layla slowly sat up while the servant was frozen on the spot, her complexion pale as if she saw a ghost. She snapped her finger in front of the servant, making the servant snap back to reality.
"M-madam," the servant stammered.
Madam?
Layla thought as she felt awkward about how the servant addressed her.
But aren't only married women or widows called madame? Does that mean this body is married?
Just the possibility of her guess being truly made Layla feel uneasy and uncertain about her situation. Especially since she doesn't know anything about marriage.
She's wondering if she can act like a wife now that she's the owner of this body.
"If you'll excuse me for a minute, madame," the servant interrupted her thoughts.
Before Layla can respond to her, the servant immediately goes out of the room in a hurry, leaving Layla hanging in the room.
The servant who walked out of the room immediately reported the situation to the head butler.
"Is that true?" the head butler asked, trying to make sure the servant was not seeing any illusion.
The servant nodded her head. "I'm sure. She even talked to me and sat up on the bed," the servant said without hesitation.
Seeing the servant's confidence, the head butler nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"Take care of Madame Ophelia," the head butler ordered another butler.
The butler nodded his head before leaving the room.
The head butler looks out of the window with his head stormed with many thoughts.
Madame Ophelia started getting ill around a year ago, and her condition has been worsening ever since. Her sunny personality has declined along with her health until, around three months ago, her body couldn't withstand her illness and she was in a coma.
The illness was unknown, but his master still gave health treatments to the madame. The head butler found the current situation a miracle.
The head butler sent a letter to his master about the madam's awakening. He bet his master would be delighted by the news.
It's been months since his master has been gone from home because of his work.
After sending the letter through magic, the head butler made his way to the madam's chamber.
The head butler was one of the witnesses to all the madam had been through, and he knew how severe her condition was, making him expect that the madam would be feeling weak. That's why he decided to take care of the madam.
However, the expected weak image of the madam was not what he saw when he entered her room.
The madam was instead found sitting up in bed, looking fully healthy and energetic.
Layla looked at the entrance when she felt her cheeks tinge and saw a middle-aged man in a butler's uniform standing in daze.
Layla gave the man a questioning look that made him snap back to reality.
"I'm glad to see you getting better, Madam Ophelia," the head butler said with a slight bow.
Ophelia? That must be the name of the owner.
Layla thought.
She smiled at the man in front of her, not knowing what to do. Based on the man's uniform, Layla has a clue who this man is.
But she didn't want to assume and embarrass herself.
Since Layla woke up again in this body, the servants have been very respectful towards her, addressing her as 'Madam' at all times. She even noticed that the servants were not making her move an inch and supported her in every way possible, for fear that she might get hurt.
She also asked one of the servants and discovered that this body had been in a coma for three months and was very ill.
Should I use this body's condition to my advantage?
"Who are you? And where am I?" She asked, acting like she had amnesia when, in truth, she didn't have a clue who this body was or where she was.
She was hoping to gather information from the person she was speaking to in order to figure out her situation.
Layla expected an answer to her question when all the servants in the room lost their colour and were gaping at me, leaving her feeling confused and uneasy. And they suddenly panicked, causing Layla to wonder if she had said something wrong.
"Call the physician now!" the head butler ordered.
---
"It must have been the effect of being in a coma for three months that she lost some of her memories, but don't worry; it's only a temporary thing. She will regain them with time," the physician stated after finishing checking Layla's body.
"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with the madam?" The head butler asked with a voice laced with concern.
"Don't worry. There's nothing wrong with the madam. She just needs proper rest and nutrition to fasten the recovery of her memories. " The physician reassured him.
Are proper rest and nutrition going to really bring back memories that are not even mine?!
Layla was really frustrated at that fact but couldn't voice her opinion if she didn't want to be found out that she wasn't the owner of this body.
She decided to just go along with it and see where it would take her.
"You." Layla called the middle-aged man. "You didn't answer my question," she demanded.
The head butler bowed his head with a benign smile on his lips. "My apologies for being rude, Madam. My name is Benedict, and I am the head butler of this estate. And we are currently in the Archer's estate, Madam." The middle-aged man replied politely.
Archer's estate? Why is that familiar?
"Okay. Then Benedict, who am I?" Layla asked reluctantly.
Benedict was saddened by the madam's question and accepted the fact that his mistress was suffering from amnesia.
"Your name is Ophelia Archer, Madam. And the mistress of this estate."
"If I'm a madam, did that mean I'm a wife?" Reluctantly, Benedict nodded his head in response.
My guess was correct! This body has a husband!
"Then who's my husband?"
Benedict answered with a sad smile on his face. "The master of this estate and your husband are Lord Samuel."
Samuel? Why is that name familiar too? Archer estate?
"Samuel Archer?" Layla mutters in disbelief.
Benedict heard her and was delighted that she remembered her husband's name.
He smiled warmly at her. " Yes, that's right. Lord Samuel Archer, your husband."
Layla's eyes widen in shock.
Wait, wait, wait. This is crazy!
Is this some kind of joke?
Layla touched her head when she felt a sharp pain in her head. She winced and tried to make sense of everything that was happening.
"Madam? Madam!"
Layla heard a concerned voice calling out to her, but she couldn't focus. She needed to wait for the pain to subside before she could respond.
Why is everything so blurry?
She thought to herself as she struggled to keep her eyes open.
***