''Huh!?''
Maki was still frozen as she was surprised with everything in front of her. That woman crying and hugging her so hard made her feel like couldn't breathe.
''Ugh!... hold on! I can't breathe, madam'' Maki, in Evalyn's body exclaimed and pushed that woman to move a bit.
"What?" The woman paused, surprised by Maki's call. "What did you call me again?"
"Madam!" Maki responded.
She turned to the doctor standing near the bed, who wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke with a fearful voice.
"Duchess! Lady Evalyn has lost her memory due to the accident." The woman's grip loosened slightly, and a mixture of confusion and concern washed over her face.
"Lost her memory? What do you mean?" Her voice trembled as she took a step back, eyes darting between Maki and the doctor.
Maki's heart raced, a whirlpool of emotions stirring within her. She could feel the panic creeping in, threatening to drown her. "What do you mean 'lost her memory'? Where... where am I?" The words tumbled out before she could catch them, deepening the woman's distress.
The doctor straightened, clearing his throat. "Lady Evalyn was involved in a severe accident—her mind is still trying to process what happened. We've been monitoring her closely, but she seems to have lost the memories of her recent life."
Maki's mind raced. "Recent life?" she echoed, grappling with the implications. "I... I'm Evalyn. But I don't know anything! I don't remember anything!" Frustration tinged her voice as she gazed up at the woman. "Who are you?"
The woman swallowed hard, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I'm your mother, dear,'' Amelia Drachenstein's Evalyn mother, Her voice cracked as the reality settled in. "You were supposed to come home yesterday... we were so worried about you."
Maki blinked, trying to process the weight of the revelation. "Home? Wait, why was I supposed to come home? What was happening before the accident?"
Amelia bit her lip, trying to compose herself. "You... You were preparing for your engagement party, Evalyn. A lot was going on, and..." Her voice trailed off as if the rest was too painful to relive.
Maki felt a knot tighten in her stomach. Engagement? Party? She wasn't prepared for any of this.
Amelia stepped forward again, her eyes softening. "We'll help you. We'll be here for you, every step of the way. You're not alone."
A flicker of warmth sparked in Maki's chest, but doubt still lingered. "I just... I don't even know who I am."
"You're Evalyn Drachenstein," Amelia whispered, her voice filled with unwavering love. "My lovely daughter."
Maki took a deep breath, searching for strength among the swirling chaos. It was a long road ahead, but somewhere, buried beneath her confusion, she hoped she would find the pieces of the life that once was.
"I need to be alone," Maki exclaimed, looking at her mother, the doctor, and a maid. She felt something was off. Her mother, a duchess, had only one maid.
"Alright, we'll go outside. See you tomorrow, my dear," Amelia said, bending slightly to hug her daughter and smiling before leaving the room.
Once everyone was gone, Maki grasped her head, whispering as she tried to recall her memories. What was happening?
At that moment, she remembered a part of a novel where she visited the Author's home, but could Elly be a man instead of a woman?
Maki furrowed her brow, the shadows of her memories flickering like candle flames in a breeze. She could almost hear the gentle rustling of the pages in that novel, the scent of ink and paper mingling with her thoughts. Had she truly visited the Author, or was it merely a figment of her fragmented recollections?
Maki stared at the plain walls of her room, the only adornment a single, intricately framed portrait of her mother from an age long past. It was an image of grace and privilege, but today it felt suffocating.
She recalled the narratives spun around her, the gentle nudges of fate—the coincidences that felt more deliberate than happenstance. Every character and every event seemed to mirror pieces of her own existence. But then, could it be that her reality was ever-shifting, guided by the hand of the Author who penned her story?
Maki clenched her fists, the urge to break free from the confines of her thoughts swelling within her. She moved to the window, longing for fresh air and clarity, only to find heavy drapes blocking her view of the outside world. Thus, she realized: that to understand her past, to redefine who she was becoming, she must cast aside the curtains, both literal and metaphorical.
She closed her eyes, while remembering something in the Grand Mansion at Hokkaido, then opening her eyes, she felt a rush of resolve and smirk;
''Hmmm! okay, okay!.... you want me to change Evalynn's destiny, right?'' Maki exclaimed with a smirk on her face, so, she became Evalyn, the villainous in the novel, then she continued;
''I'll show you a villainous transformation into a lovely character," Evalyn said with a sly smile,
It was time to uncover the truth hidden in the pages of her life, to allow the ink to flow freely, unbound by the restrictions that surrounded her.
She would venture beyond her confined existence, embracing the duality of her beliefs, and seek out the reality that lay just beyond the horizon of her understanding.
"Excuse me, my lady," a timid maid announced as she stepped into the softly lit room, her head bowing low in a gesture of deference.
"Dinner is ready, and the duke requests your presence," she added, her wide, fearful eyes darting toward Evalyn before quickly averting them, an expression of concern etched across her delicate features.
Evalyn, sensing the maid's unease, took a cautious step closer. "Are you okay?" she inquired gently, her brow furrowing with worry.
"Y... yes, my lady, I'm fine," the maid stuttered, though the tremor in her voice suggested otherwise. "But you need to be careful. Please excuse me," she urged, nearly trembling as she spoke.
Evalyn's curiosity deepened, her eyebrow arching in confusion. The maid's anxious demeanor hinted at something darker lurking beneath the surface.
"Careful of what, exactly? He's my father, isn't he?" Evalyn pressed, her voice taking on an edge of urgency as questions flooded her mind.
The maid hesitated, chewing on her lip as though wrestling with her words. "Because of your memories, my lady," she finally whispered, her gaze dropping to the floor. "You don't get along with any family members besides your mother."
After a brief pause, she dared to add, her voice barely above a whisper, "Your father's wife and your brothers… they also h-hate you, my lady."
''What?''