Today’s Beast Who Doesn’t Remember Yesterday - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

***

 

Halbert thought with wary eyes.

 

Edlade didn’t expect his wedding night, but shouldn’t he at least greet his wife?

 

Edlade, who had been pensive for a while, squeezed his temples and said.

 

“I don’t remember.”

 

“Look at that! There’s the problem!”

 

“How come the woman is the only one I don’t remember?”

 

“That’s the thing…Hmm.”

 

Edlade, still frowning, squeezed a corner of his chest with his hand, as if it was uncomfortable.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“It’s stiff.”

 

“Are you sick?”

 

“No.”

 

“I’ve called Joanna, and she’ll check you as soon as you go back to the mansion.”

 

“Tsk. Don’t bother.”

 

Without lowering the hand that was holding his chest, Edlade clicked his tongue and began looking through the papers again.

 

Halbert complained about whether Edlade was possessed by a ghost who died while working, but he was still worried.

 

Edlade was the only Philemon family member.

 

He had been on countless battlefields and crossed death passes on the orders of the emperor, and he had rushed into battle and received fatal wounds, knowing that it was a ruse.

 

The Philemon family was the empire’s first choice, but they were puppets under a “contract” that prevented them from refusing the emperor’s orders.

 

‘He can refuse, but…’

 

Edlade has iron stubbornness that never breaks what he decides once.

 

He has risked his life so many times to get the only thing he wanted from the Emperor.

 

Halbert knew his obsession better than anyone else.

 

This made him more and more worried about Edlade, whose memory had disappeared.

 

“Halbert.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What did you say the woman’s name was?”

 

Halbert’s eyes flashed.

 

Edlade’s memory has not returned, but his interest seemed to arise.

 

Yes.

 

His obsession should be remembered by the soul, not the brain.

 

“Lily Rayburn. Oh, it’s Lily Philemon, now.”

 

Edlade’s eyes slowly closed. He seemed to think hard about whether he had really lost his memory.

 

A long strand of dark gray hair that stung his eyes, brushed past the open carriage window.

 

Halbert was glad that he was sitting in front of him.

 

Who could do an indescribable job in front of this man if not himself, who was used to his appearance thanks to having grown up with him from the time he was toddler.

 

‘He is unnecessarily handsome.’

 

Edlade was such a perfect creature as if God had painstakingly sharpened his soul.

 

It was a God-given appearance that once you see it, you will never forget it.

 

They were childish words, but everyone knew that.

 

One look at him and it is absolutely clear that those words were not an exaggeration.

 

Halbert waited for him to open his eyes, thinking things over in solitude. Edlade closed his eyes like this when he wanted to think deeply.

 

“Lily…”

 

“Yes, it’s Lily.”

 

He looked back at the name again.

 

“Remember, Edlade.”

 

“That’s the name you’ve been mumbling your whole life.”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“…”

 

“I don’t remember.”

 

“…”

 

You’re not lying to me, are you?”

 

“I swear I’m not!”

 

Halbert yelled angrily.

 

“Then she must have been an insignificant woman for you to forget like that!”

 

Edlade wanted to scream that it was still not true, but he fixed his gaze on the document as if he didn’t want to think about it any more.

 

If his memories of her were to disappear, they should disappear before he demanded a price from the emperor.

 

The deal with the emperor was already done.

 

Lily already became the Philemon’s hostess, and Edlade got his wish.

 

There was no turning back.

 

Halbert just hoped that Lily, now Duchess of Philemon, would not file for divorce.

 

Edlade had already given his heart, it would not be easy to take it back.

 

His memory loss might be temporary.

 

He didn’t want Edlade to be destroyed by a broken heart when his memories came back.

 

As a vassal, as a friend, and as family.

 

The priority now was to uncover the cause for his amnesia.

 

Halbert had his hands full with the many things that came with the marriage, but he was very sad that there were no more serious things.

 

He felt like crying, so he took out his handkerchief and dried his tears.

 

Of course, there were no actual tears.

 

****

 

The tiring present procession finally ended at dusk.

 

I tried to remember if it had taken this long before, but I was so nervous and uncomfortable at the time that I didn’t even know how much time had passed.

 

“Well done, My Lady.”

 

“What do you mean? You helped me.”

 

It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but it was easy because I had 3 years of experience as a hostess.

 

“You’ve never done this before, but you were perfect. All I helped was carry the gifts.”

 

Lasha was humbled.

 

Her forehead was beaded with sweat as she too had spent the entire day checking and helping carry the gifts.

 

Her face was also a little red from the heat, even though it was still before spring.

 

It was proof that it had been hard work.

 

“Lasha, you’ve never done anything like this before, have you?”

 

“Yes, but………..”

 

Humility was something that should not be taken too far.

 

Lasha was humble and nice, and it always cost her. Even though she was the Duchess’ personal maid of honor, she was not confident.

 

I was really pathetic, wasn’t I?

 

I couldn’t even take care of the maidservant who was right beside me.

 

“Shh.”

 

I lifted my index finger and brought it to my lips, frowned and said.

 

“So let’s just say we had a hard time together, then.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Because there’s no one here who hasn’t worked. If we hadn’t all worked together, we wouldn’t have been able to pull it off so perfectly.”

 

I heard Delias, who was standing nearby, laugh.

 

Lasha’s soul was drained as she gasped, but I patted her lightly on the shoulder.

 

I was tired, even though I had done it before.

 

“I’m hungry. We’ve been through a lot…….. Let’s all have dinner together.”

 

This time, Delias also gave him a wild look.

 

“We don’t allow you to eat with the hostess of the house.”

 

“It’s not like anyone is saying anything.”

 

“It’s not …… etiquette, My Lady.”

 

I knew that much.

 

But I looked at Lasha and Delias and smiled.

 

“Is there anyone in the house who will say you don’t obey the rules?”

 

“If His Highness knows….”

 

“Edlade wouldn’t complain about me having dinner with the butler.”

 

“…”

 

“Just for today.”

 

Delias looked at me as I spoke, clasping his hands together and nodded reluctantly.

 

“Delias, I will see you at dinner.”

 

I left him standing there in a daze and went back to my room.

 

Lasha came along behind me, but I told her I was tired and needed to rest for a while.

 

Snap.

 

I closed the door to my room and my legs relaxed tremendously.

 

Sigh.

 

I endured it well.

 

I was worried that they would find my trembling hands.

 

I held back, chewing the flesh in my mouth in case I cried.

 

I smiled and pretended to be okay until the muscles in my jaw stiffened.

 

“…They are all ……… all alive.”

 

Delias, the chief butler of the mansion, who took care of me more warmly than anyone else despite my small talk, and Lasha, the maidservant, who served me diligently every time with her shy, freckle-filled face.

 

“They’re alive, they’re alive.”

 

I covered my ears with my hands.

 

I felt as if they could hear me scream.

 

It was my fault, but they didn’t know anything about it.

 

A deep darkness gripped my ankles.

 

‘You shouldn’t be here,’ it whispered.

 

“No!”

 

I slapped my cheeks strongly.

 

I quickly noticed the tingling cheeks.

 

“… Don’t give it any unnecessary thought. I need to be alive. I’m not going to let him die again.”

 

I sprang up from my seat.

 

My legs were still shaking, but I mustn’t collapse.

 

I slowly went into the bathroom and washed my face with cold water.

 

The reflection of myself in the mirror was that of a nineteen-year-old with a slight childishness. In the empire, people were treated as adults from the age of 17.

 

Nobles had their fiancé at a very young age, so I was a bit on the late side, getting married at 19.

 

The only reason I was treated as a noble in the first place was from the moment my marriage to Edlade was decided.

 

“I hated it, marriage to you.”

 

I laughed.

 

My reflection in the mirror was smiling a little vacantly.

 

My hair was wet from the water, and it was more wavy than usual.

 

“Your appearance…..It’s like wakame seaweed that’s been blanched in water.”

 

Edlade said this when he saw me soaking wet, unable to avoid the evening rain that was pouring down as we were enjoying tea in the garden.

 

It was his first words when he met me face-to-face, who had been avoiding me openly since the first night.

 

“Come to think of it, how could he say that? Seaweed soaked in water.”

 

He really spit out everything he could think of, didn’t he?

 

It became a memory later on.

 

I laughed at my reflection in the mirror.

 

I always had a complex about my hair, which was so wavy it could have been malignant, but Edlade liked it and stroked it often.

 

“Oh, it’s driving me crazy to keep thinking about it.”

 

I washed my face with cold water again.

 

I washed my face as if I were slapping my cheeks, and my face burned red. The water dripping down my face and running over my eyelashes made me look like I was crying.

 

“I don’t deserve to cry.”

 

I took a deep breath in, exhaled and clenched my fists.

 

I had a lot of work to do.

 

To get revenge on them for making me hold the sword, for making me misunderstood him, for stabbing him directly.

 

“You see? That’s what he did. Do you believe a word he whispered to you about love, Lily? He’s an ugly man who whispers love to you, but behind the scenes, he devours your sister like this.”

 

“You can believe it is a lie. If it makes you feel better.”

 

“Lily, you’re a good sister. You can do this, can’t you? Please, get the revenge you so desperately need from a sister who cares about you.”

 

I was horrified. How could I have believed such horrible words to be true?

 

In the end, I doubted Edlade and plunged a knife into his heart. How could a broken heart be put back together again?

 

It was a miracle that I was back in time. I can’t waste this miracle to fulfill my earnest wish.

 

I would never again fall for their wicked tricks.

 

“Let’s go eat. Let’s fill our stomachs first.”

 

Just as I left the bathroom, Lasha opened the door and came in.

 

“Ah, My Lady.”

 

“Have you finished preparing the meal?”

 

“Yes, you can go to the dining room right away.”

 

I could feel Lasha’s gaze on my red, swollen cheeks, but I pretended not to know and stepped away.