I wish I could say that when I opened the envelope, I found the key that would let me escape this cursed world.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

The envelope was empty.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Even after turning the envelope upside down several times in hopes of discovering some hidden message, the result didn’t change. I desperately wanted to rip the paper apart and stomp all over it, but… it might still be useful.

I carefully folded it and slipped it into my pocket.

Maybe—

“What are you doing here?”

At the sound of the voice, I looked up. A little girl around ten or eleven years old stood above me, glaring angrily. She had red hair and bright blue eyes.

I stared at her in confusion.

“I’m supposed to eat here!” she whined.

“Lucy! What are you doing?!”

James rushed toward the little girl at full speed. I hadn’t even noticed where he had come from and could only stare at the two of them blankly.

“Your mother is looking for you. What are you doing here?”

Your mother…

James and Beatrice were step-siblings. Since James referred to Lucy’s mother as your mother, then Lucy had to be the daughter of Duke Willow’s current wife.

I hadn’t seen the duchess anywhere around the estate before.

“But Brother, that idiot is sitting in my gazebo.”

“Your name isn’t written on it, Lucy,” I shot back before I could stop myself.

Lucy stared at me without reacting for a moment.

Then, despite her age, she burst into an incredibly childish crying fit. Clinging to James’s coat, she sobbed while shaking him with all her strength.

“S-She called me L-Lucy! M-My name is Luciana. O-Only my family can call me Lucy!”

As the little girl continued shaking him dramatically, James glared at me furiously. I turned my head away, trying to avoid eye contact.

At that moment, I noticed several figures rushing out from the back entrance of the manor. Leading them was a young woman who looked almost identical to Luciana except for her eyes. The others following behind were probably servants.

“Luciana, come here this instant!”

“M-Mother?”

At the sound of her mother’s angry voice, Luciana immediately released James’s coat. She quickly wiped away her tears and ran over to the young woman. As the duchess grabbed her daughter by the arm and pulled her close, she sent me an apologetic look.

“Luciana, why are you bothering Lady Beatrice?”

“I’m not bothering her, Mother. She’s sitting in my gazebo.”

The duchess closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice was calm and gentle.

“Then let’s do this, dear. If you don’t behave, you won’t be attending the Crown Prince’s birthday ball.”

“What?! That’s not fair!”

Just as Luciana seemed ready to launch into another crying fit, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to escape. Quietly, I started making my way back toward the manor.

I was almost successful.

But James’s sharp eyes must have finally torn themselves away from Luciana’s theatrical breakdown because his cold voice stopped me.

“Beatrice, where are you going?”

I froze instinctively and turned toward him.

“To the manor.”

“Who said you could leave? Do you realize Duchess Rowena is standing before you?”

“It’s alright, Lord James,” Duchess Rowena interrupted in a silky voice. “Please forgive Luciana, Lady Beatrice. Do continue your breakfast.”

When I glanced toward Luciana, I caught the little girl glaring at me sneakily, though she didn’t dare argue with her mother again.

I smiled politely at the duchess and gave a small curtsy.

“It’s no trouble, Your Grace. I was about to return to my room anyway. Please excuse me.”

Without sparing James even a single glance, I headed back toward the manor.

As I walked, my thoughts drifted.

“…the Crown Prince’s birthday ball…”

That was what the duchess had called it.

And since an empire couldn’t possibly have two crown princes—

I shook my head.

There was no point overthinking it. Whatever was going to happen would happen.

“What a ridiculous situation. Why should I care about Solenne’s Crown Prince anyway?”

I muttered to myself as I reached my room.

I needed to escape this cursed world as quickly as possible.

Beatrice…

She had entered my dream and spoken about tasks I needed to complete in order to return home.

Without even waiting for Sarah, I quickly changed clothes and threw myself onto the bed.

I needed to sleep.

I needed to talk to Beatrice.

“Wait for me, Beatrice,” I murmured to myself. “I’m coming.”

I woke up irritably to sunlight hitting my face.

I must have slept for twelve straight hours.

Stretching lazily, I rubbed my eyes before sitting upright in bed.

“Damn it.”

Of course I wasn’t dreaming anymore.

Grumbling, I climbed to my feet.

The sun poured warmth into my room with full intensity. Still half asleep, I wandered toward the window.

At this hour, the manor garden looked so—

“Ah…”

A sharp pain pierced my head, and at the same time, a childhood memory flooded my mind.

> “Mom, what should I draw? You decide.”

“Alright then, I’ll describe the garden of my dreams to you.”

I must have been four or five years old. I’d wanted to try the new paint set I received for my birthday, but when I couldn’t think of anything to draw, I had started pestering my mother instead.

As always, she had handled it professionally and described her dream garden to me.

Now, standing before this window, I realized that the garden outside the manor looked exactly like the one I had painted on that canvas years ago.

“Ah, my life was so much better before that cursed letter arrived.”

As I cursed the moment I planted that flower and accepted that letter, my mind suddenly drifted to the writing on the envelope I had found yesterday.

> “Recipient: Beatrice Willow.”

I replayed the shape of the handwriting in my mind several times. The curves of the B’s, the sharpness of the letters…

At the same time, another phrase surfaced in my memory.

> “An Old Friend.”

“Shit.”

As far as I could remember, both handwriting styles looked identical.

Which meant…

I quickly reached toward the foot of the bed where I had tossed the pastel green dress yesterday.

But the dress was gone.

No, no, no.

“No!”

I rushed toward the bedroom door. Before I even realized how hard I had thrown it open, I was already shouting.

“Sarah!”

I didn’t even know why I was panicking so much, but I felt close to tearing my hair out from frustration. As I paced furiously around the room, a worried Sarah appeared at the doorway.

“Is something wrong, my lady?”

“My dress! Where’s the dress I took off yesterday?”

“I… I sent it to the laundry, my lady.”

“You sent it away?”

I froze completely.

My eyes remained fixed on Sarah, yet it felt as though I couldn’t even see her anymore.

“The envelope…” I whispered weakly.

Unable to understand what was happening, Sarah tilted her head in confusion. Without explaining anything, she hurried to my bedside table, rummaged through the drawer, and quickly returned.

“Do you mean this?”

The thing she held out to me was the exact envelope I had been searching for.

Stunned, I snatched the paper from her hands.

“How did you—?”

“Every piece of clothing is thoroughly checked before being sent to the laundry, my lady. Nobles are always careless about leaving things in their pockets,” Sarah explained with a mischievous grin.

Now that I thought about it, she was completely right. I had caused a huge scene for nothing.

When Sarah saw that I had gone silent, she started to leave.

“Then I’ll return to my duties, my lady.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” I stopped her. “I don’t believe you’ve been punished yet.”

Sarah’s grin vanished instantly.

“W-What? My lady…”

“Quickly bring me the supplies I’m about to list,” I said firmly.

Sarah looked like she wanted to protest further, but the difference in status quickly reminded her to stay silent. Lowering her head, she sighed.

“Yes, my lady. What do you need?”

I smiled slowly.

“How about some painting supplies?”