“Giselle’s gone off to the villa on a trip. She won’t be back for about a week, Wife.”
At those words, Yuliana let out a heavy sigh that seemed to sink into the earth.
Duke Kalinos, or rather Vientin at eighteen, who had been quietly listening to his parents’ conversation, looked at them. “I have a question. Would you answer it for me?”
“Of course.”
Keeping his expression as impassive as ever, he opened his mouth. “Just who is this Giselle?”
Thud. The teacup held in the hands of the former duchess, Yuliana Kalinos, tumbled down and rolled across the floor. But she barely even registered that she’d dropped it. Her shock stemmed from a completely different reason.
He forgot Giselle? How could anyone forget that crazy, chick-like monster who wreaks havoc wherever she goes? Of course, if he’d lost his memories and gone back to being eighteen, it made sense he wouldn’t remember Giselle, but… This is really serious.
The former duke’s expression was just as stricken. How could that brat forget Giselle, the woman he used to say was like his very heart? He’d loved her so much that he even drew up a <Slave Contract> for her!
When the former ducal couple turned those faces full of a boundless sense of betrayal on him, Vientin grew bewildered.
Studying his expression carefully, Yuliana let out a short sigh before she could stop herself. “I can’t believe this. If Giselle sees the duke like this, she’ll be terribly shocked…”
A brief silence fell. Enduring that subtle, awkward silence, the former duke frowned slightly before speaking next.
“Giselle won’t… be shocked, right?”
“Right. There’s no way Giselle would be shocked.”
She wasn’t that kind of girl. If anything, she’d probably flash a grin and go, ‘Huh, looks like something fun just happened?’ Wait, that’s scary in its own way.
Watching the former ducal couple say incomprehensible things and even start to tremble, Vientin knit his brows. It was because he couldn’t help thinking, ‘Just who on earth is this Giselle, for them all to be making faces like that?’
* * *
“Haa, this is truly healing…”
Freedom for the first time in forever! No duties as Duchess Kalinos, no rushing off to the imperial palace to help out as an archmage, no being tormented by Duke Kalinos at night. Just pure freedom.
“Wife, if I miss you, can I come to the villa?”
“No.”
“Then how about a call every single day with the video orb…?”
“That much is fine, I suppose.”
Despite how desperately he had pleaded, over the past few days Vientin hadn’t made a single call through the video orb. Come to think of it, I believe he mentioned doing some kind of experiment during our last time talking. Vientin conducting experiments was just a daily routine, so it wasn’t surprising…
I grinned widely, watching the bubbles rise up to the surface. The bath bomb, supposedly made with a mix of different flowers, gave off a soft scent neither too strong nor unpleasant.
It feels so good to relax comfortably and heal without wreaking havoc for once. A solo healing trip with no husband tapping on my shoulder constantly, and no annoying villains. Ah, this is truly insanely happy, isn’t it?
If there was one problem, it was that I was just a tiny bit bored. Kicking my feet lazily through the water, I sank into thought. Is it because my husband isn’t here? Just, how should I put it? Like my perfectly ordinary day-to-day life needed the slightest pinch of MSG.
I hummed thoughtfully and rubbed my chin. Then a light idea popped into my head. I should try connecting the video orb with my family. It kept nagging at me that my husband, who used to contact me nonstop like he had separation anxiety, had suddenly cut off all contact. I figured Vientin must be buried in his experiment or something. But still… a whole week was a bit too much, wasn’t it? Maybe a fun story that raises my blood pressure is waiting for me.
What’s with me? Why is my heart fluttering like this?
After finishing my bath, I changed into my clothes and threw on a nightgown. Then I picked up the video rob. With a faint hum, the background of the Kalinos Mansion came into view. But the person on the other side of the orb wasn’t Vientin Kalinos, my husband. The person visible beyond the orb was…
“Gi-Giselle. I have something to tell you.”
Yuliana Kalinos, former Duchess Kalinos. My mother-in-law.
* * *
I bolted straight out of the villa. Coming back from the villa to the Kalinos Mansion didn’t even take a day. Without even taking a moment to shake off the travel fatigue, I summoned my parents-in-law and had them explain the situation.
“What on earth happened?”
“Well, you see…”
They squeezed their eyes shut, then opened them again. Right after that, something unbelievable came out of their mouths.
“So, you’re saying my husband lost his memory?”
“T-That’s what happened. Don’t be too shocked…”
It was definitely a bombshell. But it wasn’t like it knocked me off my feet or anything. He’s always doing some weird experiment, so losing memory is not that surprising.
When I nodded, my in-laws looked like they might faint.
“W-Why isn’t she shocked?”
“As expected, she isn’t shocked at all.”
Isn’t expecting someone to be shocked by the natural progression here? Well, it wasn’t as if they had only known me for a day or two. And I had to admit that I was actually kind of pleased to get a hit of MSG in my life again after so long.
“It can’t be helped.”
“…”
“If we want to stir up his emotions, I’m just going to have to step in myself.” I smiled wickedly.
I heard if you smack someone on the back of their head with a hammer, their memory comes back… Or is it not true? Eh, whatever!
* * *
Meanwhile, Vientin Kalinos was left alone. Right now, his head was a complete mess. He’d opened his eyes and found out he’d aged more than ten years. There were no gray hairs on his mother and father’s heads… but regardless, it was quite bizarre.
What on earth happened? To think everyone was looking up to him. Yet, his heart hadn’t so much as fluttered even once right now…
“Hello.”
…A woman suddenly knocked on the door and then just walked straight into his room.
I usually hate it when anyone comes near me. But this was truly strange.
“I’m Giselle. I heard you don’t remember me?”
The moment this woman appeared, introducing herself as the Duchess Giselle Kalinos…
Why do I feel relieved? Truly, he felt strangely calm.
Meanwhile, Giselle took one look at the duke’s expression and was sure of it. He really had lost his memory. With someone like him, I should probably start by explaining our relationship properly.
Giselle laid out their relationship without the slightest bit of sugarcoating. “Yes, I am Duchess Giselle Kalinos. We started with a contract marriage, fell in love, and then began our real married life a few years ago.”
“That’s a very emotionally detached, very comfortable explanation.”
…Though the response that came back to her words was a bit surprising.
“By the way. You’re saying that we were in love?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Why doesn’t it make sense?”
“Being in love can be viewed as a hormonal reaction. But you said we ‘fell in love a few years ago.’ However, oxytocin only functions for roughly six months to two years. Of course, there can be individual differences, so it’s hard to say it’s strictly that period. Still, unless I possess a special anomaly regarding ‘love,’ universally speaking, that’s about how long I would have loved you.”
“So what’s your point?”
Clutching at the area over his heart, he murmured quietly, “You clearly said it’s been more than a few years since we met, so I’m wondering why my heart is pounding when I look at you.”
“I guess you just still like me.”
“…”
“It’s simple.”
At that moment, he stared intently into Giselle’s violet eyes. That can’t be. There’s no way I’m the type who can like a woman. As an adult, had he really been a person capable of this thing called ‘love’?
As he stared into Giselle’s eyes while trapped in confusion, Giselle murmured quietly. “Hmm, setting that aside, I saw in a drama that you have to give someone a shock to recover from amnesia.”
He didn’t know what a drama was. But there was one thing he did know. “That whole ’a shock brings your memory back’ setup is just a device for dramatic effect, and in reality it lacks scientific basis. To recover memory, you need gradual, safe methods like psychotherapy or brain stimulation therapy.”
Giselle’s brows drew together ever so slightly as she mumbled, “Is that so? Well, thinking deeply is exhausting, so let’s try giving you a shock first.”
This woman… She’s a formidable one. I used to like a woman like this…? Well… she’s my type.
Vientin Kalinos. This eighteen-year-old boy, in truth, actually liked people who were simple and completely impossible to reason with.
Without anyone noticing, his earlobes slowly turned red.
Comments (0)