“…?”
Sophia stood frozen in confusion. It wasn’t because of pride that she couldn’t easily accept being forgotten. Anyone would have a hard time forgetting a woman who had been poisoned, slept for five months, and woke up talking about a strange smell bothering her—especially if they were a doctor!
But perhaps this doctor had seen many similar cases. Or maybe she looked different enough now that he didn’t recognize her.
Still, Sophia didn’t back down and quickly stepped in front of the man again.
“Hello. I’m Sophia Hilden. It’s been a while. How have you been?”
After properly introducing herself, Sophia waited calmly, expecting the man to apologize for not recognizing her. But the doctor simply looked at her strangely and answered awkwardly.
“A while? Do I know you?”
“What?”
Sophia was baffled. She had just introduced herself as Sophia Hilden. Could she really have mistaken someone else for him? She was confused. His face was definitely the same.
“Don’t you remember visiting the Hilden estate not long ago? Aren’t you Doctor Chapman?”
Sophia remembered his name and asked again. She wasn’t just guessing—Sophia was known for having a great memory for names and faces. People even said she was born for high society.
As expected, the doctor looked surprised to hear his name. But he still didn’t seem to remember visiting the count’s estate.
“I am Doctor Chapman, yes, but I don’t think I’ve ever been to your house. I’m sorry, but I believe you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
the doctor said. Sophia frowned, then furrowed her brows more deeply. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.
What do you mean? So you weren’t planning to get engaged to the duke?
She remembered Felix saying he would help her unconditionally if she broke off the engagement, only to later act like he had never said anything of the sort.
Sophia breathed out sharply. Either everyone around her was losing their memories, or she really was going crazy.
“Are you alright?”
As expected of a doctor, Chapman noticed her distress and carefully supported her.
“Take deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Just focus on breathing. Okay?”
“Hnn… Haa…”
Sophia took deep breaths. Her breath had gotten so short that she really felt like she might faint. But her mind kept racing. She remembered something else.
The day she went to the performance and followed the duke… after that, there was a gap in her memory. She had been found underwater. What had happened to her?
“I’ll take it from here.”
Just then, someone gently took her hand. A tall, warm body wrapped around her, holding her like a lifeline in the storm of her confusion.
Sophia gripped him tightly, holding on as if he were her only anchor.
“Shh. It’s okay, Sophia.”
“Who are you?”
the doctor asked, suspiciously eyeing the overly handsome man who had suddenly appeared and taken his place next to Sophia. The man responded in a calm, almost solemn tone, with a faint smile.
“I am Duke Silvetao. Sophia’s fiancé.”
“Oh, I see.”
The doctor was startled and quickly bowed, but the duke had already stopped paying attention to him.
He supported Sophia, turned her body gently, and raised her chin to look at him.
“Sophia, are you okay?”
Sophia blinked rapidly and gasped for breath. Then, suddenly remembering something, she grabbed him tightly.
“You know too, don’t you? He came to our house, right? Don’t you remember?”
Sophia pleaded desperately. But the duke crushed her hope easily as he replied,
“What are you talking about, Sophia? You must be mistaking him for someone else.”
Sophia collapsed—not emotionally, but physically. Her legs gave out.
The duke quickly caught her and said,
“Oh no, are you alright, Sophia? Let’s sit somewhere—just not here, in this chaotic place. Why did you even come here?”
Sophia didn’t respond. The duke glanced down at her and then wrapped his arm around her waist, leading her outside. There, a carriage was waiting—Erica must have arranged it.
The duke gave Erica a charming smile instead of a greeting and helped Sophia into the carriage. He told the coachman to head to Écontewa.
Sophia’s face was pale, but she tried to pull herself together. She couldn’t let herself look pitiful.
“Écontewa? Isn’t that a restaurant?”
This moment broke Sophia’s assumptions. She had thought the duke lived buried in the glittering world of Rillum, detached from daily life. But he answered casually while looking out the window.
“Yes. Are you hungry? Even if not, the view is nice. Let’s sit there for a while. If you go home like this, your family will be really worried.”
Calling her appearance “like this” … There wasn’t a trace of warmth in his tone. Still, Sophia was glad he wasn’t overreacting. His calm manner somehow brought her comfort.
“I didn’t think you’d come all the way into the city, Your Grace.”
The duke laughed.
“What, am I supposed to be some old recluse stuck in a mansion?”
“No, I didn’t mean that. You’re not that old anyway. We’re not that far apart in age…”
Sophia trailed off. She couldn’t remember how old he was. That was strange. Sophia usually knew the age of every eligible bachelor in high society. Not knowing the age of the most eligible one was impossible.
The duke smiled and teased her.
“What, you don’t know my age?”
He seemed to find her inability to answer amusing. Sophia sighed in frustration and covered her face with her hand.
“I must really be acting strange… I don’t even know your age.”
“Oh dear. That’s nothing to worry about. Why does it matter how old I am?”
Maybe he thought she was about to cry—his voice sounded surprised and sympathetic. As the duke gently took her hand, Sophia leaned into his touch and looked up at him, her eyes trembling.
The sunlight through the window made her soft orange eyes look even clearer, touched with gold.
“Everything’s so confusing. Ever since I woke up, it’s been worse. It’s like the things I knew are all out of place… Not just my body, but the world around me feels strange too. I don’t know if it’s me or…”
“Or?”
“Or the world around me that’s changed.”
The duke gently held her hand tighter. His face was kind but also firm.
“But you know that’s not true, right, Sophia?”
“But…”
“Sophia.”
His voice was gentle, as if soothing her disappointment and hurt.
“When things feel like this, you can lean on me. Instead of going alone to dangerous places. Why were you there today?”
“I wanted to know more about the poison I took.”
“The poison?”
“My family doesn’t know what it was either. I thought that was strange. And the smell… At first, I believed the doctor when he said it was in my head, but now I think it might be more than that. I went to the ranch and…”
“Oh, Sophia.”
The duke sighed as he said her name. Strangely, she could hear annoyance beneath his soft tone—like he was begging her to stop.
But when she looked at him again, his expression was nothing but gentle.
“Do you think I was wrong?”
“How could I say that? You just wanted the truth, right?”
“Yes. Ronnie said so too. He said you never have to apologize for seeking the truth. Sometimes, the truth is the most important thing.”
That last part wasn’t something Ronald had said—it was what Sophia believed. Right now, the truth was more important than anything to her. The duke looked out the window for a moment, as if deep in thought.
His side profile was almost too perfect to look human. With deep-set eyes, he stared at the sunlight filled with summer warmth and said,
“You’re right, Sophia. If you value truth, you don’t need to apologize for what you did to find it. As long as you’re not hurting anyone.”
“Yes! So, I—”
“But what if the one who gets hurt is you?”
“We’ve had a conversation like this before, haven’t we, Your Grace? I’m not afraid.”
The duke smiled. This time, his smile didn’t feel human at all—it was cold and proud, like a god mocking mankind.
At that moment, the carriage stopped. The duke got out first and held out his hand to her.
“Shall we go, Sophia? Let’s talk more after we get out.”
