Beneath the warm morning air, Caroline lounged on the sofa with a satisfied smile, while the servants recounted the kingdom's history to her.
The Kingdom of Emelis was one of the three most powerful and prosperous kingdoms on the continent of Cortega. There were four people most renowned and influential in the Kingdom of Emelis. The first was naturally the great king himself, ruler of the Kingdom of Emelis — King Cardian Heliar de Roulies. He was a wise king, beloved by his people.
The second was the elderly Duke of the northern territory — Anthony Petter van Riexs. However, a transfer of power had already been set in motion with the appointment of an interim Duke. Once his grandson — Layard Dexine van Riexs completed his education and came of age, he would be officially installed as the new Duke of the North, centered in the city of Delvis.
Caroline chewed happily on the green grapes in her hand. Back in her old life, a single kilogram of green grapes had been a luxury — she could only beg one from a friend's lunchbox each day. Now she could eat as many as she liked. Without realizing it, she let the servant ramble on alone.
The third was the king of commerce, who dominated various industrial and trade sectors across the kingdom — Hedrick William Thidler. His business empire was vast, and he was the most beloved citizen of the king for paying the highest taxes.
And lastly, the headmaster of Ivory Academy — Thompson Ledry Patthew. He was an educator whose name was widely respected and revered. Beyond that, he helped many impoverished students by funding their scholarships through to graduation.
Caroline eagerly devoured the fruit laid out before her. She let out a few satisfied burps. The servants' massage was impossibly comfortable. This was the first time in her life she had ever been properly massaged; for years she had only relied on cheap medicated patches from convenience stores. Back then, rather than wasting money on a massage parlor, she had saved every coin for her high school enrollment fees.
Thinking about it now, Caroline snorted. None of that mattered anymore — all she had to do was sit back, eat expensive fruit, and enjoy her free massage service.
"Ha ha ha..."
Her life had changed beyond recognition. Like falling headfirst into a pool of honey, Caroline had been handed a silver spoon — becoming the second princess of the Kingdom of Emelis— daughter of King Cardian Heliar de Roulies, and the rightful owner of the body she now inhabited: Caroline Luxien de Roulies.
Caroline was thoroughly enjoying her new life and hadn't left her room all day. This baffled her servants greatly. The Caroline they knew had been so wild she once punched a hole through the wall just to escape the palace when she was being punished. But their princess now... wasn't she being far too calm?
"Hahaha... goodbye instant noodles, goodbye begging on the streets, goodbye greasy, smelly beef offal! I'm rich now, and I'm going to spend the rest of my life doing absolutely nothing." Caroline laughed triumphantly to herself.
That was what she thought, at first.
Until a doorbell rang and sent every servant into a frenzy. They scattered in all directions, returning moments later with towels, soap, and a basket overflowing with rose petals. Without so much as a word of warning, Caroline was hoisted off the sofa — she barely had time to register that the whole scene felt oddly familiar.
"Wait, what's going—"
"My lady, please close your eyes! I'll wash your face as quickly as possible!"
"Ugh! You just stabbed my nose!"
Once they had bathed and dressed her, the servants whisked Caroline off to the front courtyard, which was already filled with rows of staff lining either side.
She stood in the middle of them all, thoroughly bewildered. She wanted to ask what was happening, but everyone was silent, heads bowed.
Before long, several carriages pulled up and came to a stop directly in front of the palace. They were sleek and elegant — jet black with gold ornamentation. Embossed on the doors was a crest of a rose and sword enclosed within a shield — the official symbol of the royal family.
"We welcome His Majesty, King Cardian Heliar de Roulies!" they called out in unison, bowing deeply.
"We welcome Her Majesty, Queen Rivana Heriotte de Roulies." they greeted again, still bowing.
Caroline couldn't hide her wide-eyed expression. The owners of the house had come home — without any warning. She glanced left and right. There was absolutely no way out.
"We welcome Her Highness, Princess Chatarina Emelian de Roulies." Caroline's nervousness spiked. She was nothing but a common laborer who had never once studied noble etiquette. Surely she was going to be found out!
She swallowed hard, staring at the carriages while trying to keep her trembling hands out of sight.
"Oh God, I think I'm going to die."
Bam!
A carriage door flew open. A hand emerged and waved, followed by the head of a girl with bright orange hair, beaming a wide smile straight at Caroline.
My darling!" the girl shrieked, grabbing fistfuls of her long gown and sprinting out of the car, nearly sending Caroline toppling backwards as she threw her arms around her.
Caroline scrambled to keep her balance. The girl was squeezing far too tight. "Ugh! Let go, I can't breathe!" Caroline protested, shoving Chatarina away before gasping for air.
The girl was beautiful. Her skin was flawless and clearly well cared for. She looked somewhat like Caroline — except for the orange hair, which was entirely different. And also... just slightly... taller. Perhaps six centimeters.
After that, several servants opened the doors of the lead carriage. Two adults stepped out — a strikingly handsome man and an exceptionally beautiful, elegantly dressed woman — walking side by side with graceful strides toward the palace.
Caroline stared, transfixed. The Queen, a woman with her hair swept up in an elaborate updo adorned with ornamental accessories, was breathtakingly elegant.
Her hair was the same shade of orange as Chatarina's — who was still clinging to Caroline's arm. Caroline couldn't stop admiring her. The woman carried a luxurious handbag, walked arm in arm with the man beside her, and ascended the palace steps with perfect poise.
Caroline then shifted her gaze to the man at the Queen's side. Devastatingly handsome and carrying himself with quiet authority. Was he really the King? He seemed to radiate light, his silver hair catching the glow around him — the exact same shade as hers. Caroline studied his face more closely. A sharp jawline. Defined brows. She was
certain this man had no shortage of admirers.
"Why are you just standing there? You're supposed to be greeting your mother and father!" Caroline flinched at the voice beside her. Father? Mother? Right — she had completely forgotten, too busy being dazzled by their faces.
"W-what am I supposed to say?" she whispered in a panic. Chatarina raised an eyebrow — looking suspicious. This was bad!
Caroline broke into a cold sweat. How exactly was a noble princess supposed to greet her parents? Awkwardly, she placed both hands in front of her stomach and gave a stiff, uncertain bow.
"H-hello...!"
Silence fell.
The servants stared, mouths agape.
"What on earth was that?! Where did you learn to greet someone like that?!" Queen Rivana snapped, eyes flashing. That was it. She was done for. They were going to throw her out for being an imposter. Or worse — they might throw her in prison!
Caroline glanced sideways, frantically searching for an excuse. But no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't think of a single answer that would get her out of this. Unless...
A sly idea crossed her mind.
Thud...
"Oh goodness! Mother — Caroline has fainted!"
...
Inside the cool quiet of her chamber, Caroline — who had just woken up from her very deliberate fainting spell — could hear her parents speaking with an older man who appeared to be a doctor.
"Good heavens... she never gets sick! If she actually fainted, is she truly all right?"
Caroline cracked one eye open. The mother who had been so fierce moments ago now looked genuinely worried — she kept casting concerned glances at Caroline. That was enough to make Caroline snap her eye shut and feign waking up.
"Mmh... Ugh! I... where am I?" Caroline murmured, pressing a hand to her head for full effect.
"Ah, you're awake, dear. How are you feeling?" King Cardian rushed to her side and took her hand, his expression full of tender worry. Seeing him like this, Caroline felt a flicker of surprise — he had seemed so imposing when he first arrived, yet here he was, gentle and warm-hearted.
Grrrr...
That feeling.
Something was wrong. Nervously, Caroline leaned to one side and peered past King Cardian — and immediately went cold. Her mother was standing right behind him, staring directly at her. The air around the woman seemed to simmer with heat, as though flames were quietly rising from the top of her head.
Caroline squeezed her eyes shut and prayed. She knew absolutely nothing about this world or this family. When the servants had tried to fill her in earlier, she had fallen asleep mid-explanation from eating too much. All she could do now was brace herself for whatever came next.
"It appears she has lost her memory." One sentence from the doctor made everyone in the room — including Caroline — whip their heads toward him in shock. The doctor remained perfectly composed, scribbling on his notepad as he wrote a prescription. He tore the page free and handed it to the servant beside him.
"What do you mean, doctor?" the King asked anxiously, still stroking his daughter's head as she sat in stunned silence.
The doctor adjusted his glasses, studied Caroline's bewildered expression, and smiled — as though he had already reached a very clear conclusion.
"She has appeared confused since she woke. Has she ever had a fall or suffered a blow to the head recently?" he asked with full confidence in his diagnosis.
"Well... actually, while you were all away abroad, Miss Caroline did something strange again — she climbed a tree." a servant said hesitantly.
"She said she wanted to hang up a lucky charm. Unfortunately, she fell and hit her head. When she came to, her eyes were completely blank — and then she suddenly became like this, as though she couldn't make sense of anything." the servant explained.
That explanation lit a spark in Caroline's mind that had never once occurred to her before. As though God himself had reached down to help her, she immediately pressed a hand to her head — as if the amnesia were entirely real.
What a brilliant idea! If she pretended to have lost her memory, her complete ignorance of everything would seem perfectly natural. They would surely pamper her even more — and she could finally live out her dream of doing absolutely nothing.
"Ugh!"
The King immediately panicked and placed a hand on her back. "What's wrong? Are you feeling dizzy?"
Caroline gave a small nod. Even the Queen — who had looked ready to devour her moments ago — now appeared far more worried. Her expression was tense. She ushered the doctor out of the room and spoke with him in private.
"Do you not remember your father?" Caroline responded by shaking her head slowly. "Oh, my darling girl... have you truly forgotten everything?" The King's weeping made Caroline's ears ache slightly.
...
"Father! Mother says Caroline really has lost her memory!!" Chatarina — that girl — burst in from outside and announced it to their father at the top of her lungs. She had apparently been conducting her own investigation among the servants alongside the Queen.
The servants confirmed that Princess Caroline had indeed been acting strangely of late — asking who she was, what her family members' names were, where she lived. Yet when they tried to explain it all to her, she had promptly fallen asleep from overeating.
Her behavior had shifted entirely too — the princess who had once been so reckless she gave everyone headaches now barely left her room and spent her days in blissful laziness. It was perfectly clear: this girl had truly lost her memories!
"Huhuhu... my poor, poor daughter..."
"Little sister, you mustn't forget your own big sister..!" Father and daughter wept dramatically, clinging to each other — paying absolutely no attention to Caroline whatsoever.
Wasn't this a bit much?
After that, everyone rushed to help her remember, recounting every detail of her life in an eager torrent of stories. Well, this worked out nicely — Caroline wouldn't need to go digging for information herself in order to adapt to her new family and surroundings.
What Caroline now knew about herself: she was fifteen years old, her coming-of-age ceremony would be held when she turned sixteen, and... she was the fiancée of a duke residing in the city of Delvis, in the northern territory of the capital — Duke Layard Dexine van Riexs.
That shouldn't be a problem. She would find a way to break off the engagement in due time. For now, all she wanted was to laze about and enjoy the life of a fabulously wealthy princess.
"Goodbye, work ~"