Shall I Save You, Duke?

Chapter 4: The Enchanted Mirror

"What? What did you just say...?"

Lina was standing still, without any response, as if she didn't hear the Duke's words, so the Duke asked again.

"Did we ever meet before?"

'Is he talking about the time we met in the forest...?'

Lina carefully examined his face. And then she realized.

He was not asking about the time they had met in the forest.

Only then did Lina's face turn pale, understanding the situation.

'No way. He remembers that day... No, it can't be.'

Lina's hands, folded over her stomach, began to dampen.

'Keep calm. Even if the magic didn't work perfectly, the Duke won't think that I'm the same person now as I was then.'

Lina reassured herself, responding with a steady voice,

"Are you referring to the time I saw you in the forest a few days ago?"

Calmly talking about their meeting in the forest, Lina was met with the Duke's indifferent gaze as he let out a low sigh.

"No. I must have been speaking nonsense. Let's leave it at that."

"Yes, Your Grace."

'Thank goodness. He's just letting it go...'

Feeling relieved, Lina inadvertently caught Culren's eye.

Seeing his face, firmly ready to scold her, it seemed once again she involuntarily sighed.

'...It doesn't look like it's going to just pass by here.'

Lina had to endure all kinds of admonishments from Culren after leaving the office, and even had to receive etiquette training as a maid all over again.

In the end, it wasn't until the sun had completely set that Lina could escape from Culren and return to her quarters.

Exhausted both physically and mentally, she stumbled to the bed and collapsed, reflecting on her encounter with the Duke.

'Didn't the memory get erased...?'

At the Duke's inquiry if he had seen her somewhere before, Lina's heart seemed to plummet.

'No, the magic couldn't have gone wrong. It never did before, did it?'

Unable to accept what had happened earlier in the day, Lina slowly shook her head.

"It must have been a coincidence."

Hearing her murmur, May, who was lying on the next bed, asked,

"What?"

"Huh? Nothing. How's your leg?"

"It's getting much better, though still not fit for work! It's nice to get some rest, isn't it? Oh! But Lina, did you see the Duke? How was he?"

Looking at May's cheerful face as she inquired about the Duke, Lina spoke in a dry voice,

"It was awful."

[This is the time separator]

"I really don't want to go in......"

Early in the morning, at the end of the staircase leading to the third floor, someone sighed heavily.

Lina was on her way to the Duke's bedroom, reluctantly fulfilling her duty as his personal maid.

But her feet wouldn't move, and she kept bumping her head against the wall in frustration.