MPAWD 03

Chapter 03

When are you going to stay cooped up in your room like this? Even after losing your memory, nothing seems to have changed.”

The Baroness said irritably, folding her arms, clearly displeased.

“Lord Ross’s birthday party is in three days. If you attend and mingle with the guests, perhaps your memories will return. You’ll go to the party with Jessica.”

“A party…? Do I really have to go? I’m still…”

She wanted to say that her body hadn’t fully recovered yet, but the Baroness spoke faster.

“Jessica specifically asked my husband on your behalf. We barely got permission. So keep that in mind. You should be grateful that you’re being taken along.”

After saying her piece, the Baroness hurriedly left the room as if she didn’t want to stay a moment longer, leaving Lucy with a frown.

That morning, Lucy had already come to terms, to some extent, with the idea that she might have to spend the rest of her life in this place.

“Fine! If I have to go through this anyway, I might as well face it head-on!”

For a brief moment, she felt a surge of motivation, as if reborn, ready to enjoy her new life. But not even five minutes had passed before a sigh escaped her lips.

When she opened the wardrobe to find a dress suitable for the party, all she found were old and shabby clothes.

Even someone unaware of the household’s situation could tell that these faded, worn-out dresses would not suit a party.

“What am I even supposed to wear to this party?”

At that moment, Anna came in carrying the evening meal.

“Anna, Mother says I’m to attend the birthday party of some Viscount… Have I ever been to such a place before?”

Lucy guessed, honestly, that having lived ignored by her family all her life, she had likely never attended a proper party.

“Of course! You’ve often attended parties of the high nobility. The Baron insisted on making sure you never missed such events.”

Lucy tilted her head, confused by Anna’s words.

“Really? Then why is it that I don’t have a dress to wear? And my father never seemed to care much for me—how could he always take me to such gatherings?”

Anna hesitated for a moment, then forced a smile.

“Miss Jessica always lent you dresses for the parties. It was the Baron’s idea—you can’t possibly know such things…”

Lucy narrowed her eyes, studying Anna’s expression closely, but Anna averted her gaze, pretending not to know.

On the morning of the party, Jessica sent a purple dress to Lucy through Anna.

The luxurious fabric and elaborate design suggested elegance, but judging by the casual attitude with which it was given, it seemed either out of fashion or worn enough times to have grown tiresome.

When Lucy first saw herself in the mirror, she thought she looked like an elf from a myth.

And now, dressed in this stunning gown, Lucy’s appearance could hardly be described as merely beautiful.

On the way to the party in the carriage, Jessica left a cold, pointed warning.

“You have no memory, so you can’t afford to make mistakes. I’ll handle everything—just stand quietly in a corner.”

If that was the case, Lucy didn’t understand why she even had to be brought along.

She simply shot Jessica a glance and said nothing.

After a long ride, they arrived at the party, and Lucy immediately became tense under the many eyes seemingly fixed on her from the entrance.

“Lucy, you’ve come. I was worried since I heard you’d been gravely ill.”

A tall man approached Lucy as she entered with Jessica, greeting her warmly by name.

“Ah… thank you for your concern,” she replied.

Having had little experience forming proper social relationships in her previous life, this kind of attention felt strange and uncomfortable.

“Happy birthday. You may have heard, but our Lucy’s memory isn’t fully intact due to a lingering fever. Please forgive any rudeness on her part.”

Jessica’s sweet voice inserted itself between Lucy and the others.

Starting from him, a group of young men quickly surrounded Lucy, greeting her and asking about her well-being.

“Do you realize how worried everyone was since you hadn’t appeared at any parties?”

“After what happened, I feared we might never see Miss DiArlo again.”

“What happened?” Lucy wondered briefly, but the sudden flood of attention didn’t give her time to dwell.

Flustered, she looked for Jessica, but she was already gone.

After a while, Lucy managed to spot Jessica chatting with other young ladies her age.

As Lucy approached, the girls’ expressions immediately turned cold.

“Oh my, Miss Jessica. So the rumors about her little sister losing her mind are true? Usually, she never noticed us because she was always with the young lords, wasn’t she?”

One girl, noticing Lucy coming closer, covered her mouth with a fan, appraising Lucy from head to toe. The fierce glare over the fan made Lucy shiver.

“The shock must have been great… for the groom to run away on the wedding day. Poor thing.”

Lucy froze, standing still.

“Thanks to that, she might even find a better match, so maybe she’s lucky.”

“She lived so freely with the young men, no wonder her fiancé ran away.”

‘The groom ran away on the wedding day? But my fiancé is supposed to be dead!’

Confused, Lucy recalled Anna’s words.

The malicious gossip left Lucy unable to approach the girls any further. She backed away, only to bump into someone, startling herself.

“Oh, I’m sorry…”

“Miss DiArlo, what are you doing here? Everyone’s waiting for you over there.”

A tall, thin, gloomy-looking man roughly grabbed her wrist and dragged her toward a group of men.

“No, um… I…”

Before she could speak, she found herself alone amidst another group of men.

“Miss, it’s been a while. I heard you were gravely ill; your face looks half the size it used to.”

One of the men reached for Lucy. Instinctively, she recoiled, stepping back.

“Oh dear, it seems Miss Lucy is upset. I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

Another man bowed with a sly smile, clearly insincere.

‘What on earth is happening right now!’

Lucy looked around slowly. Not only Jessica’s group but various clusters of people were glancing at her and whispering.

She instinctively realized she had become the entertainment of the evening.

The confusion made the room spin in her head.

Finally, she broke free from the men holding her and stormed out of the party hall.

Outside, she saw the familiar carriage she had arrived in. The coachman looked puzzled at her sudden appearance alone, but she urged him to take her home immediately.

All she could think about was escaping this place.

“Lucy, why are you back so soon? And where is Jessica?”

The Baroness glared at Lucy as she returned alone, clearly irritated.

“Well… I suddenly felt very unwell…”

“You’re still only thinking about yourself, even with no memory. Did you think anyone can just attend that party? We went through so much trouble to get that invitation!”

Scolded harshly, Lucy went into her room and didn’t come out.

“Lucy, that girl ruined today’s party! Everyone was looking for you—I was so embarrassed!”

Later, when Jessica returned home, her sharp, irritated voice carried all the way to Lucy’s room.

That night, the Baron burst into Lucy’s room without warning.

Smack!

He slapped her mercilessly.

“You ungrateful child!”

The sudden assault made Lucy stagger and fall to the floor.

“W-what… is this?”

It was the first time she had ever experienced violence.

She held her stinging cheek, staring blankly at the Baron’s face.

“Look me in the eye and tell me what you’ve done right! Today I—”