Chapter 4.1

Chapter 4.1

Not only had she gotten completely drunk on the first alcohol she’d ever tasted, but, fueled by its power, she’d ended up tumbling wildly with him all night long.

“Ha… what do I do?”

Luna tore at her hair, her mind racing with anxiety.

This was still the Lutenberg Marchioness Manor.

It was customary for a bride to spend her wedding night in the home where she had grown up.

For this reason, the innermost annex of the Marchioness Manor had been transformed into a splendid bridal chamber by many hands over the past few days. Luna had even helped with the preparations, so she felt a fleeting sense of relief to still be within the Marchioness Manor.

Luna eventually pushed herself out of bed, her legs feeling weak as she swayed and briefly lost her balance. The lingering effects of last night seemed to have drained all strength from them.

But she couldn’t delay any longer.

Before she left the Marchioness Manor, she absolutely had to find even the smallest clue about Adelia.

Surely Adelia’s belongings must be hidden somewhere. Something she could reach. Her own belongings too… wait, she could simply ask about Luna’s whereabouts.

After quickly dressing and tidying herself, she dragged her weary body straight out of the room.

She was in the annex. A long corridor extended from here, leading to the main building.

Having grown up in the Marchioness Manor since childhood, Luna knew the mansion’s layout like the back of her hand. She strode down the familiar corridor, almost at a run.

The Marchioness Manor’s servants who spotted her bowed respectfully and offered greetings.

“Hello, Young Lady!”

“Young Lady Adelia, good morning!”

Though these were the familiar faces of colleagues she had worked alongside until recently, their polite greetings were directed at Young Lady Adelia, not Luna.

Bewildered, Luna barely acknowledged their greetings as she hastened her pace.

Reaching the reception room, Luna panted for breath as she peered inside.

“Haa… haa…”

Inside was Adelia’s mother, the Ruthenberg Marchioness, who had just finished receiving guests.

In one corner of the reception room, gifts sent with congratulatory messages were piled high.

A smile never left Marcell’s lips. Her daughter, once considered a problem child in aristocratic circles and a source of constant headaches for the family, had just married the empire’s wealthiest magnate.

Upon seeing Adelia, a gentle expression immediately softened her face.

It was a demeanor quite unlike her usual strictness.

“Adelia. Are you awake? Why are you wandering around like this? You must be tired; you should be resting.”

“Mother, there’s something I need to ask you briefly.”

“Of course. Tell me.”

Luna exhaled a ragged breath and steadied herself.

Luna, who had become Adelia.

Since she now inhabited Adelia’s body, she reasoned that her own original body must also be occupied by someone else.

The most likely candidate was Adelia.

Yesterday had been the wedding day, and things were in chaos. Amidst the frantic wedding preparations, she had asked the servants about Luna’s whereabouts, but they had told her that Luna had urgently taken leave and departed the Marquisate.

Remembering that incident, she asked, feigning casualness.

“I heard Luna took urgent leave yesterday. Did she happen to say where she was going?”

“Hmm. I only heard she’d taken leave, saying she had somewhere urgent to go. But why are you suddenly asking about that?”

At the Ruthenberg Marchioness’s words, her expression sharply hardened.

Luna was from an orphanage.

A lonely orphan with no one to call family, no home to return to.

Since arriving at the Marchioness Manor as a child, she had always lived within the mansion, rarely venturing outside.

Her original body, the one that had suddenly taken leave and vanished.

The thought that her own body’s whereabouts might be connected to Adelia made her heart pound with growing urgency.

“Dear, you must be hungry, at least have some food… Adelia… Adelia!”

Luna burst out of the reception room and began running down the corridor with all her might.

“Haa…”

Luna let out a hollow sigh and collapsed onto the spot, all strength seeming to drain from her.

Adelia’s room was already in a complete mess.

She had rummaged through every single drawer in the room, and not content with that, had meticulously searched the bed and even the wardrobes in the dressing room. Yet, no matter how much she tore the room apart, nothing resembling a clue emerged.

Was she truly to leave for the Grand Duchy without finding a single clue?

Was there anything at all that could provide a lead? It was then, as she deeply pondered, sifting through her past memories, that an idea sparked.

This was Adelia’s secret space.

A forgotten memory from the past suddenly flashed through her mind.

Adelia had a special place where she always hid items she particularly cherished or deemed important.

As the realization belatedly struck her, a sudden flush of hope colored Luna’s face. Without a moment’s hesitation, she moved directly towards the spot.

Adelia’s secret space was beneath the carpet, precisely where the sofa usually sat.