ITIWAFRBIAHS Chapter 2

"I'll also do my best as your fiancé, Rose."

"...What?"

Is that an auditory hallucination? Did I just fall into fangirling through pseudo-romance?

"Fiancé...?"

Somehow taking my question the wrong way, the handsome man looks sheepish.

"Yes... Since I don't visit often after this period passes, it's embarrassing to call myself a fiancé."

"..."

Calm down, my brain, auditory hallucinations are continuing. This is serious. I've never tried fangirling with pseudo-romantic feelings.

"But this month I don't have any schedule, so I should be able to visit frequently... Is that alright?"

"That's fine."

It wasn't an auditory hallucination.

Yeah, no way. This is absolutely profitable.

Reason and virtue grab each other's hair and fight, then make a dramatic reconciliation. They put their arms around each other's shoulders, give thumbs up, and shout together. Either way, you'll get to see that face for a month, right?

Future me can handle the rest! This line... I feel like I said something similar right before finals, but it must be my imagination.

"I'll visit often."

The man pulls up the corners of his mouth.

"Often."

After a light lunch together following our walk, the handsome man left.

Throughout lunch, he asked about this and that quite attentively. Whether I was feeling well, what my favorite foods were, if there were any inconveniences living at home, if anything was bothering me lately, and so on.

And at that moment, I had a lightning-like realization. I had forgotten due to his face, but I was supposed to show signs of amnesia! So with a serious face, I said this:

'Come to think of it, my memory lately... I forget this and that a lot, and I can't remember much from when I was little either.'

The man looked surprised at my words and asked worriedly.

'How long have the symptoms been appearing?'

'Not long. About a week.'

'Are you taking any measures? Have you told others about it?'

'I thought it might be temporary symptoms due to my poor health... I haven't mentioned it yet. This is the first time.'

Of course, I plan to drop hints and talk about it everywhere from now on.

'I see.'

The man nodded and then lowered his eyelashes with a sad expression. Then he raised his gloved hand and placed it over mine on the table. Wow, his hands are as handsome as his face! I could feel his long, straight fingers and large hand through the glove.

'Next visit, I'll definitely find something that can help with your symptoms. As Rose said, it might be temporary symptoms, so don't worry too much.'

'Yes.'

Huff haa, this feels like going to a fan signing and getting skinship? I lightly grasped and released the handsome man's hand as it fell, catching my breath. And as I saw him off, I made a resolution.

Now it's really just fangirling. Let's collect intel—that face genius's profile!

After that, I casually probed the working staff and gathered the following information about my fiancé:

「1. Name: Lucas Moore.

2. Age: same as my body before the out-of-body experience. (But I don't know how old this body is.)
3. Heir to some major landowner family with a complicated name from some region.
4. Seems very busy with business.
5. The only free time seems to be one or two months a year.
6. Only visits this manor frequently during that period.
7. Which is right now.」

This is crazy. What kind of period drama male lead is he? From Pride and Prejudice to North and South, all kinds of Western dramas are swirling in my head. At this point, I'm suspicious that all of this might be a delusion in my brain while I'm in a coma from overwork.

I pinched my forearm. Ugh, it hurts.

"It's time for your walk, Miss."

...Aren't the people in this household actually addicted to walking? The working staff seem to call it walk time at this hour every day. Even though I already took a walk with my fiancé this morning, they still bother to inform me of the time.

Well, I actually have a purpose for going to the garden again today, so it wouldn't be bad. I need to find the gardener and ask about this manor's garden management! Then at the next fan meeting—no, meeting—with my face genius fiancé, I can naturally converse while admiring his face. Hahaha!

Actually, asking the working staff to call the gardener was the first method that came to mind. But I'd already taken up their work time collecting fiancé information, so it felt awkward to ask for something else that would take time.

So since it's walk time anyway, I thought it wouldn't be bad to go out to the garden and try it myself. It's just amazing that living so leisurely and having nothing to do makes me want to voluntarily do something productive.

I hummed cheerfully as I went out to the garden. By the way, the tune was last year's male idol group's big hit that ranked 14th on the annual music charts.

Work Regulations

3. If you discover a gardener tending to roses, you must immediately leave the area. Do not look back until you have left the garden.
4. In the garden, no singing of any kind, including humming and whistling, is permitted.

"Not here."

There isn't any. I sat down dejectedly by the fountain. No matter how much I looked, I couldn't see a gardener. My walk time probably isn't the gardener's work hours. Come to think of it, that's obvious. Who would want to work uncomfortably while running into their employer? Even working part-time at a convenience store, it's uncomfortable when customers stare intently while you're organizing displays. A job like gardening that handles delicate plants would be even more so.

So I just got a good workout... No, it's fine. Exercise is good for health. Since I'm supposed to be sickly, I should take better care. It was good physical training. I rationalized as I trudged back toward the manor.

Come to think of it, this body is supposed to be sickly according to those around me, but I don't really feel any inconvenience. I don't notice being particularly weak, and even after walking this long, aside from being tired, I don't feel especially sick or dizzy.

Thinking that far, a flash of deduction struck my mind.

Gasp, could it be that the original owner of this body was also pretending to be sickly to milk the sweet life?

Look, with this much money at home, you could enjoy a sweet life without having to work, right? But just living as unemployed would draw attention from others, so she deliberately pretends to be sickly... Just enough not to worry the family too much... Hmm.

"That's convincing, isn't it?"

If that were really the case, we could have been soulmates. We would have been good slacker friends. But now somehow I've become her.

I feel strangely solemn. I patted my shoulder and thought. I don't know where this body's owner is now, but I hope she's enjoying an even more profitable life in some other golden spoon body rather than my original body plagued with assignments, exams, and part-time work!

"It's dinner time, Miss. Shall I guide you to the dining room?"

"Ah, yes."

Lost in thought, before I knew it, the sky had turned red and orange with sunset. Looking back from the middle of the garden dyed entirely crimson, even the rose leaves and water droplets splashing up from the fountain look like flower petals. To think I spent the entire day on outdoor activities—I can live so passionately when I'm a rich unemployed person. I gazed at the sky with a melancholic feeling.

Since I moved around a lot, I hope there's lots of meat on the dinner menu. Something with amazing marbling.

Hooray. Dinner is grilled pork over charcoal! The smell is totally that! I barely held back the drool and my nose from twitching. Even if they're family, I thought it might look too unsightly.

As always, the red-haired woman who seems to be this body's mother smiles and gives encouraging words.

"Did you have another enjoyable day?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Yes, it was good! But I have a question."

Suddenly silence fell. Wait, was this body's original personality a foodie who focused only on eating during meals and never engaged in small talk...? Why is the atmosphere like this? My sister (assumed) sitting across from me completely lost her expression. She must be quite surprised.

"What question?"

"What are the working hours for the person who manages our garden?"

After saying it, I immediately realized—if you live in such a grand manor, wouldn't you not know the individual working hours of the staff? Sure enough, Mother (assumed) smiled faintly and deflected.

"Always... They're always taking care of this garden."

The gardener must be very passionate.

"But that's not something Rose needs to worry about. Our daughter should enjoy the garden's beauty and live happily in this manor."

Mother, while that nurturing attitude is quite gentle, it seems to guarantee an overly idle life for someone weak-willed like me. Anyway, I've taken another step closer to guaranteeing a rich unemployed life. I just smiled and nodded without saying more.

"So, why did you suddenly become curious about that? Has there been some change in your mindset lately?"

Finally, the timing came! I slightly frowned and tried to subtly hint.

"Ah, actually my memory seems hazy lately. I can't remember much from when I was little either... Could it be because I'm not feeling well?"

"Oh my!"

Mother covered her mouth and sighed. This body's sister (assumed) was already pale and her face turned white, and looking closely, the hand holding the fork was trembling. It's somewhat awkward that they're worrying so intensely.

"We must call a doctor. Dear Rose, rest well until the doctor comes. You mustn't go out. You can't overexert yourself, so you must stay home and recuperate as much as possible!"

Whoa, amnesia was too strong a card. The reaction is serious!

"It, it's not that severe. It's not like there are problems with daily life."

"Oh no, you must stay in the manor until you're healthy. This mother is worried about what would happen if you suddenly collapsed outside..."

Mother held her head as if she might collapse herself. Oh my, you're being excessive, Mother... With a sinking feeling, I eventually nodded. Only then did this body's mother's expression improve. She seemed much more relieved.

"For health, there's nothing better than consistently consuming nutritious food. You must eat enough."

"Yes."

Very reasonable words.

Just then, the working staff took out the main dish from the tray. I felt deep emotion watching Mother direct them to put that dish on my plate first. This is family affection!

I was able to feast on seasoned grilled pork that day. I'm starting to crave kimchi, but it's still okay. Anyway, it was a truly satisfying dinner.

But my sister (assumed) sitting across from me didn't touch the meat this time either. No, looking closely, she doesn't seem to have touched any food at all? Her utensils were perfectly clean. Unless she licked the sauce, there's no way they'd be like that. I'm a bit concerned.

"That was a pleasant meal. Let's meet again tomorrow with bright faces."

"...That was a pleasant meal."

"That was a pleasant meal!"

She didn't eat at all, so it couldn't have been a pleasant meal. I worried for a moment, then finally spoke to my sister (assumed) who was getting ready to leave after Mother had gone. Since we're sisters, we probably speak casually, right?

"You couldn't eat—is your stomach bothering you?"

The girl's already pale face seemed to turn ashen, and she looked at me and gritted her teeth.

"Don't act presumptuous when you're not even a real daughter."

A sudden birth secret strikes the out-of-body possessor...!

Then she pushed past me and quickly left the dining room. Despite her frail build, the push on my shoulder hurt more than I expected. She has good strength for someone who didn't even eat dinner. I stared in bewilderment at her retreating figure.

Work Regulations

5. The manor's basement and kitchen are restricted areas. If someone calls you to those locations, immediately report to Mrs. Perkins and return to your original work station.

Back in my room, thinking calmly, I can divide the possibilities into three categories.

First, it really is a birth secret.

Second, this body is adopted.

Third, the parents remarried.

By the way, my Korean intuition, exposed to daily dramas for many years, strongly insists that the third option is definitely correct.

But that's based on a very dramatic perspective that birth secrets are revealed at more dramatic moments in shows, and if adopted, it's rare to live so carelessly as unemployed while spending money freely. So my reason boldly passed on that intuition.

In times like this, there's one answer. I'll use a casual probing chance with the working staff!

"How long has it been since Father departed?"

I said it myself, but it's a perfectly ambiguous expression. Whether he passed away, divorced, or even went on a long trip or business trip—it can include all of those!

"Next month will mark the fifth anniversary, Miss."

He passed away quite a long time ago. Suddenly the mood in my head became gloomy. Somehow I feel guilty about being happy just now. I hastily tried to recover the situation.

"Right. I've been missing Father a lot lately."

The girl around my age who was answering stopped cleaning the table at those words. What's this reaction? But without any particular response, she bowed briefly and politely to me, finished cleaning, then left the room.

I sighed and went into the bedroom, sprawling on the bed.

Aaahhh I don't know! Anyway, this body's father passed away, and Mother's side isn't the biological mother, right? The rest will work out somehow since I'm pretending to have amnesia!

And with this judgment, a great disaster occurs the next day.