She pulled the bell cord, and two maids entered.

“I’d like a bath.”

“Yes, Miss.”

A little while later, unfamiliar maids entered carrying a large wooden bathtub.

‘Are they from here?’

Cecilia had an excellent memory for faces.

Once she had properly seen a face, she never forgot it.

However, she hadn’t realized her talent when she was younger. She had no interest in the servants, and the nobles flocked to her, eager to win her favor.

By the time she became aware of her gift, her circumstances had changed significantly.

The maids of Lagos Castle were all unfamiliar.

‘How is it possible that I don’t recognize a single face?’

In her previous life, she had secluded herself in her bedroom and only allowed herself to be attended to by the maids she brought from the grand duchy.

Everything else was handled through her nanny.

‘I was foolish, imprisoning myself like that.’

The maids who had placed the bathtub began bringing in hot water.

One by one, they came in and poured it until the tub was full.

‘It’s still quite early. How did they manage to bring hot water so quickly?’

Had they anticipated her request and kept boiling water ready, or was there always hot water available in the kitchen?

‘Firewood is precious, especially in a cold region like Lagos.’

Were they overexerting themselves to avoid appearing lacking in her eyes, or was the lord of Lagos wealthier than she had thought?

These were things she never would have considered when she was truly twenty-one.

Cecilia felt as though her perspective had broadened.

“Miss! You’re up early!”

Benjamine entered, rolling up her sleeves.

“I’ll assist you with the Miss’s bath, so you all can leave.”

Benjamine dismissed the Lagos Castle maids.

“Let’s see… the temperature of the water…”

Benjamine dipped her hand into the bathwater, stirring it slightly, wearing her characteristic expression of pursed lips, as if she wanted to find something to criticize but couldn’t.

“It might be a bit too warm… but it’ll cool down soon enough, so it should be fine.”

After muttering something to herself, she gestured to Cecilia.

Cecilia slid into the warm water.

Benjamine’s thick hands gently massaged her shoulders and back.

‘Yes, this was always nice.’

Benjamine’s massages were top-notch.

Cecilia had always enjoyed the massages she received from her.

‘But…’

Now, she couldn’t enjoy them the way she once did.

Cecilia closed her eyes.

Perhaps it was the heat of the bath, but her eyes felt warm.

“How many days have passed?”

Benjamine burst into laughter.

“Have you lost track of the days? It’s the third day since we arrived. But Miss, His Lordship still hasn’t returned. Isn’t that absurd? You’ve arrived, and yet there’s still no news!”

“He’s away on official business, isn’t he?”

“Official business or not, who cares? It’s outrageous to neglect you like this. If His Grace the Grand Duke finds out, he’ll be furious! His Grace is really too much, sending our precious Miss all the way out here. He must be losing sleep over it now!”

Cecilia didn’t respond, letting Benjamine continue her rant.

Gradually, Benjamine’s muttering trailed off.

“Miss, you’re not feeling unwell, are you?”

“I think it’s the bath… I’m feeling sleepy.”

“Pardon? You’re going to sleep again?”

Cecilia rose from the bathtub.

The maids quickly wrapped her in towels.

“I’ll just take a short nap. Leave the bathwater as is for now. Everyone, leave.”

“…Yes, Miss.”

It was an excuse to get rid of the bothersome Benjamine.

But once she lay down, her body warm and comfortable, she quickly drifted off to sleep.

She woke up soon after, feeling as though she hadn’t slept long.

Now, hunger began to set in.

Cecilia got out of bed and slowly walked around the bedroom.

She placed her hand on the round table and chuckled to herself.

The smooth tabletop and the four straight legs were entirely plain, with no embellishments.

All the furniture in the bedroom was like this.

If she were still her normal self, she would have been furious and seething.

‘In the past, I would have sent countless complaint letters to the grand duchy by now. At this time, the old me definitely would have done so.’

The reason she wasn’t angry now was because she recognized the truth in Hoffman’s excuses.

She remembered receiving proper furniture in the past, so she knew this wasn’t an attempt to mock her.

And more importantly, she found the changes in the future intriguing.

Even the fact that her husband hadn’t come to greet her wasn’t a problem.

In the past, he had come to greet her, but now, he wasn’t even at the castle, so this too was a deviation from the original timeline.

Cecilia grabbed the bell cord but then let go.

She wanted to act differently than before.

When she opened the bedroom door, the hallway was empty.

She stepped into the corridor and began walking.