Lady Solea Just Wants to Go Home

Chapter 2

The handsome, silver-haired middle-aged man tried to approach Solea, but the doctor stopped him.

“Your Grace, you mustn’t go near her. She’s in an extremely fragile state right now.”

“What did you do to make her suddenly have a seizure like this?!”

“My money!”

As the duke grabbed the doctor by the collar and questioned him, Solea continued shouting and kicking her blanket. The sight of her suffering pierced the hearts of those watching.

“At least stop the seizure!” the duke ordered urgently.

Immediately, the man with pink hair stepped to Solea’s side. He extended his palm over her head as she struggled, and began chanting an indecipherable spell in a low voice. Solea’s frantic movements ceased instantly, and her shouts faded away. Just moments ago, she had been thrashing about, but now her blood-red hair fanned out across the bed as she lay still.

With a disapproving frown, Gray rushed toward the pink-haired man.

“Haymon, why would you knock out someone who’s already unwell?”

“I just put her to sleep. Father wanted her seizures to stop,” Haymon responded, glancing at the duke.

The silver-haired man, his eyes filled with worry, stared at the back of Solea’s head for a long moment before leading the doctor and his children out of the room.

* * *

When Solea woke, she found herself still in the large room, a stark contrast to her cramped one-room apartment. She was lying in a wide bed big enough for three people, surrounded by large windows and maids who were looking at her with deep concern.

Staring into the distance, Solea groaned.

“My 1.7 billion won… You sons of b*tches, where did my 1.7 billion won go? Where the hell am I…?”

Even with the thirty-three percent tax deduction, the lottery prize would have been a hefty sum—she could have easily paid off her debts and bought a decent house.

Solea turned to her side and sighed deeply. Noticing she was awake, Anne cautiously approached her.

“My lady, should I bring you some warm tea?”

“Excuse me?”

“My lady, please address me casually. I’m Anne, your maid. You might not remember everything right away, but the rest of the maids and I are here to help your memories return slowly. We’ll stay right by your side!”

Can you just find my 1.7 billion won? Even when I’m smiling, I feel like crying.

Solea felt bewildered as the maids clasped their hands, pledging their unwarranted dedication.

“Um… All right, Anne. I don’t need tea. Just bring me a glass of cold water.”

“You can talk to me freely. Is there anything else you need?”

“Water’s fine.”

And my 1.7 billion won.

She swallowed the last few words.

After Anne left, Solea got out of bed, slipped her feet into soft slippers, and walked over to the window. The scene outside was far from the Seoul she knew. Instead, there were wide-open plains of grass, knights in uniform with swords at their waists—ones you’d only see in a drama—and the rude maroon-haired guy alongside the charming pink-haired man.

The maroon-haired man seemed to notice her standing by the window. He furrowed his brow, turned around, and shouted something, but she couldn’t hear him over the closed windows.

Just choose either brown or red for your hair color. What’s up with maroon? Are you trying to copy the color of spicy noodle soup? All right. From now on, I’ll call you Salted Seafood, you loud jerk.

Solea pointed at her ear, signaling she couldn’t hear him.

Sorry, but I can’t hear you. To be honest, I’m not sorry at all.

Salted Seafood watched Solea with wide eyes before shouting and running toward her. The pink-haired man behind him quickly caught up and tried to stop him. Salted Seafood shook off his grip and continued his charge. Suddenly, he stopped and started struggling, as if an invisible force were holding him back.

Solea observed everything indifferently until a golden mist flowed from the pink-haired man’s hand and wrapped around Salted Seafood.

“What the hell is that?” she exclaimed, throwing the windows open in shock.

“Ah, brother! Stop it! Haymon!” Gray roared like a train engine, flailing in the air as he shouted angrily.

“Gray, don’t go near her. Solea’s not feeling well.”

That’s right, you asshole. I don’t know who gave you your name, but it should have been Gray, the asshole. It suits you perfectly.

The golden mist lifted Gray and gently placed him back on the grass before retreating into Haymon’s body. Solea had never witnessed anything so strange, but Gray didn’t seem to find it odd at all. He simply sounded frustrated when he spoke to Haymon, as if everything were perfectly normal.

“Solea is ticking me off! She supposedly has amnesia, but she’s acting like a completely different person!”

Haymon responded by quietly scolding Gray, his voice too low for Solea to hear. A moment later, Gray angrily shoved Haymon before turning and storming off in the opposite direction.

“What did he say to him…?” Solea wondered aloud, leaning slightly out the window.

When she noticed Haymon looking at her, she waved and smiled at him. In response, he created something in his palm and sent it flying toward her. A tiny golden bird, carried by the wind, landed on Solea’s windowsill and began chirping cheerfully.

“Whoa…”

Solea, whose mind had been battered since yesterday, felt a brief moment of calm and carefully tapped the tip of the tiny bird’s beak with her finger. However, a sharp, prickly sensation—neither hot nor cold—shot through her fingertip. Then, the bird vanished. Startled, Solea grabbed her finger and looked outside, only to find that Haymon was already gone.

“What the hell is the matter with him?”

Why would he treat me like this, especially with his handsome face? Was I not supposed to touch the fake bird? If that were the case, why didn’t he just say so?

He sent that bird with that flirtatious smile, and then it vanished the moment I touched it. Was this some kind of subtle hint that he’s not as charming as he looks, but rather crafty? What is this? Some kind of male idol survival program?

As Solea fumed and shut the windows, a voice came from beyond the door.

“My lady, I brought you your water.”

“All right. Come in.”

The door soon opened, and Anne quietly entered the room. Seeing Solea standing by the window, she gasped in horror.

“Lady Solea, you’re not even wearing your outer garment. Oh, dear!”

Anne quickly set the tray on the table, grabbed a thick wool shawl from the couch, and hurried over to drape it over her shoulders.

“It looks like spring outside. I don’t think such a thick shawl is necessary.”

“You’re so frail that you catch colds even in the middle of summer. Please, sit down here.”

Along with the glass of cold water, Anne had also brought some hot tea and a scone, complete with strawberry jam and butter.

“Whenever you woke up feeling unwell, you always had tea with scones. Even with your amnesia, I thought your tastes might still be the same, so I prepared some for you. Would that be all right?”

Anne glanced at Solea warily before carefully pushing the plate of scones a little closer to her. Jiyoon could sense from Anne’s demeanor just how often Solea’s body had been ill and how deeply concerned the maid was for her.

Whether Anne’s concern stemmed from Solea being the daughter of a prestigious family or from genuine care, Jiyoon wasn’t sure. However, one thing was for sure—Jiyoon had never experienced such kindness in her life.

A memory flashed before her—her mother’s gentle eyes, a sight she hadn’t seen in years. She remembered her mother, wrapped in an oversized coat, standing in a corner of pigeon-filled Seoul Station. Holding young Jiyoon’s hand, she asked her a question.

“Jiyoon, would you like to go with mommy?”

“Where?”

“Somewhere far.”

“Why?”

“Just because.”

Jiyoon couldn’t quite recall her mother’s face as she curtly answered, but the memory of her sorrowful expression was vivid. Her mother had been trembling, glancing around nervously.

When Jiyoon shook her head, refusing to leave, her mother bought her a snack for the first time in her life. She even opened the package and placed some in Jiyoon’s hand. Then, she told her to stay where she was until she returned from the bathroom. Jiyoon remembered watching her mother’s navy blue coat grow distant, fading into the crowd of gray pigeons that took flight into the sky.

The scene was crystal clear in her mind, like a picture. Her fingers grew cold, and after placing the snack bag on the ground, little Jiyoon waited there for hours like a fool, hoping her mother would return. After spending an entire day at the police station, her father, still reeking of alcohol, finally came to collect her.

“B*tch, where did your mom go?! Where the hell is she?”

“Sir, you have to calm down.”

The stench of alcohol on her father and the policemen’s attempts to restrain him still haunted her. In the midst of it all, Jiyoon couldn’t even cry. She barely understood that she would never see her mother again.

She shook the painful memory away and stared down at the snack Anne had prepared for her. She picked up the glass of water closest to her and took a drink. Anne’s eyes drooped, as if disappointed, but Jiyoon felt that this kindness and affection were something only the “real” Solea was supposed to enjoy.

“Tell me where I am and who I am, Anne.”

The maid nodded with determination and began to explain quietly, taking her time.

Solea von Vergo. The youngest daughter of Duke Vergo’s family. Ever since she was born, she had been frail and often ill, requiring constant care. She had never attended a party, not even on her eighteenth birthday during her coming-of-age ceremony.

Solea had three older brothers. The handsome silver-haired, middle-aged man she saw yesterday was Duke Diergo von Vergo, her father. In his younger days, whenever a war erupted, Duke Diergo would rush to the battlefield, leaving a trail of defeated enemies in his wake. Once his wife fell ill, he devoted all his time to caring for her in the family mansion. Unfortunately, despite his unwavering love and dedication toward her, she eventually passed, leaving him alone.

I suppose the oldest brother who’s at war right now takes after their father. Already a Grand Master at such a young age—he’s certainly talented.

Jiyoon repeated the name of the firstborn son indifferently in her mind.

Tion von Vergo.

She couldn’t get any more information about him besides his name. All she had heard was that he was so busy making a name for himself on the battlefield that he rarely visited the duke’s mansion.

The second-oldest son was pink-haired, rosy-eyed Haymon—the handsome fellow who could cast strange magic. In this country, few people could use magic, and those who could, usually had so little mana that it could only help them with daily tasks. To lift someone into the air or create figures out of thin air, as Haymon did, required a significant amount of mana—yet even that was often just a convenience in daily life.

Then there was Gray, the third son, with maroon hair and gray eyes. His swordsmanship was nearly as good as Tion’s, enough to earn him the title of knight, but he had never joined any order.

Why is he still living in this mansion? With all his talents, shouldn’t he be somewhere else by now? Did no one take him with them because he’s a jerk?

That’s probably it. There’s no other explanation. A guy like him wouldn’t fit in anywhere—he’d just get pushed around and eventually tossed aside like an unwanted piece of furniture.

Jiyoon nodded to herself, convinced by her thoughts.

When she asked about her relationship with her three brothers, Anne smiled gently and replied, “All three of them cherished you.”

She tilted her head, puzzled by the answer.

Noticing her confusion, Anne clapped her hands and added, “Young Master Gray visits your room the most. He’s always worried about you.”

“No way.”

“Sorry?”

“Even before he knew I had amnesia, he was already running his mouth, insulting me.”

Was that too harsh? After all, he’s still technically my older brother.

She glanced at Anne, but instead of looking offended, the maid was covering her mouth, her face filled with admiration.

“My lady, you just spoke casually toward me! It seems like you’re slowly regaining your memories!”

“Oh… It just sort of happened, I suppose!”

She remembered a familiar story—the kind where the beloved protagonist starts recalling memories of a past life after a significant event.

Could it be that I just remembered my past life, and Yoon Jiyoon was who I used to be? What if Solea is who I really am in this life? Even so, can I live a completely different life now?

Just then, Anne pulled a white piece of paper from her pocket.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I found this in the hallway. Is it yours, my lady?”

Solea’s heart skipped a beat as she saw the black numbers on the thin sheet of paper—it was the lottery ticket. Solea screamed, as if she had seen a ghost, and snatched the paper from Anne’s hand.

“It’s real! My money is real! My 1.7 billion won!”

Horrified by the sight of her lady tearing at her hair again, Anne bolted from the room.

“S-somebody help! Lady Solea’s having another seizure like yesterday! Doctor!”

As it turned out, the anguish of losing 1.7 billion won wasn’t something that could fade in just one day.