Your Highness, It’s Not Me, It’s Them!

Perhaps this is what it feels like when the soul of an unjustly wronged ghost possesses the body of a human.

I must be that ghost, having died in a plane crash, now inhabiting this young lady’s body. There’s no other way to explain this situation.

When I first opened my eyes, I was in complete chaos. But one thing was clear—it didn’t feel like a dream.

Everything I saw, experienced, and felt was too vivid to be unreal.

At first, I was utterly confused, but whether this was reality or a dream, I decided to face the situation head-on.

‘Because I don’t want to die…’

No matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn’t figure out why or how I ended up in this body. But what would happen if I left it?

A dreadful feeling told me it would mean total annihilation.

‘Fine, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll stay like this for now.’

That was the conclusion I reached after countless thoughts. I felt sorry for the original owner of this body, but I had no other choice.

“Could you start with your right arm, please?”

The bathroom was filled with steamy heat. Sitting in a bathtub of hot water, I extended my right arm toward the maid kneeling beside me.

‘Is this really okay?’

A short while ago, I’d been escorted back to my room by this maid. Inside the room was a dressing area, and beyond it, a bathroom as spacious as a public bathhouse.

And as soon as we got there, I was promptly stripped of my clothes. Needless to say, my soul left my body once again.

[Ahh! What are you doing?!]

[Is something wrong, my lady?]

Instinctively, I crossed my arms to cover my chest, overcome with shame. The maid, however, looked at me as though I were the strange one.

[You can’t bathe with your dress on, can you? Surely you weren’t planning to wash like this?]

Left with no choice, I reluctantly entrusted myself to the maid, holding back tears. That’s when I realized—this was a world where my usual sense of propriety didn’t apply.

After the undressing was done, I stepped into the bathroom, where the bathtub was already filled with warm water.

[Please step in here.]

Under the maid’s guidance, I entered the tub and submerged myself in the water. She then began scrubbing me diligently, something I’d never experienced before.

“Um…”

“Is something making you uncomfortable, my lady?”

“…No, not at all.”

It was an incredibly awkward situation. I didn’t even feel entitled to protest, as this wasn’t technically my body.

Yet the sensations of this unfamiliar body—now seemingly my own—were vividly mine. And that only added to the confusion.

Was this truly possession?

“For now, I think it would be best to explain your memory loss to the Duke at a later time.”

The maid, looking somewhat troubled, raised her eyebrows and glanced at me nervously. She spoke in a lowered voice.

“Although I doubt the Duke would react much, even if he knew you’d lost your memories.”

I had no idea what she meant by that, so I simply blinked rapidly in silence.

The maid carefully scrubbed my arm with a soft sponge, then sighed deeply and shook her head.

“There is one thing you must absolutely keep in mind.”

“…?”

“Do not, under any circumstances, upset the Duke.”

…In this muddled state of mind, who has the energy to upset anyone?

“For the peace and well-being of the Duchy of Yobern, this is of utmost importance. If you wish to preserve your life, please remember my words.”

“Yes…”

“The Duke has stipulated that everyone is to have their own time outside of meals together.”

So, eating together is a non-negotiable for him? What a peculiar man.

“The west wing of this estate will be your private quarters as the future Duchess. The east wing belongs to the Duke.”

A private wing, huh? I suppose it’s not a bad deal, considering I’m gaining an entire building through marriage.

“The Duke despises anyone entering his quarters unannounced. You must never visit his space without prior notice.”

The maid rattled off a long list of dos and don’ts, her voice a ceaseless stream of admonishments. I felt like my ears might start bleeding from the constant chatter.

She continued giving me advice, but none of it registered.

A handful of instructions might have been manageable, but my brain was already fried.

“During meals, please avoid speaking unnecessarily. Also, the central garden is a shared space with the Duke, so try not to overlap your walk schedules…”

“Ah! That tickles—ah!”

Though my mind was scattered, my nerves were still very much alive. Every time the soapy sponge brushed against my skin, I flinched involuntarily.

‘Ah, this is unbearable! Someone save me—ghost or not!’

I tried to squirm away, but unless I planned to escape entirely, there was nowhere to run. The maid’s hands, devoid of mercy, continued their work.

Especially when she scrubbed under my arms or the soles of my feet, I felt as if my soul were being sucked out all over again.

“Ugh… Hngh!”

I barely managed to suppress the laughter threatening to burst out, causing my stomach to wobble involuntarily. The maid glanced at me sideways, her expression a mix of concern and exasperation as she shook her head.

“You do seem much more like a person than you did before losing your memory. Just yesterday, I was worried whether you were even breathing. If there’s a silver lining, I suppose this would be it…”

As she spoke, she mercilessly scrubbed my sides. I clenched my muscles, doing my best to hold in my laughter.

‘Don’t laugh. You absolutely can’t laugh!’

Barely surviving the ticklish ordeal, I finally finished the bath. My legs wobbled as I stepped out of the bathroom, and I leaned against the wall, utterly drained.

‘I feel like I’ve burned out completely…’

But there was no time to rest. The maid immediately busied herself dressing me in unfamiliar undergarments, her swift hands moving so fast that I couldn’t keep up. Then, out of nowhere, she brought out an enormous, extravagant outfit, leaving me wide-eyed.

‘Oh, it’s a dress. Like the kind you see in movies, the fancy ones worn at balls.’

I stared blankly at the dress, completely mesmerized. While I was busy gawking, the maid gestured at me with her eyes.

“Raise your arms and crouch down.”

At her words, I awkwardly raised my arms and squatted. She slipped the dress over my head and helped me stand, then bustled around, adjusting the fit.

“Take a deep breath.”

“Huuuuh!”

“More!”

“Huuuuhhh!”

The maid tightened the dress strings with such force that I felt my insides scream in protest.

‘I—I think I’m going to die!’

My waist was cinched so tightly that breathing became a struggle. The maid, satisfied with her work, nodded as she examined me.

“Shall I tighten it a bit more?”

“No!”

Thankfully, she seemed to listen, tying the strings securely but leaving them as they were.

‘Thank you, dear maid!’

Though the dress was beautiful, wearing it felt incredibly uncomfortable—like being stuffed into a perfectly tailored suit. As stunning as it was, it came at the cost of immense discomfort. It felt like stepping into a medieval experience.

“Now, let’s brush your hair. Please have a seat here.”

She guided me to the vanity chair and began brushing my hair. With my waist tightly bound, I couldn’t bend forward, which oddly made my posture look perfect.

I glanced at the unfamiliar woman reflected in the mirror and gave her an awkward smile. Of course, the woman in the mirror—who was me—smiled back just as awkwardly.

‘Hello, pretty lady. Nice to see you again.’

Her pale, almost ethereal face was framed by violet hair that seemed to shimmer. The long, flowing curls reached past her waist, their rich purple hue soft and muted as if faded by light.

At first, I thought it was a wig and tugged on it several times, only to find my scalp hurting. I couldn’t believe such a hair color existed in reality.

And then there were the eyes—large, clear, and as blue as a serene lake. They looked too surreal to be real. Combined with her flawless features and perfect figure, she looked like an A-list celebrity, if not a goddess.

‘So this gorgeous beauty is supposed to be me. Yep, that’s me. Hard to believe, right?’

Her beauty was so natural, so unforced, that it was hard to think someone like her could actually exist.

“No matter what, my lady, please refrain from making such expressions. You are soon to become the duchess of this duchy, the mother of our nation. You must maintain a dignified appearance.”

“…Yes.”

Even her voice wasn’t mine. It was so lovely, like the sound of pearls rolling across a glass surface.

“My lady.”

When I replied weakly, the maid furrowed her brows even more. Her expression was so stern that if water ran through those wrinkles, it would form a deep valley.

“I am not someone you need to address formally. Please speak casually to me.”

…Can I just faint instead? Or maybe have some time alone, please?

Unfazed by my inner plea, the maid continued brushing my hair. After drying it, she quickly braided the side strands, her fingers moving with incredible precision.

Her hands worked so deftly that it felt like watching someone take a cosmetology exam. She intricately braided, twisted, and pinned sections of hair with glittering accessories, giving my hairstyle an elegant finish.

“Is it heavy?”

“Just a little…”

The weight on the back of my head made me worry about my neck giving out. Fortunately, the maid finally stepped back, looking genuinely pleased for the first time.

“All done. We won’t be late for the meal now. Shall we go, my lady?”

After putting on unfamiliar shoes, I followed the maid out of the room.

This place was still fascinating, no matter how many times I saw it. It felt like looking at Cheomseongdae, one of Korea’s ancient astronomical towers, but even more mystical.

“This is… the duchy’s castle, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The castles I’d seen in history books were always so pristine and polished.

This one, however, felt incredibly old, its age evident in every corner. Signs of wear and tear were so abundant that it seemed like the structure was barely holding itself together.

The walls, made of stone, were uneven, with no flat surfaces in sight. I couldn’t tell if this was intentional or just a result of time.

‘It won’t collapse, will it?’

The windows weren’t even proper windows, just small holes in the walls. Occasionally, I spotted large glass windows on columned walls, but they looked so fragile from years of exposure to harsh winds that even the slightest touch might shatter them.

Honestly, even shoddy construction might look sturdier than this.

“By the way, I have a question…”