TMRDWMP CH 1

Chapter 1

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Monica

The beautiful mansion and the roses that five gardeners had toiled for days to bring to bloom. Beneath the glow of gas lamps on a summer night, the flowers spilled outward in dazzling abundance.

If the word wealth were to be translated into a landscape, it would look like this. It was a sight one could stare at endlessly, yet Monica could not. It was because of the man in front of her.

“You’re saying you’re not Garcia...”

Monica couldn’t hide her confusion. Someone might have wondered whether she’d been captivated not by the mansion’s splendor, but by the man’s face instead.

Tall and broad-shouldered, with striking golden hair beautiful enough to seem painted, and deep, refined eyes that drew admiration from anyone who looked at him.

“How many times must I repeat myself? That is not my name.”

The man’s reply was cold Monica examined him carefully once more. As she looked closer, he was dressed in luxurious clothing, completely opposite to the person she knew.

Is he really a different person?

Mistaking one person for another wasn’t especially strange. In fact, Monica had experienced the same thing twice recently.

…Wait. This situation feels awfully familiar.

Monica pressed her furrowed brow. Hadn’t she initially mistaken Garcia for Louis? Confused, Monica blurted out before organizing her thoughts.

“Surely you’re not going to say your name is Louis now.”

“Hah.”

A faint smile appeared on the man’s cold lips. It was a stark contrast from Louis’s sunny, warm smile, but their faces were remarkably similar. But the man denied her assumption by offering a completely different name.

“My name is Enrique Soliven.”

“...What?”

It was unbelievable. She had recently met two men with the exact same face. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and incredibly tall! It looked completely identical to the man in front of her.

In other words, Monica was now meeting the third man with the same face. Three people, all with the same face, and all of them are different people?

“That’s a lie... It has to be a lie.”

Monica’s eyes widened. As the man let out a quiet scoff, the right side of his cheek twitched briefly. The ballroom lights created a contrast on the man’s cheek, and Monica saw a shadow, like a deep stain, spreading at the corner of his eye.

“I’ve wasted enough time.”

The man immediately turned away, his steps were without any hesitation. Monica’s heart raced.

The mark on the man’s cheek—no, the corner of his eye—was a scar. Barely visible, yet unmistakably familiar to her…

“Wait!”

Monica grabbed the man’s sleeve. The man turned back with a frown.

“Sir, are you perhaps ... no. Are you triplets?”

As she got closer, the scar at the corner of his right eye was clearer through his sweat-dampened hair. A small scratch at the edge of his red lips was also evident. Monica knew that scar.

“But I’ve never seen twins with scars in the exact same place.”

…Unless he had multiple personalities.

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To explain how Monica ended up meeting someone who was, at best, a liar and, at worst, someone with multiple personalities, one has to go back a few days. Besides, it would be good to know about someone named Monica.

Monica disliked when someone asked for her name.

“Your name?”

“Monica.”

She swore it wasn’t because she disliked the name Monica. The person who gave her the name was the orphanage director. It was supposedly taken from the name of a precious princess of some kingdom. Since learning its origin, she quite liked the name itself.

The problem was the other question that always followed.

“After Monica?”

“Uh...”

When Monica trailed off, the person who asked for her name always pressed her again.

“Your last name?”

Then Monica would smile ambiguously, or sometimes roll her eyes.

“I don’t have one. I’m an orphan.”

The other person’s reaction would always become equally awkward or…

“Oh dear...”

They would trail off like that, darting their eyes around before hurriedly changing the subject. So of course she hated being asked her name.

Technically, Monica did have a surname. The orphanage director had dutifully registered the birth of all the orphans, hoping to secure more government funding. But every orphan had been given the exact same last name.

When Monica once saw the documents listing rows of identical surnames, she made up her mind. Rather than say that careless name aloud, she would simply claim she had none. The director had offered an excuse, at least.

“You’ll all be changing your last name anyway once you get adopted.”

Honestly! Who registers every child under the same surname? And if they weren’t adopted by eighteen, they would have to live with that name forever. What a horrifying fate.

“...Ms. Offen.”

Terrible...

“Ms. Offen!”

“Huh, yes!”

Monica was startled and answered absentmindedly. The attention of those around her swarmed toward Monica, then instantly withdrew. Her face turned bright red.

Monica Offen. Her last name was just one letter different from the word orphan. She’d rather introduce herself as an orphan rather than a last name like that!

But this time, she had no choice. After all, Monica was sitting in a meeting for a job. The person who called her by the last name Monica so terribly hated was a middle-aged woman with her hair neatly pinned up. A tearoom on a very sunny commercial street. The middle-aged woman introduced herself as the head maid serving a wealthy noble family.

“I apologize, I came by train this morning, so I’m still a bit distracted.”

“I understand. That train is truly awful.”

Madam Oran replied in a tone suggesting she didn’t entirely understand. Monica smiled politely instead of explaining. After all, it didn’t seem like the woman meant the misery of being cramped motionless in a third-class carriage for an entire day. Instead, Monica adjusted her posture and sat up straight.

The tearoom window was made of frosted glass, and the sunlight filtering through the glass illuminated Monica’s face diagonally. She was confident in her appearance. Being confident in one’s appearance usually refers to someone who is exceptionally beautiful or has a charm that can instantly captivate a man. But Monica’s confidence was of a different sort.

Bright green eyes full of intelligence, neat black hair tied up and coiled cleanly. The best navy taffeta dress Monica owned had narrow, long sleeves, making her look tidy and modest. In short, she looked very smart.

She would look perfect for the position of a governess teaching the children of a comfortable noble family. And Monica was applying for a similar position. Fortunately, the madam did not ask further about Monica’s blatant last name.

“I read your letter of recommendation. Your references are solid. You worked as a nurse for the military, correct?”

“Yes, I was in the same unit as Miss Diana.”

“Excellent. The spirit of sacrifice, throwing oneself into work for the country, is a virtue young ladies need these days.”

“Thank you for thinking so highly of me.”

But, I don’t think so..

Monica sticked out her tongue inwardly.

Throwing herself into work for the country. That time, the kingdom where Monica lived had been at war for two years. There was a shortage of people on the front lines, and the kingdom promised a generous reward to women who volunteered as nurses.

A monthly salary of two hundred shillings, and, if desired, university enrolment support for women who served for over two full years.

She had no intention of throwing herself into work for the country. But she was willing to throw herself into work for the salary and university enrolment. The school announced by the kingdom wasn’t a particularly good one. But there really wasn’t any other option. So, Monica enlisted.

Life, however, did not easily go the way she wanted. She spent three and a half years vaguely on the battlefield, but, frustratingly, the kingdom lost the war. Furthermore, the kingdom had to pay war reparations to the opposing kingdom,  they supposedly couldn’t pay the overdue salaries.

To make matters worse, the city where the women’s university Monica wanted to attend was bombed, and the university was completely destroyed. So, Monica, who had turned twenty-two, had to find a new way to live. Fortunately, Diana, a nurse friend who had served alongside her, introduced her to a promising job.

The port city of La Spezia. A wealthy semi-noble family staying there was looking for a governess. They had a sickly child and needed someone to lightly teach and care for them. The title of governess was merely nominal, it was virtually hiring a nurse to look after the child from morning till evening. Most importantly, the salary was quite decent.

Monica was secretly relieved that the city she arrived at after a sleepless night on the train seemed like a very nice place.

La Spezia. A resort town on the southernmost tip of the kingdom. A peaceful-looking, yet peculiar city where those unfamiliar with its rough currents inevitably run aground.

The effects of the war never once reached it. Even the king had fled there before defeat, and many nobles had settled in afterward. Inevitably, money circulated in the city. It was filled with a wealthy atmosphere. To Monica, who had been on the battlefield for several years, it was a city that was both unpleasant and welcoming.

“I plan to introduce Ms. Offen tomorrow immediately. The madam we serve will gauge if Ms. Offen is the right person, but... you should be able to start working right away.”

“Is there a place for you to stay?”

“Yes. I’ve reserved an inn near the train station.”

Madame Oran covered her mouth as if worried about her.

“Oh dear. That’s hardly a place for a young lady new to this city to stay.”

“Is that so? It was a clean place...”

“Ah, hygiene is important. But that’s not what I meant.”

She adjusted her clothes lightly.

“The La Spezia train station wasn’t used during the war, so the area in front of it is quite chaotic. People often get lost because the streets are very confusing.”

“I see...”

Monica rolled her eyes.

I guess I’ll have to leave early tomorrow morning.

Madame Oran’s subtle hint not to be late, and if she could work under a madam like her, it might be a pretty good job. As the madam collected the teacups and stood up, Monica also stood up. The madam placed two coins on the saucer for the tea cost and spoke casually.

“By the way, I have a question.”

“Yes, please ask.”

“Are you... perhaps an orphan?”

The expectation that it might be a pretty good job vanished with that question. But she didn’t let her smile fade.

Madame Oran added, as if making an excuse.

“Because of your last name.”

That darned last name!

Monica forced a gentle nod.

“Oh my… you must have had a difficult life.”

Madame Oran patted Monica’s shoulder. After exchanging a few more necessary but not very comforting greetings, Monica finally parted ways with Madame Oran.

“Sigh. I’m too kind, that’s my problem. I shouldn’t have been so kind back then.”

Monica murmured softly as she walked down the street. It was too late now.

“I really should have gotten adopted.”

Monica had a chance to gain a nice last name but she just kicked it away herself. Ironically, it was because twelve-year-old Monica was too kind.

Chapter List

Chapter 2