Idk what really happened, but I have the theory that the empress is actually the great sorceress, and that something happened before the wedding. Like the villa that's only a supposed storeroom. Maybe the memories she has was actually not the villainess', but instead the great sorceress, that can explain why the mansion wasn't rundown in her memories and the maids I think are another beings who are helping her. That can also explain why the book and her maids doesn't exist, because no one was aware of their existence and they erased their trace or something. That can also explain how she would receive help everytime and that help would disappear after the event happened, just like how the book disappeared after taking care of the dragon. I think she was the great sorceress who did something in exchange of her memories that was why I think the villa was rundown, because she had memory gaps and some details from her memories are missing.
i was thinking this too but i think she can also be the great sorcerer daughter? i mean i know her mother is the maid but what if she manipulate cecile memory? to think she died but actually she just going to sleep? and when aled friend told that the great sorcerer ask about how to return someone who drank the eudiphine (not sure about the name) to normal 24 years ago, its the exact year cecile age in the present. what if the great sorcerer knew that cecile will gonna marry the emporer and the great sorcerer want her daughter to be happy? so she first asked aled friend. and also cecile memory about having a three maids are also true but as you said those maids are another beings and they erased their traces so no one will gonna find them. and i think someone manipulated cecile memory, blurred the face of her maids and to forget their names. I also think that most of cecile childhood memory was forgotten.
I think your theory is likely what happened and I now also think that she's the daughter of the great sorceress. I look forward to what will happen next.
So I like this manga a lot and stopped reading for a bit so I could happily return to more chapters and that worked. However I am in desperate need of a spoiler. Is the mc ok mentally? Is this like her second life? Why were there no maids and why was the house run down when they looked was she actually there it’s making me go crazy thinking there is some deep mental problem or curse to her. (⊙…⊙ )