Jella had always sensed his presence naturally, like breathing, as he silently circled around her just like today since hearing the news of her awakening.

An ordinary person would never have noticed, but Jella could feel his presence as naturally as breathing.

Perhaps it was because of his wish to exist as a complete person, at least to her.

“Why do you follow me around and peek at me every day?”

“Because that’s what I need to do.”

“Peeking at me?”

“…No. Protecting you.”

Cail faced Jella with a gentle smile.

That smiling face was so beautiful that Jella’s face turned bright red.

Noticing this, Cail suddenly reached out to her with a serious expression.

“Are you feeling unwell somewhere? Your face is red…”

Slap.

Jella, startled, unconsciously knocked his hand away.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you…”

“It’s fine. Don’t apologize to me.”

He responded with a gentle smile to Jella, who was apologizing in surprise.

“What?”

“You can do anything to me. Don’t feel sorry for something like this.”

“What kind of talk is that?”

Jella, with her eyes narrowed, lectured him at length about how his words were wrong.

Seeing her like that, unchanged from the Jella in his memory, Cail couldn’t help but laugh softly.

Pause.

At that quiet laugh that gently vibrated the air, Jella forgot what she had been saying and glanced at him.

‘How can someone… even have a handsome laugh.’

As she thought this, her ears had turned bright red.

“What’s your name, knight?”

“…Cail.”

“I’m Jella.”

Cail raised his cold eyes and looked at her intently.

Jella.

How could he not know? That name he would never forget until his last breath. That name that was the sole master of his entire life.

But he answered as if hearing that name for the first time, with a straight smile.

“Yes, Jella.”

“…”

The way her name flowed from between his lips was strangely ticklish, and Jella just blinked stupidly.

After that, Cail continued to quietly circle around her.

He never approached her first, but Jella could always sense his presence.

The sense of security from feeling his presence, even when he wasn’t visible, was truly comforting.

Sometimes when she climbed the hill alone to feel the cool breeze, Cail always quietly guarded her side.

When she unconsciously glanced at him and their eyes met, Jella would quickly turn her head away with a reddened face.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

At those times, she didn’t understand why her heart beat so fiercely.

Whenever their eyes met, her chest felt ticklish and hot.

She felt frustrated by the man who always smiled at her as usual, unaware of her feelings.

But if one thing was certain, it was that she didn’t dislike this feeling.

***

Niel was the last of the three men to encounter Jella.

Jella was captivated by the sight of this elegant and noble man she had never seen before.

“Who are you?”

When she asked, tilting her head, he smiled wryly and muttered.

“Should I be happy or sad that you don’t remember anything?”

He quickly composed his hollow feelings and extended his hand to her.

“Hello, Miss Jella.”

Jella thought his quietly resonating voice was very pleasant to hear.

“Do you know me?”

“Well, I wonder.”

Jella stared at Niel’s face as he answered with a subtle smile.

He was different from Yuphe or Cail, who would immediately answer any of her questions.

Feeling a slight wariness toward this man who seemed to be hiding something, Jella reached out her hand.

He gently grasped her hand and smiled.

“I’ve been waiting for you. Very, very much.”

“…I think that’s right. You’re someone who knows me.”

“If you feel that way, then it’s probably correct.”

“What kind of talk is that?”

“You were never wrong about anything.”

“…?”

Jella frowned, unable to follow the conversation.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying at all.”

He laughed softly at her sulky response.

“That’s fine. Stay that way, not knowing.”

“…You’re making fun of me now, aren’t you?”

“Oh my. Have I been found out?”

Niel replied with another chuckle.

After glaring at the frivolously laughing man, she tried to turn away, but he wouldn’t let go of her hand.

“Excuse me.”

“…”

“Excuse me?”

“…”

Instead of answering, Niel just stared at the hand he was holding. Just as Jella was twisting her hand, asking him to let go under his persistent gaze.

“Excuse me, this hand…”

“It’s beautiful. You with the red eyes.”

Niel suddenly raised his head and said, staring at her face.

“…”

It was the first time she had heard such a direct expression, and she was momentarily speechless.

Not knowing how to respond to the ticklish feeling, Jella just scratched her cheek.

***

“I met a strange person today.”

Jella said, sitting on the edge of the bed and tilting her head.

Yuphe was placing a basin at her feet and washing them.

“A strange person?”

“Yes, a man with platinum hair and green eyes.”

Jella explained what had happened today, feeling drowsy from Yuphe’s touch as he pressed her feet in the warm water to relieve fatigue.

“But, it’s really strange. Every time I meet his eyes, I keep getting this ticklish feeling here…”

Jella touched her left chest and muttered, then clapped her hands as if she had made a great discovery.

“Ah, that’s right, just like when I see Lord Cail! I get that ticklish, strange feeling.”

“…”

Yuphe paused at the mention of the two names from her lips, but quickly moved the basin aside and smiled.

“Is that so?”

He unfolded a thick towel laid beside him and wiped the remaining water from her feet.

Watching him silently, Jella said in a slightly lowered voice.

“…And when I see Lord Yuphe too.”

“Huh…?”

Yuphe suddenly raised his head.

“I, when I see Lord Yuphe too, my chest keeps feeling ticklish and my heart pounds. I wonder why that is.”

“…”

Yuphe’s lips remained closed at the sight of her speaking with a bright red face, almost like a confession.

He knew this wasn’t a confession.

Jella, whose past memories had been completely erased, leaving her mind a blank slate, remained ignorant of worldly matters and understood nothing about relationships between men and women.

So this was probably affection toward a guardian who had cared for and protected her from the moment she opened her eyes.

“Have you never felt that way, Lord Yuphe?”

“I…”

Since opening her eyes, Jella had followed Yuphe like a baby bird following its mother, asking about the world one by one and adapting to this world by getting answers.

Yes, just like young Yuphe had done when he first left the basement.

Although Yuphe had always answered her relentless questions kindly without losing his smile, this question wasn’t easy to answer.

“Lord Yuphe?”

Jella tilted her head at the sight of Yuphe standing there stupidly.

“I do too.”

Yuphe answered, painfully parting his lips.

“I, too, whenever I see you, always feel ticklish here and my heart pounds. From a very long time ago, from the day I first saw you, I’ve always felt that way.”

“Wow…!”

At those words, Jella’s eyes widened with genuine delight.

“I know what to say at times like this. Lord Yuphe and I are connected in our hearts, right?”

Jella, who didn’t remember the wounds he had given her, would often say things like this that she would never have said had she remembered everything.

At such times, even though his heart was painfully constricted, Yuphe loved this moment so much.

[Even if you take such good care of her, she’ll forget these current memories once her old memories return, so why bother?]

Had he said these were memories that would be forgotten anyway?

“Lord Yuphe…?”

“…Jella.”

Yuphe rose, placing both hands on the edge of the bed where she was sitting.

“Why…”

“I like you.”

The words of confession, calm yet boiling hot, flowed from between his lips.