“Are you throwing a party or something?”

Calix was standing in front of the door.

“At a glance, one might mistake this for a banquet hall rather than the grand duchess’s chamber.”

He seemed to be trying to speak casually, but the anger beneath his words was impossible to hide.

‘So His Grace does get jealous.’

Sion was the first to notice how Calix felt.

On the battlefield, he was like a demon, and even in daily life he exuded a lethal chill. Yet when it came to Selina, he was completely unable to hide his feelings.

Seeing this side of him, which was so different from his usual self, amused Sion. In fact, he was tempted to provoke that jealousy just a little more.

However, the glare that Calix fixed on him was far too intense.

‘If I’m not careful, I might get cut.’

Those who know when to strike and retreat are the ones who survive the longest.

Sion casually took out a pocket watch from his coat.

“Come to think of it, I completely forgot I had an appointment.”

After glancing at the time, he gave a courteous bow to Calix and Selina.

“I should be on my way now. Until next time.”

As Sion calmly greeted them and turned to leave, Alter and Calliope—who had been bickering—hurriedly looked up as well.

“I just remembered I have training!”

Seeing everyone else vanish, Calliope checked Calix’s expression one last time, then raised her hand high.

“Now that I think about it, I’m busy too! I should get going. Bye!”

As the people who had filled the room departed one by one, Selina’s complexion darkened.

“W-wait a moment…”

With a crestfallen face, she reached out toward them.

But they disappeared without looking back.

“……”

The lively atmosphere that had filled the room vanished in an instant.

It was awkward enough that Selina had avoided speaking to Calix alone in the garden; now, they were alone together again.

Selina glanced at him uneasily, gauging his mood.

“You seem to be perfectly fine.”

Calix, who had been radiating a cold air, broke the silence.

“Judging by how busy you were letting people into your room already.”

Was there some rule that forbade the grand duchess from allowing others into her chambers?

She wouldn’t know. Having lost her memories, she had forgotten all such etiquette entirely.

“I—I’m sorry…”

Selina spoke with a face drained as pale as paper.

She didn’t know the details, but if Calix looked like that, then surely she must have done something wrong.

“That’s not what I meant—”

But Calix only felt stifled.

He hadn’t meant to scold Selina.

The problem was that he had been unable to control the jealousy welling up inside him.

Adjusting his collar as though it were choking him, he sighed quietly.

‘Pathetic.’

Yes, he should be honest and admit it.

Ever since Selina lost her memories, everything she did has made Calix uneasy.

When it came to him, she behaved like a young animal confronted with a stranger — tense and wary — yet she was endlessly gentle towards everyone else.

Just like now.

The moment he entered the room, she looked utterly lost, as though her escape route had been cut off.

If there had been an exit behind her, she would have fled without hesitation.

‘Am I really that uncomfortable for her?’

He wanted to know—but he couldn’t bring himself to ask, afraid of what answer she might give.

He hadn’t expected a day would come when he would once again be left fretting like this, unable to grasp Selina’s heart.

“Um… excuse me…”

After hesitating for a long while, Selina finally spoke, her face once again filled with worry that she might have done something wrong.

In the end, Calix let out a small sigh and said.

“If you’re feeling well enough, start getting ready to go out. There’s somewhere we’re going together.”

And just as expected—

“T-together?!”

Selina’s visible panic made it obvious how flustered she was.

Under normal circumstances, it would have seemed strange not to go everywhere together, but accompanying Calix seemed so frightening to the current Selina that her eyes trembled.

“Yes. I’ll see you downstairs.”

Calix answered lightly and turned away.

‘I need her memories to return—soon.’

What he needed most right now was for Selina to regain her memories.

Selina stepped outside wearing a beautiful outfit she had never worn before.

The ornate jewelry wrapped around her neck brushed against her skin, feeling especially rough and unfamiliar.

“Wow…”

She touched the reddened skin at the nape of her neck and found herself in a place that took her breath away.

The center of the square, where the festival was in full swing, was so dazzling that her eyes widened.

She had never experienced such a crowded place before. The excitement made her heart flutter, but she also felt a sense of tension.

“Selina.”

At that moment, Calix reached out and took her hand.

Startled by the sudden warmth of his touch—

“In case you get lost.”

He explained gently.

“Ah… thank you.”

Blushing, Selina held onto his hand.

With so many people around, gripping his hand tightly made her feel a little more at ease.

‘It’s warm.’

And more than that—the hand she had thought would be cold was unexpectedly warm. It almost felt as though she had discovered another side of Calix she hadn’t known before.

“Give it a try! A cheese tart so delicious you wouldn’t notice even if one of you died while eating it!”

“Wow. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life!”

Selina’s face lit up with wonder as she browsed the stalls.

Some sold mouth-watering food, while others offered desserts so beautiful they dazzled the eyes.

The merchants didn’t seem to realize they were the grand ducal couple, as they were wearing large hats that concealed their faces.

After wandering through the crowd and browsing the stalls for quite some time, Selina spotted a shop selling small dolls, about the size of an adult’s palm.

‘That doll…’

It was a girl doll with beautiful golden hair that fell all the way to her waist.

Suddenly, Selina thought the doll resembled Roche.

“I want to go too! I want to come with you!”

The child had thrown a tantrum, insisting on following Selina and Calix.

In the end, she had been held back by the servants and taken back to her room—but leaving her behind like that had weighed on Selina’s mind ever since.

‘I still can’t quite believe I have a daughter…’

Even so, the image of Roche looking so upset had stayed with her vividly, and she wanted to buy at least a small gift to comfort her.

‘Come to think of it, I was given some spending money when I left.’

That, too, was something she could never have dreamed of back at the monastery.

“Um…”

Selina glanced sideways at Calix.

She wanted to suggest going over to the doll stall.

“……”

But Calix’s attention was elsewhere.

His expression had gone cool and rigid, as though he were lost in thought.

‘W-what’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?’

Out of habit, Selina began to retrace her steps in her mind.

But nothing came to mind straight away.

She was holding onto Calix’s hand as he had instructed, taking care not to lose her way, while watching herself closely in case she crossed some invisible line.

If that happened, there would be only one answer.

‘He must be bored being with me.’

The feeling of floating on clouds plummeted in an instant.

In this situation, she couldn’t very well pester Calix about going to buy a doll.

‘Right. Let’s just look around a little more and then head back. That’s better.’

With a dejected heart, Selina turned her gaze away from the stall.

But there was something she didn’t know at all.

‘What kind of memory could possibly stay in Selina’s mind for a lifetime?’

Calix, in truth, was agonizing over an entirely different problem.

Before stepping outside with Selina, he had heard something from the physician.

“If milady is to recover her memories quickly, some form of shock therapy may be necessary.”

The physician in charge of Selina had offered advice on how her memories might return.

“For instance, you could try drawing out memories the two of you shared—ones that milady could never forget, the kind that would remain in her mind for the rest of her life.”

He had mulled over those words, but nothing came to him.

‘A memory she could never forget?’

As he walked, Calix reflected on the past.

Of all the turbulent days they had experienced, the time the two of them had spent together could be counted on one hand.

No matter how generously they were viewed, most of the events that stood out could hardly be called good memories, which only made things more difficult.

‘Come to think of it… what kind of memory am I to Selina?’

The thought struck him suddenly.

Seeing how Selina was kind to everyone else yet uniquely uncomfortable around him only deepened his unease.

It even crossed his mind that he might have remained in her memory as the worst of all.

‘D*mn it.’

The stray thoughts burrowing into his head kept him from focusing as they walked together.

Then, he looked down at Selina’s face—

“……”

Her expression was dark.

In that instant, it felt as though his heart dropped straight through his chest.

‘Yes. Maybe I really am an unpleasant memory to Selina.’

A suffocating tightness gripped his chest.

Calix released Selina’s hand for a moment and spoke to her.

“Wait here for a bit. I’ll be right back—I need to take care of something.”

He felt so lost that the thought of a cigarette—long since abandoned—rose unbidden to his mind.

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