17: I Think I Really Loved You

‘Lady?’

Aella, who had been staring at Kael with a serious expression, saw him recognize Matteo, who had burst into the room in a panic. Then came Natasha. Following them was their son, Ian, the captain of the duchy’s knights.

Kael remembered everyone except for one person.

Aella Blueanz, the daughter of his enemy whom he had taken as his wife.

It was as if everything related to her had been erased from his mind. He couldn’t recall a single thing about her.

The doctor, who had hurriedly visited Kael’s room, explained that there were no visible injuries and cautiously suggested that Kael might be experiencing temporary amnesia.

‘Should I be happy about this or not?’

Aella felt her heart grow heavier once again.

What made it even harder was the way Kael looked at her—with such intensity. From the moment he woke up, he had been speaking to her and staring at her without looking away, as if he couldn’t help himself.

“Since the Duke has woken up, I will take my leave now.”

As Aella quickly left the room, Kael reached out to stop her but ended up clutching his throbbing head instead.

“Your Grace!”

“Haa, I’m fine. But… why does my chest hurt so much? Why does it hurt every time I look at that lady? And why is my heart racing like this?”

Matteo, who had been silently observing Kael muttering to himself, had a thought.

‘It would be better if the Duke never regained his lost memories. If that were the case…’

Matteo glanced at the tightly closed door before turning his head at the sound of Kael calling him.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Who is that lady?”

“She is Lady Aella, the daughter of Count Blueanz, whom you took as your wife.”

“My… my wife?!”

“That is correct.”

“My wife… my wife.”

Seeing Kael’s face gradually turning red, Matteo felt as though he was looking at the young master from years ago.

It reminded him of the boy who had secretly harbored feelings for his childhood friend, Aella.

“Your Grace.”

“Ah, where is my father?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you saying anything, Matteo?”

Matteo closed his eyes tightly.

‘So that’s it. The Duke has erased the memory he most wanted to forget.’

It was heartbreaking. To Matteo, who had watched Kael grow up from infancy just like his own son Ian, Kael was no different from his own child.

“Matteo?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Why do you keep calling me ‘Your Grace’? Don’t tell me something happened to my father?!”

“Please try to remain calm. Your Grace…”

Matteo helped Kael lie back down on the bed as he clutched his head in pain. Pulling the blanket up to Kael’s chest, Matteo explained that Kael had been unconscious for a week after falling from his horse.

“So… you’re saying my father was killed under someone’s orders?”

“…Yes.”

“Ha… Who… Who could…”

Watching Kael tremble with hatred and rage, Matteo felt as though he was seeing the Kael from before his memory loss.

‘I’ll need to make sure the servants keep their mouths shut. Especially…’

Rensi.

The first person who came to Matteo’s mind was the maid who dared to harbor feelings for the Duke and had been the most active in tormenting the Duchess. Knowing she would cause even greater trouble if left unchecked, Matteo resolved to find a reason to dismiss her for good.

‘It would be the best thing for the Duchess as well.’

While Matteo was deep in thought, Kael spoke to him again.

“So, when I returned here covered in blood after falling from my horse, the person who saved me was Aella, my wife?”

“That is correct. The Duchess is the only healer in this empire. She can heal any wound or illness.”

“Amazing! Ugh! Ah, d*mn it, my head keeps pounding.”

“I will bring the Duchess back to you.”

Although the thought of seeing Aella again pleased him, Kael couldn’t help but recall her face.

‘She looked so exhausted. On top of that, she cared for me for the entire week I was unconscious.’

“It’s fine.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s just a headache. It’ll pass soon enough. Let my… wife rest comfortably.”

“…Understood. Please rest well, Your Grace. Call for me if you need anything.”

Leaving a bell nearby, Matteo exited the room. Left alone in the spacious room, Kael closed his eyes and thought of Aella.

Her light brown hair and her deep yet bright brown eyes.

“I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman in my life. And she’s my wife… my wife… Ah, what am I thinking, like some beast!”

Slap!

Kael slapped both his cheeks, only to writhe in pain from the throbbing headache. He collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Aella Blueanz… Aella… who is now Hormons. My wife.”

Blushing furiously, Kael pulled the blanket up to cover half his face and clutched his pounding chest.

“I want to see her. Haa. But my father… my father is… gone.”

The death of his respected father brought a crushing pain to Kael’s chest.

“Father…”

Tears welled up in Kael’s eyes and rolled down his cheeks as he closed them.

***

While Kina chattered away as she helped Aella change into her nightgown, Aella finally spoke.

“Kina, you’re giving me a headache.”

“I… I’m sorry, my lady.”

“Haha, you’re something else. I could never stay mad at you.”

After patting Kina’s back to reassure her, Aella sat on the bed, holding Charlotte in her arms.

“Still, it’s a relief that the Duke woke up.”

“…Even after the way he’s treated you! My lady! Being kind is practically a disease!”

“Alright, alright. Stop getting so worked up. You must be tired, so go get some rest. No one’s been bothering you, right?”

“Well, at least the head maid was considerate enough to assign me a room separate from the other maids.”

“I’m grateful to her for that.”

Kina began pounding her chest in frustration.

“What is there to be grateful for?! My lady, when I think about how you’re being treated, I wake up in the middle of the night, furious!”

“I’m sorry.”

“My lady!”

Seeing Aella’s genuine apology, Kina felt her insides burn even more.

“My lady, let’s just run away. Please, before the Duke regains his memory!”

Aella gently held Kina’s wrists and spoke with a soft smile.

“I won’t run away. I’ll face it. That’s why I came here in the first place.”

“My lady… Haa, you must be tired. Please get some rest.”

“Goodnight, Kina.”

“Goodnight to you and Charlotte, my lady.”

“Meow~”

After stroking Charlotte’s head, Kina left the room. Aella let out a sigh and collapsed onto the bed.

“To be honest, I have no strength left in my body.”

“Meow~”

“Are you worried about me?”

When Charlotte rubbed her tiny face against Aella’s, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Thank you, Charlotte. Sleep well.”

After kissing Charlotte’s forehead, Aella stared at the now-familiar ceiling and closed her eyes.

“…”

When she opened them again, the image of Kael staring at her with a dazed expression came to mind.

His gaze wasn’t the icy one she had grown used to, but one that resembled a pure boy in love.

“If this is temporary amnesia, his memory will return eventually. And when it does…”

The thought of Kael reverting to his cold self made Aella clutch her chest in pain.

“Don’t get your hopes up. That’s right. To Kael, I’m nothing more than a target for revenge.”

Accepting the bitter reality, Aella closed her eyes and swallowed her tears.

***

The first place Aella went upon waking up was Kael’s room.

Knock, knock.

“Your Grace.”

“Come in.”

Hearing his soft voice, Aella carefully opened the door and entered.

“Good morning.”

“…”

Seeing Kael, who looked as gentle and kind as he had been in the past, Aella found herself at a loss for words.

“My wife?”

“Y-Yes?”

Kael approached Aella with long strides and met her gaze as she looked up at him.

‘She’s beautiful.’

‘Kael…’

As Kael stared at her with a dreamy expression, Aella felt her heart pounding uncontrollably.

For some reason, Kael had lost only the memories of her, the daughter of his enemy.

The man who had never even glanced at her, no matter what she endured in this house, was now blushing like a shy boy and staring at her with an intense gaze.

Just as Aella tried to avoid his gaze, his large, familiar hands gently rested on her shoulders.

Startled, Aella blinked rapidly, and Kael smiled as he spoke.

“I heard you’re my wife.”

“…”

“I don’t remember, but I think… I really loved you.”

Kael’s words sent Aella’s heart racing wildly. Loved her? She felt heat rise throughout her body at his words, even though she had maintained a friendship with him until his coming-of-age ceremony.

‘Get a grip, Aella. Kael only said that because he lost his memory. That’s all…’

“My wife.”

“…”

“Aella.”

Aella wanted to cover her ears and close her eyes. Hearing him call her name, something she thought she’d never hear again, was too much.

“We were deeply in love, weren’t we?”

“…”

“Just looking at you makes me want to keep looking.”

Kael smiled with certainty, and Aella forced a smile in return.

“Aella, my wife. Don’t be too upset that I’ve lost my memories of you. Even though I’ve forgotten, I’ve fallen in love with you all over again.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

Aella’s words were an attempt to maintain her composure, but Kael looked slightly confused.

“Your Grace?”

“…”

“There’s no one else here but us.”

“…Kael.”

When she called his name, Kael smiled like a child, and Aella was reminded of the past.

[Aella Blueanz, I will never call you fondly like I used to.]

The memory of his voice, colder than ice, echoed in her mind, making her head throb and her stomach churn.