‘He really made a magic contract.’

Edgar Shortiras had truly provided evidence that made her have to trust him.

Melissa quickly examined her body with magic.

Even after checking again just to be sure, the result remained the same.

The contract had truly been established.

A magic contract to break a magic contract.

‘……So this is how it feels to directly make a contract.’

Melissa swallowed dryly, feeling somewhat tense.

Of course, she had made one with Lloyd when they were children, but this was completely different. Perhaps because the person executing the contract was human, she definitely felt a stronger bond with the other person just from making the contract.

If she had to describe it, it was similar to the magical contract between the Lucid clan and the Shortiras ducal family that had been established before Melissa was born.

‘No, it feels even stronger than that.’

She had heard that Lucid, who executed the magical contract between the two families, was quite skilled, but apparently not compared to Edgar.

Of course, that didn’t mean Lucid wasn’t extraordinary.

Lucid was already a woman with brilliant abilities beyond magic, requiring no further proof.

A human loved by the great deity Hagios.

A being capable of foresight without paying any price.

‘From the beginning, “precognition” was prepared only for Lucid.’

Melissa knew this fact better than anyone.

She couldn’t help but know it while possessing this power. The pain that came with each precognition, the disturbing sensation of forcibly possessing something that belonged to someone else.

She didn’t know what unnatural process had brought this power to her, but one thing was certain.

Lucid probably didn’t like her bloodline very much.

‘Otherwise, making such a magic contract would be strange.’

Lucid had essentially abandoned all her future descendants. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Lucid had turned her descendants into slaves of precognition. The fate of the clan had been decided even before they were born.

But why would Edgar go this far?

Even if he liked her, a magic contract wasn’t something easily decided for such a reason.

If something went wrong, it could truly lead to disaster.

‘What price would he pay for breaking the contract?’

The prices for breaking magical contracts varied widely.

No one could know what kind of price had been set until the moment came to pay it. She could only guess that the price wouldn’t be trivial for a contract made by Edgar, the future Tower Master.

Melissa slowly rose from Edgar’s embrace.

Then she met his eyes as he looked at her.

Edgar was smiling.

Unlike someone who had just completed an enormous contract.

“Are you a little more at ease now, Melissa?”

Is this the time to worry about such things?

Melissa sighed with complicated feelings.

Human affairs are truly unpredictable.

Something could really go wrong, making it impossible to fulfill the contract. Edgar must know this too, yet he seemed unconcerned.

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

Edgar said softly.

As if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

“I don’t deserve that from you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean my father.”

Edgar let out a small sigh.

“You know how my father treated you. He mistreated you when you were still young. Starting from the day your mother passed away.”

“……”

“And to let you suffer like that……”

Edgar’s face hardened coldly.

“I’m sorry, let me apologize on his behalf.”

Though he didn’t explain precisely, Melissa knew which incident he was referring to.

He meant the time after Edgar left for the Magic Tower, when Crown Prince Ernel visited the Empire. That exact moment when Melissa made an incorrect prophecy, angering Lionel to the point where he struck her.

‘But I did that on purpose.’

She needed a definite excuse to leave the Shortiras ducal residence.

It was a kind of performance, if one were to be precise.

A performance for Lloyd and the imperial knights to witness.

So she never intended to receive an apology for this. If it was going to happen, it should have been done long ago.

Before Melissa Lucid returned to the past. Before she threw herself into the pond, unable to endure the suffering any longer. Before she wrote a letter asking for help, only to crumple the paper in tears, knowing it would be useless.

The apology came too late.

Moreover, he was apologizing for the wrong thing.

The Edgar in this life would probably never know, even if he lived his entire life, but what he should truly be sorry for was something else. It shouldn’t end with merely apologizing on Lionel’s behalf.

But…

“I’m truly sorry, Melissa.”

Strangely, hearing this misplaced apology didn’t feel bad. Her eyes inexplicably began to redden.

[I have placed your savior by your side. That child will make you comfortable.]

My savior sent by God.

Actions that seemed perfectly tailored to that role.

“On the day I receive the title of duke, I’ll break the magic contract right away.”

The one who abandoned her in her previous life.

“I’ll remove any shackles that bind you, whatever they may be.”

Kept saying the words she needed.

“I’m willing to do anything for that purpose.”

The words she had wanted to hear more than anything.

Melissa tightly gripped the blanket in her hands.

Edgar was certainly different from the past.

Her heart pounded.

* * *

Ordinary days followed after that.

Edgar remained by her side as usual.

She hadn’t met Lloyd since that day.

Melissa didn’t seek out Lloyd, nor did he come looking for her. Though no one had suggested it, things naturally turned out that way.

While it wasn’t completely comfortable, she didn’t regret what happened that day. Melissa knew she needed Edgar more than Lloyd right now.

Walking back after being summoned to perform precognition as usual, Melissa momentarily stopped her steps due to a sudden increase in pain. She stood before a stone bridge over a stream.

She held her head and turned around.

Lloyd’s residence was visible not far away.

The interior visible through the window was dark.

‘Is he not in today either?’

Lloyd had barely stayed at his residence recently, busy with something. From what she heard, he was investigating something.

‘I hope it’s nothing serious.’

As she thought this, Melissa frowned.

The throbbing sensation grew worse than before.

Despite having possessed the power of precognition for quite some time, she never got used to this pain.

‘It would have been nice if Edgar were here.’

Melissa flinched at this thought that came unconsciously.

A small laugh escaped between her lips. The flow of her thoughts had been too natural. Since when had she started thinking this way? Since when had Edgar’s presence become something expected?

‘……The boundaries have crumbled significantly.’

She had been separated from Edgar for six whole years.

During that time, Melissa had lived quite well. She neither needed nor missed Edgar. This happened because she had worked desperately to make it so.

However, Edgar, who suddenly came looking for Melissa, made it all disappear. He acted friendly and affectionate as if they had never been apart.

The feelings she had tied up with all her strength and buried deep began to emerge from the collapsed ground. Should she bring them out or not? She contemplated this hundreds of times each day.

But in the end, Melissa chose to bury them again.

The reason was simple.

Because she would remember whenever she started to forget. Why she had buried those feelings out of sight. How many wounds she had inside. Who had caused them.

‘Yes, that’s the kind of person you were.’

Then why was he different in this life, making things difficult for her?

Why did he act as if her deeply torn wounds could heal?

“It hurts……”

Melissa murmured quietly.

It hurts. Something feels like it’s stabbing me.

She clutched her head and bent over.

Then, a familiar voice reached her ears.

“Melissa.”

Edgar stood before her.

On the other side of the stone bridge, perfectly straight.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

I hate you so much.

“Did you just come back from having another foresight? I told you not to overdo it.”

I wish you would roll in mud. I hate you.

“Don’t move and stay still. I’ll come over to you.”

I resent the god who chose you as my savior.

And…….

“It’s okay now, Melissa.”

Edgar crossed the stream and embraced Melissa tightly.

He patted her back with slow, gentle strokes.

The pain gradually disappeared.

And you…….

‘I wish you would never leave my side.’

A mixture of contradictions, emotions too complicated to express.

Melissa pushed aside her complex feelings and looked up at Edgar with a smile. What should she do from now on?

“I missed you.”

At those words, Edgar, who had been examining her with concern, smiled.

His blue eyes curved like crescent moons.

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

“Where were you heading?”

“I obviously came to see you.”

“How did you know I was here?”

When she asked without thinking, his smile widened.

It was a somewhat awkward smile.

“Well. Perhaps our hearts connected.”

Edgar smiled softly, and before Melissa could say anything, he pulled out a pocket watch from his embrace. After checking the time, he murmured quietly.