Melissa recited exactly what Edgar had said.

She never thought she would act so recklessly.

But right now, she truly didn’t care.

Even if someone caught her, it seemed like it wouldn’t matter much.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Melissa lightly brushed up Edgar’s hair.

His straight forehead was revealed.

Melissa’s magical power flew toward his forehead. Then it slowly carved something above it. When the magical power finally disappeared, only a small drawing remained.

It was a pink freesia.

Melissa slowly lowered her lips to that spot.

With a wish she had never thought she would make.

“I hope you’ll be happy.”

Melissa said as she lifted her lips from Edgar’s forehead.

Her heart pounded loudly.

Even though it wasn’t words spoken on impulse.

She suddenly realized that she had said completely opposite words to the same person.

[I hope you’re miserable for the rest of your life.]

In that most desperate moment.

Melissa had poured such a curse on Edgar.

Of course, the Edgar she saw then probably wasn’t the real Edgar.

Edgar had come to the temple prison, smiled coldly, and left as if he would never come to find Melissa again. And he wasn’t someone who would leave Melissa to die quietly.

He was a man who had even acted like he liked her to keep the Lucid clan captive. There was no way he would just watch her take her own life.

‘It’s strange when I think about it now.’

How did things come to this point?

Recently, it had been a series of unthinkable events.

Edgar Shortiras confessing that he liked her.

Saying he would definitely break the magical contract between the Shortiras ducal family and the Lucid clan, and making a new magical contract to prove this.

On top of that, finding a country that hadn’t had their coming-of-age ceremony yet and bringing her there for her sake, since she couldn’t properly have her coming-of-age ceremony.

Edgar Shortiras had certainly changed.

To the point where his previous life’s appearance couldn’t be found at all.

Of course, anger that had lost its target was still raging in Melissa’s heart. There was a deeply festering resentment.

But she thought this was enough, this much was sufficient.

‘I hope you’ll be happy in this life.’

Melissa added words she couldn’t bring herself to say out loud.

She wanted the man before her eyes to keep smiling.

At least until now.

Melissa removed her hands and stepped slightly away from Edgar.

He had lowered his head at some point.

“Congratulations on coming of age too, Edgar. I carved a small talisman with magical power on your forehead. It’s a talisman wishing for happiness.”

“……”

“Of course, I don’t have outstanding talent in magic like you, nor do I have much magical power, so it won’t last very long. But it should last about a year. It’ll help you a little, won’t it?”

But he remained silent for a long time.

She began to doubt whether he was listening properly.

Finally, unable to wait any longer, Melissa bent her waist slightly.

“Edgar? Are you listening?”

Only then did Edgar, who had been still, lift his head.

The eyes that had been hidden by his hair were revealed. Seeing those eyes, Melissa opened her eyes wide.

“You……”

Melissa was about to say something but trailed off. She didn’t know what to say.

Because Edgar was crying.

Tears had gathered in his blue eyes, unable to fall. Just one blink would send them down, but it was as if even that small act was too difficult.

He raised his gaze to look at Melissa.

His tightly closed mouth slowly opened.

“Just once……”

“Huh?”

“Say it once more.”

It was a rough voice as if scraping his vocal cords.

At this sight she had never seen before in either her previous life or this one, Melissa unconsciously reached out to Edgar again. Her hands carefully wrapped around Edgar’s cheeks. Through their contact, she could feel him trembling.

“Which part?”

“The very first…… what you said while carving the talisman.”

“Ah.”

Melissa realized which words Edgar was referring to.

But separate from that, she couldn’t understand why he was acting like this. Wasn’t that just a commonly used phrase? Something often used like a greeting between people.

He was crying over just such words?

Something was a little strange.

‘But well, there’s no reason I can’t say it.’

Melissa faced Edgar and spoke quietly.

“I hope you’ll be happy, Edgar.”

Drip drip.

As soon as those words ended, tears fell from his eyes.

The expression ‘fell’ was literally correct.

His blue eyes, moistly wet, were blurred. Edgar chewed his lips. He seemed to be suppressing his emotions even like that. Melissa stared blankly at his face that had become a mess.

Why, why was he acting like this?

Somehow feeling anxious, Melissa asked urgently.

“Did something happen by any chance? What did the northern people say? Or is it the Magic Tower? Did some problem arise because you’re here……”

“……It’s okay.”

Edgar cut off her continuing words.

Though he paused a little, it was a very clear voice without any mumbling.

“Everything’s okay now, really.”

Edgar took a breath.

Soon he properly met eyes with her.

Melissa felt a little relieved at that, then hesitated for a moment. She had just realized what position she was in.

Ah, this is….. without knowing it.

‘I keep acting like we’re ordinary lovers.’

Melissa quickly removed her hands from Edgar’s face.

At that moment, Edgar, who had been still, reached out his hand. Then he pulled Melissa’s wrist, which was about to move away, toward himself.

One of her hands touched his cheek again.

“Stay like this for just a moment.”

Edgar buried his face in her hand.

Melissa trembled in surprise at the soft sensation touching her palm. She turned her head away quickly, feeling a bit embarrassed, and hurriedly changed the subject.

“A-anyway, it’s a coming-of-age ceremony commemorative gift, so please accept it well.”

“You mean the freesia carved on my forehead?”

“……How did you know it was a freesia?”

She had never told him what shape it was yet.

Melissa tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand.

Edgar, who had been quietly watching her, laughed softly.

“Haha, just…. I just knew right away.”

“You’re a bit strange today. You were crying just moments ago.”

“It wasn’t because I was sad in the first place.”

It wasn’t because he was sad?

But……

Melissa recalled Edgar’s face from a moment ago.

He certainly wasn’t crying from joy. But of course, that didn’t mean it was a sad expression either, but it was difficult to see it as purely positive.

Come to think of it, why had she naturally thought Edgar’s face looked sad when she saw it?

Even though there was absolutely no reason for that.

“Did you do this on my forehead as a substitute for a flower crown?”

Melissa’s continuing thoughts were interrupted by Edgar.

She looked at him again and said.

“Yes. Maybe because it was late, I didn’t see any places selling flower crowns nearby, and it felt a bit awkward to give back what I had received.”

Melissa scratched her cheek as she continued speaking.

She wondered if she had done it too carelessly.

Hadn’t Edgar brought her all the way to the Kingdom of Esmira saying he would let her properly enjoy the coming-of-age ceremony? He had covered all the costs for today’s food and entertainment, and prepared the flower crown too.

On top of that, even the ring now on her finger…..

Melissa became serious as she recalled the brilliantly shining gem.

……Ah, this won’t do.

“Even if you don’t like it, please be satisfied with that for now. That’s all I have to give you right now. I couldn’t prepare anything because we came in such a hurry.”

“……”

“I’ll properly repay you when we return to the north. So don’t be too disappointed……”

“I’m not disappointed.”

Edgar lightly kissed Melissa’s palm.

“I like this much better.”

The spot where his lips touched felt ticklish.

“A flower crown wouldn’t really suit me anyway.”

“……Wouldn’t it be good to look in a mirror sometimes?”

Not suit him, what nonsense. It would suit him so well it would be a problem.

Hearing her quiet muttering, Edgar burst into loud laughter, unlike before. He stretched out his opposite arm and pulled her waist.

Melissa was pulled along and embraced in his broad chest.

“Anyway, it’s true. I was so happy.”

Edgar truly looked happy when he said that.

Watching that face, Melissa felt a bit strange.

She, who had been dazed for a moment, reached out her hand and slowly stroked Edgar’s hair.

Even though a cold wind was blowing, strangely it wasn’t cold.

* * *

After that, Melissa’s eyes when looking at Edgar changed somewhat.

Of course, she still used him whenever she was in pain from using precognition. Memories from her past life kept popping up unexpectedly.

When that happened, Edgar was terribly resentful.

But emotions separate from that also gradually grew.

A simple desire to be together had emerged.

‘There’s no longer any reason to be wary.’

No matter how she thought about it, Edgar in this life was different from before.

It was practically fair to say he was a completely different person.

Moreover,

[Didn’t I already tell you before? That I like you.]

……Edgar liked her.

Since she was already living her second life and had experienced all sorts of things, Melissa could now generally distinguish whether the words she heard were sincere or not.

And in Edgar’s case, it was clearly the former.

‘He even promised to break the magical contract.’

He had even made an additional magical contract about it, worried she might not believe him. When he had made things this certain, it was difficult to doubt him further.

Melissa walked along, sighing softly.

She had just returned from doing precognition for people today as well.

The wind, now at a somewhat milder temperature, thoroughly tousled her hair. It was a signal that winter, which had terribly tormented the north, was gradually retreating.

‘Did Edgar say he would be home today?’