Chapter 42

Lia, who had been chatting with her friends for quite some time, noticed that the day was drawing to a close and got up from her seat.  

Hearing that she hadn’t stocked up on any food supplies, Alma stopped her from leaving and told her to wait for a moment.  

“Here, take this home and eat it.”  

“You didn’t have to give me so much….”  

She was surprised by the food Alma brought from the kitchen, carrying it in heaps.  

“You only have two mouths to feed, don’t you?”  

“Still, this is too much. What about you and Raul?”  

“Raul’s hobby and specialty is cooking, so you don’t have to worry about us.”  

“That’s right, Lia. We’re close enough, so don’t feel burdened and just take it.”  

Raul also approached Alma and encouraged her.  

“…It feels like I’m being shameless, and I feel sorry for that.”  

“If you feel shameless and sorry, then bring us something rare from the Capital when you return next time.”  

“Alright. Tell me what you want, and I’ll bring it all.”  

She was deeply grateful to her friends for thinking of her.  

Refusing further would only hurt their feelings, so Lia accepted the basket of food Alma handed her.  

“Alright. Make sure to fill your bag to the brim when you come back.”  

“Okay.”  

It was just as Lia left Alma’s house and arrived back at the cabin.  

She ran into Johann, who was stepping outside.  

“Where are you going?”  

“I came out because you weren’t back even though it’s already late….”  

“I lost track of time chatting with my friends after so long. Were you waiting for me?”  

“…No, not really. As long as you’re here, it’s fine.”  

Johann, rubbing his hair that had become messy from sleeping, walked back inside.  

The back of his head looked like a bird’s nest.  

“…Pfft!”  

Lia let out a small laugh.  

‘He always woke up looking so disheveled like this, and I used to tease him for it….’  

Nothing has changed.  

“What? Why are you laughing?”  

He stopped mid-step and asked, annoyed.  

“Oh, no. It’s nothing.”  

Thinking he might get offended, Lia waved her hand dismissively.  

“……”  

He furrowed his brows and stared at her for a moment.  

Lia avoided his gaze and placed the basket of food she had received from her friends on the dining table.  

“This is dinner, made by my friend.”  

The meal consisted of grain bread, potato stew, mashed potato salad, seasonal raspberries from Lorem Mountain, and fresh goat milk from the goats her friends raised.  

“My friend is a great cook, so enjoy your meal.”  

Johann picked up his spoon and took a bite of the stew in front of him.  

Even though he was in a place where he had lived for years, he sat awkwardly, like someone who had been dropped into an unfamiliar environment, eating his meal.  

It was only natural, given that he had lost his memories, but Lia couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.  

‘…What was I expecting from someone who doesn’t remember anything?’  

She sighed inwardly and picked at the salad with her fork.  

After finishing their dinner, which was much more abundant than lunch, Lia went to wash up first.  

“Here’s a towel. You can wash up in there.”  

Having finished washing up, Lia pointed to the small bathroom that lacked a bathtub.  

“I’ve already heated some water for washing your face.”  

Unlike the aristocratic mansions or wealthy merchants’ houses, where hot water flowed daily thanks to magic stones, commoners’ homes only had cold water.  

‘I wonder if a man who has lived as a noble can manage to wash properly here.’  

“……”  

He looked at the bathroom with a serious expression.  

“What’s wrong?”  

“Nothing. It just hit me how different this life is.”  

“It must be quite uncomfortable….”  

“It’s not uncomfortable, so don’t worry about it.”  

Cutting her off, he headed to the bathroom.  

“…Then I’ll go to bed first. Good night.”  

“Alright.”  

Fortunately, he went to wash up without much complaint, and Lia went into her room.  

‘Ugh, this is so uncomfortable. How can it be this awkward?’  

She wished it would rain soon so she could pick the Dewflowers and put an end to this awkward situation.  

Once, just looking at him had made her smile, but now, even being in the same space felt uncomfortable.  

It was a situation both sad and ridiculous.  

‘Before regression, even when I’m still alive, Hart won’t regain his memories, so this awkwardness will probably continue.’  

Moreover, they used to sleep together in this bed after their marriage, but now, even with him here, she was lying alone, which felt strange.  

The reality that he no longer saw the cabin as familiar, that he was no longer her husband, and that she was terminally ill hit her harder than ever.  

Feeling melancholic, Lia pulled the blanket over her head and closed her eyes.  

***

Lia, who had fallen asleep, woke up with a dry throat.  

“Ahem.”  

As she headed to the kitchen to get some water, she noticed Rafaella’s door was slightly open.  

‘Is he not in the room?’  

After drinking some water, she went to Rafaella’s room and confirmed that Johann was not there.  

‘Where could he have gone?’  

It wasn’t like him to leave without a word.  

Turning her gaze toward the window, she spotted her husband outside.  

‘It’s still quite cold here in the northern mountains.’  

He was exercising outside in the middle of the night.  

“Can’t sleep?”  

Throwing on a coat, Lia stepped out of the cabin and approached Johann.  

He was doing push-ups with his left arm behind his back, using only one finger of his right hand.  

“I took a nap earlier, so I can’t sleep. What about you?”  

He didn’t seem surprised by her approach, as if he had known she was coming.  

“I woke up because I was thirsty.”  

“I’ll stay out here a bit longer, so don’t mind me and go back inside.”  

He stood up and spoke.  

“That….”  

For a moment, Lia hesitated when she saw a glimpse of his old self in the way he looked at her.  

‘Maybe it’s because his hair is down, unlike usual, even though his clothes are still luxurious….’  

“Exercising won’t help you sleep. Just go inside and close your eyes.”  

“If I can’t sleep, why should I close my eyes?”  

“Because your body must still be tired. It’s better to rest your eyes than to overwork yourself with exercise.”  

She had heard that teleportation magic physically exhausted the body, and overexerting himself just because he couldn’t sleep was unacceptable.  

‘I can’t let that happen.’  

While her own condition was terminal, he needed to stay healthy and live a long life by Rafaella’s side.  

To do that, he needed to take care of himself.  

“Go inside now.”  

Lia pushed his back, which was covered in firm muscles.  

“…Alright.”  

At her persistent urging, Johann gave up on his workout and went back inside.  

“Here. It’s not a tea that induces sleep, but warm water might help.”  

She seated him at the dining table and poured warm water into a cup for him.  

“…By the way, those wooden figurines in Rafaella’s room—did I make those?”  

“Yes, and not just those. Did you see the wooden swing outside earlier?”  

“I made that too?”  

“Yes. You and Raffy loved it so much when you made it.”  

“……”  

He had learned woodworking from Raul and quickly became skilled at it.  

Raul, the best woodworker in the village, had even asked him to become his apprentice.  

“Raul praised you so much back then….”  

“Raul?”  

“Yes. He’s one of the friends I met earlier.”  

Lia briefly explained the friends she had met.  

Having no friends of his own, Johann found it fascinating to hear her talk so enthusiastically about hers.  

Had I been friends with them too, during the time I couldn’t remember?  

‘It’s a pointless thought.’  

He shook his head slightly and decided to ask her something he was curious about.  

“What’s the lullaby you sing to Rafaella?”  

“A lullaby, all of a sudden?”  

“Before I came here, Rafaella asked me to sing it, but I couldn’t.”  

“You’re going to sing a lullaby?”  

Moved, she covered her mouth with her hand.  

“…Since she wants it, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to sing it at least once.”  

Smiling faintly at his response, she sang the lullaby she used to sing to her daughter, her voice slightly hoarse.  

Even though Johann was hearing the song for the first time, it gave him a strange sense of comfort, as if it were familiar.  

‘…It doesn’t bring back any memories, but.’  

Why does it feel so soothing to hear it?  

“Would you like to try singing it?”  

“…I’ll give it a shot.”  

She sang one line at a time, and he repeated after her.  

After finishing the song, Lia’s expression became somewhat amusing.  

“…Are you holding back laughter?”  

“I’m sorry. It just reminded me of the past.”  

Lia eventually let out a small laugh and looked apologetic.  

‘The past?’  

He grew slightly frustrated with his lack of memories.  

Rafaella had said he used to sing her lullabies, and now Lia was saying he sang them just as he used to.  

‘But I don’t remember any of it.’  

For the first time, his missing memories felt frustrating.  

“Still, you’re much better at it now than before. You’ll be able to sing it well soon enough.”  

Thinking he was frustrated because he couldn’t sing it well, Lia tried to console him.  

Unable to vent his frustration on anyone, Johann simply nodded.  

After a few more attempts with her help, he managed to sing the lullaby quite decently.  

“Yawn….”  

“If you’re sleepy, go to bed.”  

“Aren’t you sleepy, Duke?”  

Wiping away the tears from her yawn, Lia asked.  

“I’ll lie down and close my eyes, as you said.”  

“Then I’ll go to bed. You should try to get some rest too.”  

Yawning again, she returned to her room.  

Watching her retreating figure, Johann also went back to his room.  

Before she entered her room, he had wanted to say something.  

‘…Thank you for teaching me the lullaby.’  

But the words never left his throat, lingering just behind it.  

***

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Lia looked out the window and felt a surge of joy.  

The sky was filled with dark clouds.  

‘It’s going to rain soon!’