“Master!”

Jayden came running from somewhere. Since he was still awake, it seemed he was on night watch.

“When did you arrive? I’ve confirmed that all the other knights have returned, but I couldn’t find you, so I was looking. I’ve been briefed on the situation, but should we—”

“Come back tomorrow.”

Leopold interrupted him, sounding tired, and Jayden immediately saluted and left. It was just as he had treated me before my return—a familiar, cool demeanor. Even if he seemed to have changed, perhaps his true nature hadn’t.

“Hazel.”

He moved in front of me and opened the entrance to the tent. I hesitated for a moment, unable to enter due to a strange tension. Noticing my expression, Leopold chuckled softly.

“I won’t bite.”

“It’s not that.”

For some reason, I felt exposed and hurried inside. I wanted to pinch my wildly beating heart.

The tent was sparsely furnished, likely due to the hasty preparations. There was a bed with a curtain drawn, a short cross-shaped coat rack, and a round table. A candle on the table flickered as if it might go out at any moment.

Leopold followed me in and walked briskly to the table, pulling out a chair. I naturally sat down and waited for him to get ready.

At some point, he had hung his cloak on the coat rack and, with his back to me, began unbuttoning his outer garment. Click, click, click. My nerves were on edge for no reason. I felt like I needed to distract myself with something else.

“Was the Marquis captured?”

“He was summarily executed.”

I was momentarily distracted by Leopold, but the reality was far from peaceful. The gruesome and dry response made me shut my eyes tightly.

“The Marquis… his wife too?”

“…Yes.”

I had spoken with her just a day ago. I had experienced death myself, but this was the first time I dealt with the death of someone I knew. It felt like a weight was pressing on my chest. I forced out a short sigh.

“The law of this country includes collective punishment. Even if time were reversed, there would be no way to help. I understand your sorrow, but you need to forget it.”

His words seemed intended to comfort me, but they clearly failed. If I could control my feelings as desired, leaving you wouldn’t be so difficult.

Feeling upset, I spoke to him as if I were accusing him.

“No. If I could turn back time, I would try hard to persuade them. I’d tell them to give up because this future awaits.”

“Do you think they would make a different choice? No one would gamble their present on a future they haven’t experienced.”

Suddenly, a forgotten passage from a book came to mind: ‘Moreover, only the caster retains all memories, which tends to excessively fuel the desire to change the future.’

If there was ever a chance to ask Leopold the truth, perhaps it was now…

With a trembling heart, I slowly began to speak.

“It sounds like if you had experienced the future, you would have risked the present… like I did.”

He stopped in the middle of setting down his outer garment.

“I have something to confess.”

I stood up and approached him, who remained motionless.

“Do you remember our first night together? I said something strange.”

“I’m not sure.”

“I said I was imagining you even in death.”

“…”

“That’s because I really did die once.”

Leopold slowly turned to look at me. At first glance, his face seemed expressionless, devoid of any emotion. However, his deep green eyes were swirling with confusion, and an unspoken question lingered at the corners of his neatly closed lips.

I steadfastly met his gaze and continued to explain.

“It happened five years after we got married. Before that, my magic gradually faded, and my body weakened. I thought I would die meaninglessly, so when I opened my eyes again, I vowed not to repeat the same life.”

Leopold’s face contorted more and more. If my return had nothing to do with him, it would indeed be bewildering, but I didn’t care.

“I was curious about why this happened, so I visited my teacher and read books.”

Our gazes, which had been locked, shifted slightly away from me. For the first time, he spoke.

“Did you… find the answer?”

“Once I discovered there was a caster, I decided not to delve further because it became too painful.”

“Why was it painful?”

“Because of the resentment I couldn’t let go of. The moment I confirmed my suspicions as truth, I felt I would blame the caster.”

I disliked feeling that way. I simply wanted to sever ties without ever hating Leopold. I didn’t want to endure years of suffering at great cost either.

“Do you understand now why I left the Duke’s estate? I just wanted to live freely, without being tied down by anything.”

“Is that impossible by my side?”

His gaze, which had been turned away, returned to me with a sorrowful voice.

I glimpsed a hint of sadness. Of course, this was because I wanted Leopold to want me, to yearn for me because he couldn’t hold on to me. Everyone sees and judges others as they wish. So, that pained expression was surely a delusion born from my selfishness, always craving his affection unilaterally.

Trying not to get too sentimental, I answered his question.

“Right after returning, I was sure it wouldn’t work… but now, I don’t know. You’re so different from the past.”

“…In what way?”

“We’re having a conversation like this. There’s no look of annoyance or anger. You might not believe it, but you really disliked me in the past.”

As if it was absurd, he shook his head vehemently.

“How could I ever dislike you?”

I couldn’t tell if it was a pleasant lie or a heartfelt confession. If Leopold was indeed the caster, it would be the former, but if not… a foolish desire to stay by his side longer arose.

His resolute face made it hard to read the answer, so I gathered the courage to ask.

“Did you perhaps use the return magic—”

“No.”

His answer was swift and firm, making my worries seem unfounded. He explained further.

“If I were the caster who returned, why would I come all the way here to endure unnecessary hardships? Knowing the future, I would have found a way to avoid bloodshed as much as possible. Don’t you think so?”

It was a convincing answer. The Leopold I knew wouldn’t start something he deemed inefficient…

“That’s… true. Moreover, as someone who serves His Majesty closely, you wouldn’t be unaware of the affairs of the duchy…”

I clasped my elbows and rested my chin as I pondered his words. There were a few things that bothered me about accepting them at face value. The awkward heartbeat, fainting from minor injuries, and his direct involvement in managing affairs far from his domain, as he mentioned. I felt like I was missing something.

Especially since, compared to others who hadn’t changed much, only Leopold’s attitude towards me was drastically different. He was attentive to my feelings. It made me wonder if we could become an ordinary couple.

If he retained memories of the past and mourned my early death even a little, this change was entirely possible. But if he had no memories from before the return and still changed… knowing Leopold’s nature, it was a change I found hard to understand.

Before I could delve deeper, Leopold took my hand as if to escort me and asked,

“If you were a returnee, did you know anything about the duchy’s situation?”

“I wasn’t interested in foreign affairs, and I was busy memorizing the names of the capital’s nobles. I didn’t want to be a burden to you.”

His unexpected question caught me off guard, but it was a reasonable one. Feeling slightly embarrassed as if I was using him as an excuse, I pulled my hand away.

“I see. Because of me… I’m sorry.”

Leopold lowered his eyes as if he were a scolded child. It was unusual for him to apologize for something so trivial, and his subdued tone felt even more uncharacteristic.

“It was my choice. There’s nothing to apologize for.”

I shook my head to show it was alright, then turned and grasped the back of a chair a few steps away. My mind was in turmoil with a strange sense of regret.

Had I secretly hoped he was the caster? And that the reason was me… Despite wanting to escape from him, the pathetic thought wouldn’t leave me.

On the other hand, a sense of relief washed over me. At least the Leopold in front of me now wasn’t suffering like the casters described in books.

“Hazel.”

When I turned at the gentle voice flowing like a calm wave, I saw him sitting on the bed, patting the spot beside him.

“You promised to put me to sleep. Stop thinking and come here.”

His casual demeanor made my earlier seriousness seem laughable. Drawn like a magnet, I approached him, and he extended his hand. It seemed he wanted me to infuse him with magic.

“Lie down. If you fall asleep like this, you’ll topple over.”

“No, just give me your hand.”

Tilting my head in confusion, I took his hand, and, as if waiting for it, Leopold gently pulled me forward. My balance tipped forward. Before I knew it, my waist was encircled by his strong, firm arm, and I ended up sitting on his thigh like a chair.

“What are you doing—”

“Shh.”

Holding me securely, he slowly brushed his thumb across my lips. The distance was too close. Even without a mirror, I could feel my face burning.

When I lowered my head to avoid his intense gaze, I heard a very soft chuckle. I wanted to push him away, but embarrassment had turned me to ice, unable to move.

Eventually, Leopold carefully cradled my head and rested it against his chest as if holding a child. His heartbeat, though not as fast as mine, was quite rapid as it resonated through me. Realizing I wasn’t the only one tense calmed me a little. With my face buried, I mumbled as if talking to myself.

“You’re so unfamiliar, I don’t know what to do.”

“Forget the past. This is who I am now.”

His gentle pats continued.

All this kindness was overwhelmingly sweet, so I simply nodded. There was no reason to refuse a reality warmer than I had imagined. Soon, as if hypnotized by the steady rhythm, my consciousness began to fade.