He quickly spread out the map and began examining every path and mountain ridge, using D’Agnon as a reference point. He needed to act swiftly to prevent any complications.

He was just about to start deploying the troops when—

“Prince Raphael is here!”

Without asking for permission, someone barged in and opened the door. Leopold grimaced, closing his eyes tightly.

“Are you leaving too, Duke?”

A hurried voice reached him first.

“Hazel left this behind. She said to take care. Leaving so suddenly without even a goodbye…!”

When he opened his eyes, he saw a letter in Raphael’s hand. He could roughly guess the situation. He wanted to dismiss it as none of his concern whether she left or not, but this was the royal palace, and that naive fellow was the next in line for the throne. Therefore, it was better to maintain some decorum.

“That letter is her farewell. I will be leaving at first light as well.”

He spoke coldly, forcing himself to look away from the letter.

Raphael seemed at a loss for words and remained still. Treating him as if he were invisible seemed the least rude option, so Leopold refocused on the map.

However, a loud sigh soon filled the room, as if meant to be heard. Leopold suppressed his annoyance as much as possible and turned his gaze to Raphael.

“I don’t know what it is, but it seems you have quite a dramatic argument with your spouse.”

An argument between spouses. How nice it would be to have such an ordinary relationship. To be able to show one’s true feelings, knowing the other wouldn’t turn away. That would never happen between him and Hazel.

“If you have nothing to say other than picking a fight, it would be best to leave.”

He brushed off the fleeting, trivial thought and warned once more. He didn’t have the energy to deal with such trifles now. But no matter how long he waited, he didn’t hear the door open. Perhaps Raphael was too clueless to grasp the underlying meaning of his words.

“Are you not leaving?”

When he asked directly, Raphael looked at him squarely.

“Hazel said something like this: She felt like she would die from the pain if she got hurt by you, Duke. It’s an extreme and strange thing to say.”

It was an unexpected revelation. He hadn’t imagined they had such deep conversations. But even putting that aside, he knew all too well what “feeling like dying from the pain” meant. Hazel had indeed been hurt so much by Leopold that she eventually died from it…

But he pretended not to understand.

“…What exactly are you trying to say?”

Raphael wiped all expression from his face and explained calmly.

“In her dreams, she said she actually died from being hurt. I thought it was foolish to endure when things got tough, whether in reality or in dreams.”

He didn’t want to hear more, but he couldn’t stop it. It was as if Hazel was pouring out her heart through someone else’s mouth.

“But the thought kept lingering in my mind. What kind of feeling is that?”

Leopold only realized what that feeling was after Hazel died. His plan to simply make her run away, thinking that would be enough, was not just stupid—it was atrocious and disgusting.

“When I put myself in that situation, I surprisingly found the answer easily. You might find it unpleasant, though.”

“If you know it’s unpleasant, it would be better to keep your mouth shut.”

He felt he shouldn’t hear what came next. The cruelty of his actions was so severe that every moment he understood Hazel’s feelings brought him endless pain.

But Raphael didn’t stop.

“It’s because she loved you too much.”

Leopold clenched his teeth.

“To the point where even if you’re broken, you can’t leave their side. You just endure it all.”

He barely supported himself with his fist on the desk, trying to regain his composure. Hearing what he had only thought about being spoken by someone else made the pain even more vivid.

“Whether in Fojetta or now, her decision to leave was likely an instinct for survival. A kind of defense mechanism, you could say. No one wants to die from heartbreak over being hurt by someone else.”

It was a bold statement. It wasn’t something to be dismissed as mere instinct or a defense mechanism. Before going back in time, at least in Fojetta, that might have been the case, but this time it was different. Hazel was angry and upset because he hadn’t been genuine with her.

Wait, angry and upset…?

“Then isn’t the solution actually quite simple? Just make sure she doesn’t get hurt! Please, don’t hurt her!”

Raphael, raising his voice like he was angry, finished his pompous lecture and stormed out of the room.

Leopold was left in a daze.

‘When I didn’t grant her requests, Hazel often swallowed her tears. I still don’t fully understand why she cried.’

‘It’s because she was disappointed and upset. She might have been angry too. When people give their heart, they unknowingly start to expect things, and when those expectations are shattered, that’s usually how it goes.’

‘I’ve never had expectations from someone I gave my heart to, so I don’t really understand.’

‘Tsk. If you follow Hazel’s timeline, you’ll start to understand a little.’

Perhaps Hazel was once again as upset as she had been hopeful…

If that were the case, he already wanted to sincerely apologize, and if he went to her and showed his remorse…

The storm raging in his heart calmed down just a little.

***

The morning in the rural village began very early. I wanted to sleep more, but the roosters crowing loudly all around forced me to open my eyes.

Alisa seemed to have gotten up even earlier than I did, as I could hear clattering sounds from downstairs. After tidying my hair, I went down to the first floor.

“Alisa, when did you get up?”

“Healer! Did you sleep well last night?”

She was holding a teapot in her hands. I shouldn’t drink just any tea from now on. But I didn’t want to spoil what might be my last precious tea time by complaining, so I held my tongue.

“Thanks to you, I slept well. The bed was very comfortable. How about you, Alisa?”

“I don’t know if it’s because I’m so full of energy, but my eyes opened on their own! I can’t remember the last time I slept so deeply. Would you like a cup too, Healer?”

“Sure.”

Seeing her face filled with happiness, my heart felt full too. Although she’ll need to adjust her diet a bit, Alisa will be healthy for life. That means Emily won’t have to face an urgent situation where she has to leave for her hometown.

I sat at the round table, quietly watching her brew the tea. Through the steam, all the events since my return appeared like visions.

Until the moment I left the palace, Leopold was still someone who hurt me, and my life seemed unchanged. However, if I erased his presence, my life after returning was completely different. The good people who would have died in Fojetta, Raphael, the innocent citizens and soldiers of the principality, and even Alisa here. The number of people I saved was not small. I was already heading in the direction I wanted for my life, and there was no need to involve Leopold in it…

I slowly savored the slightly cooled tea. It was made with fresh young leaves, yet somehow it had the bitterness of fully grown ones. If I completely forgot about him, would this bitterness disappear too?

“Healer, would you like to visit the study room with me today? The kids were curious. They’re a bit mischievous, but they’re so cute and kind that I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I’ll show you around the village too!”

Alisa, who had been quietly sipping her tea, raised her voice deliberately. She must have noticed my expression darkening suddenly. I needed to cut off these thoughts that were burying me beneath the ground.

“Sounds good.”

I put down the teacup I was holding and gave her a big smile.

***

We spent the entire morning unpacking and organizing our things and had a hearty lunch before finally leaving the house. Alisa, true to her role as a teacher, explained everything so well that I already felt like a full-fledged member of D’Agnon as we walked together.

“…So, they divided the village into the lower village on the left and the upper village on the right, centered around this stream.”

“So, Alisa’s house is in the lower village?”

“Yes, that’s right. But it’s kind of funny to divide a village with less than fifty households into upper and lower sections. Anyway, the villagers call it that for convenience.”

Nodding, I asked a question that had been on my mind.

“But there don’t seem to be any shops around? I haven’t seen any houses that look like stores.”

“Oh, just across the bridge in the upper village, there’s Mr. John’s grocery store. We don’t buy things from there; instead, he goes to the Soltanir estate once a week and brings back anything we request. He also stocks up generously and displays them in his store. Do you need anything?”

I started counting on my fingers.

“Well, I need some small glass jars, a pot for boiling herbs, a magnifying glass, a sickle, a cutting board, and also…”

There were quite a few things I intended to buy upon arriving in D’Agnon. Glass and metal items were too heavy to carry with me.

But Alisa seemed a bit taken aback by my unexpected list, hesitating for a moment.

“It seems like there are a lot of unusual items on your list… but I’m sure Mr. John can get them for you. Make a list first. Let’s go visit him together tomorrow.”

“Okay. I feel reassured with you around, Alisa.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just sharing what I know—”

Suddenly, she stopped speaking. Her face looked even more surprised than the expression I’d just seen. I turned to look behind me and immediately understood why.

“Teacher!”

“Wow!”

“Aaaaaahh!”

“Those little rascals…!”

In the distance, a small group was noisily shouting and running toward us.