Leopold felt as if his breath had stopped for a moment. His heart ached at the sight of the dazzling smile he thought he would never see again.

His heart shouldn’t be beating so strangely. Hazel mustn’t notice…

Even though he was anxious, he desperately missed the delicate hand that had moved away from his chest. If only he could embrace her and beg for forgiveness right now.

But an overwhelming fear held him back. Hazel must never discover that he had memories of the past…

From the moment Hazel woke up, she had been self-deprecating about her love and deeply regretting it. Her desire to annul the marriage and leave likely stemmed from the same feelings.

If she were to learn the truth now, he would lose the chance to face her and speak to her as he had today. After all the effort he had put into bringing her back, not seeing Hazel was far worse than being a hypocrite.

So, he needed to keep her close for the time being. But he had to ensure that she never suspected anything.

When asked if it was about appearances, he couldn’t deny it; it was the same logic. It wasn’t the time to act hastily.

“I’ll go and rest first.”

Hazel, sounding relieved, bid him farewell and left the dining room without waiting for a response. The distance in her every action was painful.

Could he change her mind…

Leopold took a deep breath and sank into the chair where Hazel had sat, his face pale.

Somehow, it felt like a bit of warmth remained. Taking comfort in that, he leaned his head against the backrest and closed his eyes.

The effects of the medicine didn’t last long, and the physical strain was immense, so the overwhelming fatigue came as no surprise.

Peter approached, making his presence known with concern, but Leopold signaled with a light gesture for everyone to leave.

Soon, a silence descended, as if time had stopped.

Suddenly, he felt uneasy about having followed Hazel to find Isabel. Although he had asked her to keep everything a secret, she had always sided with Hazel, both in the past and now.

Before the regression, after deciding to turn back time, Leopold had visited Isabel daily. Even after successfully persuading her, he activated the regression magic under her supervision every evening.

He spent five long years that way, exactly as long as he had been married to Hazel.

The mental and physical pain was unbearable, and Isabel constantly urged him to stop, saying it wouldn’t be surprising if he died. Her sarcastic remarks about how Hazel would hardly appreciate such actions were as frequent as breathing.

Exhausted by her nagging, he even vowed that if he succeeded in regressing, he would cut the academy’s funding and never see Isabel again.

However, the side effects that manifested after the regression were not something he could handle alone.

Carefully avoiding Hazel’s path, Leopold reluctantly visited the academy and had to confess everything to obtain the medicine.

‘In the morning, Hazel came, and now even the Duke at lunchtime. What on earth is happening?’

She didn’t hide her curious gaze and clicked her tongue, clearly exasperated after hearing Leopold’s story.

‘No matter what, turning back time? You’ve lost your mind.’

‘It was the best option. Anyway, that’s not what’s important now. Please give me medicine that can conceal my condition.”

‘Not cure, but conceal? Why?’

‘I know only Hazel can heal me. But I don’t want her to know that I’ve also regressed.’

‘Whether you tell her or not is your choice, Duke, but I can’t assist in a suicidal act. I’m a healer too, after all.’

Isabel, who subtly recommended treatment, spoke as if his death was a foregone conclusion.

He didn’t want to admit it, but the flow of magic around his heart was so unstable that he couldn’t dismiss the possibility of dying. However, since the timing was uncertain, such debates felt merely exhausting.

Fortunately, Leopold had wealth as his weapon, and he was known for being ruthless at the negotiation table.

‘If you don’t help, the Lawrence family will cease all future funding to the academy.’

‘Leo!’

‘Please, Headmistress, I beg you.’

Isabel, who regarded the academy as her own, cursed but eventually handed over the medicine.

‘You know this medicine is forbidden due to the risk it poses to sick royals.’

‘Yes.’

‘I see you’ve already involved yourself in something you shouldn’t have. What’s the use of an old woman’s words now? May God watch over this poor soul.’

‘As you know, please keep everything I’ve told you today a secret from Hazel.’

‘I can’t understand why you’d want to hide it.’

‘…Because I’m a worthless man.’

‘It seems you don’t want to tell me either. Anyway, whether it’s this guy or that guy… Tsk tsk. Even if you let it slide for now, one day you’ll have to tell her everything. Otherwise, what’s the point of risking your life to go back to the past?’

Her voice, scolding him, grew louder.

Indeed, it must have seemed foolish to make a life-risking choice only to engage in another foolish act. But what other option was there?

Could he have wished for the contradictory situation where he wanted to hold onto her no matter what, and thus had to pretend not to know?

Shaking off the conversation with Isabel from his mind, Leopold let out a self-mocking laugh. A sigh lightly spread across the once-quiet dining room.

The emperor’s closest confidant, known for being rational and cold—a meticulous and wise lord who never made a mistake.

Such lofty titles always crumbled to nothing in Hazel’s presence.

When it came to her, no one was more swayed by emotion than Leopold himself. He was the one who had brought things to this point with a wrong choice.

In truth, he knew.

If he gave up, everything would proceed as it should. If he didn’t have such childish greed, he wouldn’t have made such absurd requests to Isabel or deceived Hazel. Perhaps he was messing everything up from the beginning again.

But still, he wanted to be by Hazel’s side, even if it meant being unreasonable.

It didn’t matter if she no longer poured her heart into him as she once did, or if her merciful nature allowed her to be near him only once a year. He could even accept her giving her heart to another man.

Leopold simply wanted to let her know.

That he never disliked Hazel and, instead, loved her with all his heart to the point that he would give his life two or three times over.

Additionally, he wished for her happiness without suffering from the wounds he had left.

If he could add a small selfish wish, it would be to stay by her side, pretending to be a new person…

For that, honestly, his life didn’t matter at all.

***

Tossing and turning all night, pondering what to do next, I finally got out of bed before the sun fully rose.

Could I really persuade Mother by myself?

Honestly, it seemed nearly impossible without my husband’s cooperation. She was the one who had pushed for our marriage, and without a convincing reason, saying he wanted to annul the marriage or leave the estate would surely meet with opposition.

Even if I managed to secure an audience with His Majesty, if Mother intervened, it would be difficult to achieve independent status or funding. I would insist on taking responsibility for everything… I couldn’t carry the Lawrence name like a tag after deciding to leave Leopold.

Shaking my throbbing head, I pulled the bell cord. I needed a calming cup of tea.

Soon, Emily, always impeccably composed, appeared.

“You called, Madam?”

“Yes, could you bring me a cup of tea?”

“Would you like the newspaper as well?”

“Oh, please bring it with the tea.”

I quickly responded, impressed by her attentiveness. Looking back, I remembered how diligently I used to read the newspaper for research.

“Yes, I’ll bring it right away.”

With that, she swiftly left the room.

Emily, who seemed at least ten years older than I was, was quite reserved. Initially, I thought she disliked me and felt awkward around her, but her consistent demeanor over time cleared up that misunderstanding.

In retrospect, she was the only one who consistently looked after me when I stayed as a guest after graduating from the academy. Unfortunately, she eventually had to return to her hometown because of her sick sibling.

If it weren’t for her sibling, she probably would have stayed to care for me until the end.

A few minutes later, Emily returned with the tea set and newspaper.

“If you need anything else, just call, Madam.”

A thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I urgently called her back.

“Emily, wait a moment. How is your family doing?”

Perhaps it was the first time I had asked about her personal life, as Emily tilted her head slightly before slowly answering.

“My parents passed away when I was young, so I don’t have them, and I have a younger sister.”

“Where’s your hometown?”

“The southwestern D’Agnon region.”

D’Agnon was a barren desert area, not affiliated with any family. Although it was part of the empire, it was considered a dead land, so I never imagined people lived there.

“Isn’t that a desert?”

To my surprise, she calmly explained, “The border is desert, but before it begins, there’s the long Whitia Mountain Range. There are quite a few villages settled below it.”

“Does your sister live there alone?”

“Yes. She’s not in good health, so it’s difficult for her to travel far.”

“I see. Thank you for sharing that.”

Emily shrugged slightly as if it was nothing and then withdrew.

Having gathered the information I wanted, I slowly sipped my tea and began to browse through the newspaper.

D’Agnon seemed like it might be a viable option. It was also on the complete opposite side from the Lawrence estate in the northeast, which was comforting.

The problem was when and how to get there secretly…

⌈Fojetta, not incorporated into any estate, plagued by pirates.⌋

An article caught my eye about a small village on the western coast being attacked by pirates.