Several days had passed since Delis had woken up.

The Bannister estate, where she was currently residing, felt both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. The mansion housed some rather unusual guests, even to her eyes, which had lost their memory—guests who were not human.

“Delis. Delis.”

“It feels like you’ve become someone different after losing your memory. Somehow, you seem a bit calmer.”

“But we still love you, Delis!”

“Are you feeling better now?”

Delis watched in awe as the fairies fluttered around her head, scattering light as they flew. Their delicate wings sparkled like scattered stars, reflecting the light every time they moved.

“I’m feeling much better.”

Delis replied with a shy smile. She had been asked that question more than five times by the residents of the mansion just yesterday and today. It seemed that everyone in her world now cared for her deeply.

The place where Delis and the fairies were was the garden. Every time she came to the garden, where the warm sun and gentle breeze intertwined, she felt a sense of peace that calmed the subtle confusion brought on by her lost memories. It was a place she had grown particularly fond of, even more than the beautifully decorated mansion.

“Are you feeling better?”

Ah, the seventh time. Delis thought.

“Oh… Hello?”

She greeted another one of the mansion’s ‘unusual’ guests. His name… Yes, it was Reb. What was surprising was that the fairies and this dwarf Reb weren’t that different in age, despite appearances. However, Delis naturally used formal language with this dwarf. She assumed that she must have done so even before losing her memory.

“I believe I’m much better now.”

Delis had just finished her seventh reply. While she might have grown tired of answering the same question repeatedly, she didn’t mind. It was a sign of how much affection the residents—humans and non-humans alike—had for her in the ducal household.

“The Duke made sure to remind me to take good care of you. But now that I see you, you seem perfectly fine. He’s quite the worrier.”

Reb shook his head.

Her husband had been spending his nights at the palace ever since she woke up. The reason was simple. In fact, he had been so reluctant to leave her side that she had told him yesterday to return to his duties during the day. When he responded with his usual expressionless face, agreeing to do so, she couldn’t help but worry a little, sensing he wasn’t in the best mood.

In hindsight, she didn’t really want to say it either. But she had said it out of concern, feeling that he was completely out of sync with his days and nights because of her.

But considering that he had asked others to take good care of her, perhaps he wasn’t angry after all.

Delis still wasn’t sure how to deal with him. The Duke had referred to their relationship as one of ‘love.’ But what about now? She certainly liked him as a person, but as for love… she wasn’t so sure.

This made her feel even more guilty toward him. She had tried to recall her lost memories and emotions, but to no avail.

Had the feelings from her past disappeared along with her memories, or were they still lingering somewhere within her?

Would those lost emotions return someday as she continued to live? Delis wasn’t entirely sure.

***

That afternoon, an unexpected guest arrived at the Duke’s residence.

“Duchess, it’s been a long time.”

Jafflin greeted Delis with a somewhat familiar smile. But there was something different in his smile from usual.

“Hello, Your Highness.”

Delis thought her greeting was quite appropriate, but the moment he heard her voice, his smiling face changed in a way that was hard to describe. He seemed both surprised and sorrowful.

“It’s true, then…”

He murmured softly, almost as if to himself, and his words resonated quietly in her heart, like the tolling of a bell. The mansion’s butler had told her that the prince had been her mentor, but it seemed their relationship had been more than just a formal exchange of knowledge.

After a brief, bitter smile, he asked her,

“Does your head hurt?”

“No. There’s no pain at all.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

This man seemed to have a habit of smiling. His crescent-shaped eyes seemed to reflect his easy-going nature.

But when the smile faded from his purple eyes, the prince suddenly spoke,

“After you were taken, I had a lot of time to think.”

He gazed into the distance with a contemplative look.

“I realized how powerless I truly am. Even knowing the truth, I couldn’t do anything to protect you.”

Delis shook her head.

“That’s understandable. It was treason, after all.”

“…No. I’ve been avoiding it all along. The situation in the palace, I mean. That’s why I thought I didn’t need hollow power. Perhaps it was just an excuse to live comfortably. I didn’t want to bear the heavy responsibilities of the royal family, nor did I want to become a mage locked away in a tower.”

He seemed to be speaking from the heart, not just out of politeness.

“Once, when I asked you why you wanted to learn magic, you answered me like this.”

Magic? Delis was still marveling at the fact that she could wield such mystical arts. Hearing it directly from him made it all the more real.

“To protect.”

To protect? Who had she wanted to protect? She suddenly felt a deep curiosity.

“That comment strangely stuck with me, but now I think I understand,” Jafflin said, shrugging slightly as he met Delis’s gaze.

“Well, I’m trying my best to protect what’s important now, just in case I face a situation where I’ll need to. I almost lost something and only tried to fix it afterward.”

“…….”

“I’m glad you’re alive. Truly.”

Delis felt a strange sensation as she met the prince’s gaze.

To her, who had lost her memory, Jafflin was no different from someone she was meeting for the first time. She had no remnants of the past with him, and yet, could it be that she was now seeing something that the previous her, entangled in his roles as a ‘prince’ and ‘teacher,’ could not?

His eyes seemed to convey something more…

But she quickly dismissed the thought. It was probably just her imagination.

“What are you thinking about?” Jafflin’s voice pulled Delis out of her reverie. She started, stumbling over her words for a moment.

“Oh, no, I just got lost in thought for a bit.”

“That’s something that hasn’t changed even after losing your memory,” he replied with a playful smile, clearly unfazed by her distraction. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he looked at her more seriously.

“Ah, and you probably don’t remember this, but I want to apologize on behalf of my mother for what happened back then when she ordered you to be taken.”

“Your mother… the Empress?” Delis felt a bit taken aback by the unexpected apology. Jafflin’s expression remained serious.

“Yes. I believe she didn’t want me to get involved. She probably had no ill will toward you, but I still wanted to apologize.”

“I don’t remember, but I’ll accept your apology.”

Though she didn’t fully understand what had happened, Delis found herself vaguely grasping the situation. As Jafflin had said, the Empress likely didn’t want her son to be swept up in treason.

“You’re very gracious.”

He laughed heartily at her response, and Delis, feeling a bit at ease, spoke honestly.

“It seems like we were quite close, Your Highness.”

“Close, you say…”

Jafflin chuckled again, as if savoring the word. He seemed surprised to hear such a comment from her.

“For you to say something like that… I’ll have to tease you about it once you regain your memories.”

Delis suddenly froze. Among all the things Jafflin had said, something stuck deep within her heart.

Regain my memories, she thought.

It was a casual remark, but it hit her directly. Jafflin’s words made her realize what had been subtly bothering her ever since she woke up. She didn’t know how to respond.

Everyone liked her, but didn’t they all wish for her to regain her memories?

The servants, the family, the friends, even Reb and the fairies—they all wanted the ‘Delis’ who had shared memories with them. And her husband, Roan, too, would want his loving wife by his side.

It felt as if the Delis before she lost her memory and the Delis she was now were two separate people.

“…I may never regain those memories,” she finally managed to say.

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