Delis was at a loss, not knowing how to react to the touch on her cheek, so she just remained still. A man who seemed so strong could have such eyes. Facing those pained eyes directly, Delis finally realized that he wasn’t angry but hurt—by her words, no less.

Roan’s hand fell away, unable to fully touch her. For a moment, Delis felt a brief pang of regret.

If she hadn’t lost her memory, that warmth might have stayed.

‘Am I going crazy?’

Delis scolded herself for her lack of resolve. Not long ago, she had convinced herself that she felt nothing romantic toward him, so she hadn’t worried. After regaining her composure, she tried to clarify the misunderstanding that had arisen.

“I wasn’t planning on leaving this place…”

“Even if you say you want to leave, I won’t let you.”

“…Huh?”

What was that just now? The voice that suddenly surfaced in her mind was unmistakably his, the man standing in front of her.

“No, I wasn’t planning to leave yesterday.”

It was another voice. This time, Delis was sure. These were memories from the past.

As Delis fell silent, lost in thought, Roan watched her closely. She seemed intensely focused on something, but it was clear that it wasn’t him. Roan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He didn’t appreciate anything that diverted her attention away from him. He knew it was a childish possessiveness, but he couldn’t help it.

Delis wanted to hear that voice again. It was as if she had been wandering in complete darkness, but now there was a glimmer of hope. Just a little more…

“Ugh,”

She furrowed her brows slightly. Trying too hard to remember was causing a bit of a headache. She suddenly recalled the doctor’s warning not to force her memories.

“Duchess.”

Roan called out to her with a serious expression. Was she still suffering aftereffects?

The turmoil and irritation he had felt moments ago were gone. Seeing her in pain was the last thing he wanted and the hardest thing for him to bear. Delis lightly touched her head. He asked urgently,

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

The headache lasted only a brief moment. It disappeared so quickly that she felt almost embarrassed.

“I think I just recalled an old memory.”

“An old memory?”

Delis expected him to be pleased that she had remembered something, even if just a little.

But her expectation was completely wrong.

“Don’t try to remember.”

His tone was sharp and resolute.

“Especially don’t force yourself to recall anything. Didn’t the doctor tell you that?”

“But if I try just a bit more…”

I might be able to remember. But his stern expression swallowed her words.

“It’s fine if you don’t remember. Don’t push yourself.”

Delis felt an inexplicable mix of emotions. Just a while ago, he had said it would be good if she remembered, but now he was telling her not to try. What was she supposed to do?

“Don’t dwell on the past.”

Those words sounded like the past was no longer meaningful. She had wished for those words herself, so why did she feel this way? Every time she met him, she felt as if she was becoming more conflicted. Delis’s face took on a sorrowful expression.

“…Duchess.”

At that moment, Roan’s quiet voice reached her ears.

“May I touch you?”

He asked politely. His hand was already outstretched toward her. Once again, his gentle tone caused her heart to melt. Though even she couldn’t understand her fluctuating emotions, in the end, her instincts made her take his hand.

***

After resolving the misunderstanding—if it could be called that—with her husband, Delis found life at the mansion to be quite successful. Despite her efforts to ignore it, her worries had largely stemmed from him.

As her life inside the mansion stabilized, she began to become aware of the outside world, something she had known about but hadn’t consciously considered until now.

The reason she lost her memory in the first place was because those currently imprisoned had framed her.

Delis instinctively realized that asking Roan would not yield accurate information. In fact, he had never mentioned anything to her about what was happening outside. She vaguely understood that it was his way of protecting her, but she still felt a need to know, driven by curiosity and the fact that these people had tried to kill her. So Delis sought out the person in the mansion who seemed most likely to know about such matters, apart from Roan.

“Hello.”

“So, you must be feeling better now.”

The person Delis met was none other than his mother. Alexandra didn’t resemble her son much, but she shared with him a striking beauty.

“How is life treating you?”

“Yes, everyone has been so kind to me.”

Hearing Delis’s response, Alexandra let out a soft chuckle.

“Judging by your way of speaking, you’ve become a completely different person.”

“I’m curious to know what kind of person I was before… everyone keeps saying that.”

Of course, even just by reading her diary from before she lost her memory, she could tell that she was quite different, or rather, very different from who she was now.

“Hmm. I remember you weren’t as calm as you are now. Oh, and just so you know, you don’t need to worry about such things.”

It was as if Alexandra could see right through Delis’s thoughts. She seemed to have found another trait common between Alexandra and her son—they both appeared indifferent but could read others’ true feelings with accuracy.

“What you’re worried about is more concerning than the changes themselves.”

“Thank you. I actually came to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“The people who tried to frame the family for treason, what has happened to them?”

Alexandra’s green eyes narrowed slightly at Delis’s question.

“They’re still alive, but they won’t be for long. It’s taking time to round up everyone involved.”

“Will they be executed?”

“Of course. Treason is an unforgivable crime, whether committed by nobles or anyone else. Even the princess from the Kingdom of Jallier is no exception. The emperor was furious and threatened to wage war on Jallier. Naturally, the kingdom, not wanting to be destroyed over one princess, quickly agreed to her punishment. I hear they’re even sending a massive tribute, likely draining their treasury.”

Alexandra’s smile as she spoke of Jallier’s plight was oddly cheerful, as if she found it quite satisfying.

“Is it possible for me to meet her?”

“Who?”

“The princess.”

Perhaps this was something that could be left unresolved, but Delis felt that if she hadn’t lost her memory, she would have wanted to meet the princess.

“Hmm, it might be difficult. The palace would likely permit it if you insisted, since you’re the victim, but I imagine he would try to prevent it.”

“He?”

“Roan, your husband. He’s been overly protective of you lately. Considering that your memory is still unstable, do you really think he’d let you meet someone who tried to kill you? What if she says something to upset you?”

Delis had to admit that Alexandra’s words made sense. Her advice was practical and grounded. Delis asked gloomily,

“Is it really not possible?”

“It might be. If you insist, it could happen, though it would be difficult.”

Despite her earlier doubts, Alexandra answered with certainty. Delis found a bit of courage in that and decided to ask Roan about it as soon as he returned the next evening.

***

“No.”

As expected, his refusal was immediate and unequivocal. Delis tried to keep her shoulders from slumping. Following Alexandra’s advice, she decided to try pleading with him, even though his response suggested that the outcome would be the same no matter what.

“The doctor said that just meeting her wouldn’t pose a significant risk. I also think I’ll be alright.”

“Would you really just meet her? You intend to talk to her. ‘I think’ or ‘It might be okay’ won’t suffice in this situation.”

Roan maintained an attitude that suggested he wouldn’t budge.

“Why do you want to meet her?”

“There’s no deep reason. I just want to find some closure. It’s not that I’m eager to meet someone who tried to kill me, but perhaps that’s exactly why I need to meet her once. I have a feeling that if I hadn’t lost my memory, I would have wanted to meet her. After all, you said the last person I saw before losing my memory was the princess.”

“Yes, that’s correct. It was the princess who set the fire that nearly killed you.”

Roan’s gaze grew sharp, a trace of menace in his eyes. His clenched jaw suggested he was grinding his teeth. After a moment, he seemed to calm his rising emotions and said,

“…Duchess, you mentioned that fragments of your past memories are resurfacing. That’s proof that you’re still not fully stable.”

“…Just for a moment. Is it really not possible?”

Despite her words, Delis had almost given up.

Though she didn’t know it, Roan had a particular weakness for this side of her—when she was disappointed or downcast.

This was a battle he couldn’t win. For the first time, he let out a faint sigh, something he had never done in any other struggle except for those involving her.

“…Alright, I’ll take you right up to the prison entrance. The moment it feels wrong, you must come out immediately. Or I could go in instead.”

“Really…?”

Delis, caught off guard by his agreement, asked again, but then smiled as she received his response.

“Yes!”

It was going to be a long night for Roan.

On a night devoid of even a sliver of moonlight. A night that would shake the Bannister duchy in another sense.

Delis, feeling pleased by Roan’s words, was already walking towards the stairs leading to the first floor. She was about to say goodnight to the servants still on duty downstairs before heading to her room. As she took a few steps toward the stairs, she noticed that no one was in sight, likely because it was late. She turned her head to check and looked around. And that’s when it happened.

“Please, stay safe.”

A flash from the past. Along with it came a familiar headache… a familiar voice.

Delis winced slightly from the pain in her forehead as she took another step forward.

“Ah,”

Her foot landed on thin air instead of the stair. In that instant, she realized something was wrong.

-Thud, thud.

Delis’s body pitched forward, tumbling down the stairs.

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