In the pitch darkness of that day when the Larson ship wrecked, he heard a voice like a ray of light.

“It’s okay. I’m here.”

“Don’t be afraid. Everything will be alright.”

Perhaps it was… an angel’s voice. His body floated upward. He thought paradise would await when he opened his eyes.

* * *

Soft lips repeatedly pressed against his and pulled away. As warm breath seeped into his cold mouth, his heart, which he thought had stopped, began to race with heavy thumps.

Coughing violently, Kian spat out salty water from his lungs. When he finally opened his bleary eyes, his vision filled with a round, white face.

“He’s awake!”

The voice was bright and clear. Before him was a young girl who appeared to be about his age, or perhaps two or three years younger. Her large eyes were wide open as she clasped her hands together earnestly.

“Are you okay? Does anything hurt?”

Her barrage of questions left him disoriented. When Kian managed to nod weakly, the girl sighed with relief, smoothing her hand over her chest.

“I was worried the whole way here. You were so limp that I feared something was wrong. My father says humans die when they fall into the sea because they can’t breathe. That’s why I brought you here.”

She chattered endlessly. Watching her small frame continuously pour out words, she reminded him of a chirping lark.

And then he realized—he had never seen such a beautiful face before.

“Are you in pain? Your face is bright red.”

Realizing he had been staring blankly, Kian felt embarrassed and shifted his gaze to the sky behind the girl. He felt feverish, and his vision blurred. The sky, full of dark clouds, held a deep blue darkness, suggesting the sun had not yet risen.

“I’m glad you’re safe. I kept worrying you might already be dead.”

Her talkative nature wasn’t unpleasant. However, he was too disoriented to know what to say, his mind blank. The dawn air was cold. Kian lay on the wet sand with raindrops moistening his skin from above while waves tickled his back from below. Soaked through, his body trembled from the cold, making it difficult to gather his thoughts. His jaw chattered uncontrollably.

“It’s cold here. Let me move you.”

The girl, apparently concerned by his condition, strained with all her might to push Kian further inland, away from the waves. After using every ounce of strength to move him beyond the reach of the tide, she collapsed onto the sand with a thud.

“You were lighter when I dragged you from the water. I’m sorry.”

She kept apologizing for no reason, seemingly distressed that she couldn’t help more despite already providing overwhelming assistance. Kian shook his head.

“…It’s fine.”

His voice was barely audible. He wanted to say more, but he had no strength left. The girl smiled brightly, her smile containing the warmth of sunshine.

The surroundings gradually brightened. The girl’s pale hair sparkled even in the faint light—like golden sand with a hint of pink. He had never seen such a mysteriously beautiful color in his life. 

Having diligently said his prayers before bed as Matilda instructed, he wondered if he had met an angel. The feeling was strange.

“Oh no!”

The girl’s face turned pale as she looked at the sky with its faint light.

“I’m sorry, but I need to go back quickly. I snuck out… I’ll be in big trouble if I’m caught. My father checks on me every morning and kisses my forehead. If he finds out I’m gone, there will be an uproar. It happened last time too.”

Though he hadn’t asked, the girl cheerfully explained her situation.

“Please take care. Goodbye.”

“W-wait.”

“Yes?”

He managed to stop the girl who was hurriedly trying to leave. With wide eyes, she listened once more to Kian’s voice.

“T-this is… important to me.”

Kian removed the compass hanging around his neck and thrust it forward. His hand trembled like an aspen leaf from the persistent cold.

“If it’s important… is it really okay to give it to me?”

“I… have nothing else right now. When I grow up, I’ll repay you. Until then… if you keep this…”

Matilda had taught him that one must always repay kindness. But having nothing, he had nothing to give. The compass around his neck was all he could think of.

“It would make me feel better.”

Perhaps it was the desperation in his voice. The girl examined the compass quietly, then nodded.

“Alright. I’ll treasure it. Next time… let’s meet here. It has to be here. I can’t go any further inland. Oh, a full moon night would be perfect! The palace is empty then, making it easier to sneak out. Hehe.”

Kian nodded slowly. His body kept losing strength, and his eyes kept closing.

“Let’s meet again for sure. Goodbye.”

Once more, the cute voice scattered near his ear.

What was that?

In his hazy state, he couldn’t distinguish between dream and reality.

An angel. Yes, an angel.

Would he ever meet today’s angel again?

As the girl vanished like a mirage and Kian lost consciousness, heavy rain poured down.

* * *

Whine-whimper.

A familiar sound came from beside his pillow. Opening his eyes to the ticklish sensation, he found himself in his bedroom. Kian was lying on the side where he always placed Vivianne. An, who had been pressed close to his head, was anxiously licking it, concerned about her master’s condition.

His last memory was walking into the sea. He remembered his body submerging, feeling his breath stop, but he hadn’t died.

How did this happen?

And that dream just now… what was it?

He dreamed of a young girl. In the dream, he too was a twelve-year-old child. Soaked and spitting up salt water, it seemed to be the day when the Mermaid’s Sea swallowed Larson. That was his only childhood memory of nearly drowning.

What could this mean? Was it a fragment of memory suddenly emerging? Or was it just a dream no different from a delusion? He felt confused.

The habit of trying to help anyone despite having no strength herself. A face so beautiful it momentarily captivated him. The platinum blonde hair with a pink tint and the cute chirping speech like a small bird were clearly…

“Master?”

Just then, the door opened carefully, and Richard entered.

“Are you feeling better?”

The usually composed butler appeared somewhat overwhelmed. Quickly approaching, he placed a tray on the bedside table and examined Kian’s condition.

“Thank goodness, Master. Truly, thank goodness.”

This was the first time Richard had expressed relief so honestly.

“How long… have I been lying here?”

“You were unconscious for four days.”

Not only had he survived the sea he’d entered to die, but he’d been unconscious for four days. He needed to understand the situation first. When he raised his heavy body, his head ached so severely that he furrowed his brow.

“Does your head hurt? It seems too soon for you to get up. Please lie down.”

“How did they bring me back?”

“Ah, that…”

Richard hesitated momentarily, seemingly uncomfortable with the explanation.

“The knights found you collapsed unconscious on the coral beach.”

“Was I submerged in water?”

“I regret to say… yes, that’s correct.”

How ironic. This time he had deliberately allowed himself to be swept away by the waves, yet somehow he returned to the coral beach, just like that day when he was twelve. A bitter laugh escaped him at the pathetic act.

“We’ve made sure everyone keeps quiet about it, so don’t worry.”

“You mean the story that the Duke of Larson nearly became a water ghost because he went mad over a woman?”

As Kian laughed self-deprecatingly, Richard silently bowed his head once more. He seemed unwilling to speak of uncomfortable matters.

“I’ll call the doctor immediately to check your condition.”

* * *

After completing his examination, the doctor hesitated briefly. He appeared reluctant to speak plainly.

“Speak freely.”

“Apart from needing rest for the time being, there’s nothing particularly wrong. However, you should… properly maintain your meals. I’ll prescribe herbs to strengthen your body’s vitality.”

The doctor began gathering his medical instruments.

“I have a question.”

“Ask anything, my lord.”

The doctor looked extremely tense. He had been feeling dejected for failing to quickly diagnose Vivianne’s pregnancy previously. It had been very early, and with complaints about an ankle pain or not eating, he had approached the examination casually and been caught off guard.

“Can a person completely forget certain memories?”

“What do you mean… if you could explain the situation in more detail, I would be grateful.”

“For instance, if someone experienced a terrible accident. In such a situation, I mean. If they were struggling between life and death, disoriented… could they fail to remember what happened immediately before?”

The doctor swallowed hard before answering slowly.

“It’s entirely possible. Human memory is inherently imperfect, and especially in extreme situations like near-death experiences, parts can be deleted or manipulated.”

“What about recovering those memories?”

“Pardon?”

“How do such memories typically return?”

Faced with persistent questioning, the doctor looked increasingly uncomfortable.

“For example, memories of nearly drowning. Might they suddenly resurface when facing a similar drowning situation?”

“Yes, yes. That’s possible. The same situation with the same stimulus can… act as a kind of trigger.”

After the doctor left, Kian stared at the compass for a long time. He couldn’t believe it. Or rather, he didn’t want to believe it.

“Vivianne. You seem to know nothing but my name. Let me tell you something important. There’s no such thing as kindness without reason in this world.”

When you first asked me for mercy, I arrogantly declared that there’s no kindness without reason in this world.

“Then when you saved me… did you have a reason?”

‘Back then, you asked if I had a reason. To confess now, yes… it was an impure reason. You saved my life out of pure kindness, yet I stubbornly refused to believe it. The reason was simple: I was too foolish to see what was right in front of me.’

The more he learned the truth, the more he wanted to die. But a life never granted permission in the first place would not easily permit death either.