“Sit down.”

At Marchioness Baldwin’s command, Theodore took a seat across the table.

“I’ve heard those bandits were quite notorious in the area. Your contribution was significant, saving us from substantial losses.”

“You flatter me.”

He carried himself with too much discipline to be merely a wandering mercenary. His steadfast demeanor evoked the image of a soldier or knight.

“But why did you return the money?”

“I was simply fulfilling the assigned task. You gave me too generous an amount.”

When commissioning the task, Marchioness Baldwin had provided the agreed payment plus an additional sum.

However, Theodore returned everything except the originally agreed amount. The Marchioness appreciated his integrity, which was why she had summoned him today.

“I heard you’re also from the Eligard Empire.”

“Yes. I was born and raised in the eastern region, near Erich.”

“Erich is by the coast, isn’t it? Part of Larson’s territory?”

“That’s correct.”

Romaunt, where they were now, was adjacent to Eligard. With its beautiful scenery and year-round mild climate, it wasn’t a bad place to stay.

After her family members passed away one by one, leaving her alone in the large Baldwin mansion, she had come to this townhouse under the pretext of recuperation. She had considered settling here permanently after getting used to it, possibly liquidating her estate, but a foreign country remained foreign after all.

“Do you enjoy living here?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“I’m thinking of returning to Eligard. Perhaps it’s my age, but adapting to a new place isn’t easy. I need an escort when I return to my estate. I’d like you to take on that role. The compensation will be more than fair.”

“You want me to escort you to Eligard?”

“Yes.”

Theodore’s expression grew somber at the new request. His hesitation without answering suggested he wasn’t particularly pleased with it.

“You don’t need to decide right away. There’s still time before departure, so think it over and let me know.”

* * *

Theodore was walking through the garden after leaving the reception room.

Eligard.

He should probably decline.

Though it was his homeland where he had spent most of his life, his final memories there weren’t pleasant. He had left almost like a fugitive, and thinking about Vivianne still tormented him with guilt for failing to protect her.

Despite Matilda’s long career as a maid, her age made it difficult to find new employment. Thus, Theodore had immediately started working as a mercenary after leaving his country.

Moreover, Marchioness Baldwin’s estate was not far from Larson. It would be quite a long journey from Romaunt. He was also reluctant to leave his mother alone at home for an extended period.

Though the Marchioness was a neat and reasonable client, Theodore felt this assignment wasn’t right for him.

“Hello.”

Theodore, who had been walking with his eyes on the ground, stopped abruptly.

I must have misheard.

It must be a similar voice.

It can’t be.

After a moment’s hesitation, he slowly raised his head.

“…!”

When his eyes met those deep blue ones, he felt his breath stop.

Was he seeing things because of fatigue?

He couldn’t believe the woman he had longed for was standing before him.

“I’m Vivianne.”

Why was she suddenly introducing herself?

Could it be that she didn’t recognize him?

Despite being the one who greeted him first, she was treating him like a complete stranger.

In her hands, she tightly held a cookie package tied with ribbon.

“Do you like cookies?”

“…Pardon?”

“I baked cookies, but I made too many. I wanted to share some. Here.”

Back in Larson, he had received cookies from Vivianne before.

That time they were delivered through Kian, but today she was offering them directly to him with a bright smile.

“Please enjoy them on your way.”

It was the same radiant smile he had always known. Theodore, who had reflexively accepted the cookie package, stood frozen in place.

What was going on?

Could it be…

Has she lost her memory?

Despite his suspicions, the woman before him seemed unchanged. She wore a light indoor dress with a shawl draped over her shoulders as usual. Her half-braided hair and the lace ribbon she wore remained the same.

Her habit of sharing with others despite having little herself, her warm approach to others, the way her eyes curved when she smiled, even the shy dimples in her cheeks, everything was exactly as he remembered.

“Do you… not like cookies?”

Even her habit of keenly responding to others’ reactions was the same.

If there was one difference, it was that she didn’t recognize him.

“Oh, no. I like them. The ribbon… is very pretty.”

“I’m glad. I was worried you might not like them. I made them myself, so they might look a bit strange, but they’re delicious. The Marchioness likes them too.”

“I am…”

Theodore, clutching the cookie package, looked at Vivianne’s face again.

Her expression was innocent, knowing nothing.

“…Theodore.”

“I heard from the Marchioness. You’ll be our escort when we return to Eligard, right? I look forward to your assistance.”

He hadn’t decided yet. She seemed to be misunderstanding something, but Theodore didn’t bother to correct her.

If Vivianne remembered anything, she wouldn’t have spoken so willingly about returning to Eligard.

This was a foreign country. Hadn’t Vivianne jumped into the sea to escape Kian? How she had washed up in a foreign country and come to stay here, he didn’t know, but he was concerned.

Should he tell her not to go back?

By what right?

Not only did Vivianne not even remember him, but she also appeared to be living quite comfortably.

Though she called Marchioness Baldwin “my lady,” she wasn’t wearing a maid’s uniform or apron but an elegant indoor dress.

For a moment, an awkward silence hung between them.

“Miss! Where have you been…! Why are you here?”

From a distance, the maid Josephine’s voice called out to Vivianne.

“I must go back now.”

“…”

“Well then. Goodbye.”

Vivianne curtseyed and walked past him with quick steps.

He couldn’t even ask her anything. At first, because he couldn’t believe she was actually standing before him.

Secondly, because it was too painfully obvious that she didn’t recognize him. As he stared blankly at her retreating figure, his mind was in chaos about what was happening.

Vivianne had definitely jumped into the sea that day. That was an undeniable fact witnessed not only by Kian but by all the knights present.

He had consoled himself that she must be alive somewhere because she was a mermaid, but he never expected to meet her again like this.

What on earth had happened?

In the end, Theodore decided to accept Marchioness Baldwin’s request to go to Eligard.

After all, he now had a reason to go.

* * *

Early morning. The scent of black tea filled the study. Needing a stimulant, Kian had ordered the tea to be brewed stronger than usual.

“Did you spend another night in the study?”

“No. I went to the bedroom. Even took a shower.”

“Forgive me for asking, but when I checked this morning, there was no sign that you had lain down.”

Instead of answering, Kian tilted his teacup. As he held the tea in his mouth, the bitter taste filled it, momentarily clearing his head.

“Please have some of this as well.”

Richard offered a dessert plate. On it sat a dainty madeleine.

He had brought something sweet that didn’t suit him at all. Since when did he eat sweets? It was more the kind of food Vivianne would enjoy.

When Kian glanced up at Richard, he responded with a composed face.

“You skipped dinner yesterday as well. I was concerned you might get sick from drinking strong tea on an empty stomach.”

“Do I still look like a child to you, Richard?”

“Of course not.”

“Or perhaps like I’m at death’s door?”

“Not at all. I’ve simply grown more fussy with age.”

Kian put down his teacup, worn down by the persistence. After Vivianne and Theodore disappeared, and even Matilda, the head maid, left Larson, Richard had become somewhat overbearing.

It was annoying, but he was the last of Kian’s people who remained.

To humor Richard, Kian took a bite of the madeleine. Though it crumbled softly in his mouth, it somehow felt like chewing sand.

Without showing his distaste, Kian swallowed it while scanning the mail Richard had brought.

“It seems Marchioness Baldwin is returning to her homeland.”

When Kian’s gaze lingered on an invitation sealed with the Baldwin crest, Richard promptly chimed in.

“The seal is Baldwin’s, but the invitation is from Baron Grieam.”

“Yes, he’s the Marchioness’s nephew. It appears he’s been handling minor estate matters while she’s been away in Romaunt.”

“He must be coveting her inheritance. Look at him fawning with a formal dinner party.”

Kian chuckled as he placed the invitation back in its envelope.

“Still… wouldn’t it be good for you to attend? The Marchioness is favored by the imperial family, and it seems to be quite a large dinner party.”

“I suppose so.”

Kian rested his elbows on the desk and propped his chin, looking up at Richard standing beside him.

“About Vivianne… has there been no news?”

“No, nothing specific.”

All the knights had been dispatched for the search. Despite scouring the entire empire for Vivianne, there was no news. Now even the reports seemed to have stopped coming in.

Vivianne.

Time flows on without you.

Futile and dreary.

How could she be so impossible to find?

Was she even alive?

Could something have gone terribly wrong?

The passing time felt like punishment.

Believing she was somewhere out there, begging her to return again and again, yet only dark thoughts came to mind.

When I close my eyes, you still appear. Invariably, you escape my embrace and are swallowed by the water.

Even as that sight dries my blood, I force my eyes shut again, wanting to hold you in my sight even for a moment.

Whenever Kian felt anxious, he had developed a habit of fidgeting with the handkerchief she had given him.

It was a handkerchief embroidered with a pink ribbon, made by Vivianne. He would rub it thread by thread until the uneven stitches were worn out, recalling what she had said.

“They say giving a handkerchief to a sailor means wishing for their safe return.”

Ironically.

Now the roles were reversed.

Having sent her to the sea, now even false hope had been cut off, yet he still wished for her safe return.

The pink ribbon embroidered on the handkerchief was crooked yet dense.

Her clumsy skill made it seem all the more desperately crafted. Even this was so characteristically Vivianne.

Indeed, cookies were better than madeleines. Even if they were clumsily burnt by those tiny hands, even if they tasted strange, he was confident he would eat them without leaving a crumb.

You’re present in every moment of my daily life.

Only you yourself are missing.

After fiddling with the handkerchief for a long time, Kian realized he had kept Richard standing there and wrote a reply to Baldwin’s invitation.

“Schedule it. For appearance’s sake.”

“Yes, Master.”

Taking his master’s reply, Richard bowed briefly and left the room.