Ertel gasped in surprise and excitement.

“How did you know we’re planning for a child? That’s our wish for this year.”

Magrid slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again. His pupils gleamed with an unusually clear light.

He stared at Ertel for a long while, then spoke in a deep voice.

“Your son will be strong and clever. He will have his mother’s warm heart and carry the strength of his father.”

Though he was only speaking of a life not yet conceived, the couple’s heartbeats quickened.

“Ah…”

Icarus held Ertel’s hand tightly and smiled at her. Magrid’s prophecy had etched new hope in their hearts.

There was nothing more they needed to ask. If only they could conceive safely, the rest of their fortune didn’t matter.

Seeing Ertel’s shoulders tremble, the Duke of Juan found himself growing happier as well. In truth, he had wished for a daughter—but if it were to be a strong son resembling him, that wasn’t so bad either.

“Ertel. We’ll need to come up with a new name. For a boy.”

“You’re the first man I know who’s naming a child we don’t even have yet.”

Now seeing the world again, Magrid glanced around with a gaze full of wonder.

The fortune-telling chamber prepared by the royal household was ornate and luxurious. Sunlight streamed in through the tall windows, sculptures filled the high ceiling, and gracefully decorated pillars lined the space. Tiamor’s national banner was intricately hung along the wall.

To witness such a blessed sight with his own eyes felt nothing short of miraculous.

Magrid rose from his seat and clasped Ertel’s hands tightly.

“Thank you for using your healing power on me.”

“It’s nothing. You gave me great inspiration in a past life, after all.”

“With these eyes, I will now see many things. I vow to show compassion to even more people.”

“We hope the fortune about our child comes true. If we have good news, we’ll come again.”

“Go well, Duke and Duchess of Juan.”

Ertel and Icarus left Magrid’s chamber, their footsteps light as if feathers had been tied to their soles. They moved naturally, like a gentle stream flowing between old trees.

Icarus gently stroked Ertel’s hand and whispered.

“It will happen, just like Magrid said.”

“So let it be. Amen.”

Ertel nodded at Icarus’s words and held his hand tighter.

Their quiet steps echoed side by side down the palace’s long corridor. As they passed, their elongated shadows stretched along the palace walls, as if blessing them. The sunlight never stopped shining on their backs.

‘Good fortune to you.’

Magrid watched their backs for a long while.

A warm ember sparked in his heart. That ember, born from long years of waiting, was as precious and meaningful as the moment he had regained his sight.

***

Juan Estate.

In the deep silence of night, Ertel sat alone in the study.

Moonlight crept gently through the darkness, softly bathing the room.

On the desk made of dark wood lay blank paper and a quill pen, and the flickering candlelight cast a gentle glow over Ertel’s face.

She quietly picked up the pen.

Something was stirring inside her.

As she wrote out the name Javier, his face shimmered in her mind.

The moment he had sacrificed his life in her place before the regression remained vivid.

But in this life, Javier surely knew nothing.

How was she supposed to face him again? What excuse could she use to summon him?

‘Javier…’

Every time she repeated his name in her mind, Ertel’s chest swelled with indescribable emotion.

If he were to appear before her again, how was she supposed to greet him? With what face?

Ink began to trickle from the pen’s tip and flowed onto the paper, forming the first line under Ertel’s hand:

[To the Marquis Javier of House Juarez,]

As she continued writing, a flood of emotions rose in her heart.

Since the Javier of this life knew nothing about her, her reason for writing had to be sound.

She couldn’t invite him for personal reasons. But neither could she reveal the entire truth.

After much thought, she decided to use diplomatic ties between the House of Juan and House Juarez as her pretext.

[Our House of Juan seeks to establish ties with the Juarez family of the Kingdom of Luna.

We have heard that the Juarez family is a major leader in the precious metals trade. We are very interested in this business as well and would like to arrange a meeting to discuss it further.

In particular, my husband, the Duke of Juan, serves as Tiamor’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and is at the forefront of enriching relations between nations.

If Your Excellency would honor our house with your presence, we promise to give you the warmest of receptions.]

In that moment, Ertel was holding back the storm of complex emotions that bridged her past and present.

‘This should be enough. The rest, I’ll leave to fate.’

Finishing the letter, Ertel quietly set the pen down.

The candle flame flickered dangerously, swaying as if it might go out at any moment. But her eyes no longer looked toward it.

She slowly got up and walked to the window, gently pulling back the curtain. Cold moonlight poured in, brushing against her face, and beyond that lay the wide, silent garden of the mansion.

A soft breeze blew in through the window’s cracks. The chill touched Ertel’s cheek.

She recalled Javier’s face in the darkness beyond the window.

Just imagining the face of someone who would face her without knowing anything stirred a subtle tension in her chest.

‘There’s so much I want to tell him.’

Words left unsaid between them tangled within her heart, branching out as complicated as the trees in this garden.

***

Ertel entered the royal palace and felt the heavy atmosphere that flowed through the corridor.

Her steps toward her husband’s office were light, but her mind was tangled with complicated thoughts.

He would be immersed in documents as usual. She pictured Icarus’s indifferent face—one that wouldn’t be easily surprised by anything she said.

‘But this time, he might actually be surprised.’

When she slightly opened the door to the office, as expected, Icarus was deeply absorbed in his papers.

His cold face grew sharper whenever he concentrated, and the quill pen in his hand was moving swiftly.

Click.

Ertel quietly closed the door and sat silently on the sofa, watching him.

“Back, my lady?”

Icarus lifted his head briefly to greet her.

“Yes. You seem busy again today.”

“After going on a few dates with you recently, the paperwork has piled up like this.”

“Good luck.”

Ertel didn’t want to interrupt his work and remained silent, but the memory of the letter she wrote yesterday still lingered like a thorn in her heart.

Eventually, she cautiously opened her mouth.

“I… wrote a letter yesterday.”

“A letter?”

Icarus responded casually.

“To whom?”

Ertel glanced at him nervously and answered.

“To Javier Juarez.”

Icarus’s hand froze. His eyes sharpened, and his brow furrowed.

“Javier?”

“……”

“That Javier?”

To Juan, who lived most faithfully in the present, this was sudden news.

Of course, he hadn’t completely forgotten the emotional upheavals of their past lives, but he had been content with the peaceful life they had after marriage.

With a tense voice, Ertel continued speaking.

“Yes… I sent him a letter inviting him to our family.”

“……”

“The letter must have already been sent to the Kingdom of Luna through a messenger.”

Icarus, shocked, dropped his pen. He stared at Ertel, unable to speak for a moment.

“You invited Javier to our house?”

“I need to express my apology and gratitude to him.”

“Under what pretense, to someone who knows nothing?”

“Under the pretense that the House of Juan and the House of Juarez are forming a friendship…”

Icarus pressed his fingers to his forehead and let out a deep sigh. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. His voice carried both bewilderment and a strange hint of jealousy.

“I know Javier saved you in your past life, but inviting him to our home… that’s strange.”

“Why do you think that?”

“From his perspective, we’re complete strangers.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to have diplomatic ties, would it? If we get involved in the jewelry business, we might be able to establish rules that help better protect the secret of the Kaiya stone.”

Icarus fell silent, frowning.

The way he sat without a word made him look like a child who wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

“I don’t like another man coming to see you.”