“I was wrong. Please… don’t leave.”

“Leonel…?”

She was flustered by Leonel’s actions, clinging to her while crying. He was sobbing so sorrowfully it seemed he might stop breathing.

“That wasn’t my intention….”

At this rate, Leonel might be the one carried out first. Seeing the child gasping and crying, Amelia hurriedly patted his back. He must have thought she would leave out of anger. It was a reasonable misunderstanding. From Leonel’s perspective, he must have been terrified.

“I never said I was leaving… Why is my son acting like this?”

“What…?”

“It was surprising, but I’m not blaming you.”

Even when she heard Leonel’s certain relationship with the goddess, she didn’t resent Leonel. She could sense it from the goddess’s last words. The ‘Woman of the Sun’ was Leonel’s memory and his will towards her. A small wish to be loved. Knowing that, how could she blame Leonel?

Even with tear-stained eyes and a red nose, he looked lovable. Leonel must have been anxious in his own way. How much must this little child have struggled alone….

“You’re not leaving…?”

“Why did you think that?”

“But you clearly… gave up everything.”

Did he share everything with this child too? Amelia swallowed a sigh at the goddess’s inconsiderate actions.

“That was… for a different reason.”

“It wasn’t because of me, right?”

Seeing Leonel looking up at her with tear-filled eyes, Amelia stroked his face. How could anyone hate such a child?

“Of course not.”

After comforting the smiling child and sending him back to his room, she started to tidy up the surroundings. Even then, Raphael still hadn’t appeared. She tried to have the fallen priests stay in the guest rooms, but they all shook their heads and fled. Even those priests who still had some strength did the same.

“P-Please tell His Grace the Grand Duke we’re sorry.”

Finally, even Enoch hastily fled. For some reason, Enoch’s body looked particularly exhausted compared to the other priests.

“Why isn’t this man showing up?”

According to Leonel, he was handling the aftermath. She could roughly guess what he was doing. It must be related to the imperial family. The priests said that two full days had passed since she collapsed. During that time, her identity and the emperor’s misdeeds had been revealed throughout the empire.

The emperor probably couldn’t avoid punishment. Perhaps Raphael had already dealt with him. The priests kept checking her condition, calling it a miracle. Raphael must have instructed them thoroughly, as they kept checking even after confirming her condition.

“Where is His Grace the Grand Duke?”

“…We don’t know.”

To be honest, she thought she would meet him as soon as she returned. She didn’t expect him to hide like this. Even now, her head was slightly dizzy from the memories flooding in. Perhaps out of the goddess’s consideration, the painful memories were blurred.

“Ah…!”

“Are you in pain?”

“No, my head just feels a bit dizzy, don’t worry about it.”

Additionally, the goddess’s words kept coming to her. It was good to have her soul restored to its original state, but she didn’t expect the goddess to keep talking like this. Moreover, this goddess was quite the chatterbox.

“Can’t I turn this off?”

‘Impossible! You’re not even going to do the saintess’s work, so you can at least tolerate this much.’

It didn’t seem impossible, but she couldn’t trust someone who had lied so many times. As her memories gradually returned, she wanted to meet Raphael even more. Was he remembering too? Is that why he wasn’t showing up…?

“Is he at the palace?”

“Your Highness, even if you feel better, you shouldn’t move too hastily.”

Ann and Jane were trying their best to stop her. Even Edward wasn’t in the castle, so he must have been really busy.

‘Your husband’s memories have probably returned too.’

So Raphael’s memories had returned as well. That’s why he wasn’t appearing before her. The real memories and the contents of the book were slightly different. Since the book was written from Leonel’s perspective, some parts were exaggerated. She could roughly guess why that was.

“Did his memories of being Evelyn return too?”

‘That’s probably why that Siegfried guy is running away with his tail between his legs.’

“Please stop talking. I’m begging you.”

She had never been a saintess, but conveying the goddess’s words and being Her conversation partner must have been what it was about. Moreover, the goddess was incredibly shameless.

‘If you become a real saintess, this wouldn’t happen. You just need to deliver the oracle.’

She was tormenting her because she refused to become a saintess. Amelia shook her head, trying to shake it off. Elaina and Raphael’s married life wasn’t as severe as it was in the book. Although he was indifferent, he fulfilled his duties as a husband. The problem was that Amelia grew tired of him not giving her love.

It was true that she lived in drunkenness and neglected Leonel. She also resented Leonel, but… she didn’t completely destroy the child’s personality like in the book. Initially, Amelia loved and cherished the child. It just gradually changed.

“The more my memories return, the more repulsed I feel.”

‘At that time… there was no other choice.’

She remembered meeting him for the first time when she was Evelyn. Raphael Lloyd Siegfried was Raphael Lloyd Siegfried, even when he was young. He was so noble and arrogant. It was a miracle they became close in that small prison. As more memories returned, her feelings for him overflowed.

There was no more confusion. Despite liking him all this time, she had hesitated many times. She believed these feelings weren’t hers. There was also the anxiety that he wouldn’t love her.

“I’m going out for a bit.”

“What? Where are you going?”

Amelia just smiled silently at the maids who followed her with surprised eyes. She could feel someone’s will trying to keep her there.

“I’ll be back.”

She considered telling them the truth, but she couldn’t.

“Don’t worry.”

Not seeing him didn’t mean she couldn’t meet him. If he kept avoiding her, she would make him come to her. She knew why he wasn’t showing up.

“But it’s too much. Then he shouldn’t have come to get me.”

He didn’t want her to leave, so he came to get her himself. Yet he wasn’t showing up. The servants, unable to stop her, reluctantly gave way. It was better to get as far away from Siegfried Castle as possible.

If she stayed like this for a bit longer…

“Why… are you trying to run away again?”

Hearing the familiar voice from behind, Amelia turned around. There stood Raphael, his face full of wrinkles. She knew the sure way to make him appear.

“How did you know I was trying to run away?”

As her memories returned, her feelings for him grew. Her heart rejoiced at the fact that she had met him again after all this time.

“Is it because of this ring?”

Amelia pointed to the ruby ring. Thinking about it, it was easy to figure out, but she never suspected it.

That he was the Master of the Chester Merchantry.

“Strangely, you always knew wherever I went. Almost as if you were tracking me.”

The only magical item on her body was the ring given by the Master. He had even urged her not to take it off for safety reasons.

“James, the Master of the Chester Merchantry. It’s you, isn’t it?”

“It doesn’t seem like you asked to get an answer.”

“Now that my memories have returned, I’ve realized many things. You gave many hints, but I didn’t notice.”

Why didn’t she realize it then? The first thought that came to her mind as her memories returned was regret. Even though she lost her memories due to Elaina, she was instinctively drawn to Raphael. He was the same. But it was as if something was blocking them from seeing each other.

Then and now, his eyes were filled with a desire to devour her at once. Seeing his thirst for her made her heart pound.

“As I said before, there will be no divorce. I will find you wherever you go.”

“The one who said that isn’t even by my side.”

Despite his scary words, he frowned and didn’t know what to do when she approached him. Her vast memories were a tangled mess in her head. But one thing was clear about this man.