When Lumiere hugged him tightly, his embrace, vast and wide like the ocean, responded by pulling her even closer.

“……What’s wrong, Lumiere? Why are you crying? Did you have a bad dream?”

Despite his obvious confusion, his voice sounded deep and affectionate with concern for her well-being.

Lumiere couldn’t figure out where to begin explaining, so she just moved her lips without speaking.

She feared that if she opened her mouth carelessly, only uncontrollable sobs would escape.

“What is it, why are you like this? What made you so sad?”

“No, no. That’s, hic, not it……”

Shaking her head, Lumiere suddenly noticed bloodstains on his shoulder and side.

“……!”

Startled, she examined him and found him in terrible condition.

His body, which always maintained a neat and sophisticated appearance, was covered with dirt and leaves, and she could even smell a faint, murky smoke.

“He-here. Why is this like this? So much blood……!”

“Ah, it’s not my blood. I’m fine. Really.”

He denied it awkwardly while shrinking his body.

Seeing him wincing slightly at his side, it seemed his previous wound had reopened.

“Karl!”

She wanted to urge him to go inside to check his wounds and ask what had happened, but her trembling lips only uttered his name.

“Karl, Karl!”

“……Yes, Lumiere.”

He whispered, resting his forehead on her shoulder.

“I’m here.”

He sighed slightly, sounding tired, then murmured with his nose buried in her hair.

“I’m sorry. You’re crying…… I want to comfort you until you fall asleep, but I don’t have time. Still, I came because I missed you. I felt anxious about what might happen to you when I’m not around. I came to see you, even from a distance.”

Karl’s hands around Lumiere’s waist tightened gradually.

He showered kisses on her reddened eyes, soft cheeks, and trembling chin while speaking.

“But then you ran out when that door opened.”

“……Ah.”

“Like a miracle.”

He laughed softly, enchanted, rubbing his lips against hers.

“I just came to see the window of the room where you were sleeping…… But you ran out. From there, toward me.”

Gently biting her trembling lower lip, he embraced her breathlessly when she responded with a flinch and whispered,

“……I thought I was dreaming.”

By now, Lumiere’s sobs had turned into gasps.

The two desperately devoured each other, relying on the dim darkness of dawn.

She loved the warmth of Karl’s body against hers.

Everything about him felt like a miracle.

How did we meet again?

Did you perhaps recognize me?

Or did we just meet again by miraculous coincidence?

Either way, she didn’t mind.

Though her memories weren’t fully intact, she loved Karl.

The more she thought about loving him, the more breathless she felt, but she couldn’t stop the thoughts from bursting forth.

After messing with her lips for a while, Karl sighed regretfully and slowly pulled away.

Still, he seemed reluctant to leave, showering small kisses on her eyes and forehead.

“……I have to go now. If I’m any later, I won’t be able to get in. So tell me quickly. Why were you crying, hmm?”

Karl urged her, unable to leave without hearing the reason.

She took a moment to steady her breathing and calm her excited heart.

The strange thing was that the moment she became aware of her feelings for Karl, her physical condition rapidly deteriorated.

Lumiere clenched her trembling fingertips, then reached out to cup Karl’s cheeks with both hands.

“You were there.”

She had to tell him.

She needed to tell him what she had seen, what she remembered.

Only then could she confirm.

That these memories flooding in like seawater weren’t her imagination or a hallucination……

“What do you mean, Lumiere?”

“There, that mansion. You were at the Buchanan mansion. Right?”

Lumiere shouted with a flushed face and an overwhelming voice.

At that moment, Karl stopped breathing.

He fixed his gaze on her without saying a word, like a person frozen in time.

“We were hiding in the same space. Right?”

Her voice trembled like she was crying.

The tears she thought had stopped welled up again, wetting her emerald eyes.

“……Tell me, Karl. If my memory is correct. If these afterimages occupying my mind truly belong to me……”

She pleaded, tracing his lips with her trembling fingertips.

“……If I really was Philia Buchanan.”

Karl gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut.

His relaxed arms suddenly pulled her close.

“……Lumiere.”

“Karl, Karl…… You saw it too, didn’t you? You remember?”

Lumiere buried her face in the man’s shoulder and burst into tears again.

That day, you and I saw it together.

Hiding in the secret space inside the closet that I loved……

“What Geril Stings and Schultz Tartien did to your parents and mine!”

We witnessed that terrible tragedy together.

* * *

Philia Buchanan.

The tomboyish only daughter of Duke Buchanan.

A 10-year-old little lady with carrot-red hair and mischievous green eyes full of charm.

“Philia!”

On that day too, Philia had stolen and hidden the treasure of Rudels, who was four years older than her.

Rudels’ treasure was a knight’s sword personally bestowed by His Highness the Crown Prince.

That day marked the beginning of the annual spring banquet held at the Buchanan’s grand mansion, called White Lilies, which everyone admired.

About 100 nobles were gathering at their mansion to enjoy the banquet.

Rudels Buchanan, who had been greeting guests with pretend dignity as the future Duke of Buchanan, ran around the mansion with a red face from the moment he discovered his treasure was missing.

“You, you! I told you not to touch my sword!”

The boy’s voice echoed loudly through the corridor.

People who were gathered in the first-floor ballroom, busily preparing for the banquet, looked up in surprise.

The Duke and Duchess of Buchanan, the child’s parents, smiled awkwardly.

When the Duchess touched her forehead, the Duke pulled her waist close and whispered,

“It seems your tomboy of a daughter is tormenting Rudels again today.”

“She’s your daughter too, you know?”

“Oh, right, she’s our daughter. Very lovely and cute, just like you.”

Diena hit her husband’s side and rolled her eyes.

Duke Michael Buchanan smiled and kissed her fiery red hair while whispering.

“Philia is upset because we hurriedly passed over her birthday because we were busily preparing for the banquet. Especially since Rudels didn’t even come on her birthday because he attends the academy. Let’s understand our lovely daughter.”

“You spoil Philia too much. She’s already 10 years old.”

“Still only 10, my dear.”

While the Duke and Duchess were arguing about their daughter, which started with their son’s scream, the Crown Prince and his wife, who had just entered the lobby, approached with smiles.

“If your daughter is too mischievous, how about sending her to the royal palace? Her Royal Highness will cherish her like her own daughter. She complains about not having a daughter once a month.”

“Richard, I said she was mischievous, not that I wanted to be separated from her! Welcome, Your Highness. You look dazzlingly beautiful again this year.”

The Duchess of Buchanan and Crown Prince Richard grew up together as childhood friends.

Lorota III had pressured Diena’s family, the Marquis of Alicia, early on to bring Diena as Richard’s match.

At that time, they were only five or six years old.

They were too young then to think much about their engagement, and after becoming adults, they each fell in love with someone else and broke off the engagement.

Ironically, those people happened to be their close friends.

In any case, their past connections were intricately intertwined, and the four still maintained a close relationship.

Additionally, their ideologies and beliefs aligned well, making them reliable political partners for each other.

Crown Princess Rubié kissed Diena’s cheek in greeting.

“White Lilies amazes me every time I visit, Diena. It’s been a while. It’s good to see you too, Duke.”

The Crown Prince, unable to wait his turn, patted Duke Buchanan’s shoulder and spoke,

“Hey, Michael. Your face looks too relaxed since you came back to your hometown.”

“And our Crown Prince’s face is also quite bright. I heard you visited the World Exposition in Arké? You promised to give me a detailed review, I hope you haven’t forgotten?”

“I actually recorded everything in detail so I wouldn’t forget. I’ll tell you so much during our stay here that you’ll get sick of it. There were many surprising items.”

“This really sounds exciting. I should have been there!”

“Oh my, here they go again.”

Diena and Rubié exchanged glances and shook their heads at the two men who sparkled with excitement whenever new inventions were mentioned.

“By the way, you two. You haven’t forgotten your promise to return to the capital after the banquet, right?”

“Of course. The affairs of the territory are almost wrapped up, and Philia has been curious about the capital, so I plan to take her.”

“Great! That’s welcome news. I’m relieved.”

Suddenly, the Duchess looked behind them with curiosity and asked,

“Hmm? Didn’t Prince Laedro say he would come along?”