Ciela, who had been walking beside Freesia, suddenly stopped. 

“The human who resisted the brainwashing.” 

The voice she had been trying to ignore, pretending not to hear, grew clearer behind her, making her clutch her chest tightly. 

“…Calix.” 

His name escaped her lips before she noticed. 

“You immediately recognised who the human was who resisted the brainwashing.”

Freesia said, continuing to walk forward without slowing her pace, as if she still had a long way to go. 

“As you know, if someone hasn’t been completely brainwashed, it’s relatively easy to undo.”

When Calix had broken free of the brainwashing, he had remembered something he had long forgotten – and the realisation had left him deeply disheartened. Even now, the image of Calix in tears remained vivid in her mind, and she murmured softly, 

“What was it that Calix had forgotten?” 

Freesia looked at her. 

“His beloved woman.” 

Ciela shone like a star in those grey eyes. As the thought crossed her mind, her lips parted slightly and Freesia gave her a small nod – as if to confirm that her guess was correct. 

“…….”

Those gentle grey eyes lingered on her for a moment before turning forward again. 

“He stood for a long time at the grave of the old man who had died as the Arcel family’s butler. And at dawn he made the wish we had waited for.” 

Wishing to turn back time so that Ciela would never have to face such a death again, Freesia was able to temporarily break free of the rules and reverse time.

By turning back time, Freesia, driven by a desire to avoid experiencing such a death again, was able to loosen the constraints of the rules and reverse time. 

“Fortunately, since the wish was granted, I did not fall into corruption for breaking the rules. However, as expected, there was a price to pay for changing time. Before reversing time, I used magic to ensure that another fairy would remember the forgotten world… but…” 

Her voice, slowly fading, trembled as she reached the end.

“It shouldn’t have happened.” 

The burden of turning back time was not Freesia’s alone – Basile, who shared her memories, bore the cost as well. 

When she heard the news that Grace was pregnant with their third child, the memories of the erased future flooded back like a tidal wave. 

It was then that Freesia realised something terrible – Basile, who had shared her memories, no longer existed in the post-regression world. The realisation almost made her scream. 

Only then did she truly understand why there had never been a precedent for turning back time to such an extent. 

“Are you all right, Freesia?” 

“Thank you for your concern. Fortunately, I still exist in this world.”

Calix’s unfulfilled wish was to bring Ciela back to life by turning back time. As a result, the wish was only partially granted until Ciela was able to escape her tragic fate. 

“Also, under the pretext of granting the wish, I was able to interfere with you, if only a little. I’m glad I could. If I hadn’t, we would inevitably have ended up facing the same future again.” 

The subtle heaviness in her voice was unmistakable when the conversation turned to Basile. 

But Ciela, unaware of anything, just stared blankly into the abyss-like space. 

‘Interference.’ 

She rubbed her forefinger and thumb lightly together in thought before finally speaking. 

‘Is this interference the reason I remember my past life?’

“Yes, that’s right. I had to make sure you could make different choices from your past.” 

“So the novel I thought I had read – the one set in this world – might not be a real novel.” 

“That is also true. However, I don’t know exactly what content was passed on, as I only passed on those parts of the story from the erased timeline that would be useful to you.”

“I see. “

Suddenly she remembered the moment when she realised that Calix had fallen in love with Lilia because of the brainwashing in the original story. 

Back then, she had simply warned Calix to be careful with the brainwashing drugs – just like in the original story.

What she knew was only the story of the novel, and she had believed that her reality had already changed in many ways. 

But if everything Freesia said was true, then the original story – which she had believed to be a mere illusion– was no longer just a story. 

“Not an illusion, but a complete reality.” 

She just couldn’t remember it. 

A sudden thirst overcame Ciela and she reached up to touch her throat. 

She felt a strange sensation, as if she might suffocate. 

“Then why are you telling me all this?” 

“No particular reason. I just wanted to say thank you.” 

“That’s… a rather unexpected response.”

From what she had heard, it was Freesia who had turned back time and allowed her to survive. Without the memories of her past and future, she would have met the same lonely fate as Ciela in the original story. 

“I feel I should be the one to say thank you.” 

As she spoke, Ciela gently scratched her cheek. 

As the darkness around her, which had felt as deep as an abyss, began to lighten a little, Freesia suddenly stopped. 

“Freesia?” 

It was the first time Freesia had stopped after rushing forward with such urgency, and Ciela’s eyes widened in surprise.

“All I could do was interfere a little. In the end, it was you, Ciela, who changed the future and did what had to be done. Thanks to you, turning back time was not in vain.” 

Freesia stepped closer. 

The already small distance between them narrowed, and when she lowered her head, their foreheads almost touched. 

“It’s a bit brighter now, isn’t it? Proof that you’ve come the right way. Soon you’ll hear the voice you really need to hear.” 

Beyond the pure white path, Calix’s voice echoed.

It was the same voice as the one from behind, but there was no doubt who the real Calix was.

In that moment, when everything became clear, as if she knew exactly where to go, a soft touch gently stroked her fringe.

“Thank you, Ciela.”

The soft grey eyes that looked down at her curved slightly, swaying ever so subtly. 

Sensing the impending farewell, Ciela instinctively reached out to hold her – but before she could, a familiar warmth covered her eyes. 

Today you will forget everything I’ve said, but I still hope that your future will be filled with nothing but happiness. 

Soft lips pressed lightly against Ciela’s forehead before pulling away. 

As the warmth that had shielded her vision lifted, she blinked, her eyes widening. 

“…It felt like I was trying to hold on to something.” 

She stared at her hand, still clumsily outstretched, before snapping back to reality at the sound of someone calling her name. 

This was no time to hesitate. 

Someone was waiting for her on the other side.

***

Ciela slowly lifted her heavy eyelids. 

An unfamiliar pattern adorned the blanket above her. Yet the warmth and softness of the blanket, the pleasant scent in the air and the gentle warmth that enveloped her right hand were strangely comforting. 

Turning her lazy head slightly, she saw Calix, his eyes closed, resting his forehead against her hand. 

His face looked terribly haggard. 

Seeing him in such a state made Ciela feel as if she had caused him immense emotional pain. 

“I’m sorry.” 

She traced the dark circles under his eyes with her delicate fingers. 

At her touch, his tightly closed eyelids fluttered slightly before slowly parting to reveal a pair of ruby red eyes. 

His gaze, unfocused at first, suddenly sharpened. His eyes widened in shock and in an instant he sat up straight.

Looking down at her, Ciela offered a faint smile. 

“Did you sleep well?” 

Her voice was harsh, probably from waking up. 

For the first time since she’d woken up and greeted him, he didn’t answer. Instead, without a word, he pulled her into a tight embrace. 

Ciela’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden gesture, but she soon relaxed and patted his back gently. 

The tall man, trembling like a fragile rabbit, shook uncontrollably in her arms. 

“I’m here.” 

“Yes.”

“I’m completely fine.”

“I’ll believe that after you’ve been examined by both the doctor and the mage.” 

“All right, then. Could you get me some water?” 

In an uncharacteristically clumsy manner, Calix fumbled as he handed her a glass of water. 

After taking a sip, she cleared her throat. The soft, calm voice that followed pleased her. 

Afterwards, Ciela was examined by both the Duke’s personal physician and Rune. 

The doctor confirmed that she had no underlying health problems and assured her that with proper rest and nutrition she would regain her strength. 

Rune, on the other hand, noted that the unpleasant magical energy he had felt when she collapsed had completely disappeared.

“Patrick said it was impossible for you to get up on your own… but this is truly a miracle.” 

“Maybe it’s because the fallen fairy died?” 

Ciela tilted her head slightly as she asked the question. 

Patrick had mentioned that if a fallen fairy died, the curse would be lifted. 

“Yes, that’s how it should be. Since the Duke no longer turns into a cat, it’s clear that his curse has been lifted. However, the curse that caused you to collapse has not disappeared.” 

“The fairies were shocked, saying they had never seen such a thing before. They briefly left for the fairy realm to investigate if there had been any similar incidents in the past”

Rune adjusted his glasses, mentioning that they were supposed to return today.

‘Then how did I wake up?’

Ciela blinked in confusion. 

Just then, a maid entered the room with a bowl of thin soup. As she passed the chest of drawers, she accidentally bumped into the corner. 

The impact caused something to fall onto the carpet. 

“Why is this here?” 

Calix bent down and picked up a small white stone, its surface rough and irregular, resembling dried moss. 

His expression darkened as he examined it. 

“…This looks similar to what appeared when you stabbed Lilia, Ciela.”

Rune frowned. His displeasure was obvious. 

“Wasn’t it you who brought this?” 

“No. I’ve never worn anything like that.” 

While Calix and Rune exchanged words, Ciela stared at the stone in silence, her expression blank. Then, after a short pause, she held out her hand. 

“…Then may I take it?” 

Carefully, she held the stone in her hand. 

Though she was sure she had never seen it before, an unfamiliar yet overwhelming sensation stirred within her. 

Her heart fluttered and her eyebrows furrowed slightly. 

An inexplicable feeling of longing spread through her.