“Don’t cry.”

Lila tried to comfort the boy, who was sobbing bitterly on his knees. Watching him cry made her heart ache.

“Sniff… Lady Lila…”

The boy couldn’t stop crying, as though his sorrow knew no bounds.

“I said, don’t cry…”

Lila’s voice, attempting to console him, grew quieter. Seeing him weep so despondently brought tears to her own eyes.

“It’s okay.”

She couldn’t let herself cry. Lila swallowed the lump in her throat and bit her lower lip hard. Before the boy could notice, she hurriedly wiped her eyes with her sleeve. As her blurred vision cleared, the boy’s tear-streaked face came back into focus.

“I’m fine…”

But it wasn’t true. Not even a little. Lila wanted to plead with the boy to take her away from her current plight immediately. But she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She didn’t want to endanger him.

“You’re lying.”

The boy’s face crumpled at her words, fresh tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Even though… sniff… you’re hurt like this…”

Transparent tears fell onto his scarred hands. His trembling fingers hovered near hers but didn’t dare grasp them.

“I promise… sniff… I’ll save you. I swear I will.”

“Okay.”

“Just wait for me a little longer… sniff… I’ll grow stronger and… definitely protect you, Lady Lila.”

“I’ll wait.”

Lila forced a smile and gently lifted her hand to wipe the tears from the boy’s reddened eyes.

“So stop crying and smile for me.”

“L-Lady Lila…”

His blue eyes brimmed with tears again, and he trembled as though trying to hold them back. The boy awkwardly pulled the corners of his mouth up, forming an expression that was somewhere between a smile and a sob.

“Ah…”

Lila opened her eyes, startled by the stinging sensation in her chest. Even just recalling the dream left her feeling suffocated. Pressing her hands firmly against her ears, she grimaced as a sour taste rose in her throat.

“Lady Lila…”

The voice, soaked in tears, echoed vividly in her ears. Unlike the usual hazy dreams, today’s memory was painfully clear.

Disheveled blond hair, blue eyes like shimmering waves, and a pale, contorted face.

Lila could picture the boy from her dream with perfect clarity. That boy was most likely Grand Duke Eustace. And the conversation she had with him in the dream must have been a real memory.

When she first started having the dreams, she wasn’t sure if they were fragments of the past or not. But now, she felt an odd certainty—they were pieces of a forgotten past, coming back to her since meeting Grand Duke Eustace.

“Why was he crying?”

The question escaped her lips in a voice tinged with sorrow. The more she thought about the young Grand Duke sobbing so miserably, the heavier her chest felt, and nausea welled up inside her.

The dreams she had were of a past that Grand Duke Eustace remembered, but she herself did not. And with only fleeting glimpses offered by the dreams, there was little she could truly understand.

“It’s okay. I remember, so don’t worry.”

That’s what Grand Duke Eustace had said when she admitted she couldn’t recall her past. Though he had seemed disappointed, he reassured her with a smile. At the time, Lila hadn’t felt much desire to reclaim her lost memories. But now, after these dreams, she occasionally felt an urge to uncover the whole truth.

“Lady Lila.”

The voice from outside her room broke her out of her reverie.

“Did you cough just now?”

“…Emma.”

Seeing Emma enter her room, Lila instinctively sat up, then tilted her head in confusion. Normally, the Grand Duke would have arrived to wake her before Emma.

“Where is the Grand Duke?”

“His Grace is currently in a meeting.”

“A meeting? This early?”

Lila asked with a puzzled expression.

“Yes. It seems there’s something urgent he needs to discuss with the Chief of the Mage Division,” Emma replied as she placed a tray of breakfast on the table by the window.

“Shall I bring some water for washing?”

“No, I’ll do it myself.”

Rising from the bed, Lila quickly headed to the bathroom. Although she had grown somewhat accustomed to being served, she still felt more comfortable doing things she could manage on her own.

Lila splashed cold water on her face as though trying to wash away the remnants of her dream. When she came out, towel in hand, she saw Emma opening the window for ventilation.

“Oh no.”

The moment Emma cracked the window open, raindrops came pelting inside as if they’d been waiting. She gave up on ventilating the room.

“It’s raining quite heavily.”

“Indeed.”

“It looks like the monsoon season is about to start,” Emma said worriedly, gazing out at the rain-soaked world.

Lila followed her gaze to the window. The rain, which had poured all night, showed no signs of stopping even in the morning.

“Where’s the Grand Duke?”

Lila tilted her head slightly as she noticed there was only one tray on the table.

“Ah, His Grace said he wouldn’t be able to join you for breakfast today.”

“Because of the meeting?”

“Yes. He asked me to relay his apologies to you…”

Emma trailed off, observing Lila’s reaction. Lila didn’t say anything, but her expression, though stoic, carried a subtle hint of disappointment.

“Today’s soup is made from peas. Please eat before it gets cold,” Emma said in a deliberately cheerful voice.

Encouraged by Emma’s urging, Lila picked up a spoon and took a sip of the green soup.

“It’s nutty,” Lila commented briefly and took a few more spoonfuls before setting the spoon down. She picked up her knife and fork, cutting into the appetizing pancakes on her plate.

“Good.”

“…?”

Chewing the soft pancake that melted in her mouth, Lila suddenly stopped and looked straight ahead. For a moment, she thought she’d heard Grand Duke Eustace’s voice. But the chair across from her was as empty as it had been moments ago.

“What’s wrong?”

Emma, who had been pouring tea, noticed Lila’s pause and called out to her. Lila blinked and, as if it were nothing, resumed cutting her pancake.

She took another bite, savoring the soft texture, but it didn’t go down as easily this time. Feeling her throat tighten, she put her fork down and took a sip of tea.

“…I’m done eating.”

“Sorry?”

“I’m not hungry.”

Lila sighed softly as she set the teacup down. Emma’s face clouded as she noticed the barely touched food on the plate.

“You’ve hardly eaten… Did it not taste good?”

“It’s delicious,” Lila replied, shaking her head. There was nothing wrong with the food—it was just that she had no appetite.

“Should I bring you something else?”

“It’s fine. I just…”

Lila trailed off, her gaze lingering on the empty chair across from her.

“I’m not hungry.”

Her voice sounded drained as it escaped her lips. Lila herself couldn’t understand why she felt so listless. Strangely, she simply didn’t feel like eating.

Emma followed Lila’s gaze to the empty chair, her face showing a hint of unease. A quick observer, Emma immediately grasped the reason for Lila’s lack of energy.

“Is it because His Grace didn’t come?”

“I suppose it’s been a while since I ate alone,” Lila murmured with a peculiar expression.

At first, she thought her poor appetite was due to the restless night she’d had. But after hearing Emma’s words, she realized it might actually be because she didn’t like eating by herself.

“They say humans are creatures of habit…”

‘Since when did I get so used to eating with someone else?’ Lila suddenly realized how much she had changed. It was an odd and somewhat frightening feeling.

Back in the imperial palace, eating alone had been the norm. Trainees were more like rivals than companions, and they were always starving. There was no peace in an environment where everyone fought to grab even a little more food for themselves.

Before coming to the Grand Duke’s estate, Lila had been no different. If she hadn’t met Grand Duke Eustace, she might have never known the joy of sharing and eating meals together in her entire life.

“His Grace, really… No matter how busy he is, he should at least eat breakfast,” Emma grumbled, clicking her tongue. She was frustrated that the Grand Duke, who usually frequented this room every day, was nowhere to be seen today.

In truth, Emma was just as surprised as Lila. The Grand Duke, who always made time to personally ensure Lila had her breakfast, hadn’t shown up today. Even though she had seen him call for Anseir at dawn, indicating some urgent matter, she hadn’t expected him to miss their morning meal together.

“If he’s busy, there’s no helping it,” Lila said.

“Lady Lila…”

Emma looked at her with a sympathetic expression. On the surface, Lila appeared indifferent, her usual neutral expression giving nothing away. But having cared for her up close, Emma could tell that Lila was in a very bad mood.

“…Emma,” Lila finally spoke after a moment of hesitation.

“Do you think the Grand Duke is upset with me?”