Chapter 1 – Amnesia

“What are you hesitating for? Just go and tell him you’re his fiancée. It’s not a lie, so what’s stopping you?”

Layla spoke curtly as she pulled away the blanket April had wrapped herself in. Chloe tried to stop her, objecting.

“She told you, he doesn’t remember anything. How can she say that to him?”

“Why not? Did I say she should lie? She can just tell him the truth as it is.”

“And then what? If she goes to someone who doesn’t even remember her and says she’s his fiancée, is love supposed to magically come back?”

“Love is from the heart, not the head.”

Layla patted her own chest, as if frustrated.

“Even if he’s lost his memories, seeing Lily again might make his heart race. Then, maybe, his memories could come back bit by bit.”

“Did you even listen to what Lily said? She said he looked at her like a total stranger. If she goes and says she’s his fiancée, it’ll be lucky if he doesn’t treat her like a creep!”

Upon hearing the news of Kyle Landen’s amnesia, the two friends had rushed over to try to come up with a solution, but with their opinions so sharply divided, nothing was getting solved. April, looking dejected, pulled the blanket back over herself.

Only then did the two girls, who had been arguing, turn their attention back to April.

“Lily, don’t worry too much. We’ll find a way, somehow.”

“Yeah. Don’t be too sad. They said there’s a chance his memory will come back. Sir Landen is back in familiar surroundings, so maybe he’ll recover soon.”

“Thanks. I’m really glad you’re here. But today, I just want to be alone for a bit…….”

April muttered from under the blanket. Layla and Chloe looked at the moving lump of blankets, then at each other, and sighed as if on cue.

Whenever April had worries or felt down, she preferred to be alone in her room like this. Normally, they would have dragged her out of bed to play together, telling her not to dig herself into a hole, but given the situation, they couldn’t just force her.

Layla gently pulled back the blanket and kissed April’s golden hair.

“I’ll come running whenever you need me. Even if I’m asleep, just call.”

“Yeah, thank you.”

“I’ll come right away, no matter what I’m doing if you call. You know how much I care about you, right?”

“Yeah. I care about you both a lot too.”

Even after her two friends left, April lay weakly under the blanket. Normally, her nanny or maid would have come by, pestering her to go for a walk, but today, perhaps out of consideration, they stayed away.

‘Does he really not remember?’

She gently touched her damp eyes, recalling Kyle’s unfamiliar expression the last time she saw him.

According to the Landen family’s physician, Kyle’s memory had stopped at age twenty-one. April first met him in the spring when he turned twenty-two. They became lovers that fall, and their engagement was made official the following winter. That winter, he had to go off to war.

In truth, Kyle had been reluctant to get engaged. Knowing his personality, April realized he was thinking about what might happen if he didn’t return. Even if he did come back injured, he was considering leaving her.

There was a world of difference between lovers and fiancés. Once engaged, if the engagement was broken off, no matter the reason, it was hard to find another marriage partner—even if it was because the fiancé had died.

Because of this, Kyle was absolutely opposed to the engagement as a precaution, but April had insisted. For her, there was only Kyle in her life. It was a horrifying thought, but if Kyle couldn’t come back, she was prepared never to marry.

But in all her worst-case scenarios, she never considered that he might forget her.

‘What should I do?’

If she told him she was his fiancée, Kyle would be confused, but he’d accept reality and treat her as his fiancée. He was a man with a strong sense of responsibility.

But April wondered what use that would be. Their relationship would never be the same, and she felt she’d only burden him.

Yet saying nothing was unbearable. What if he fell in love with another woman before regaining his memory…….

‘I don’t want that…….’

But for now, there was no clear answer.

One thing was certain: even at this moment, she missed him desperately. She longed for his strong arms that used to hold her tight, his warm embrace, his gentle eyes, and the soft voice that whispered her pet name.

She had waited two years, and finally, he was back, but the things she missed hadn’t returned.

* * *

“What if I hit my head again?”

At Kyle Landen’s sudden suggestion, his friend of fifteen years, Joseph, stopped signing documents and looked up. Just moments ago, Kyle had been sitting quietly with his face buried in his hands, but now he stared blankly into space.

Kyle Landen was a man who was perfect and meticulous in everything. Joseph had never seen him this disheveled.

‘Well, he must be a mess inside too.’

He was someone who had lost all memories of the past four years. To wake up and find the whole world changed, and now, back in the capital, he apparently had a fiancée he couldn’t remember.

If their engagement had been a political arrangement between families, Kyle would probably feel less guilty. But the two of them had loved each other like they couldn’t live without one another.

If Joseph were in that situation, his mind would go blank and he’d start by denying everything. But Kyle was methodically accepting reality.

Joseph recalled April’s face from a few weeks ago and, putting down his quill, pressed his aching temples. Even though it wasn’t his problem, it felt like his own headache.

‘Miss April waited so long for him.’

During the two years Kyle was gone, Joseph often met with April. Kyle had asked him to look after his fiancée, but Joseph himself felt the need to take care of his close friend’s fiancée.

April Myles was sociable and gentle. She always greeted people with a smile, and even in social circles, there were no bad rumors about her; hardly anyone disliked her. In fact, if anyone did, people found it strange, given her good reputation.

When Kyle first introduced Joseph to her, she acted as if she’d known him forever. Since he was her beloved’s closest friend, she considered him a friend too. Watching April chat with Kyle in her soft voice, Joseph had thought she was a perfect match for him.

But over the past two years, April had changed little by little. She still greeted people with a smile, but Joseph, who had often seen her with Kyle, noticed the subtle differences. She grew more anxious and withered as time passed, as if she were barely alive.

‘She must have spent those two years worrying herself sick that Kyle would get hurt at war.’

Lost in thought, Joseph replayed Kyle’s earlier words and smoothed out his frown.

“What? Hit your head how?”

“I’m thinking of trying to shock my head again. Since I lost my memory because of trauma, maybe another shock will bring it back.”

What a brute-force idea. Joseph, momentarily forgetting the seriousness of the situation, clicked his tongue.

“How exactly would you do that?”

“I got hit by a rifle b*tt before, so maybe if I get hit by a rifle b*tt again, it’ll work.”

Maybe it wasn’t just memory loss—maybe there was something wrong with his head. Joseph started to wonder if Kyle had suffered some cognitive damage. The situation seemed more serious than he thought.

Out of habit, Joseph reached for his cigar, then remembered Kyle was present and put it back in his pocket. Kyle hated cigarette smoke.

“Don’t even think about it. You’ll lose the memories you have left.”

“Think so?”

“Yeah, man.”

Joseph put the documents in the drawer and sat across from Kyle. With his mind so tangled, he couldn’t get any work done. He figured he might as well have a serious talk with his friend.

“Brandy?”

“No, thanks.”

Joseph shrugged and crossed his legs. Kyle, still deep in thought, stared at his own feet with a serious expression.

“If not shock, then how do I get my memory back?”

“No telling when it’ll come back. More importantly, you need to ask yourself the most basic question. What do you want to do?”

“The basic question?”

“Yeah, the basic question. What do you want to do now? If your memory never comes back, what will you do?”

“I’ll take responsibility.”

Despite all his worries, Kyle answered without a moment’s hesitation. It was just like him to step up and take responsibility, but that alone couldn’t solve the situation.

“You don’t feel love for Miss April, though?”

“…….”

He really had lost his memory. Joseph hadn’t doubted it, but seeing Kyle unable to answer this question, he had to accept it.