Chapter 15

There were many things that couldn’t be explained unless his personality had changed. Alternatively, it could be said that he was originally gullible.

Kalik was living a second life. He didn’t know if losing a part of his memory justified such a change, but Kalik Escael was engaged in an unsolicited act of ‘love.’

Who orchestrated this?

Who was at fault?

Dawson sought the person who instigated it. Since only he, Lily, Marie, and Natalie knew about the amnesia, the suspect pool was narrowed down. It was either Lily or Natalie. Among them, Natalie had never interacted with Kalik alone or shared overlapping actions, so naturally, Lily became the suspect.

She must have done something.

Lily pouted her lips like a duck and strutted. Only Dawson knew that her distinctive expression stemmed from a sense of accomplishment. He blocked Lily’s path and glared at her with a stern face.

He was certain that the source of her smugness came from some lie.

“What exactly did you say?”

“What did I say?”

“About Miss Odillia! What did you say to make Lord Kalik act like this?”

Dawson’s expression was serious. He wasn’t exaggerating or hiding anything, so if there was an anomaly, Lily was the cause. Marie was too transparent to suspect, requiring no interrogation.

His guess was that Kalik had harbored a deep-seated fantasy about the woman named Marie Odillia even before Marie’s joke.

“I didn’t say much. Even if I did, it was for mutual benefit!”

“After lying, you call it not much?”

“How is it a lie? I didn’t make up anything, so it’s uncomfortable to hear that.”

“If it’s different from the truth, it’s a lie. Do I need to teach you the dictionary definition of a lie?”

If exaggerated, it could be called slander. No matter how good the intention and positive the outcome, distorting the truth is fraud, nothing else.

“Then should I tell the truth? That the young master’s wife looked at him like he was an fool?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Setting aside the term ‘fool,’ the expressions used to explain a situation don’t need to be entirely truthful. Of course, if it’s a complete lie, it’s a problem, but whatever expression is used, it should not alter the content.

“Lily, you made a big mistake.”

Was it a mistake to let Lily meet him immediately after waking up? 

That was a coincidence and an accident. Of all times, he had to wake up when she brought water and a towel.

In the time he went to call Marie in surprise, Lily did something. If he had known things would turn out this way, he would have sent Lily away and stayed by his side.

When he returned, the ‘work’ was already done, and Lily had disappeared, leaving Kalik with a complex expression, opening and closing his eyes.

It wasn’t long before he found out what story Lily had told.

His attitude had clearly changed. His courtship was blatant. When had he ever been uncomfortable, suddenly singing Marie’s praises and acting like a boy in love for the first time?

Lily must have foreseen only this far. Since the memory was gone, she decided to cover it up or fill it with something else. She thought there was no need for the sediment of the old era in a new beginning. The intention was good, but.

Dawson was worried about the outcome after the process of improving their relationship, not the process itself. It didn’t matter if things went well and the families washed away their enmity and reconciled.

The problem was if Kalik regained his memory in the middle of an awkward reconciliation.

Judging by the personality of the Kalik Escael he knew, he wouldn’t be a man to entrust himself to lies after recalling everything. He would try to correct the truth somehow. In the worst case, he might cause a big commotion due to disappointment in Lily, who deceived him, and himself, who was played.

The strange thing was why the rational and cold Kalik blindly believed Lily’s words. The memories he lost were those after marriage. Naturally, he should have known from previous memories that Lily Alain was the embodiment of exaggeration and lies.

So why was he getting close to Marie Odillia, believing only Lily’s words…?

Could he really be in love with her?

Or was he pretending to be in love as part of the reconciliation?

Either way, it was an action he was trying to replicate.

“Think about how you’ll handle it if his memory returns.”

“Why should I think about that?”

“Why, you ask? What will you say if you’re questioned?”

Lily being punished was certain. The question was whether Dawson, who failed to stop it despite knowing, would also be held responsible.

Dawson handed the tray back to Lily and opened the door for her. Fortunately, Kalik wasn’t in the room.

“That won’t happen.”

“What gives you such confidence?”

“If sincerity becomes truth, lies won’t matter.”

She shrugged her shoulders as she placed the items she brought on the table.

“The point is, if the love becomes real, that’s all that matters, right?”

“It might be true now. I’m not saying anything about that.”

“Then?”

“Don’t you know Lord Kalik’s personality? He’ll try to revert it just because of his stubbornness.”

What Kalik valued most was pride and honor. Lies came in third. Therefore, Dawson expressed concern that everything would fall apart once he regained his memory, regardless of how good their relationship was.

“Don’t worry. Even if his memory returns, Lord Kalik won’t abandon Miss Marie.”

“What if Miss Marie abandons him?”

Lily laughed and playfully punched Dawson. The force nearly knocked him back a few steps.

“I’ll bet my salary that they won’t separate! Both of them!”

“How much is your salary anyway? Then what if one of them abandons the other?”

“I’ll be your subordinate, Dawson.”

“You already are a subordinate, so what’s that supposed to mean?”

“No, no. I’m saying I’ll be your dog! But if they don’t separate, you become my dog, okay?”

“…….”

Dawson thought for a moment and nodded. It was the first time he had made such a bet, but he didn’t think he would lose, so he felt uneasy. While relationships are unpredictable, he believed a noble’s pride wasn’t below love.

In the end, he decided to trust the Kalik he knew.

Because he, too, hadn’t experienced his first love yet.

* * *

That morning, Marie saw Kalik off and lingered outside for a while. She wanted to stroll through the garden where summer flowers were in full bloom.

She walked absentmindedly, trying to focus on each flower her feet touched. Counting the leaves or identifying the flowers helped keep distracting thoughts at bay.

Lately, the issues of divorce, amnesia, and sudden pretenses of being a couple troubled her. Time seemed to crawl. So much had happened in less than a month since he woke up, causing her to worry about the future. So she pretended to think, ran away, acted like she was doing something, and passed the time.

Even if she called herself cowardly, there was nothing she could do. People naturally fear the truth.

Then he appeared.

“Ah….”

Marie thought the sound that escaped her was rather foolish. She couldn’t properly say “Father-in-law” because, on top of her headache, the head of the family appeared.

Standing at the end of the garden was Peter Escael. He was looking in her direction as if he had been waiting for her. That spot happened to be the path leading to the main house.

“Ah, Father-in-law…!”

She hadn’t done much as a daughter-in-law, but she always addressed him formally.

“It’s been a while, Miss Marie.”

It had indeed been about six months since they last met. Since he had been in the border regions until recently, their encounters were rare. Viola was in a similar situation, so it seemed neglect was the family’s policy.

“Yes, it’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“Hmm. It’s a relief to see you looking well too, Miss Marie.”

Marie tried to ignore her father’s advice to punch him if they met. He even said it was fine to cause a disturbance since Odillia would take responsibility. He suggested claiming temporary insanity.

However, Peter Escael was entirely different from what she had imagined. He was such a good person that it made her feel sorry for the old grudge. No matter how much he misspoke, he wasn’t someone to be constantly criticized for decades.

On the contrary, Albrecht’s temper seemed like a salt shaker in comparison.

Using betrayal as an excuse to torment someone, rather than being tormented by betrayal, was petty.

“Do you have time to walk for a bit?”

“Yes.”

Even if she didn’t have time, she had to walk. Marie trotted along like a puppy following its mother. Thanks to Peter making space beside him, she didn’t have to walk ahead or behind him, which was a relief.

“Are you getting along well with my son?”

“Yes, we’re getting along well.”

“Nothing unusual?”

“Since it’s not long since his recovery, there’s a bit of caution.”

“Don’t worry about that. He’s a very sturdy guy, so he should be fully recovered.”

But can you say he’s fully recovered when he’s lost his memory?

Marie couldn’t bring herself to mention the most important part and hesitated. Since Kalik had visited the main house a few days ago, the details might have been revealed.

“Still, if you need help, let me know. I’ll assist as much as I can. If I’m not around, you can tell my wife or the other kids.”

“I will. Thank you for saying so.”

“Family should help each other.”

Come to think of it, Kalik, who had lost his memory, used this tone. Before he lost his memory, he was formal and cold.

She thought Kalik’s current tone resembled Peter’s. Once he remembered everything, he’d go back to that.

“Miss Marie.”

“Yes.”

“How was it when you came here? I hope there was at least one thing different from what your father said.”

Peter’s voice was gentle. It was admirable that he didn’t get emotional when talking about Albrecht. Her father became a fiery man at the mere mention of Peter’s name. The letters of Escael meant a boom in weapon production that day. It was because he sublimated his misplaced passion into refining and tanning.

Marie tried to speak as if it wasn’t about her. She didn’t want Kalik’s father to equate her with her father.

“It’s a really nice place. The people are nice too.”

“Really? So I guess we’re not villains.”

“Yes. I sincerely expected it. I knew it would be different from what I heard.”

It was like exposing her father as a spiteful braggart. But if saying this could ease the grudges between the two families, she was willing to do it. In fact, if only Albrecht Odillia and Viola Escael could reconcile, it seemed everything would be resolved.

It was an impossible task for Marie, who couldn’t even resolve the amnesia.

“Please take care of him.”

Peter extended his right hand to Marie. Not knowing what he meant, she hesitated, then realized the thumb pointing up was a request for a handshake.

“A marriage is about the individuals before the union of families.”

When Marie took his hand, Peter’s grip tightened.

“It may not have started with love, but I believe if you strive for happiness, it can become that. The two of you, from what I’ve seen, suit each other well.”

“Father-in-law….”

“Please take good care of my son.”

Peter bowed deeply in front of Marie. It was sincere enough to show a glimpse of his white hair.

Marie froze for a moment before coming to her senses and bowing with him.

“N-no, I have a lot to work on, so I need to try harder!”

“I’m glad the new family member is you, Miss Marie.”

“I’m also glad to be part of your family, Father-in-law.”

“Please continue to stay by his side.”

At this moment, she was torn between the thought that her plan for divorce had been discovered and the overwhelming emotion of the moment, her conscience being battered. With each blow, guilt emerged instead of blood and screams. She feared whether she could truly keep Peter’s request.

“Then, since I’ve kept a young person too long, let’s part ways here.”

Even in his departure, he was dignified and cultured. Even if he truly harbored hatred for the Odillias.

In any case, the character of Peter Escael left a deep impression on Marie’s inner self.

In contrast, the pettiness of her father made all the flowers in the garden weep.