“Oh my, I’ve made another mistake.”

Looking at the scroll burning vigorously, the old man said slyly.

“……Then.”

Eileen’s eyes, having realized the old man’s intention, turned red once again.

“Next time, I hope we meet after a long time has passed.”

The old man reached out and carefully wiped Eileen’s eyes.

“I would be very pleased if you could tell me then that you were happy because of my mistake.”

“……Thank you so much.”

Eileen bowed her head slightly, then smiled with the corners of her eyes curved.

The old man smiled back and gestured toward a dark passage.

“If you walk straight this way, you will meet the people you love.”

* * *

Spring, when flowers had bloomed abundantly, had passed, and summer was approaching.

For several months, Bereut had been noisy, but it quickly found peace again.

As time passed, everything returned to its place.

“……”

Except for Eileen, who was still in a deep sleep.

“Eileen, did you sleep well?”

Aaron once again greeted her today, though he knew there would be no response. After doing this for so long, it had become quite manageable.

“It will be summer soon. Miss Dana made a bouquet with roses for summer.”

“……”

“How is the season where you are in your dream?”

The gentle whispering voice spread softly throughout the hospital room.

“I should put it in a vase so you can see it when you wake up.”

Aaron looked around for a vase. Despite there being many vases before, none were visible today.

“I’ll have to go get one.”

Aaron carefully closed the hospital room door and went outside.

“Mmm……”

That’s why he couldn’t see Eileen moving her fingers.

After a little time had passed, Aaron returned to the room with a vase filled with water.

“They say if you add some kind of nutrient, they’ll last longer.”

Aaron was placing the vase on the table when he casually looked up.

His drowsy eyes grew round in an instant.

“Hello, Aaron.”

* * *

“This is strange. Truly strange.”

The doctor looked back and forth between the chart and Eileen several times.

“Lady, are you really not in pain?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Even when walking…?”

“No problem.”

He had asked the same questions multiple times, but Eileen’s answers were always the same.

She could walk perfectly fine, she wasn’t dizzy. Her voice was also coming out well.

Just to be sure, they conducted a full-body examination.

However, she was perfectly fine, unbelievably so for someone who had been between life and death for weeks.

She was actually extremely healthy.

“Hmm, this is truly strange.”

“Could it be an inexplicable miracle?”

She knew why she was so healthy, but since she couldn’t tell them, Eileen said slyly.

“A miracle…… Well, the fact that you survived alone is a miracle.”

The doctor nodded as if agreeing.

Then he organized the equipment he had brought and stood up.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait a moment. We’ll go with you.”

Duke Kyle stopped the doctor who was about to go.

Then he approached Aaron, who had been staring at Eileen the whole time.

“Duke Aaron, we have something to discuss with the doctor, so please take care of our Eileen in the meantime.”

Duke Kyle gently patted Aaron’s back.

I’ll leave you alone for a long time so you can say everything you want to say.

His touch seemed to convey that message.

“……”

When only Eileen and Aaron remained in the hospital room, a quiet silence flowed.

“I missed you, Eileen.”

Finally, Aaron broke the silence and whispered in an affectionate voice.

As if she had been waiting for this, tears began to fall from Eileen’s eyes.

“I…… I missed you so much too.”

Once the tears started flowing, they knew no end.

The two embraced each other and kept repeating how much they had missed each other.

“……You know, Aaron.”

When the emotions that seemed endless had somewhat calmed down, Eileen carefully opened the conversation.

“What happened to Prince Laine?”

“Ah……”

At Eileen’s question, Aaron let out a small sigh.

Of course, she would be curious.

Aaron stroked Eileen’s reddened eyes and said.

“We held a trial. The verdict was delivered, and Laine accepted everything.”

“Really?”

“He’s now imprisoned in Bereut’s underground prison. I’ll arrange for you to meet him once.”

She wanted to ask what verdict had been handed down. But the purple gaze facing her was resolute.

Eileen stopped questioning and spoke in a slightly brighter voice.

“Actually, I was revived by a god’s mistake. That’s why my body is so perfectly fine!”

“Hmm?”

Aaron tilted his head askew.

“I met that god again. The one who accidentally killed me in my previous life.”

“Ah……”

“I should have died, but he said he would make one more mistake and saved me. He said he hoped I would be happy…… Huh? Aaron, are you crying?”

As she continued speaking, Eileen was perplexed by Aaron’s sudden tears.

She had only wanted to tell him what had happened since she was alive, but she didn’t expect him to cry.

Though she didn’t understand why he was crying, she hugged Aaron tightly to comfort him.

“Was my story sad? I just wanted to tell you what happened.”

“……If the god hadn’t made a mistake, you might have died. Like my parents who tried to save me……”

At Aaron’s last words, Eileen’s heart sank to the bottom.

“Hey, that’s just a hypothetical! I’m perfectly fine and alive, aren’t I?”

So Eileen smiled as best she could.

She smiled very brightly, hoping his wounds would fade even a little.

“And now that everything has been resolved well, I won’t have to leave your side anymore.”

“……”

“It’s a good day, so smile. Okay?”

Despite Eileen’s efforts, Aaron’s smile simply wouldn’t return.

What should I do about this? As she was lost in thought, a small voice flowed in.

“……I think I could smile if you kissed me first.”

“What?”

Eileen asked, thinking she might have misheard.

But what came back confirmed that she hadn’t misheard.

“Kiss me first, Eileen.”

Moreover, Aaron was acting sly as if he had never cried. He traced Eileen’s lips with a meaningful touch.

Really, what should she do with this man?

For a moment, a headache came over her, but it quickly subsided.

The smile had returned to his face, and after all, this was the man she loved.

“I love you, Aaron.”

With a brief confession, Eileen gave her breath to Aaron.

* * *

Unlike the outside where the sun was shining warmly, the underground prison had no light except for candles.

The prisoners all complained without exception.

But Laine said nothing and just stared blankly at the ceiling of the prison.

One day, two days.

Quite some time had passed since that day, but Laine was still stuck in that moment.

-Lady Eileen was stabbed with a knife instead of Duke Aaron. Her condition is very critical.

Every time he closed his eyes, that letter came to mind, and it was too painful. That’s why he accepted the trial without protest.

Hoping to atone for Eileen, even a little.

While he was spending such painful time, a servant came to see him.

“Prince Laine, someone has come who wishes to meet you.”

“Please tell them I won’t see anyone.”

Laine covered his face with both hands and spat out his irritation.

“But…… They said they want to meet you no matter what.”

The servant looked uneasily at Eileen standing beside him.

Eileen gestured for him to step aside for a moment. The servant then backed away.

“Whoever it is, I said I don’t want to meet them.”

As he could still sense someone outside the bars, Laine became irritated.

“Shall we talk?”

But when he heard a voice so familiar, he quickly rose from his seat.

“Hello, Prince Laine.”

Facing her who had miraculously survived, he felt as if all his pain had disappeared.

Laine wiped away the tears that were flowing steadily and smiled brightly.

He didn’t want to show his crying face to Eileen, whom he thought he would never meet again.

“The reason I came to see you today is because there’s something I want to ask.”

Unlike Laine, Eileen faced him with a face devoid of even a hint of a smile.

Such a reaction was to be expected, but it felt a bit bitter. Laine swallowed a wry smile and said.

“……What is it?”

“Why did you do it?”

It was a short question, but hearing it made it hard to breathe.

When Laine couldn’t easily open his mouth, Eileen clenched her fist tightly.

“Did you think I would love you if Aaron wasn’t by my side?”

“……”

In response to her question, this time he nodded slowly without answering.

His stomach churned.

Eileen suppressed the rising nausea and asked, infusing each word with anger.

“Are human lives a joke to you?”

When Laine kept his mouth shut again, it felt like heat was boiling inside her.

“You would k*ll people to silence them, to gain love?”

Eileen grabbed the iron bars and shook them hard.

The clanking noise filled the underground prison.

“Live with the guilt of almost killing me for the rest of your life.”

Eileen exhaled deeply once. Then she took another deep breath.

The musty air of the underground prison felt stifling, and she no longer wanted to stay there.

“I will never forgive you for as long as I live.”

At the resolute voice that struck his eardrums, Laine slowly raised his head and met her gaze.