Episode 6 — Farewell and Reunion with His Fiancée ~SIDE: Ozz~
Ozz was growing weary of the life that had already been decided for him—this neatly laid path as the next duke.
Every maid and butler around him never scolded him. No matter what he did, they only ever praised him.
“Truly impressive, Master Oswald!”
“This young master is sure to bring prosperity to the household in the future.”
Their admiring eyes were everywhere. And yet, it felt as if no one was truly looking at him.
Still, his parents loved him. Deeply, indulgently. He knew that. He could feel it in the way they embraced him, the warmth of their affection.
It was a kind of love he was fortunate to have—and he was grateful for it. Even happy.
And yet… something always felt like it was missing.
Something he couldn’t quite name.
And then, he was told about his engagement to Fiene.
“Your partner will be Lady Fiene, daughter of Count Rainer.”
“Understood. I will follow Father’s wishes.”
Ozz had met Fiene once before.
It had been at one of the usual tea parties between their families, where the children were invited along as a formality.
(She was around four, I think. Green eyes that suited her well… but she seemed rather quiet.)
That was his impression of her.
And yet, something about her had lingered in his mind.
(She looked lonely…)
Just like him, she had carried that strange, quiet loneliness.
◇◆◇
Ozz was in the reception room for the formal greeting, brought there by his father.
Once his father and the countess stepped out, leaving the two children alone, Ozz spoke first—half out of duty, half because he was older.
“I’m glad to see you again, Fiene.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s get along from now on.”
“Yes… please take care of me.”
She lifted the hem of her dress and gave a small, awkward curtsy.
Something about it felt stiff—unnaturally so.
Only then did Ozz notice it more clearly.
Her hands were thin. Her nails looked worn, almost broken. Even her legs seemed slightly unsteady.
He observed her quietly over his tea, and the more he looked, the more things felt… off.
Nothing about her resembled what he expected of a noble daughter.
“I’ll come visit you once a week from now on.”
“Thank you very much.”
He decided then that he would keep coming every week to check on her.
Maybe it was instinct. A vague sense of concern he couldn’t ignore.
“If being my fiancée feels difficult, you can think of me as your older brother for now.”
“…Older brother?”
“Yeah. You can just tell me what you like, or what you don’t like. That’s enough.”
She was only four. He was ten.
To him, she still felt more like a little sister than anything else.
Then Fiene asked something unexpected.
“…Lonely?”
“Hmm?”
“I apologize. Please forget it.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m not lonely. Because you’re here.”
Honestly, Ozz’s heart had skipped a beat.
It felt as if this small girl had seen straight through him.
For a moment, that sharpness frightened him.
But as he spent more time with Fiene, something in him began to change.
“Oz!”
Little by little, she began to smile more brightly.
Her innocent, unguarded expressions were… disarming.
He found himself completely drawn in.
She was never boring to watch.
“Oz?”
“Hmm?”
“Are we friends?”
That question caught him off guard.
(Friends… I suppose we are. And I can tell her about the engagement later.)
Fiene seemed to look forward to their weekly meetings.
She would burst through the door with a loud bang, clearly excited, then sit right beside him and take his hand without hesitation.
(Cute…)
That was all he thought at first.
But later, he would realize—
that this faint, gentle happiness had already been the beginning of something else.
Something like love.
I want to stay with her.
I want to be by her side.
He had wished for that.
Until he was told she had died.
I want to see her.
Please, let me see her again.
That single thought became everything.
And so Ozz spent ten years searching for Fiene.
Until at last—he found her again.
(Ah… my dear Fiene…)
He tightened his grip around her hands, as if to confirm she was real.
