Chapter : 06
“Are you in your right mind?”
Ricain stared at Laindart with a hardened expression.
“What exactly are you referring to?”
“Do you truly not know, or are you merely pretending not to?”
“…”
“Does that child really look like Lylit to you?”
Yes, outwardly she looked exactly the same. For a split second, even she herself had almost called the girl by Lylit’s name.
But that was all.
The girl named Urania had clearly insisted that she was not Lylit.
“Has your heart really been swayed by someone who merely resembles your former mate?”
“…”
“You’ve committed two grave mistakes. First, you’ve ruined that child’s peaceful life. Second, you’ve deceived the North. You should know better than anyone how precious Lylit was to this land.”
“I know that very well.”
“And knowing that, you still did this?”
Taking a deep breath, Ricain continued,
“Send that child back to where she belongs immediately.”
“I cannot.”
“So you’re going to persist until the end…”
“She was my mate.”
“…What?”
“She was my mate, so I know her better than anyone. That is precisely why I brought her here. That woman is undoubtedly my mate, Lylit.”
“…Do you have any proof to support such a claim?”
“My heart is the proof.”
A bitter smile appeared on Laindart’s lips.
“How could I not know? Even now, merely hearing her name fills me with unbearable longing and sets my heart racing. No one but Lylit could awaken these feelings in me.”
“So what? Are you saying that child has lost her memories?”
“I’m not certain, but that’s what I believe.”
Ricain felt utterly exasperated.
“Memory-erasing magic was sealed away and disappeared long ago.”
“But no one ever said that everyone who had mastered that magic disappeared as well.”
“Are you trying to play word games with me?”
Drawing a deep breath, Laindart spoke.
“The day Lylit left…”
“Waaah…!”
At that moment, the sound of someone crying bitterly echoed from outside the door.
“…What is that noise?”
“I’ll go check.”
For a moment, he regretted being unable to finish what he had been about to say.
But then he changed his mind.
He needed undeniable proof.
His grandmother had been right.
He had ruined Lylit’s life.
Before she lost her memories…
And after she lost them as well.
Even so, Laindart still wasn’t prepared to lose her.
After years of clinging to the traces she had left behind—traces that had crumbled into dust within his own hands—he had finally found her again.
This time, unlike the past, he would not let her slip away helplessly.
At the same time, he had to learn what had happened on the day she left him.
Only then could he atone for the sins he had committed against the Lylit of the past.
*
“Waaahhh!”
Before she knew it, all the maids had burst into tears together as though their hearts had broken.
No matter how hard she tried to calm them down, they only cried harder.
Why are they crying?!
If I at least knew the reason, maybe I could do something—but I can’t even fix this!
“Why… sob… did you only come back now?”
Huh?
“We… sniff… waited for you for so long…. How could you leave without saying a single word?”
Hearing that, Urania finally understood what was happening.
They’re… mistaking me for Lylit.
What am I supposed to do now?
Knowing the reason only made the situation even harder to resolve.
“You’re lying, aren’t you? You haven’t really lost your memories, have you?”
“Do you really not remember any of us?”
How could she remember?
She wasn’t Lylit.
“Um… first, please calm down. I’m not Lylit. My name is Urania—”
“Waaah!”
Before she could even finish speaking, the maids she had just barely managed to calm broke into fresh sobs.
“You really don’t remember….”
“How could this happen to Lady Lylit…? Sob.”
Would you please listen to what I’m saying?!
Is ignoring people when they speak some kind of regional custom here?
“What is going on here?”
A familiar voice came from behind her.
Turning around, Urania saw Laindart walking toward them.
The instant he appeared, the maids fell completely silent.
“I’m certain I instructed everyone except Ruby not to approach Lylit for several days. Have you already forgotten?”
“…”
Unable to answer, the maids simply wiped away their tears.
“You know better than anyone that someone suffering from memory loss shouldn’t be subjected to this kind of confusion.”
“…We’re sorry.”
I don’t really think they’ve done anything wrong…
Seeing the maids standing there with dejected expressions made Urania feel uncomfortable.
Trying to lighten the mood, she turned to Laindart.
“Um… Your Grace?”
“What is it?”
“Before anything else… what’s going to happen to me? Am I allowed to stay here?”
“I already told you that you must stay here.”
What does that mean?
He told me? He didn’t ask for my permission? That’s not permission—that’s a declaration.
“What about my consent?”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“…Why not?”
“Because I’ll obtain it.”
“What does that even—”
“Let’s talk after you’ve settled into your room first. Ruby.”
At the Duke’s call, one of the maids who had been crying in front of Urania stepped forward.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Take her to the room she used before. And from now on, address her as Urania.”
Wiping away her tears, the maid forced a smile.
“Yes, understood. Lady Urania, please follow me.”
After walking for a while, Urania found herself standing in front of an unfamiliar room.
It was most likely Lylit’s room.
Not a single speck of dust could be found inside.
It was as though someone had cleaned it every single day.
“Um… Miss Ruby?”
“Yes! Lady Ly— I mean, Lady Urania!”
“Has this room been cleaned every day?”
“Yes! His Grace ordered us to clean it daily. He said he never knew when you might return.”
Is he simply unable to let go… or is he just that devoted?
Come to think of it, he had always been the devoted type in the novel.
Even after the heroine ended up with the male lead, he continued loving her.
His love had always been heartbreaking.
His own mother had coldly abandoned him for another man, and his father had died in an accident.
There had been almost no love anywhere in his life.
To someone like him, the heroine—with her warm personality like the arrival of spring—had been a refreshing spring breeze that finally melted his endless winter.
Of course…
The problem was that his feelings had remained one-sided.
…Wait a second.
Wasn’t Laindart supposed to be in love with the heroine?
“Ruby, can I ask you something? Since when has Lady Lylit been living in the North?”
“Hmm… I don’t remember exactly, but I think it’s been about two years.”
Two years ago.
If Urania remembered the novel correctly, that was around the time the heroine and Laindart had first met.
Did I miss something when I read the novel?
She searched her memory again but couldn’t think of anything.
Then again, her favorite character had been the blond emperor.
Still, she couldn’t believe she would forget the backstory of someone as important as the second male lead.
“And you don’t have to speak so formally with me!”
Her train of thought was interrupted when Ruby smiled brightly at her.
Without realizing it, Urania avoided the maid’s cheerful gaze.
Just a few days ago, she herself had also been a maid.
How could she suddenly start speaking casually just because her circumstances had changed?
“I’ll speak more casually once I’m comfortable.”
A hint of disappointment crossed Ruby’s face before she quickly smiled again.
“Of course! Just do it whenever you’re ready!”
“And once I’ve finished unpacking, could you show me around the castle? I don’t know anything about it yet.”
“Of course! I’d be happy to! Then let me help you unpack first—”
“I’ll unpack my things myself!”
She knew that, ordinarily, a maid would be expected to unpack for her.
Even so…
She still wasn’t used to being treated that way.
“Ah… all right! Then once you’re finished, just ring the bell! I’ll be waiting nearby.”
With those words, Ruby left the room.
Now Urania was alone.
“I can finally breathe.”
She was about to lie down on the bed but stopped herself, choosing instead to sit carefully on its edge.
It felt wrong to simply lie in a bed that had once belonged to someone else.
She gently brushed her hand across the sheets.
The coldness beneath her fingertips—devoid of even the slightest trace of warmth—was the only sign that its owner was no longer here.
Now that no one else was around, Urania let out a quiet sigh and whispered softly,
“After leaving behind such a long, lonely wait… where did you go?”
