For some reason, the way Grand Duke Estin looked at Tia Bluea was somehow not like him.
Sure, the way he looked at me and my siblings was sweet enough, but this was a different kind of sweetness.
It felt more overt and regal.
Am I the only one who thinks it’s weird?
Tia Bluea was fidgeting with her fingers, and the three brothers were tightly pursing their lips.
Meanwhile, Gilbert was holding Estin’s hand tightly. Feeling overwhelmed by the sight, I hesitated to enter the scene.
It was the right place for me to be, but for some unknown reason, I felt like an outsider.
Is it a sense of debt?
It’s probably because of my guilt for making him like this.
If that’s the case, I shouldn’t be bothered by Estin’s gaze towards Tia Bluea. A petty jealousy-like feeling pricked my conscience.
“What are you doing standing there?”
Theodore, who noticed me lingering outside the room, furrowed his clean forehead and grabbed my wrist, pulling me inside.
I could tell he wasn’t happy with the situation. His tugging was a little strong.
“Father, Mary Conler is here.”
Before I knew it, I was being yanked up and placed in front of Grand Duke Estin. Before I could prepare myself, our eyes met. It felt strange to see his pitch black eyes after such a long time.
I bowed my head involuntarily and stared at my toes.
What should I say?
‘How are you feeling? Is your body okay? Is your head not hurting? Have you been hearing all the stories I tell you every night? Thank you for saving me, but I hope you never have to sacrifice yourself like this again. I miss you so much. You meant the world to me, but I never realized it until now. Please never leave me behind…’
“What are you doing, Mary?”
If it hadn’t been for Gilbert gently stroking my back, that tense atmosphere would have continued on indefinitely.
I calmly cataloged the words running through my head and carefully chose the first one to say, like choosing the prettiest beads.
“H, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
Compared to my courage, his response was just an ordinary greeting with the same affectionate tone as usual, but somehow it felt like he was drawing a line. Feeling foolish and odd, I cautiously lifted my bowed head to look at Grand Duke Estin.
My heart was racing like a pane of glass in a harsh winter wind as I lifted my head. He wasn’t looking at me when he answered my question. His eyes were fixed on Tia Bluea, whom he had never seen before.
Tia Bluea, who was receiving that gaze, had a blush on her cheeks, seemingly shy.
“I’m glad you’re alright.”
“Yes.”
“Uh, um….”
I was never someone who spoke a lot, but this curt and unresponsive tone left me speechless and bewildered, as if I had nothing else to say.
Among the countless words that had tickled my mind earlier, I could only manage to utter one before closing my mouth. Even though there were so many other things I wanted to say.
As I stood there, Grand Duke Estin continued to speak to Tia Bluea.
“So Morgan had a daughter like this.”
“Oh, really, I’m embarrassed when you say that.”
“I can’t believe you kept talking to me while I was unconscious.”
“Of course I did what I had to do.”
It was very different from the short answers he gave me earlier.
No matter how long one sleeps, can a person change so dramatically?
I tried to grasp the situation as I listened to the conversation between Grand Duke Estin and Tia Bluea, but then Theodore stomped out as if he were angry.
It was rude, but Grand Duke Estin didn’t seem to care.
Gilbert sighed and followed suit, and Aiden put his arm around my shoulders as I stood at a distance and led me outside. I kept looking back as Aiden dragged me away, worried about Grand Duke Estin and Tia Bluea, who were left alone.
“How, what happened?”
“He doesn’t remember.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, why do I have to break the news to you?”
A pained look crossed Aiden’s face at my questions. I didn’t think he would show that expression even if he was stabbed.
Aiden wiped his face dry a few times and even blamed himself for not being the first to leave, expressing resentment towards Gilbert and Theodore.
“So, he completely lost his memory.. ?”
“No. That’s not it.”
I chewed my nails hard. It was a habit that only surfaced when I was truly anxious, but in this situation, it popped up reflexively.
Aidan grabbed my wrist with a stern look and pulled it down. But when he saw me on the verge of tears, he lowered his raised eyebrows.
“Mary Conler.”
“What?”
“He remembers everything except you.”
I tightly closed my eyes. My wrist, held by Aidan, trembled uncontrollably.
How can there be such an unbelievable situation? What kind of day is today? X appeared, a dog suddenly turned into a human, and my father remembered everything but me.
I was so shocked that I wanted to scream.
But the scream didn’t come out of my mouth; it collided within me. Tears didn’t come out either. My heart started beating so fast that I wondered if it was possible for it to beat this fast.
As I trembled all over, my mouth barely able to utter a word, Aidan enclosed me in his arms and tried to console me.
“He’ll remember you in time. Haven’t you heard about Dr. Plington? The story of how he almost regenerated James’ leg, which was almost rotten and needed amputation. It’s almost like a legend in the Empire. Since he was in charge, your memories will come back in no time.”
“It’s different…….”
“What?”
“Skin and the mind are completely different. The skin can regenerate, but the mind is hard to heal.”
“My God, Mary.”
After hearing those dreadful words, Aidan gently pulled me out of his embrace and looked into my eyes.
“Mary, this accident happened purely by chance. If you think father erased his memory of you because he hated you, I’ll really scold you.”
“Ugh….”
“Besides, I’ve called in a healer, and I’m bringing in a renowned mage, someone who’s recognized within the tower as more skilled than the Lord of the Tower. He’s our professor. You know that the Grand Duchy of Conler and the magic tower don’t get along, so I’m bringing him here at Gilbert’s request, okay? I’m sure he’ll come to his senses.”
It’s not that I wasn’t aware that Aiden is trying to soothe me, but the more I kept listening, the more I realized that things weren’t as good as I thought.
Sweat trickled down my back. I leaned against Aidan’s chest like an exhausted person.
It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay, he said like a mantra. I’m sure he was saying it to me, but he also seemed to be reassuring himself.
Arsene said there’s good news and bad news. I pulled out of Aiden’s arms as I caught my breath.
Aiden kept trying to look me in the eye, perhaps worried about me.
“I have a visitor with me.”
“Baron Bruno?”
“Uh, no. He’s a friend I just met.”
“You should have told me. Where is he?”
I froze, not sure how to tell Aiden about Arsene. It was clear that Arsene knew all about it. I knew he was waiting for me somewhere in the mansion. I had to go to him and ask him what had happened.
“Hey!”
Rex ran to me just in time.
“Is the Grand Duke okay?”
“Well, fortunately…….”
“What about Arsene?”
Rex inquired about Grand Duke Estin as soon as he came. Aiden stiffened, but Rex didn’t seem to notice the oddity.
No, it didn’t seem like he had time to feel it. Rex’s already white face was as white as a sheet. What happened to Arsene?
“What’s the matter?”
“Uh, there was a man from Baron Bruno. He wanted to ask you something.”
“Baron Bruno?”
But what came out of Rex’s mouth was completely unexpected. Why would he come back to me when we had just separated, I wondered.
Rex shook his head when Aiden stopped me from going to see the man from Baron Bruno and told me to take care of the visitor I had brought.
“I think sister and I should go……. They say Baron Bruno threw himself into the river after he was separated from us.”
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