Episode 62
It had been three months since Yvonne had come to live in the capital of Apentina with Marquess Rohan.
Marquess Rohan, being a duke in Apentina, had many responsibilities. Apentina wasn’t as large as the Bricesys Empire, so there was plenty for him to do. Yvonne realized it was ten minutes to seven in the evening and went downstairs to the first floor of the main house.
“My lady.”
“Hmm?”
“This is for you.”
“Oh…”
Yvonne stopped for a moment, realizing the pin had fallen from her hair. Her maid replaced it with a pin that Marquess Rohan had given her.
“How do I look?”
“You are always beautiful, my lady.”
“Hmm.”
Yvonne replied and continued down the stairs. Marquess Rohan worked at the palace but was always punctual about coming home. He never let her eat dinner alone. No matter how urgent his work was, he always had breakfast and dinner with Yvonne, and often had lunch with her at the palace. As it was almost dinner time, he was sure to arrive soon.
Though Yvonne mostly stayed indoors, her habits as a princess made her dress well even inside the house.
“I hear the Duke has bought the Tears of the Siren for you.”
“Yes, I heard.”
Yvonne wasn’t very interested in jewels. Since coming here, Marquess Rohan had given her plenty of jewelry. As a former princess, she had received so many jewels that she couldn’t remember them all. She appreciated his gestures but wasn’t particularly moved by them. She had her own wealth, after all.
However, she was grateful for his thoughts, so she often pretended to be more pleased than she actually was. Yvonne lifted her skirt slightly and descended the stairs, speaking to her maid.
“Put the glass fish in the cabinet.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“And bring me some stationery, please?”
“Yes, my lady.”
As they talked and she walked slowly downstairs, she heard a familiar voice.
“My lady!”
Marquess Rohan was already climbing the stairs. He lifted Yvonne off her feet and smiled.
“You’re early today, Kes.”
“I missed you too much.”
“Is that so.”
Yvonne’s sense of responsibility toward him was fading. She had thought he gave up a lot in the Bricesys Empire for her, but it seemed he had given up everything there willingly. Apentina treated him generously because he had an unparalleled ability to manipulate memories.
In Apentina, Marquess Rohan was the only one with such a high-level ability. The royal family only had abilities like nullification or healing. Hence, they had to treat him generously. Moreover, thanks to Yvonne, he didn’t suffer any side effects from his powers. Thus, Yvonne’s sense of responsibility toward him had greatly diminished.
“Kes, put me down.”
“Don’t you like this?”
“No, I just want to see your face more closely.”
“Alright.”
He always became ecstatic at such words from her. However, Yvonne found his behavior eerily similar to Hildebrandt’s. Her memories of Hildebrandt and Yurian were becoming hazy. She wondered if just three months away from the Bricesys Empire could make everything so blurry.
Despite her suspicions, she didn’t want to doubt Marquess Rohan. But with her memories fading and a high-level memory manipulator constantly near her, it was natural to be suspicious.
“Come to think of it, dear.”
“Yes?”
“You touched me even though you haven’t washed yet.”
“Oh…! I’ll go wash right away!”
He put Yvonne down and hurried to his room on the third floor. Yvonne headed to the dining room on the first floor.
‘I’ll be back.’
An inexplicable hallucination had been haunting Yvonne for some time. It was the same phrase Hildebrandt had said to her the last time. Pretending not to hear it, she continued to the dining room. The earrings Hildebrandt had given her, which only he could remove, were still on her ears. They were made of a deep blue gemstone and supposedly had no tracking ability.
So what were they? What could be keeping them from being removed?
Yvonne suppressed her curiosity, telling herself it didn’t matter since they had no tracking ability.
When she arrived at the dining room, the butler was waiting with a suspicious-looking main dish covered. After waiting about ten more minutes, Marquess Rohan hurried down the stairs, his hair still dripping with water as he took his seat.
“I have something for you, my lady.”
“If this keeps happening, let’s delay dinner by 30 minutes. It’s always a pity to see you rushing to wash up.”
“It makes me so happy to know you care.”
His face lit up with a broad smile at her concern. His honey-colored blonde hair shimmered with the water droplets, and Yvonne couldn’t help but feel a mix of familiarity and mild irritation as his forest-green eyes focused solely on her.
“I have something for you.”
“Alright.”
The butler approached, lifted the cover, and revealed what was on the plate.
“The Tears of the Siren!”
“Yes, I bought it for you.”
“My goodness!”
Yvonne thought the jewel was beautiful, but she didn’t particularly want it. However, it was clear that Marquess Rohan had put considerable effort into obtaining it.
The Tears of the Siren.
The green diamond was said to be formed from a mermaid’s tears, according to legend. It was also a gift from the first king of Apentina to his queen when he proposed.
“Isn’t this a national treasure?”
“Yes, it was a bit difficult to acquire.”
“Kes, you are truly amazing.”
Marquess Rohan felt relieved to see Yvonne smile happily. He was always curious about what she liked, but she never showed clear preferences. She pretended to be happy with any gift and never showed displeasure, so he couldn’t ask her directly. Thus, he kept giving her gifts, hoping to discover her favorites.
Yvonne accepted everything he gave her with grace. Because of this, he wanted to give her the best and most valuable things possible. To him, jewels seemed to suit her best. Aside from Yvonne, he had never had a deep relationship with any other woman, so he was eager to learn about her and strengthen their bond in his own way.
“I can wear it to the banquet tomorrow.”
“Let me put it on for you now.”
“No, I want to have dinner first. Can you put it on me tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
He didn’t think she was reluctant because she didn’t like the jewel. Her reactions were always similar regardless of the jewel. She seemed to have a habit of not wearing new gifts immediately.
“Bring in the food.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Soon, a finger bowl was brought in, and Yvonne and Marquess Rohan washed their hands.
“I’ll skip the salad.”
“I’ll skip mine as well.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Then, the main dish was served: beautifully presented veal steak. The butler placed a plate in front of Marquess Rohan and held another plate. Marquess Rohan cut the steak on his plate into bite-sized pieces and then placed it in front of Yvonne. She was used to this gesture from him and accepted it without much thought.
As she began eating, Marquess Rohan watched her chew with a small smile on his face.
“The color of your lipstick is very pretty today.”
“It’s from Ers Boutique, the one you brought last month.”
“I see.”
Marquess Rohan had given her so many gifts that he often forgot what he had given her and when.
“Oh, Kes.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“Lady Ivanna invited me to go boating.”
“When?”
“Next Saturday.”
“I see.”
Marquess Rohan disliked boating because of a previous accident, but he could handle it now thanks to Yvonne saving him.
“You’ll come with me, right?”
“Of course. If you want to go, I’ll go anywhere with you.”
“That’s good to hear.”
She smiled and took another bite of her steak. Then, meeting his eyes, she asked,
“Why do you keep erasing my memories lately?”
TL/N: Fl is a young lady here.
