“Episode 42”
“You fool. How could you hate studying so much?”
Even today, as Yuliana enthusiastically brushed aside her tutor to come to the emerald lake, Evan responded cheerfully, despite knowing she wouldn’t pay attention unless it was related to magic.
“The only time I can meet a beautiful lady like you is at this hour.”
“Am I beautiful? Alright. Among the quaint academy kids, there’s no elegant lady like me… Hmph. To train as a knight, you’d have to be a squire for a long time. Your parents are too much to send you to the academy. Oh, and knights should also serve beautiful ladies, you know!”
Blabbering without even knowing what she was saying, young Yuliana exclaimed.
“For heaven’s sake, shut up!”
Meanwhile, the grown-up Yuliana watching her younger self wished she could pick up the words she had just spoken.
It seemed a bit crazy. Evan, unfazed by the seemingly insane ramblings, responded calmly.
“I missed you. Yuliana, my lady.”
“…”
After a moment of silence, Yuliana, lips tightly pressed together in embarrassment, spoke.
“People might misunderstand if we weren’t young.”
“Let them misunderstand.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I hope they do misunderstand. It would be so refreshing.”
“I’m the betrothed of the family you serve.”
“Yuliana.”
“Now you’re even calling me by name?”
“Is that not allowed?”
They were walking around the lake, far enough from the maids to not be heard.
Yuliana realized that Evan skillfully twisted the umbrella to hide even their lips from view. His face, stained by the umbrella’s shadow, looked quite mature, making Yuliana awkwardly smile.
“That’s not right. I’m not brave enough to elope with you.”
“I know. That’s why I plan to become a duke.”
Even though it sounded like a mere childish promise, an empty phrase, to become a duke of the empire.
But Yuliana irresponsibly accepted those words. Her father was weak, her mother had left. The betrothed chosen for political and familial reasons were indifferent to each other.
In such a situation, the only emotion that came to young Yuliana was something she couldn’t let go of.
Finally, she said, “Yes, I promise.”
They spent the rest of the half-day together until the summer sun set and the cool afternoon breeze arrived. Watching their peaceful moment, Yuliana felt her consciousness being swept away by the wind again.
“Oh!”
Caught in a whirlwind of forgotten memories, Yuliana was swept away. The forgotten memories had become a massive typhoon, sweeping her away.
Dizzyingly spinning around, she suddenly felt calm again. Thick blankets covered the floor, and winter curtains covered the windows.
It was winter.
Yuliana looked at herself lying on the bed. Slightly older than in summer, slightly weaker, she lay exhausted.
Yuliana tore her gaze away from her younger self. Everything that she couldn’t remember felt unfamiliar.
Then she heard someone’s footsteps. It was the footsteps of two people. Beyond the door, two people were arguing.
“I’ve heard from Duke Hilchen. You’re his son…”
“I’ve come on behalf of my brother. Concerned about Yuliana’s health…”
“Do I look like a fool?”
Lord Oban was poking young Evan.
The viscount looked at Evan with displeasure. He knew why the son of a knight who hid his status as a knight’s seed and kept his presence hidden in the academy would come like this. Even though he heard that his capricious daughter had found a friend of her own age, the other party seemed to have different intentions.
“The fiancé’s eldest son has already been here and gone. If you’re going to complain, at least make a proper excuse.”
“Lord Oban, please. Yuliana is also my friend.”
“Hmm…”
“If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to guard outside the room yourself.”
“The duke wouldn’t approve of this behavior.”
“I work as a knight’s squire. If you’re worried about people’s eyes around you, just tell them that someone has come to run an errand. I’m prepared to accept whatever punishment the duke orders.”
Evan said calmly.
Then, in front of Lord Oban, he rolled up his sleeve. His arm was bruised, just beginning to heal and turning red and purple.
Adult Yuliana, watching him, gasped in shock. Like her, Lord Oban was also taken aback.
He knew that the treatment of the bastard child was not good, but this was a punishment method that he, as Lord Oban, could hardly agree to. In the end, he reluctantly said.
“…I’ll give you exactly 5 minutes. Of course, I’ll be standing outside the room. And don’t forget to stop by the kitchen before leaving. Tell them it’s a gift from the noble family. Your father likes tea leaves from our family.”
“Thank you.”
Evan bowed politely and entered the room.
His gaze fell on the unconscious Yuliana. He sighed heavily and sat on the chair near the girl. Clutching his face and gasping for breath, he finally looked up.
The face, neither grimacing nor crying, was just pale. But it seemed to be crying for her.
Evan said quietly.
“You seem foolish… Yuliana, your brother is fine. He’s not dead. But for pushing someone like this just because of that… If it were me, I wouldn’t feel guilty at all. Rather, I would feel relieved. Of course, I know you’re different from me.”
He smiled weakly.
At that moment, before Lord Oban left, a servant who was already speaking at the main gate screamed in surprise.
Even the specially trained horses, who were supposed to behave quietly even when smelling the scent of a dead dragon, began to wail loudly, “Hee-haw.” Some of them even broke away from the group and were trampling on the laundry that the maids had spread out.
Seeing the commotion outside the window, Lord Oban was also at a loss. He quickly ordered the nearby knights to control the servants and horses.
“I’ll be back soon, so take care of Yuliana.”
“Yes!”
Lord Oban hurriedly crossed the corridor.
Even the maids near the corridor rushed out to calm down the horses running wild. Some of the horses were even trampling on the laundry spread out by the maids.
Whether they knew it or not, the knights were staring at the bastard child of the Hiltchen family.
Although Lord Oban was weak-hearted, he was very sharp when it came to the safety of his daughter. No matter how young he was, he couldn’t let a boy go into his daughter’s room alone.
Feeling their gaze, Evan turned his waist slightly through the half-open door.
“It’s noisy outside. What’s going on?”
“You don’t need to worry about it.”
“Oh. I see. That’s a relief.”
Evan smiled like an angel. Then he snapped his fingers. The knights suddenly felt drowsy, their minds fogging over for a moment as they drifted off to sleep.
Looking at them strangely asleep, Evan muttered, “I don’t really care. Even if you nap in front of Lady Oban.”
Finally, Evan found himself alone with Yuliana as planned. He looked pale as he gazed at his suffering mistress.
“Yuliana, why are you in so much pain? Don’t hurt yourself even when you don’t have to.”
Leaving the chair, Evan knelt by the bed. Suppressing his overflowing emotions, he awkwardly kissed Yuliana’s thin hand.
“I don’t know if this will help you, but it helped me at least. So… please get better soon. You need to listen to me babbling like a fool again.”
Evan reached out his hand to Yuliana. In his hand was the “medium” he had made with his friend.
“Gasp!”
At that moment.
Yuliana was engulfed in rushing memories and once again drifted somewhere else.
Eventually, she found herself standing in an empty space. When she looked up, shadows swirled in the white void where nothing was.
Startled by the shadow that seemed to be chasing her, she tried to run away but was eventually stopped by the wall blocking her path. Standing facing the shadow rippling on the empty floor, Yuliana shouted, “Who’s there!”
“You didn’t know it was me? Disappointing.”
The shadow that had been quickly following revealed its form.
Surprisingly, the self-standing shadow was colorless. It appeared as a silhouette mixed with gray rather than a clear black.
Yun looked at Yuliana with a solemn expression.
“Your little sister is quite a character. She used to chatter on and on when I teased her a bit. How did you educate your little sister?”
“It was you who incited her, wasn’t it!”
“What are you talking about? I just told her to reclaim what was rightfully hers from the poor child who was discriminated against by her mother. I just taught her the truth that there was no reason for an older sister like you to be family. Do you remember when you pushed Iris Caverner down the stairs when you were young? Iris forgave and forgot about it. Even if you pretend to have forgotten that memory.”
Yuliana fell silent at that.
Yes, when she was young, she had pushed Iris who came to visit down the stairs in anger. Maybe she could forget that memory…
Looking at the twisted expression on Yuliana’s face, Yun continued with a sneer.
“Do you remember now? Your duke failed to preserve your memories and erased some of them entirely. You have no past memories related to Evan. First love is such a romantic and foolish thing. Who would have known that the young knight who wanted to save you in his own way would suffer so much because of that method.”
“…”
Yuliana remained silent. Then, Yun, not letting her guard down, continued.
“…Was it you who incited Lucian as well? Did you give him Evan’s memories so he would attack me?”
“Hmm…”
Yun spun around in circles.
With her arms crossed and moving around, she seemed like an exaggerated actress playing a role.
She was always like that. Always light-hearted and joyful, a heightened sense of excitement emanated from her.
Yuliana found it disgusting and frightening. Watching Yuliana’s guarded eyes as if she was enjoying them, Yun suddenly stopped and cheerfully said, “Yes, that’s right!”
At that answer, Yuliana’s expression twisted.
“Even if I die, the world won’t follow the original as it has already changed from the original. There’s no way you, the protagonist, will have a happy ending!”
Unable to hold back her anger, Yuliana shouted.
Watching her anger, Yun smirked. When she realized her opponent was barely holding back her laughter, Yuliana stopped speaking.
There was a moment of silence, then Yun burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
“…You!”
