Erin’s face was stricken with horror in an instant.
Blood was flowing from Aiden’s head.
“Aiden!”
Aiden was still holding Erin tightly in his arms without letting go.
Even though he had already lost consciousness.
Aiden briefly regained consciousness in the carriage while they were moving towards the mansion.
Then, as soon as he opened his eyes, he reached out to Erin, who was embracing him and crying, and wiped her tears away.
“Erin. Don’t cry.”
With a faltering voice, Aiden whispered softly, smiling to reassure her, even as he seemed on the verge of losing consciousness again.
“I will get up soon. So… it’s okay.”
Aiden’s eyelids fluttered heavily and slowly.
And once again, Aiden lost consciousness.
With each passing moment, Erin’s heart was breaking.
“Aiden… Aiden…”
Erin called his name over and over while holding him in her arms.
Hoping that with the sound of her voice, Aiden would open his eyes again.
***
The carriage sped to the mansion at top speed.
Aiden was immediately moved to a room for treatment, but he didn’t wake up easily.
“It seems he has received a significant shock. It might take some time for him to wake up,” the doctor who examined Aiden said.
“…He will wake up, right?”
“Yes, if nothing out of the ordinary happens, he should wake up in a few days.”
Up to that point, Erin, who had been tense with a frozen face, nodded slightly.
“I ask that you please take good care of him.”
“Don’t worry. I will do my best to look after him.”
“I’m asking you.”
Erin said in a weak voice, staring intently at the doctor.
While the doctor went to prepare the medicines based on the prescriptions, Erin stayed by Aiden’s side, monitoring his condition.
She would respond sensitively to even the slightest movement of his fingers.
“Aiden? Are you conscious?”
But there was no answer back. Aiden only showed slight movements but did not regain consciousness.
Erin was determined to stay by his side until he opened his eyes, not leaving even for a moment.
Day after day passed, and with each day, a tense time flowed by.
Aiden had been unconscious for several days.
Erin could no longer remain by Aiden’s side.
Initially, she had managed to deal with simple tasks by Aiden’s side.
However, it was difficult to insist on staying beside Aiden.
The elders, having heard of Aiden’s condition, rushed over and had been there for days without leaving.
They were pressing issues because they believed the trouble had arisen because of Erin’s family.
Moreover, there were still unresolved issues regarding the kidnapping incident that day. Follow-up actions were needed.
Erin’s head was throbbing.
It was overwhelming to just worry about Aiden right now, yet everyone around her wouldn’t leave her be.
“I’ll just settle the urgent matters and be right back.”
Aiden, being unconscious, couldn’t respond.
Yet even as Erin left the room for those brief moments, her concern made her look back at Aiden several times.
Erin had no choice but to temporarily leave Aiden’s side.
***
Erin was waiting in the office when she received a related report through the boutique’s madam and Felix.
“That day, Helena Zahard died instantly on the spot. And Gael Zahard was seriously injured and is currently under treatment.”
Currently, Gael Zahard was in the boutique’s basement.
No matter how much control was attempted, it was easier to maintain security there than in the mansion which was attracting so much attention from people.
“Is there a possibility of recovery?”
“It’s said to be almost negligible.”
At the madam’s answer, Erin’s eyes narrowed as she fell into thought.
“For now, keep Gael alive. It’s too easy if he dies like this.”
Erin’s face grew cold.
That was when Felix, who was standing next to her to report, spoke.
“There is another problem. This incident could not be controlled externally.”
“That’s to be expected. Given the scale of the incident.”
That was already a part she had guessed.
From the kidnapping incident to Aiden’s injury.
It was impossible to hide all those facts.
“Therefore, from the royal family to nobles from all sectors, there are many who are making requests to visit.”
“First, refuse all visitors until Aiden regains consciousness.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Erin commanded firmly.
But the problem still remained.
Erin gave Felix a look, and he hesitated, reluctant to open his mouth.
Seeing his hesitation, Erin spoke first.
“What about the elders? What are they doing now?”
“We have them held in the receiving room for now. But their protests are so strong that we seem to need something to calm them down.”
“…Otherwise, they’ll just barge into Aiden’s room on their own.”
Erin frowned and sank into thought.
She couldn’t just throw out the elders.
’I’ll have to meet with them and deal with this eventually.’
Erin frowned and was about to get up.
Then, the door burst open before she could, something that should never have happened normally.
That’s why Erin was on edge.
If someone came in so desperately, there could only be one piece of news they were bringing.
“…He’s awakened!”
As expected.
“Aiden has woken up?”
Erin asked, suddenly standing up.
And before even getting an answer, she was already running.
She didn’t know how fast she reached the door.
Just before opening the door, Erin caught her breath for a moment.
He had just regained consciousness.
‘Don’t get excited. Act calmly.’
Erin reminded herself several times as she opened the door.
Aiden was sitting on the bed.
As she entered the room, relieved that he looked better than she expected, their eyes met.
At that moment, Erin’s effort to remain composed crumbled.
She ran straight towards Aiden and let out the breath she had been holding.
“…Aiden!”
Erin embraced him tightly, releasing her joy and relief, along with all the worries that had accumulated.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Is there anything uncomfortable?”
Erin’s questions poured out incessantly. She was also busy checking Aiden’s condition with her eyes.
It was at that moment.
Thud.
With a dull impact, Erin was pushed back.
It was only after Erin staggered and took a few steps back that she understood what had happened.
Aiden had just pushed Erin away.
With a bewildered look, Erin gazed at Aiden.
“…Aiden?”
Aiden’s eyes were somehow different from usual, foreign, as if he was wary of Erin.
As Erin tried to take another step towards him, Aiden’s gaze sharpened.
“Who are you?”
Strange words were flowing from his mouth.
“…What?”
The hollow question hung in the air.
Perplexed looks were frozen in space.
No one could speak – not the doctor, not the employees, and not even Erin.
In the awkward silence that filled the space, the only person making a sound was Aiden.
“Who are you? That person, who is she?”
A low, cold voice and a stranger’s gaze as if looking upon someone entirely unknown.
The look and voice with which Aiden regarded Erin were not like this.
The eyes that naturally shone when Aiden gazed upon Erin now carried a desolate, colorless light.
Neither his eyes nor his lips curved in the slightest; rather, they took on a shape of discomfort, almost displeasure.
Aiden appeared to be uncomfortable and on guard around Erin.
‘Could it be that he doesn’t remember me?’
Erin was unable to react at all to the unbelievable situation.
***
It didn’t take long to grasp the situation.
First, Erin returned to her room and blankly stared into the void.
Without moving a single finger, her head slowly turned as she remained motionless.
With the sound of footsteps at the door, the doctor who had treated Aiden came to visit.
Upon seeing the doctor’s somber expression, she sensed it.
She knew that no good news would come from his mouth.
“It appears he may have amnesia.”
“What?”
“It seems he has memory problems due to a head injury.”
The doctor’s words brought back the image of Aiden’s blood, still starkly fresh on Erin’s hands.
As she wiped away the relentless flow of blood, Erin had been fearful that Aiden might never rise again.
With so much blood lost, it was inevitable there would be consequences.
She had not anticipated it would be this sort of problem, though.
Erin’s eyelids trembled with anxiety.
“What happens now, then?”
Erin asked, almost hoping.
“The best course would be to rest and focus on recovery until the memories return….”
The doctor, too, had no definitive solution.
“But please, don’t despair too much. Memories can sometimes return quite unexpectedly.”
“…Or, conversely, that day may never come at all.”
Erin was aware of amnesia.
She had never actually met someone afflicted by it, but she knew of it from dramas she watched in her past life.
‘The protagonist’s memories always returned in the end.’
So, Erin vaguely believed that Aiden’s memories might also return someday.
‘But…’
That wasn’t what was important at the moment.
Erin raised her head briskly and spoke.
“How is Aiden’s physical health? Besides his memory, is everything else alright?”
If there were memory issues, there might be other problems too.
“Yes. Fortunately, though there are many wounds, there is no internal damage, so recovery should not take long.”
“…That’s a relief.”
Erin muttered, feeling reassured by the doctor’s calm response.
“For now, the most immediate concern is Aiden’s health. Let’s be content with that.”
Erin spoke almost as if convincing herself.
It was then that the doctor, observing Erin with a worried look, cautiously spoke up.
“Madam, you must remain steadfast. Losing one’s memory is essentially the same as returning completely to the moment that holds the last memory.”
