‘Is that, is that really….’ I paused, refraining from reflexively asking. Eleanor wouldn’t lie in this situation. Moreover, it wasn’t the time to delve into details.
There’s a way to revive Clyde—a way to undo everything. Even if it meant giving up everything I had, hesitating was not an option for such a proposal.
“Guards.”
I stopped crying and struggling, then one of the guards looked down at me, flinching at the sound of my voice calling out to him.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Step aside. I can walk on my own.”
The guards carrying me exchanged a momentary look of confusion.
“Did you not hear me?”
“…Oh, no. Understood.”
The guards quickly set me down on the floor. After adjusting my breath and clothes, I straightened my waist and stood tall.
The guards couldn’t hide their puzzled expressions at my composed demeanor.
“There are intruders in my chamber. They must be the same assassins who killed the king. Call for reinforcements and take them all away.”
At my words, the guards’ eyes widened in surprise.
“Quick, do as you’re told. I can’t return to my room until the intruders are dealt with.”
“Ah… Yes, Your Majesty. Understood.”
One guard hurriedly ran back in the direction we had come from.
“Please guide me to the nearby lounge. I’ll wait there until the situation is resolved.”
“Yes, understood.”
The remaining guards escorted me. I sat in a chair inside the lounge, closing my eyes.
‘…Please begin the transfer, Master.’
— Yes.
Soon, the time reversal spell flowed into my mind. They were extremely complex and advanced, proving that Eleanor was not exaggerating when she said she had spent a lifetime studying them. It also made me realize how much of a genius Eleanor must have been to create such magic.
— As you can see, it is only your consciousness, not your body, that travels back in time. This magic is on a different level compared to what I’ve taught you so far. Even if you are now able to wield the magic of this realm, you shouldn’t think about casting it with full force, leaving you a small amount of energy.
‘I understand.’
— Then, begin.
I took a deep breath and started memorizing the spell. Simultaneously, an unprecedented magnitude of magical power flowed into my body. I had to withstand the rush of this magical energy within me while maintaining focus on the spell.
Soon, my sweat began to pour like rain. My mind grew increasingly hazy, and just before losing consciousness, I managed to complete the spell.
At that moment, complete emptiness enveloped me.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
I opened my eyes and quickly sat up. I found myself on the bed in my room. There was no one else in the room.
“…Did I succeed? When did I return?”
My mind felt groggy, as if I had been up all night. It was undoubtedly the aftermath of casting the time-reversal spell.
‘Master, are you there?’
I called for Eleanor, but there was no response. This was the first time this happened, excluding the time when the mana inside me was completely blocked due to the choker Clyde made me wear.
‘…Master, can’t you hear me? Master?’
I called a few more times, but there was still no answer. A fleeting thought crossed my mind.
Eleanor had mentioned that going back in time only involved consciousness, not the physical body. What if, during the process, Eleanor’s spirit linked to my consciousness was lost?
I was momentarily lost, not knowing what to do, when someone opened the door and entered the room.
“Ruby, are you awake?”
It was Clyde.
For a moment, my breath was caught in my throat. Clyde approached me quickly and placed his hand on my forehead.
“How are you feeling? You still seem to have a fever. Don’t overexert yourself. Just stay lying down.”
Clyde gently hugged me and laid me back on the bed.
“…What’s wrong?”
As if realizing my odd behavior belatedly, Clyde narrowed his eyes and asked.
“Clyde…”
“Yeah, Ruby, what’s wrong? Are you feeling really unwell?”
I stroked Clyde’s cheek with a shaky hand. I brushed my fingers slowly across his sharp nose and handsome lips.
It was unmistakably Clyde. The face, the voice, the touch, and the body temperature. All of it…
In an instant, tears filled my eyes.
“Clyde…!”
“Ruby, what’s wrong?”
I rushed into Clyde’s arms, holding him tight, and started crying.
“Clyde…! Clyde…!”
“Yes, Ruby. It’s me. Why, what happened? Tell me. Okay?”
Clyde, perplexed, didn’t know what to do. He continued to hold me gently, patting my back and caressing my head.
“Why are you like this? Did you have a scary dream or something?”
Clyde asked, his voice full of concern. I nodded, biting my lip tightly.
“What kind of dream was it that made you like this?”
“…….”
I couldn’t even bring myself to say it, even if it had been a dream, or in this case, something that hadn’t happened yet. I could never tell Clyde about that horrible sight that I could still see vividly when my eyes closed.
“Was it like the premonition dreams you’ve mentioned? Did you foresee something terrible that’s going to happen? Is that it?”
I vigorously shook my head at his words.
“No! It’s not like that. It has nothing to do with that. It’s definitely not going to happen. I won’t let it happen. Never…!”
“…Ruby.”
Clyde held me tightly as my body trembled, as if trying to shake off the distress.
“Calm down, Ruby. It’s just a dream. I’m here. You’re safe.”
“…….”
Tears slid down my cheeks again. I clung to him as if my life depended on it.
“Are you feeling a bit calmer now?”
After a while, when I pulled myself from Clyde’s embrace, he asked softly. I nodded slowly.
“Now… what time is it? Why are you here, Clyde? What about the meeting? Work?”
“It’s probably a bit past noon… I canceled today’s meeting. You’ve had a fever since morning and couldn’t get up.”
The past had changed since before the time reversal. At that time, I had clearly woken up in the morning, and Clyde had attended the meeting according to the schedule.
‘Why? …Oh.’
Perhaps I had returned around the time I woke up this morning. But after casting the grand spell, I immediately lost consciousness, only waking up now.
If so, it meant there were only about three hours left until Clyde faced the tragedy.
“I asked Raphara to come while you were asleep. She said it doesn’t seem to be a cold or any other illness, but since you’re clearly weakened, she advised you to rest for the day. So, just lie down and rest. I’ll stay by your side, so don’t worry about nightmares or anything…”
“…Now is not the time for that.”
“What?”
I sat up on the bed and grabbed Clyde’s hand.
“I have to go somewhere right now. Don’t go anywhere and wait in this room. Got it? Promise me. You must not step outside.”
Clyde furrowed his brow, surprised by my serious tone.
“What’s going on, Ruby? Why are you leaving suddenly?”
“There’s no time to explain. Just trust me and don’t ask anything.”
Saying this, I jumped off the bed. Clyde grabbed my hand again, pulling me back.
“What’s going on?Why are you acting like this?”
“…Clyde. Let go.”
“Ruby, you’re acting strange. Tell me what’s going on. I won’t let you go if you don’t.”
Clyde’s eyes trembled with unease. I bit my lip.
“I told you. There’s no time to explain.”
“Then I’ll come with you.”
“No, you can’t. This is something I have to handle on my own.”
“Ruby.”
I cupped Clyde’s cheek with both hands, looked him in the eyes, and spoke.
“Please, Clyde. Just trust me this once. I won’t deceive you again, and I won’t leave you alone. You know, you’re the only one for me. The person I love, the one I want to be with for the rest of my life, is only you.”
“…….”
“To continue being together in the future, I must solve this problem. It won’t take long; I’ll finish it quickly and definitely come back to this place. Okay? Clyde. Please. Trust me.”
Clyde’s face slowly contorted. He kept his lips pressed together.
“You… promise?”
“Of course.”
“You won’t break it this time, right? For real.”
“Absolutely, I swear.”
I hooked my pinky finger with Clyde’s and pressed my lips firmly against the back of his hand, like stamping a seal.
“I’ll be back soon, Clyde. Wait for me.”
“…….”
Clyde nodded. He slowly released my hand. I took a step back, closed my eyes, and cast the teleportation spell to where my father was.
