IDED | Chapter 147

Episode 147

“……!”

Serena’s eyes widened at Azaid’s words. At the same time, her golden irises trembled uncontrollably.

‘What does he mean by “this time”?’

Those words sounded as if he, too, had memories from before her regression. As Serena remained speechless in shock, Azaid gently stroked her cheek and spoke.

“It must have been difficult, hasn’t it? Carrying all those memories alone.”

“Y-Your Majesty…”

Serena stammered, confused. She couldn’t understand what he meant by carrying those memories alone.

She had lost memories before, but she had never carried them. Of course, the memories of her regression belonged solely to her, but how could Azaid possibly know that?

‘Could it be that he actually remembers something?’

Her gut feeling was confirmed when Azaid spoke again, his words laced with meaning.

“There’s something I haven’t told you yet.”

“……”

“I remember. I remember how much you tried to save me. And how foolish I was.”

His voice rang softly. Serena fixed her gaze on him, as if she didn’t want to miss a single word.

“I realized it far too late—just how precious you are.”

“How…”

Serena trembled, covering her mouth with her hand. She had merely suspected it, but now it seemed certain—Azaid remembered what had happened before the regression. He let out a small chuckle and continued.

“Actually, I heard your voice when I lost control.”

Thud. It felt like her heart had dropped straight to the ground. Overwhelmed, Serena remained silent, and Azaid gently took her hand in his.

“When I went berserk, I saw my past life. I saw how desperately you wanted to save me and how stubborn I was.”

“You really… remember?”

“Yes. I think you stopping my rampage in the previous life acted as a catalyst.”

“That’s impossible.”

Serena was astonished that he even knew he had lost control in the past. She had never told him that. If he knew something she had never spoken of, then it could only mean he truly remembered.

“I agree—it’s something impossible. But it happened to us, like a miracle.”

Azaid’s eyes curved into gentle crescents as he met her gaze.

A miracle.

Yes, to Azaid, who didn’t know the full truth, everything must have seemed like a miracle.

“It wasn’t just a miracle that happened by chance.”

Understanding the situation, Serena clasped Azaid’s hand tightly. In their close proximity, they could see nothing but each other.

“There’s something I haven’t told you either, Your Majesty.”

Azaid stared at her intently as she carefully broached the topic.

She had never intended to talk about past lives with him. She hadn’t wanted to burden someone who didn’t even remember.

But now that he recalled everything, she had to tell him about Mydia.

“I was able to regress thanks to someone’s help.”

“What do you mean? Is there someone else besides us who remembers our past lives?”

“No, not exactly. Rather, it was someone who helped me return.”

“Who was it?”

Azaid looked completely lost. Of course, how could he have expected this? Even his mother wouldn’t have foreseen it.

So yes, in a way, it was a miracle. A rare and precious chance given through someone’s goodwill. Serina smiled softly.

“It was Mydia.”

“What?”

“Mydia used her divine power to bless me when I collapsed in the warehouse that day. You do know that her divine power holds prophetic strength, don’t you?”

“…Is that really true?”

Azaid looked as if he couldn’t believe that Mydia had played a role in their fate. Serena raised an eyebrow at his reaction.

“Do you think I would lie about something like this?”

“No, I just…”

“Honestly, I only learned about it later from Raffaello. He told me Mydia’s blessing carries Special power.”

“……”

“That’s when I realized—the regression I had once considered a curse was actually a blessing. A gift that allowed me to turn back the moment I regretted most.”

Azaid’s blue eyes shimmered, filled with emotion. It was a complicated feeling—after all, this involved the two women he loved.

After a brief pause, Azaid let out a warm sigh and suddenly pulled Serena into his arms.

“Why are you only telling me this now?”

“Your Majesty, you didn’t remember anything. If I had said something back then, wouldn’t I have seemed insane?”

“I would never think that of you. Never.”

“I know. But still, it was just hard to say.”

Serena buried her face in his shoulder, acting a little spoiled. Now that she had told Azaid everything, she felt a sense of relief.

She had told herself it was fine if he never knew, but deep down, she had always wanted him to understand. His embrace was warm, and his scent mixed with the crisp night air, making it all the more intoxicating.

Then, suddenly, she felt something hard against his chest. As she curiously reached out to touch it, Azaid flinched.

His voice dropped to a low murmur.

“Serena, not here…”

Seriously? Was that all he ever thought about?

Serena chuckled at his misunderstanding. Pulling away from his embrace, she tapped his chest—more precisely, the object tucked in his inner pocket.

“Your Majesty, what’s this?”

“……!”

Only then did Azaid realize why Serena had touched his chest.

“Uh, well…”

His face turned crimson in an instant. Under the glow of the maple tree lights, his blush looked even more vivid than usual.

Serwna blinked at his suspicious behavior.

‘It has to be that, right?’

If it was a small case, then there was only one possibility.

But she didn’t outright ask, “Is that an engagement ring?” If she did, Azaid would surely whine about it later.

Or worse—run away. Not that he could escape from Serena, of course.

‘Lucy was right after all.’

Ophilia wasn’t the only one who had visited Serena during her recovery. Nearly everyone she had met in this life had come to see her.

Among them was Lucy, who had told her that the emperor had commissioned something extravagant from the Gordon Trading Company.

Lucy had even speculated—rather excitedly—that it was an engagement ring.

Serena had brushed it off then, but to think that the legendary item that had kept Jack Gordon running back and forth was actually an engagement ring.

Serena grinned mischievously, eager to see how Azaid would react. Meanwhile, he bit his lower lip, looking flustered.

‘No, this isn’t how it was supposed to go. No, no.’

His mind blared with emergency sirens. He had planned to propose in a grand, dramatic fashion, but it felt like everything was falling apart.

Yet, denying it now would be impossible—Serena’s eyes were filled with curiosity.

Just then, she reached out and pressed a finger to his lips, gently separating his abused lower lip from his teeth.

“You’re going to hurt yourself. Why are you biting your lip so hard?”

“…Serena.”

Azaid lightly caught Serena’s hand as she pulled away, holding it with a steady grip. Without realizing it, he had instinctively reached for her left hand.

“Your Majesty?”

Serena’s golden eyes shone with clarity as she waited for his next words.

Azaid fumbled as he took out a ring case from his inner pocket. Then, with one hand, he opened the lid and presented the ring.

The purple diamond sparkled beautifully under the light. The surrounding sapphires also emitted an extraordinary brilliance.

“This is…”

“I like you.”

“…….”

“A lot. I love you.”

Azaid’s clumsy confession sent a shiver through Serena’s heart. Unable to respond immediately, she remained silent, and he, growing anxious, gently brought her hand to his lips.

His red lips pressed slowly and deeply against the back of her white hand. As he looked up at Serena, he whispered in a low voice.

“Serena, will you marry me?”

“Ah.”

Serena felt as if she were being drawn into his blue eyes. It was as if the world had been reduced to just the two of them, separated from everything else.

She wanted to go back in time and scold her past self for thinking that a proposal was nothing special. This confession was far more moving than she had ever expected.

“Answer me. Quickly.”

Azaid interlaced his fingers with hers, pleading. He was so endearing. Her answer had been decided long ago.

“My answer is…”

Serena let out a soft chuckle before pulling Azaid’s hand toward her and kissing it. Then, she whispered—

“I love you.”

“…….”

“Very much.”

The moment her simple yet heartfelt confession left her lips, Azaid immediately pulled her closer.

The brief distance between them disappeared once more. The ring case naturally slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, but neither of them paid it any attention.

Instead, they clung to each other as if afraid their lips would part.

Azaid wrapped his arms around Serena’s waist, while she knelt between his legs, pulling him in even tighter.

The warmth between them burned fiercely. She had grown so accustomed to his heat that the cold hardly affected her anymore.

As she ran her fingers through his soft golden hair, they deepened their embrace—until the noise from the hill below faded into silence.

How much time had passed?

Serena suddenly felt something cold drop onto her closed eyelid.

At first, she thought it was rain. But the sensation on her cheek was lighter than raindrops. Moreover, it melted softly upon contact, making it even less likely to be rain.

Serena slowly opened her eyes.

And in that instant, an astonishing sight unfolded before her.

A tiny snowflake had landed on Azaid’s golden hair. The way the delicate flakes drifted down looked just like an angel’s wings.

“Wow.”

Serena exclaimed in awe, gently pushing Azaid back.

When he stubbornly tried to press closer with his eyes still closed, she finally pulled away completely and joyfully announced—

“It’s snowing.”

At her words, Azaid slowly opened his eyes. As if her voice had been a signal, the snowflakes began falling even more.

It wasn’t enough to accumulate on the ground, but it was enough to confirm—it was snow.

Azaid looked up at the sky and murmured softly—

“It really is snowing.”

The first snowfall. A rare and precious sight, only now witnessed in their third lifetime.

“It’s been so long since I last saw snow. This is truly incredible.”

Serena gazed up at the sky, letting the snowflakes land on her palm, her face glowing with excitement.

She looked so dazzling in that moment that Azaid could only stand there, quietly watching her.

Grateful to be alive.

Grateful to be with her.