From the looks of it, it wasn’t that they couldn’t stop it, but they let it go.
Since the crown prince was in the store anyway, the knights had no choice. Since he couldn’t show himself in public, he let Theo in.
“There are a lot of unwelcome guests today.”
Ren’s voice sounded bitter.
He was hoping that Carver might kill him instead of him, but Theo seemed fine.
“Ugh, ugh.”
The pain in her head was unbearable. It felt like someone was squeezing her throat, making it hard to breathe.
“What is this pain?”
Confusion continued to worsen in Riley’s mind. Nausea and a wave of mana fluctuations were felt throughout the body.
Despite Riley’s youthful voice, Ren’s touch on Riley’s back was tender. As Leta stood in front of Riley, she reached out to stop him.
“How dare you come here?”
Leta asked Theo cautiously, aware of all the stories she had heard and the situation. After finding out everything, Leta had planned to kill Theo when he was heading towards the Duke’s mansion. Despite Carver’s objections, she was determined to do it.
What Riley thought was happiness was a lie. The smile her sister had shown her that day and the words of comfort were just stories she had made up for her sake.
Riley was still unhappy and struggling, even outside the house.
“It seems like my story was a joke after all.”
“Your Majesty, I, I’m just here to confirm if my wife really is…”
Carver realized that it was no longer easy to hide who he was. With Theo here, his true identity was revealed in an instant.
In the end, he laid everything bare.
She meeting Leta and now even Theo,She felt her legs weaken as she hesitated to rise from her seat.
“Wife?”
On the grounds of their divorce, calling her his wife.
“You have another wife, don’t you?”
“That, that’s…”
Theo trailed off, avoiding eye contact.
Carver smirked, glaring at Theo. Theo, unable to approach willingly, hesitated to get up from his seat.
His gaze turned to Riley, nestled in Ren’s arms.
“Riley, is it really you?”
Riley’s body trembled at Theo’s voice. He couldn’t recognize her. He had just come thinking of her as someone similar, but Riley, struggling to organize her confused mind, regained her composure.
“But why are you here?”
Riley couldn’t properly assess why Theo had come for her, or why she was in this situation, fleeing from it. Upon seeing Theo, a sense of rejection overwhelmed her, along with the thought that he couldn’t find her. Her mind was in disarray, causing pain.
“Look at this!”
Riley handed Theo a piece of paper, strangely familiar. The writing was blurry, but the last sentence caught her eye.
“Suffering like mine…”
As Riley read on, the anger buried in her heart crushed her chest. A burning sensation and a tingling feeling crept up her throat.
With strength in her hand, the paper crumpled unceremoniously and fell from her grasp.
“Ren, what is this?”
Her body trembled violently as she held her head. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks.
She couldn’t pretend to know Theo like this. Even though she wanted to strangle him right then and there, she suppressed her anger at Leta’s presence.
She wanted to kill him.
Even though she couldn’t remember the reason he was standing in front of her, Riley felt the vitality pulsating inside her body.
‘How did he even find out and come here? No, more importantly, why do I feel this way…?’
Riley took a deep breath, trying to ease her frustrated chest. The pain felt stronger than usual.
“Get out. All of you.”
Ren warned quietly, holding Riley tightly in his arms. A blue aura swirled around him. Everyone froze in place at the powerful aura emanating from him.
‘I couldn’t retreat now. I needed her now.’ Theo thought.
“Riley, I asked if it’s really you! And who is the man next to you…!”
Finding Riley was fortunate, but seeing unfamiliar faces made him uneasy. Was it because the sight of her in another man’s embrace seemed somewhat familiar? Theo felt anger boiling deep within him.
‘Who is that man holding Riley?’
Riley jerked her head sharply towards Theo.
“I, I don’t know you!”
“No. You are my wife. Riley, you loved me so much, you even bore my child.”
He shamelessly revealed Riley’s wounds in front of everyone. Theo remained unyielding even in the face of Riley trembling all over.
When he looked at the people here, he was convinced. The woman standing in front of him was Riley.
She looked slightly different, but he could sense her unique aura.
“I’ve come to seek forgiveness. Please come back with me…!”
“Forgiveness? The Duke doesn’t even have a trace of conscience…! How can the word ‘forgiveness’ come from your mouth?”
Leta grabbed Theo’s arm angrily. It was a struggle to prevent him from approaching Riley.
“Duke, if you don’t leave here now…”
Carver intervened, stepping closer to Theo.
Theo, startled, quickly reached out to Riley. His hand lightly brushed against her forearm.
“Ah!”
A jolt.
A sharp pain surged throughout her body as if her entire being rejected it. With a scream, Riley collapsed to the ground.
“No, no. Why is everyone doing this?”
Terrified, memories began to surface one by one.
Riley curled up on her knees, burying her face in them.
Ren hurriedly bent down, pulling down the scarf wrapped around her neck to reveal the pattern. The pattern that had been emitting light was becoming clearer.
“Ability.”
The contract was breaking. Cracks were appearing in the contract that had suppressed her memories and the one with Ren.
“I… I’m just Riley.”
Confusion accompanied the manifested aura, stirring up her mind. Her black hair gradually turned into silvery strands tinged with blue.
“Magic?”
Those who saw Riley couldn’t close their mouths at the unfolding situation. Now, Riley, returned to her original form, slowly spoke up.
As her mana became unstable, Riley’s magic unraveled. She was Riley, unable to hide anymore.
“Leta…”
A small ripple stirred in her calm heart. At first, there was doubt and denial. But as they began to gather one by one, the small ripples soon turned into waves, shaking everything.
Memories echoed in her ears, someone urging her to remember, to face reality instead of running away.
“Theo…”
Riley struggled to speak to Theo. Rising unsteadily, her pupils returned to their original color. Her head seemed to throb as if trying to recall something.
“Who is that man…?”
A specter passed by her eyes, confusing Riley.
Images of a young girl resembling her and her own crying figure. Being abused by a man who seemed to be her father, then smiling happily, away from there.
Forgotten memories began to surface one by one.
Memories that had plunged her into agony, blurry fragments gradually pieced together and became clearer.
“Is this me? Ah…!”
Strong pain returned, causing Riley to pull away from Ren and close her eyes, clutching the wall. She couldn’t stand upright, feeling dizzy. Even though her eyes were closed, the specters didn’t stop.
‘But who is that man?’
Her entire life flashed before her eyes like a dying flame.
As forgotten memories resurfaced, Riley began to calm down.
“I’m sorry. I want to be alone for a moment.”
Ren guided Riley inside upon her request, watching over her before closing the door.
Once inside, she sat down, trying to sort out the jumbled memories. As she did, memories became clearer, fitting together like pieces of a puzzle.
“Was it because my mana became unstable and ate away my memories?”
Denial turned into acceptance as memories began to imprint themselves as reality. Once accepted, the pain disappeared. Her once silver hair now tinged with blue.
“Even when forgotten, my heart occasionally felt heavy. I forgot even the things I shouldn’t forget.”
Riley pounded her chest with her fist, closing her eyes. Thump, thump. The more she hit, the more breathless she felt.
My child, whom I loved more than anyone else. All I could do was run away like a fool.
After I left, Anna and Theo, they must have lived happier lives than anyone else.
Thud.
Riley’s teeth clenched. What foolish actions had she taken until now? How could she forget her child, whom she carried in her womb, and try to live on?
She hated herself so much. At the same time, the anger she had harbored resurfaced.
“Why… Theo, are you unscathed?”
Even though she wanted to run away from those memories, Theo’s face, unscathed, made Riley feel disheartened.
Her past was a pain and a life she wanted to erase, yet Theo in front of her looked unharmed. It was a face she knew well, even after he left.
What Riley was thankful for was that Leta was alive and appeared before her. Tears of relief and joy streamed down her face as she wiped her sleeve.
“Leta’s alive…! Thank goodness… really…”
No, don’t cry.
She slapped her cheeks with both hands, opening her eyes wide.
“Get a grip. Don’t weaken.”
Riley didn’t want to lose another loved one and her sister. She wouldn’t run away or turn a blind eye anymore.
“So, let’s turn things back to how they were.”
