Chapter 42
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Future or Past
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The silence that had settled inside the hospital room was broken by a firm, unwavering voice.
"Yes. I don't think the Noxion from the previous regression is any different from you now, Your Grace."
Leonier looked straight into my eyes without a hint of hesitation.
"If anything, it feels even clearer to me. You pretend to be cold and gruff on the outside, but in truth, you're warmer and more considerate than anyone else."
"......"
She spoke with a faint smile, like a child proudly showing off a treasured possession.
"I know how much thought goes into those casual remarks you toss out so offhandedly. I know how endearing that occasional mischievous glint in your eye is. And... I know about this serious side of you, the way you're trying to accept me for real."
"I... see."
What incredible feats must the me from the previous regression have accomplished to earn such blind faith and love from a woman like this...?
Her eyes held a deep affection forged from watching over me through the passage of time.
"Memories don't matter. Even if the Noxion from the previous regression and the Noxion of this life could never be the same person, that look in your eyes and the warmth you show me toward me are never lies."
Leonier carefully placed her hand over the back of mine.
"So even if you can't remember, I'll love you anyway. Maybe... more than Seria. Much, much more!"
At that final confession laced with adorable jealousy, I could only clear my throat awkwardly and avert my gaze.
"Ahem..."
My ears burned hot.
For the Duke of the North to blush at mere words like these...
But it didn't feel bad.
No, to be honest, my heart swelled so full it ached.
To hide my embarrassment, I quickly schooled my expression and opened my mouth, trying to sound as serious as possible.
"I-is that so. Quite the bold challenge."
"Pardon?"
"To love me more than Seria. In that case... you'll have to show far more effort and charm than she does. She's a pretty formidable rival, after all."
"Pfft, what kind of talk is that?"
Leonier burst into clear laughter at my joke.
The tense atmosphere softened considerably.
We gazed at each other for a moment, sharing smiles.
'...Yeah, it'll work out somehow.'
With this woman by my side, I felt a spark of hope that even the tangled threads of fate might come undone.
But there was still one heavy issue left to resolve.
I slowly let my smile fade and looked at her once more with serious eyes.
"Lady... no, Leonier, I'm sorry to ruin the mood, but... there's one more story that might be the most important of all."
"...?"
As I opened my mouth in earnest, Leonier wiped the smile from her face and leaned in with a tense expression.
"What is it? Something... serious?"
"Yes. A crucial clue related to your regression."
I swallowed once and laid bare the deepest secret within me.
"The blue dragon, Archaion, that I encountered in the dragon's lair... he mentioned a curse."
"A curse...?"
"Yes. And... about the clue of 'piercing regret' as well."
I pressed my hand firmly against my chest.
"It didn't happen with Seria. But every time you get hurt or in danger, my heart aches like it's being torn apart. At first, I thought it was just some illness... but now I'm certain."
I looked at her again with trembling eyes.
"It seems like I'm the one who made you regress."
The moment my words ended, her eyes shook violently once.
As if she thought she'd misheard, she parted her lips slightly and asked again.
"...What did you say?"
"Exactly as I said. Until Archaion awakens and analyzes my curse, nothing's certain. But putting together the 'piercing regret' and the 'limited time' curse, I think the me from the previous regression chose to regress for your sake, for some reason."
"Ah... no, what does that...?"
Leonier frowned in confusion, as if she couldn't quite grasp it, touching her forehead and mumbling.
'It must be hard to accept.'
From what she'd told me, she'd simply gone to bed one ordinary day, only to wake up hurled back into the past.
But now, out of nowhere, that memory was wrong, and the Duke had chosen to regress for her sake?
Even I, who'd experienced the implausible reality of reincarnation, wouldn't believe it easily.
But... in the current situation, this hypothesis had the highest likelihood.
If not, I should've felt the same pain or at least some discomfort when I pushed Seria away earlier...
I felt nothing.
'Well... if she keeps struggling to accept it, maybe I can try a different approach...'
Since she already knew my biggest secret anyway, I planned to reveal a few more to persuade her. I looked at her face again.
However, the confusion filling Leonier's eyes was gradually settling.
As if forcing herself to understand the unbelievable story, she steadied her trembling breath and spoke.
"Then... are you saying that you turned back time for my sake, and paid the price by losing your memories?"
"It's just a hypothesis, but the one that fits best. Assuming the 'piercing regret' Archaion mentioned points to you, Lady."
I spoke as calmly as possible.
"Regression is a miracle beyond human realm. It would naturally come with a corresponding price. That must be the loss of my memories. There might even be additional costs."
"But... why? What did I ever do to make you go that far...?"
"Who knows. To the current me without memories, it's an emotion I can't even begin to imagine."
At my answer, Leonier worked her lips, then firmly pressed them shut.
I could see fragments of thoughts piecing together in her mind.
A brief silence flowed.
Soon, as if she'd made up her mind, she looked up at me.
But her eyes held an even deeper fear than before.
"Then... what did you mean by 'limited time' earlier? Is that curse related to the cost of the regression somehow?"
"......"
The question I'd most wanted to avoid, yet had to address, had come.
I didn't evade her gaze.
Lying or glossing over it here would be disrespectful to her.
After all, hadn't the me from the previous regression loved her just as much as Seria?
In that case, I should make the effort too.
I stated the facts as dryly and calmly as possible, as if recounting someone else's story.
"If we can't resolve the curse with Archaion's power... the time left to me is at most a year."
"......!"
The instant those words left my mouth, Leonier's composure crumbled.
The calm she'd been forcing until moments ago vanished completely.
Her face paled, as if she'd heard the world was ending.
"A year...? You're lying..."
Seeing her face twist as if she might burst into tears any second, I swallowed a bitter smile inwardly.
Even I had accepted this death sentence with detachment, yet this woman ached over it like it was her own.
I gently placed my hand over hers, which clutched the bedsheet tightly.
Her chilled hand trembled faintly.
"Lady... no, Leonier, look at me."
"B-but..."
"It'll be fine."
I offered her my softest smile to reassure her.
Not as the Duke of the North, but simply as one man comforting a woman.
"Once Archaion awakens, there will surely be a solution. He won't let me die so pointlessly, so you don't need to worry too much."
"Your Grace..."
"So believe in me and wait. We'll definitely untangle this knot."
"...I understand."
At my confident tone, her shaken eyes slowly steadied.
Anxiety lingered, but her blind faith in me held her up.
I patted her hand lightly, then rose from my seat.
"Too much has happened today. The shock must be great, and your body still isn't fully recovered..."
I straightened the rumpled blanket and bowed politely.
"You must be tired now, so I'll take my leave. Rest well, Leonier."
"Noxion... rest well too. You've been through a lot mentally."
"Thank you. Then, goodnight."
After one final greeting at the hospital room door.
I closed the door carefully and looked at the four knights waiting outside.
"Guard the lady with your lives. The Kaltsteins... no, I will repay that debt."
"Yes, sir! Safe travels!"
There was virtually no chance of an immediate attack.
The crown prince wasn't that foolish.
Moreover, according to Leonier, the reason they could infiltrate Kaltstein involved those assassin guild members and something like black mist.
In that case, infiltration was even less of a concern.
Not with their guild master captured by the Kaltsteins.
If they wanted him back, they'd wait until Kaltstein had calmed after the minimum reorganization, rather than striking now when we were on high alert.
"Well... that doesn't mean I'll let my guard down."
The four knights assigned as guards were all top-tier experts.
Each one talented enough to lead a high noble house's knight order.
Plus, my father had brought them from orphanages or war orphans since they were young, so betrayal was impossible.
I clutched my chest one last time, then headed to my bedroom.
'Finally wrapping up this tumultuous day...'
At that very moment, in the deepest part of the imperial palace.
The crown prince's bedroom was as silent as if even the moonlight held its breath.
The only thing breaking that stillness was the low voice of a man kneeling beneath the bed.
"Reporting, Your Highness."
Hidden in the shadows, the Black Wing Corps Captain Garneon bowed his head to the floor and spoke.
On the bed above lay Crown Prince Damian, utterly still.
Only his steady breathing hinted that he was awake.
"The raid on the Kaltstein Duke's residence... failed. The Duke intervened faster than expected, and we couldn't inflict significant damage."
Frustration mingled with a faint tremor in Garneon's voice.
Even he, called a monster, couldn't help but tense in the prince's silence.
"However, I dealt with the irritating assassin guild master. He got greedy for the elixir beyond his station, so I made sure to cut his throat amid the chaos. He won't trouble us anymore."
He emphasized the handling of Kairak, as if to atone for his failure.
Of course, he had no idea the man was still alive, locked not in the underground dungeon but in a guest room at Kaltstein.
"And... there's one concerning point."
"........."
Garneon paused briefly.
Still, no response came from Damian.
He swallowed dryly and continued cautiously.
"Lady Baldinmar... seemed to see through my identity. Though we'd supposedly never met, her eyes looked at me as if she'd known me for years."
"......"
The report ended there.
Garneon held his breath, awaiting judgment.
A heavy silence crushed the room, uncertain whether punishment for failure or new orders would come.
How much time passed?
Swish.
With the sound of silk sheets rustling, Damian slowly opened his eyes.
His abyss-deep blue eyes stared into the void.
"Well... I didn't expect success anyway."
A languid yet chilling voice flowed out.
Damian sat up in bed and gazed indifferently down at Garneon prostrated on the floor.
"No need to fear like that, Garneon."
A dry reaction, devoid of reproach or anger.
Like a toy breaking was no big deal—just buy a new one.
Garneon felt a chill run down his spine at that indifference and bowed even deeper.
Damian rose and slowly walked to the window.
Beyond the grand panes hung an unusually bright moon.
Pale moonlight poured over his sculpted face.
Propping his chin, he gazed at the night sky and murmured to himself—or perhaps to no one.
"Hmm... I had another strange dream tonight."
An enigmatic smile faintly curved his lips.
"Future or past. Or... maybe another me."
Damian clenched and unclenched his palm reflected in the moonlight, narrowing his eyes.
"Curious. A dream where I experience failure... but it doesn't feel like a lie at all."