Morgana's Confession
“Lady Russell uses the Russell surname just as it is, unlike me. With the royal family wiped out, there was no need to worry about preserving that name.”
“……”
“There’s no need to worry about the princess. Manuela is far more cautious and resilient than I am. Whatever the reason for how things turned out, I believe she’s holding up well. Even though I haven’t seen her in nearly three years.”
“Yes.”
“Still, a person can’t stay cooped up inside a single mansion forever. If she attends the ball this time, I’d like to watch over her from behind so she can endure even if people whisper about her.”
Empress Ranya’s warm words and sincerity came through clearly. If everything went well, Lady Russell would either return to the imperial palace or, even if not, would surely be well cared for.
She truly is a wonderful person.
How nice it would have been if someone this kind had been my mother.
Feeling a lump in her throat just as she had with Mother Superior Beryl, Pay nodded.
“Understood. I think it would be best to time her appearance for the middle of the ball, when fewer people are around, so the attention doesn’t become too overwhelming.”
On the way back from the imperial palace to the Magic Tower, Lucius remained silent the entire time.
Without even Momo along, the atmosphere between just the two of them felt awkward.
Awkward…? Why am I thinking of Lucius while the Crown Prince is right in front of me? I don’t even know why I did that back then.
Prince Astain resembled the gentle Empress Ranya, radiating a youthful charm. Before seeing Crown Prince Silas, Pay had even thought the prince was the perfect embodiment of the imperial family.
For some reason, Prince Astain’s bright, cheerful face wouldn’t come to mind at all. Instead, Lucius’s presence beside her only grew stronger.
Thump, thump.
Think of something else. Anything else. Why did they have to force Lady Russell into that broken engagement? The Orleans ducal house must have…
Ah, no. Not today. I can’t do this today!
On impulse, she called out.
“Coachman, please take us to the entrance of the Forest of Origins near the Magic Tower.”
The carriage immediately changed direction.
“What are you planning to dig up?”
Lucius’s voice finally broke the long silence, but Pay couldn’t answer. She simply couldn’t.
Time passed, and they arrived at the Forest of Origins.
The area was little more than a wild herb patch, and being close to the Magic Tower, the coachman left them there alone before departing.
She didn’t step inside right away.
Her fists clenched, her breath coming in shallow gasps, her eyes still struggling to find their center slowly closed.
Lucius, who had stepped down with her, fixed his black eyes on her. The weight of his gaze against her cheek made her face flush hot.
She couldn’t hide it any longer.
“Pay…?”
Pay drew in a deep breath, opened her eyes, and spoke.
“Lucius. I have something to tell you. More precisely, it’s something that concerns me.”
“Hmm?”
The forest entrance hinted at the coming spring, with a few white buds waiting to bloom.
When the warm spring arrived, those buds would burst open all at once, scattering white petals over anyone who entered.
But not yet.
No flowers bloomed to lend even a hint of romance. Only the dense evergreen leaves made the forest’s depths look even more damp and gloomy.
The sight at the very end of winter quietly calmed her restless heart.
Yes. Now I think I can say it.
Endless depths of emotion swam in Pay’s light-green eyes.
“Lucius. I know fragments of the past—and of events that will happen in the future. When I returned to the world I once knew, I was truly shocked… I couldn’t find any related magic, but I’m certain of it.”
“……”
“The world we’re living in now has been turned back two years. Do you believe me?”
Lucius said nothing.
She had expected him to call it nonsense or ask if she’d had a nightmare, but instead… was he actually believing her?
He simply stood there, waiting patiently until she finished speaking. That gave Pay the courage to continue.
“Back then, I was supposed to be summoned to the Klein ducal house and play the role of the lost daughter’s friend. They call it an Eina.”
“Mm.”
“But my friend, Dotricia, found out and threw a fit. She kept sending letters saying that being a companion in the ducal house was perfect for her and demanded she be invited instead. So I…”
Pay laid out the long, long story before Lucius.
From her death on the road back to the monastery after years of hardship, to the moment she stood here now after making an entirely different choice once time had rewound.
Lucius listened to every word without even blinking.
After pouring out her painful, heavy past and present, Pay murmured with a relieved expression.
“I don’t even know if I’m doing the right thing. I couldn’t find any trace of time-reversion magic…”
“It exists.”
Lucius muttered so softly it was barely audible even to himself.
“Really?”
“Yes. But it disappeared along with the era called the Ancient Age.”
Disappeared together—did that mean it was lost?
Lucius continued his explanation.
“More precisely, after the Chief God slaughtered every dragon born and active before the Ancient Age, and then declared he would no longer interfere directly with the mortal world, it vanished. Only the ancient dragons and the gods themselves could use that magic. It was the same in the past as it is now.”
“Ah…”
The ancient dragons—records claimed they had all perished, but…
One remained, didn’t he?
Lucius?
Pay, who had once read the list of ancient dragons by chance, recalled the name of the dragon said to have been sealed or killed while fighting the human emperor just before the battle with the Chief God.
His name was Lucius, too.
And the one standing before her was also Lucius…
Giving hints through names—that was…!
Pay’s startled face reflected in Lucius’s dark eyes.
His gaze never wavered. Her shocked expression remained perfectly mirrored without a single ripple. It felt as though if she stood there forever, he would wait just as long.
“Lucius…?”
Finally noticing something, Pay turned toward him, and he spoke.
“If you want to hear my story, just say so. Whenever, wherever—I don’t mind. Morgan le Pay.”
“Lucius…?”
“No matter what choice you make after I finish speaking, that decision is yours. And… until that day comes, I’ll stay by your side whenever you need me.”
“……”
“Whether you take my hand or let it go, until the moment you decide, I’ll remain your eternal ally. All you have to do is make your choice. Think it over slowly.”
Pay had never failed to feel Lucius’s overwhelming presence.
But today was different.
The person—no, the being—standing before her seemed to expand infinitely, as if he could cover not only Pay but the entire Forest of Origins, the visible Magic Tower, the whole earth and sky.
Yet she didn’t find him frightening. If she took just two steps, she would be close enough to touch him completely.
Lucius. No matter what awaits, I want to move forward.
Pay extended her hand to him.
“I understand. Not right away, but I’ll ask soon.”
“All right. I’ll be waiting.”
Lucius’s hand clasped hers, fingers interlacing. Warmth spread between them, and she could feel his hand trembling ever so slightly.
Why? Lucius, why are you trembling?
Aren’t you the great mage who has nothing to fear?
Even after one day, two days, three days, Lucius’s serious words, his low voice, and the tender, sorrowful look in his eyes as he gazed at her remained vivid.
Even on the day the spring ball began, she couldn’t forget the fragments he had left behind.
When she tried not to think of his face, his quiet voice would reach her as she lay down to sleep, and without realizing it, she would grow sad.
Lucius… What secret are you hiding? I already suspect you’re more than just connected to Lord Baroa. But what comes after that?
Is there something else I haven’t even guessed at?
What could it possibly be…
“A carriage from the imperial palace has arrived!”
“Go on.”
Before she knew it, Lucius had come to see her off and was standing near the door. Momo in the background didn’t even register—Lucius simply tilted his body slightly and gave her a small nod.
“I’ll be back.”
“Mm.”
If I told you I was just thinking about you, Lucius, what would you say? Not about the story we’ve put off, but about how you feel toward me.
You, who kindly taught me how to handle a Drakan that everyone else sees as ferocious.
Those hands that fidgeted endlessly inside your vest before handing over the elixir.
The joy of that day when you suddenly surprised me with a gorgeous bouquet…
I’m a little afraid that all our memories might end as nothing more than a fleeting dream.
Honestly.
I should forget about it for now. Today is the day of the decisive battle, after all.
With fierce determination, Pay boarded the carriage that had come to fetch her.
* * *
Inside the Klein ducal residence.
“Oh, heavens. You’re truly beautiful!”
The Duchess fussed over her dazzlingly dressed daughter, while the young lady lowered her forehead in embarrassment.
A pristine white gem pin sparkled beside her smooth, light-brown hair, which looked as though it had been meticulously polished from marble.
The head maid had suggested a pink rose pin, but the young lady had rejected it outright. Though she had said “It’s fine” with her lips, the head maid still couldn’t forget the sharp glare that had accompanied it.
Was it the rose itself, or did she simply dislike pink? The head maid hadn’t even dared to suggest ordering the popular pink spinel jewelry set among the young noblewomen these days.
Because she needed to win the young lady’s favor, the head maid felt her mouth go completely dry.
“No matter what anyone says, you’ll be the most beautiful young lady in the hall.”
“You’re embarrassing me. Please stop complimenting me—my face is turning red.”
The young lady, now fully dressed, looked shy and delicate, like a single blooming flower.
The head maid even wondered if that earlier glare had been her imagination.
It was hard to believe the young lady she had seen then and the one standing here now were the same person. If she voiced such concerns, she would only be scolded for speaking ill of the young lady.
After all, the prevailing opinion throughout the ducal residence was that she was truly noble, a proper young lady.
The head maid closed her mouth.
“Embarrassing? Tiana, listen carefully. You are currently the empire’s one and only daughter. Do you understand? Among all the noble young ladies of marriageable age, none are more distinguished than you. Those sorrowful days are completely behind you, so hold your head high and act with confidence.”
The Duchess showered her with heartfelt praise.
“…Yes.”
“My lady, hah, a carriage has arrived from the imperial palace. However…”
“Why are you making such a fuss?”
When the servant panted in a manner unbecoming of the ducal household, the Duchess quickly grew displeased and furrowed her brow.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has come in person!”
“What? Oh…! Yes, of course! That’s exactly how it should be!”
The Duchess beamed and ordered the doors thrown open.