Regret and Doubt
The duke from the past could think no further. Morgana… yes, it had definitely been Morgana.
She looked exactly like the mage Pay standing before him now, yet her face was etched with such profound sorrow that she seemed a pitiful girl. He had called the child over and pressed a heavy pouch of gold coins into her hands.
But she never even glanced at the pouch, as though the fortune that could have secured her a lifetime of luxury meant nothing to her.
Her face was deathly pale, like a ghost’s, and her dry lips moved only to whisper a faint “Thank you.”
Yet the light in her eyes had already died.
Even when he personally went to the monastery and brought her back, that once-bright spark was gone.
Good heavens.
The duke had sensed it then: this child no longer held even the slightest attachment to the Klein ducal residence where she had lived for nearly two years.
The entire estate was celebrating after the duke’s successful hunt of a massive dragon, yet this lonely girl withered away in silence.
If only he had sent her to the monastery from time to time instead of keeping her confined here for two whole years…
Klein Duke searched through the memories—true or false, he could not tell—and reached the very end.
The day Morgana, no longer serving as Eina, returned to the monastery.
Before the carriage could even depart, he had left for the imperial palace… and then…
Nothing. The memory ended there.
“Ugh…!”
“Your Grace! Sylphid, come quickly! We must move him to an empty room!”
His head burned like fire. Overwhelmed, Klein Duke collapsed.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring into anxious hazel irises.
She resembled her. The indifferent face of the Morgana he had known—the one who had once been Eina—was nearly identical, though not completely the same.
Klein Duke forced the words out.
“Morgana…”
“……!!”
Pay shot to her feet on instinct.
After speaking with Cassel, who had regained his memories of the past, she had already suspected that the Truth-Reading Statue had played some role. But this—!
She had never imagined Klein Duke’s memories would return exactly as Cassel’s had.
She had only been thinking of verification. Now she snatched her hand away, turned, and fled the room. She could not endure this situation any longer.
Thud. The door closed. Alone, the duke felt tears well in his eyes.
“Good heavens…”
So this was the truth.
He had come to the Magic Tower to investigate Tiana’s suspicious past. Yet everything was already over.
Though she seemed different now, his daughter Tiana—Dorothea, Dotricia—had ultimately repeated the same actions as before. No matter the time period, she remained the same person.
Tiana, did you also possess memories of the past? Is that why you were so thoroughly wary and trembling, even though Morgana never came to serve as Eina this time? Why did you do it…
It was shameful and disgraceful.
More bluntly, it was despicable.
No one in our family can stand proud before that child—except Cassel. Morris… Even Morris, I cannot say with certainty that he never committed such acts, merely because he does not remember.
Instead of returning to the ducal residence from the Magic Tower that day, the duke went in search of Pay.
Should he call her Morgana? Pay the mage? Lady Morgana? He could not even decide on a name.
“……”
When he finally found her, night had already fallen.
She sat motionless by the window in a reception room within the tower. The teacup on the table no longer gave off steam.
When he approached, she turned her head sharply, but he knew the truth: if she had truly wished to avoid him, he could have searched all day and still never caught sight of her.
If she was merely enduring something unpleasant, then this… was his final chance.
Still standing, the duke called out to the girl whose name he could not decide.
“My child…”
“……”
“I remember the first time you stepped into the Klein ducal residence—how timid and trembling you were. I warned you sternly that being Eina carried such responsibilities, and after bringing you here, I failed to care for you properly. I used the feeble excuse that my duties kept me busy… I am sorry.”
I am sorry.
Why had he never uttered those simple words until the very brink of death?
It was true that the gold received as compensation could soothe some of the pain. But it could never fully heal wounds carved so deeply.
And some people, when dealt such grievous harm, never even formed a scab. The wound festered until they collapsed and died.
That had been her fate…
If only the Morgana she once was had heard those words of apology even once.
Would she have become different from the person she was now?
She…
Pay’s shoulders rose and fell with a quiet sigh.
It is better than before. I cannot be completely detached, but I have grown numb. Yes…
“I…”
“……!!”
So she knew. She understood.
At the brief address Pay used, Klein Duke immediately recognized her meaning.
“I no longer wish to speak of those events. I am now Pay, a mage of the Magic Tower, a subordinate responding to His Highness the Crown Prince’s request for cooperation, and Lady Morgana. That is my entire identity.”
Even though her words drew a clear line, Klein Duke did not consider the matter settled. This was a wrong committed by an adult against a child—a long, unbroken chain of wrongs that had led them here.
“What I recalled before that strange statue was no mere dream. It was the truth. A past that everyone experienced, yet only a few remember… Aside from our Tiana, myself, and you, is there anyone else?”
“……”
When Pay gave no reply, Klein Duke continued.
“Our Tiana returned to my side just as before—thankfully, even sooner this time. But Lady Morgana, your circumstances are markedly different from the past. On the morning you were to return to the monastery, urgent matters forced me to depart for the imperial palace.”
“……”
She had nothing to say. What could she possibly say?
The duchess had shown rare generosity by providing a proper carriage rather than a freight wagon. If Dot’s mercenaries had not pursued her, Pay might have foolishly thought, At least in the end, I was grateful.
Even if the duke had stayed to see her off, what difference would it have made?
They had never truly understood the root of the problem, no matter the time.
“I am truly sorry. I have no memory of what happened afterward. We must be living through the past differently this time, are we not? Cassel has returned, Morris has become a knight… Things have changed. I believe your refusal to join our family, even belatedly, was your way of rejecting us.”
“Yes. You are correct.”
For the first time, Pay clearly voiced her rejection. The firmness of her answer pained Klein Duke deeply.
“But Morgana…”
The sudden shift in tone made Pay clench her small fists to keep from crying.
He still did not realize that the proud, solitary mage before him was his own daughter. Yet he continued to apologize.
Even this much made her blood run hot… It was not all right, foolish Pay—no, foolish Morgana…
“It is fortunate that you have become such an outstanding member of the Magic Tower, obtained a drakan, and now assist His Highness the Crown Prince. But know this: even if you had never become a mage, if my memories had returned, I would have found you without fail.”
“Is that so…?”
Pay struggled to keep her voice steady, free of tears, and barely managed a reply.
Regret filled Klein Duke’s eyes.
“I never spoke of it, but after the incident, I recovered the bodies and held proper funerals for both. In this life, I will ensure no tragedy occurs by arranging protective wards around the entire monastery. All right?”
“……”
Pay squeezed her eyes shut.
Why did he have to say such things and stir her heart? She had already chosen to let go and live by turning away.
Looking at the rigid mage Pay, Klein Duke realized one more thing.
His daughter Tiana, the Klein daughter, must also possess her memories.
Knowing what was to come, she had desperately tried to speak to him the moment she saw him. Was that not so?
He remembered every word and action his daughter had taken at the time.
She had not missed Morgana’s absence and had cheerfully spoken to him, even acting coy by asking to be called by the cute name Dorothea.
Why did you not speak openly from the beginning? The matter of stepping into the underworld guild as well… I see. Then what was the reason you left out the ruby pendant this time?
“Ugh.”
Having just recovered from fainting and searched for Pay for so long, his head throbbed. At his groan, Pay opened her eyes and asked,
“Are you unwell?”
“A little…”
“Cure.”
With her clear voice, a refreshing energy like water spread through the duke’s body. The mild fever and pounding headache that had tormented him gradually faded.
“It is late. The coachman is still waiting on the first floor. You should return.”
“Morgana…”
She had turned her head away again.
“I no longer wish to dwell on the Klein ducal residence. If we happen to meet by chance in the future, I will show proper courtesy, but please do not seek closeness. That is the path I have chosen.”
Even while offering healing magic to the suffering duke, she refused to give him even a fragment of her heart—let alone her presence. Her posture was unyielding.
How had it come to this?
Where had his initial resolve gone—the promise to raise her as an excellent Eina and a companion for his daughter, who would return according to the oracle?
Must he leave like this? Understanding Pay’s pain, Klein Duke tried to rise, but his eyes widened.
Was that not a strange girl standing before him?
No?
Unlike during the day, she was not wearing her hood. Yet the hair of the girl who refused to show her face appeared to be a pale blonde, similar to his own.
“Hah…”
“Are you unwell again?”
When Pay turned her head, the scene the duke had witnessed seemed false—her hair now shimmered with its usual light pink hue.
Had he hallucinated after fainting? Klein Duke wore a troubled expression before finally asking,
“I have said all I wished to say to you, yet you only seek to sever ties. I can no longer treat you as the girl Morgana. As you wish, I will show proper courtesy from now on. But I wonder if you have anything else to say to me.”
Without avoiding his gaze, she answered.
“Absolute faith prevents one from seeing the truth.”
Having said that, Pay walked past him as if urging him to leave and opened the reception room door first.
As he went to call for the coachman and servants, he remained lost in thought.
Those words were ominous. What was he overlooking?
Before, he had called her Dotricia without hesitation, yet after she was recognized as the daughter, he grew wary and pushed Morgana away. The duchess must have warned her to watch her words when I was not around. But more than that…
The ruby pendant.
It was originally an unknown object, one that had not existed in this life. Since Pay had already said she wanted no further involvement, the only place left to find clues was…
Tiana. It is you again.
Once suspicion took root, it would not easily fade. The pain he had suffered because of his daughter’s ties to the underworld guild was nothing compared to this!