~Chapter 112~
Richard had come to the Rohiltern estate.
It was the same day Bella lost all her memories and collapsed. Armians had called Richard and allowed him to leave for the Rohiltern estate.
[Do you not resent me?]
[You said Bella used magic even though she knew the cost. I know that wasn’t a lie. She was the kind of person who would do that.]
[…]
[If Bella had still kept her memories, she would have made sure you could visit the estate before leaving.]
Armians smiled faintly, saying he was only doing what Bella would have wanted to do.
[I’ll assign you a guide so you won’t have trouble traveling to the east.]
Richard could not bring himself to ask about Bella’s condition.
How could I dare worry about that child now?
He knew he should be grateful enough that Armians didn’t throw him out, but instead treated him with courtesy.
Richard left for the east.
Tiel, though the eldest son, had little magical power, so he had no real position within the family. His personality was timid too, unable to speak even when something troubled him.
So when he saw his father leave at dawn like a runaway fugitive, Tiel was puzzled—but he only tilted his head once and quietly followed without complaint.
The guide Armians provided was skilled. Though the capital and the east were quite far apart, he led them along shortcuts and they arrived within just a few days.
The Rohiltern mansion was clean. Even though one of its owners had died, and the other was in prison, the estate was well maintained.
It turned out the old servants had all fled on the day disaster struck. The people refurbishing the mansion now were all sent by Armians.
So the previous masters must have been disliked indeed…
Richard slowly walked down the halls. Whenever he saw a statue his daughter might have liked, he imagined what she would have looked like walking here.
But more than those little daydreams, what he longed for most was to see the room filled with his daughter’s traces.
However—
“Forgive me, but…”
The woman who would become the chief housekeeper once Bella returned explained the situation. The late Countess’s room no longer existed. Only a few of her belongings were stored in the warehouse.
“You don’t need to apologize to me.”
It was only natural, he realized. His granddaughter had been robbed of everything by her uncle—including this mansion.
The master’s chambers would have gone to the Count, and the next-best room to his wife. Of course, when ownership changed, the belongings would change as well.
“Then at least show me the warehouse.”
“This way.”
Richard dismissed the housekeeper and carefully looked inside.
The warehouse was tidy, but the belongings left behind were in poor condition. Most of what remained of Sarah’s possessions were mere odds and ends. A few jewels were there, but they were in poor shape.
So this is the jewelry box she wrote about.
The box was worn with age, gems missing from their sockets. Clearly, the valuable stones had been sold off.
And the diary… as I thought, hidden here.
When he pried open the bottom of the jewelry box, a bulky notebook slipped out. Richard hurriedly tucked it into his coat.
Sarah had left him three requests:
-
Save her daughter.
-
Destroy her diary, so her grown daughter would never read it.
-
And the third…
“Father!”
The warehouse door banged open, and Tiel rushed inside.
“How could you do this?”
His son, who rarely raised his voice, now stormed toward him with eyes blazing. Richard faltered but let him speak.
“How could you… to Sarah’s daughter…?”
Muttering, he quickly shut the warehouse door as servants passed outside.
“I heard Sarah’s daughter has lost all her memories, is that true?”
Only then did Richard understand.
Even though the east was far from the capital, supplies were sent from the Grand Duke’s household to keep the mansion running. Naturally, the servants here were more concerned with Bella than with the Duke. Gossip about her must have spread, and Tiel had overheard it.
“You could have stopped it, Father! You could have warned her, or told that Grand Duke, or at least used magic!”
Even though he had expected reproach, Richard felt as though his chest was being crushed. His son’s accusing eyes burned.
He shut his own eyes.
“…It was her request.”
Sarah had not been the only one who cherished Bella. Tiel, too, had adored his youngest sister.
Her third request was this:
Please watch over my daughter, no matter what she chooses to do.
She had promised: If you grant me all my requests, I swear as a prophet, you will gain freedom.
Freedom.
That meant release from the curse.
Not that Bella wasn’t precious—but the future of their descendants was just as important.
As head of the family, Richard had been forced to use magic even when he didn’t want to. Though he had gained much, every time he saw his stiffening limbs, he felt despair.
This curse was carved into their bloodline—an inescapable chain.
But if I could be freed from it… If at least the choice could be mine…
If someone willingly bore the curse, their descendants might finally live a better life.
“So that’s why I did it.”
Richard let out a long sigh and confessed the truth.
Tiel said nothing. He couldn’t.
Because freedom from the curse—
That was the dream of every blood relative.
After Bella lost all her memories, Armians deliberately avoided her.
[Who are you?]
He couldn’t face those eyes and that voice, treating him like a stranger.
But escape could not last forever. He chose to confront it.
“Is Bella inside?”
“Yes, my lord.”
He entered.
They said that after losing her memories, her childish behavior had vanished. Indeed, when Bella saw him, she awkwardly tried to show respect like one would to royalty.
“Greetings to the Grand Duke.”
“There’s no need, Bella. We weren’t that kind of formal relationship.”
“…Is that so.”
She smiled faintly. Armians invited her to sit.
The maids brought tea, setting it down before them. Bella stared at the cup without touching it, then glanced at him.
“You must have a reason for coming, don’t you?”
“…Reason…”
He didn’t. He had come simply because he wanted to see her. But seeing her act so distant, he knew he couldn’t say that.
“I came to check on your condition. You collapsed, after all.”
“My throat still feels a little itchy.”
“I’ll have it treated right away.”
“It’s fine. The physician already examined me this morning.”
“…I see.”
Silence settled.
“Actually, I have something I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
“The maids here said I’m a noble from the east. Is that true?”
“Yes. Bella is the Countess of Rohiltern.”
“Then why… why am I in the capital, living in your mansion, instead of in the east?”
Her clear, innocent eyes pierced his heart.
“What were you and I to each other?”
Years ago, something similar had happened.
[Who are you?]
[You look like a stranger.]
When he had finally found Bella in Ermel, she didn’t recognize him either.
Back then, too, she said she didn’t remember. And so—
[We were engaged to be married.]
He had bound her with a lie.
And because she was kind, she had loved him even after learning the truth.
[I like you, my lord.]
[I won’t leave you.]
[I want to be your wife.]
[Yes, let’s marry.]
She had given him everything.
[There are priorities, even in fear. Death is still frightening, but when something even scarier appears, you find yourself willing to take that risk.]
And at the very end, as her memories scattered like dust, the last words Bella had whispered—
“I love you.”
Armians realized then.
His weakness wasn’t Bella.
Bella’s weakness was him.
If only… if only I hadn’t clung to you from the start. If I hadn’t told that lie… none of this would have happened.
Now, such thoughts were meaningless.
Bella had lost all her memories. The past between them was gone.
Then maybe… I can undo everything now.
But even imagining that felt like his heart was being torn in half. If his heart were a body, it would be bleeding out. But he hid it all—he couldn’t let his feelings become her burden.
“We…”
Even after deciding, the words wouldn’t come easily. His lips trembled for a long time.
But there are words in this world that must be spoken, even if you don’t want to.
Armians couldn’t say them while looking into her eyes, so he turned away.
“…We were nothing to each other.”
Goodbye, Bella.
Please… be happy, even without me.
