PLTSVA 12

There were far more cards stuck into the hallway floor than when I had left.

‘No, seriously, unless these cards have actual blades, how can they even pierce marble?’

Marble dust was scattered messily all over the floor.

Just as I approached the open door, another card flew through the air.

Startled as it skimmed past my nose, I flinched. The Duke, standing behind me, yanked me back and caught the flying card barehanded.

“Ria, are you okay?!”

Luca, who had spotted me late, came running over.

Miller, holding several cards wedged between each of his fingers—like bullets loaded and ready—also rushed to me.

“Your Highness, you’ve lost the right to take Ria with you once again.”

Luca threw another card at Miller with unbelievable speed.

Miller narrowly dodged it, and the card—naturally—pierced straight into the marble.

“Ria has already decided not to leave with you.”

Luca stepped forward, glancing up at the Duke standing behind me.

“Treat Ria with care. Protect her. That’s not a request—it’s an order.”

“I promise with everything I have.”

“Luca, are you sure you’ll be okay without me? If you want, I’ll go with you.”

I spoke softly, but Luca shook his head with a faint smile.

“No. Everything Ria ever wanted is here.”

There was something pained in the way he smiled as he said it.

“Miller, get ready. You’re going to the imperial palace with me.”

Leaving those words behind, the Duke shut the door, telling us to depart in ten minutes.

“Luca, I’m worried about you. You’re still just a child, and the place you’re going to is very dangerous.”

I know there are more people ready to harm you than to welcome you.

“Still… I guess I have to trust you and let you go.”

I gently brushed Luca’s black hair aside as I spoke.

He nodded lightly and said, “Before that… Ria, there’s something I have to tell you.”

Luca looked into my eyes, his expression unusually somber.

Before his departure, I watched the black carriage roll away from the window and recalled what Luca had told me.

Was it because I didn’t want to believe it? Maybe I wasn’t supposed to.

[Actually, my memories of you keep fading, Ria. Not when we’re together—but when we’re apart, when I can’t see you… they start to blur.]

So that’s why Luca was always grabbing my hand at the orphanage.

[It’s probably another cursed spell cast by the ones who kidnapped me. Everyone at the Troy Orphanage thought I was just insane, but once I got my memories back, I remembered—there is dark magic like that.]

[What kind of magic?]

[It’s called “Amnesia,” an ancient spell that makes you forget someone dear to you. In ancient times, it was used on generals going off to war.]

[Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?! What’s the cure?]

[There isn’t one yet. But don’t worry too much.]

Luca gave a faint smile.

[Keep this necklace with you. I have the same one. These necklaces are magic tools that link our mana waves together.]

He had gotten them through the Duke just last night.

I opened my clenched hand and looked at the necklace with a deep pink gem embedded in it.

[As long as we don’t take off our necklaces, my memory won’t disappear. All I need is your promise, Ria—that you won’t abandon me.]

[Why would I ever abandon you? You’re not some thing I can throw away…]

[I know, but you don’t have any lingering feelings for me. You could’ve left the orphanage without me, but you didn’t, probably because of the affection you still had for me. But now I’m free—and even returning as the crown prince. Will you still show me the same kindness?]

[Why are you even asking that? Of course I will. Don’t worry—I won’t take this off, not even for a moment.]

Luca knew. He understood my heart better than I did.

I was trying to let him go.

In the novel, I was fated to meet the male lead with amnesia, live with him, secretly fall for him, become crippled for his sake, and eventually sabotage the romance between the leads. Ultimately, I’d be exiled and die alone, having almost killed the female lead.

Would continuing this bond with Luca—this feeling that’s somewhere between familial and comradely—help me in life?

As Luca said, he’s under a curse. Looking back, it was mentioned in the novel. “Amnesia” was part of the Puppet Curse.

It was a dangerous spell that could put Luca’s life in greater danger.

When he turns seventeen and enters the battlefield, the puppet spell activates, throwing him into extreme peril.

Ancient runes will appear like tattoos on his arms, neck, and legs.

Among black mages, this spell is known as “Puppet.” As the name implies, it uses ancient words engraved into the skin: if you obey, your wounds heal. If you rebel, the words tear your flesh. A mix of carrot and stick.

Even the strongest minds would eventually bow to it.

But Luca never gave in. He resisted the subliminal commands of Duke Kablos, who told him to surrender to the enemy.

The one who saved him was the female lead, Senia—a rogue from a villainous family, who volunteered as a battlefield healer.

The whole scheme began when Duke Kablos conspired with a royal concubine to kidnap Luca and imprison him in the Troy Orphanage.

The concubine, without hesitation, asked Duke Kablos to eliminate the crown prince.

The Duke was rapidly gaining power, and the royal family could no longer ignore the crimes his house was committing.

The concubine took advantage of that. If Luca were removed and her own son took his place, she promised to make Duke Kablos untouchable.

It was practically inciting a criminal age under the royal banner.

Duke Kablos pretended to agree, but secretly planned to use her as his puppet once she seized control.

Instead of killing Luca, he chose to keep him alive—to turn him into a puppet using his house’s ancient curse.

Only someone Luca truly opened his heart to could break the curse. And that’s rare.

Right now, I might be the only one.

But I’m just a side character. Not like Senia, who’s a powerful mage.

‘Maybe I’ll just ruin Luca and Senia’s relationship instead of helping him.’

Perhaps the amnesia spell is God’s last gift to me—to fix what I’ve messed up.

I could become a nameless passerby and escape my doomed fate. I might even travel freely to find a cure for my terminal illness.

‘Did God really give both Luca and me one last chance?’

I placed the necklace he gave me back around my neck.

Luca wasn’t stupid. If I threw it out the window, he’d turn the carriage around and come back.

The day I discard this necklace… is the day I quietly vanish from this story.

Before the Duke returned, I listed everything I had to do.

The neatly arranged paper and fountain pens looked brand-new. He didn’t know when his daughter might return, yet he still prepared this much. It was impressive.

[Rescue the orphanage children.]

That was my top priority.

I might be able to get help from Duke Rayes if I explained everything, but the problem was—the orphanage belonged to Duke Kablos.

My plan also included rescuing the children being trafficked into crime rings beyond the orphanage.

‘Serein unni…’

One by one, the faces I missed came to mind.

Even the novel didn’t mention what happened to them. The only way to find out would be to ask Miss Rayola directly.

The Troy Orphanage had zero outside contact—except for a monthly visit from Baron Luicong.

The one who said he’d return when I turned fifteen—and Luicong—always came on the first of the month.

And now that Luca’s returned to the palace, someone might visit even sooner to assess the situation.

‘Which means… I have to act tomorrow.’

If not, Miss Rayola might already be dead, and I’d lose my only lead to the children’s whereabouts.

I also wanted to know who that man was—the one who promised to come back for me. But there was no way.

In the novel, none of this happened. Duke Rayes found me first and adopted me with a huge sum, after hearing the rumors.

Come to think of it, Rayola, who didn’t even know what kind of children Luca and I were, handed us over for gold. She was probably gruesomely killed by Duke Kablos in the original.

‘So strong and so dumb. Her brain must be made of muscle…’

I pushed aside notes like “Eldest son returns” and “Incurable disease” and focused on what I had to do tomorrow.

Knock knock.

“Lady Raveria, may I come in?”

“Yes… Ah, yeah! Come in.”

I awkwardly corrected myself from using formal speech.

The young blonde girl who walked in was Garnet—my newly assigned personal maid.

I tucked the paper into the drawer and stood up.

“You’ll need to change before the Duke returns.”

Garnet opened the wardrobe wide. Inside hung dozens of dresses—ones suitable for girls my age—that I hadn’t even known about.

“I’ll need to get all of these tailored to Lady Raveria’s measurements.”

Garnet pulled out a light green lace dress suitable for indoors and helped me change.

Probably because I hadn’t eaten well at the orphanage, I hadn’t grown much, and the dress was loose.

As Garnet zipped me up from behind, I asked,

“The eldest—no, my first older brother. When is he coming?”

“Master Drehan will graduate from the Academy next week and return.”

He had entered the royal academy with top marks and was graduating top of his class. Unlike Miller, he wasn’t interested in swordsmanship and was highly gifted in academics. He would later be called a sage, but ironically, he never recognized his own sister.

When the Duke announced he’d adopt the girl from the orphanage and register her as Raveria, Drehan strongly opposed, saying he couldn’t give up his sister’s place.

Because of him, in the original story, Ria never received the name Raveria and was adopted only as a half-blood daughter.

But now that I had escaped the orphanage and come to the Duke’s estate early, Drehan still didn’t know of my existence.

In short—I beat him to it.

It was obvious how he’d react when he arrived next week.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

Seeing me, Garnet spoke up.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure the young master will understand the Duke’s decision once he sees you.”

“I hope so… Anyway, what’s the best dish the shrimp—no, the shrimp head chef makes?”

I needed something tasty to wash away this gloomy feeling.

“That would be shrimp soup, our estate’s signature dish. I’ll tell the kitchen to prepare it for your dinner tonight.”

…Cannibalism? I shuddered, imagining the shrimp chef gutting a shrimp that looked exactly like his mustache.