Episode 17:Like this, there’s no one left to punish.
When I finally opened my eyes, I wondered if everything that happened had simply been a dream. The soft glow of the room was unfamiliar, the sheets smooth beneath my fingers — and above all, I had no memory of returning.
The first person I saw was Sir Rotia. He came toward me quietly, his expression composed yet unmistakably worried.
“You’re awake. Do you feel all right?”
His voice grounded me in reality. If Rotia was here, then none of it had been a dream.
I blinked, trying to gather my thoughts.
“I… went to your manor, didn’t I?”
He nodded once.
Before I could ask more, the door swung open and Azelta rushed in, breathless.
“You’re awake!” Relief washed over her features. “I’ll report to His Grace and bring Delphiro.”
The physician? Already?
Just the thought sent a nervous shiver down my spine. Doctors and I have never gotten along — in this life or the last.
Once Azelta left, the fog in my memory grew heavier.
“I remember traveling… but I don’t remember riding back.”
My last clear memory was of the pale boy — the one who looked so strangely similar to Rotia — lying unconscious. His eyelashes had trembled, as though he was fighting through something unbearable.
“You collapsed on the bed,” Rotia explained calmly. “We found you right away.”
Collapsed. Wonderful.
His crimson eyes met mine. I accidentally stared too long, and before I realized it, the memory held within his magic eyes flooded into me — fragments of what happened while I was unconscious. Rotia forcing open doors. Azelta scanning the area like a trained guard, not a mere maid. Delphiro checking my condition with frantic hands.
When I finally snapped back to myself, Rotia was watching me with concern.
“Is something the matter?”
“No,” I blurted. “Your eyes are just… beautiful.”
That made him freeze.
But there were other things I needed answers to.
“That boy — Frey. Is he okay?”
Rotia lowered his head slightly.
“He seems livelier now. Because of you.”
My breath caught. Because of me? No one should have seen what I’d done. If they had… I’d wake up in a prison cell, not a bed.
Before I could spiral further, the door opened again. In came Delphiro — dark circles under his eyes — and behind him…
The Duke.
My heart stopped. The duke took a seat — on a tiny pastel-colored chair obviously meant for children. The sight should have been funny, but his icy stare froze the air in the room.
The doctor scolded me relentlessly as he examined me, and I endured it like a criminal awaiting sentencing. Once the examination ended, the Duke finally spoke.
“So. What happened?”
I panicked. I couldn’t let Delphiro or Azelta be punished.
“I sneaked into Frey’s room on my own,” I admitted. “I… wanted to see a friend.”
The Duke studied me, expression unreadable. But instead of anger, there was something else — calculation, maybe.
Eventually, he spoke.
“No one will be punished.”
He exhaled slowly. “However… your outings will be restricted to the estate.”
My heart sank. House arrest. I expected it — feared it, even — but hearing it aloud still hurt.
But then, almost as if he realized how harsh that sounded, he added quietly:
“Only until the fog clears. After that… we’ll see.”
He left a letter with Azelta for when I felt better, then walked out. The room felt warmer as soon as he disappeared.
Delphiro sighed, looking exhausted.
“Please, no more disappearing acts. And no more sneaking around.”
I nodded, though I wasn’t sure I could promise.
But as I lay back down, one thought stayed with me:
Maybe the Duke wasn’t trying to punish me.
Maybe… he was trying to protect me.
