<7>
Bianna, who had somehow managed to place the heart inside, wiped the sweat dampening her forehead. Forcing a heart that wouldn’t naturally fit was no small feat. Without even a moment to catch her breath, Bianna withdrew the magic she had unleashed and opened the door.
Outside, Count Ferdo and Arnold, who had been waiting anxiously, hurried in to check on Delsia’s condition. At first glance, Delsia appeared unchanged from when they had been chased out of the room, but a closer look revealed otherwise.
Her face was pale. Count Ferdo and Arnold widened their eyes and looked at Bianna.
“Has something happened to my daughter? Delsi’s complexion…”
Bianna squeezed her eyes shut at Count Ferdo’s question. She couldn’t give him an answer that would reassure him. Despite having poured all her magic into the task, the results were far from ideal. Still, she had to explain.
“There’s something I need to tell you. But this isn’t the place for it.”
Glancing at Delsia and Edwin, Bianna spoke, and Count Ferdo guided her to his office. His body was stiff as he led her out.
Not long after they left the room, Delsia’s fingers twitched. She weakly moved only her fingers at first, then lifted her eyelids. As the bright light filled her pupils, a sharp, icy sensation struck her. Just as she frowned and began to slowly lift herself up, something stirred beside her.
Edwin, who had been lying in the coffin as if dead, twitched and moved. Shocked, Delsia instinctively held her breath and turned to look at the coffin. She could hear the sounds and shallow breaths of Edwin moving inside.
He truly was alive—Edwin, who had received her heart. She could hardly believe it. Delsia wanted to immediately rise and check his condition. But as she parted her lips to call his name, she remembered Bianna’s warning about the side effects and had no choice but to stay silent.
“Hah…”
A sigh escaped from the coffin. Soon, with a creaking sound, Edwin lifted himself. Stepping out, he wobbled for a moment, holding his head. Delsia, startled at the sight of him, instinctively drew in her breath.
“…Why am I here?”
Straightening his posture, Edwin murmured in a deeply cracked voice. He stood still, appearing to ponder something, then shook his head. As he turned to look toward Delsia, she wanted to welcome him but fear gripped her. What if he had lost all memories related to her?
Delsia shut her eyes tightly, avoiding his gaze. After a brief silence, Edwin spoke.
“Who… am I…?”
His dry lips moved again.
“Who… are you?”
The voice was familiar, yet the tone was strange. It was a tone she had never heard, one she never thought she would.
Ah… I’m glad I closed my eyes. I’m glad I remembered Bianna’s warning about the side effects. For a moment, that was all she could think.
Had it been a luxury to hope that he would retain even just her name, or a single memory of her? Was it too great a wish? Delsia’s eyes reddened as she realized that all her hopes and dreams had shattered.
Her heart felt like it was collapsing. It ached so badly it felt as though it had already crumbled. Even knowing Edwin was looking at her without taking a single step toward her, she couldn’t open her eyes. She wasn’t strong enough to endure a greater pain just yet.
“Is she… asleep?”
Edwin, staring quietly at Delsia, turned and walked away. He intended to ask one of the servants in the mansion where he was.
Once he left the room, Delsia tried to lift herself up. But before she could, she clutched her chest and forced out rough, uneven breaths.
“Hah… haah…”
Her face contorted in pain in an instant. Her pupils trembled as she struggled to breathe. It was as if her heart were bound by a taut rope, tight and constricting. Cold sweat ran down her spine. Delsia squeezed her eyes shut.
Her eyelashes became damp with tears. Her heart hurt as much as her grief over Edwin not remembering her. The artificial magical heart within her chest pounded violently.
“Huh… hhuh.”
The tears she had held back finally spilled. Her mind was blank, unable to think. A faint, bitter smile formed on her lips.
Edwin—her Edwin—didn’t…
“Remember me… remember me…”
He didn’t remember.
And she, who had given him her heart, faced Edwin who could not recall her.
“Edw… Edwin.”
She couldn’t hold him.
All Delsia could do, with her mind empty, was this: to weep while repeating her miserable reality to herself.
Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, flowing like an unending monsoon. Her deep blue eyes lost their light and darkened. The slow fluttering of her gaze dimmed completely.
Her eyelids fell. Night had come early for Delsia.
“What… what do you mean? That Delsi might not live even a year? What on earth does that mean?”
“Exactly as I said.”
“Wasn’t it just her hair and nails that were needed? Then why…?”
Count Ferdo asked, his voice tense. That the Duke Adelio would lose his memories was shocking enough, but now to hear that Delsia might not live a year… Bianna, who had sat unmoving, shook her head.
“We didn’t use her hair or nails. They weren’t needed from the start.”
“…What!”
“How could hair and nails alone revive a dead person?”
Count Ferdo gripped the sofa arm, waiting for Bianna’s explanation. Veins stood out on his hand. Arnold also watched tensely from beside him.
“The heart. To revive a dead person, a beating heart is needed.”
“A… heart?”
“Delsia is the donor of that heart.”
“D- Delsi is the donor of the heart…?”
Count Ferdo muttered in disbelief. His legs felt weak even as he sat. The grip on the sofa loosened. Bianna’s words echoed in his ears:
—Delsia is the donor of the heart… Delsia is the donor of the heart…
At that moment, Arnold, who had been silent, spoke loudly:
“Could such a significant decision have been made by Delsia alone?”
“No. She sought permission. The Mirror of Truth confirms it.”
“But my father and I never allowed her to donate her heart…!”
“Even if it was expressed as hair and nails, she did ask for permission, didn’t she?”
Arnold fell silent. It was absurd enough to elicit a hollow laugh.
“…I clearly said I would agree only if her life was fully guaranteed.”
“I wished the same.”
“If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have revoked the contract. If I had known Delsia would end up like this…”
His sunken voice faded into the air. He had never imagined Delsia would take such drastic action. Had he known, he would have stopped her. He regretted not having watched over her more carefully.
Bianna added in a subdued voice:
“We forcibly placed an artificial magical heart into Delsia’s body. But due to her strong magic, the artificial heart cannot last long.”
“….”
“As I said earlier, at most, she has a year. In her current state, she may not even survive that long…”
“If we replace the heart periodically…!”
Arnold, who had been silent, spoke up.
“The result would be the same. Delsia’s magic distrusts everything that enters her body.”
“So that means…”
“Yes. Even if we keep replacing it, it would only shorten the lifespan of the artificial heart. Eventually, it won’t last a second and will dissolve into Delsia’s magic.”
It was grim. There was no hope. Count Ferdo stared emptily at the table, unable to accept Bianna’s words—or the entire situation. That Duke Adelio had died trying to save Arnold, that Delsia had given her heart to save him, and that a witch had actually made it possible—he couldn’t accept any of it.
“Why… why…”
Count Ferdo’s lips moved weakly, tasting bitterness despite not having eaten.
“D-Delsia… Delsia.”
Arnold’s head fell. His once healthy younger sister had become terminal in an instant. And he had contributed to it. The guilt of causing her potential death outweighed even the grief of losing her.
He bit his lower lip so hard blood almost appeared, yet he didn’t flinch. With bloodshot eyes, he stared at the fist resting on his thigh.
If only I hadn’t been there. If only I were a skilled knight.
Then things wouldn’t have turned out like this. It was all his fault.
“…What will we do about the Duke?”
Bianna’s question drew a voice from Count Ferdo, strained as he fought back tears.
“We’ll… return him to the Duke’s residence.”
“Yes. Since he has lost his memory, that’s the right course.”
With that, Bianna rose. Standing by the office door, she bowed to Count Ferdo and Arnold.
“I’ll be going now. If you need my help later, come to the outskirts of the capital.”
That was the best Bianna could do. She left, feet dragging, returning to her own home. Left behind at Count Ferdo’s residence was only despair. Nothing but despair.
