~Chapter 112~
After I finished speaking, silence filled the reception room. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Calix’s fist clenched tightly on his knee.
Was he feeling guilty that he hadn’t looked into my parents sooner?
Since reuniting with him, I had never once mentioned my parents in front of him. I had never shown my longing for them.
At first, it was because I thought I wasn’t really Regiana herself. But even after the childhood memories slowly returned, I still couldn’t remain detached anymore.
At some point, whenever I thought of my parents, I could no longer take a step back and keep calm.
Still, I had forced myself to avoid the thought. There had been too many urgent problems demanding my attention.
But now, with everything resolved, I could no longer turn away. To move forward, I needed to untangle this knot in my heart.
“…What happened to my parents?”
After escaping the mansion that day, the only thing I knew was that they had died. In the future I had once seen, I was dragged to the palace and executed, but my parents hadn’t even made it that far.
They died back at the mansion.
If so, what about their bodies? It had been five years, so there would be nothing left intact, but I still wanted to find them.
My stomach churned, and I clasped my hands together. But my eyes never wavered from Prince Adrian.
He, too, understood exactly what I was asking. I couldn’t see any trace of guilt, but at least he looked troubled.
After rubbing his forehead, he spoke hesitantly:
“…That’s not something I can answer.”
It wasn’t the answer I wanted.
I almost jumped to my feet, but instead the words burst out first.
“Why not?”
Adrian’s face remained perfectly composed.
“Because I wasn’t even there at the time.”
“….”
“Think about how old I was back then. And besides…”
He let out a hollow laugh.
“If you know my mother, then you’d also know. She would never have let me go there.”
“….”
Disappointment spread quickly inside me. Like a balloon popping in an instant.
And he was right. There was no way the emperor would have told Adrian about Troxia. If I wanted answers, I would have to ask the knights who had been there that day—or the emperor himself.
I had asked the wrong person.
I muttered flatly, staring at the leg of the sofa:
“…I understand. I was too hasty.”
From beside me, Calix stepped in.
“Then please give us the names of the knights who were dispatched to Troxia at that time.”
I barely listened to their negotiation after that. I couldn’t focus. I hadn’t realized just how much I still longed for my parents.
Memories came rushing back: the Troxia lands where I grew up, the horizon from my bedroom window, the hill covered in wildflowers, the wide fields where Calix and I once ran, the peaceful village.
Those had been among the few peaceful times in my life. Until the destined future approached, I had tried to enjoy life as much as I could.
“Let’s go, Rena.”
“…Mm.”
By the time my chest felt tight, we had already left the reception room.
I didn’t even know how I had managed to excuse myself. On the way back to the mansion, Calix and I didn’t speak at all.
I was busy holding back emotions that threatened to burst, and Calix seemed at a loss for what to say.
If we could get the list of knights who had been there the night the mansion burned, would I learn exactly how my parents died?
I was ready to accept any truth: whether they had been crushed under the collapsing mansion, executed on the spot, or resisted until the very end to buy me time to escape.
But I would never forget them. They had been my parents, my family. Even when I couldn’t remember, and now that I did again.
They had cared for Calix too, despite their complaints about the dragon. After all, they had raised the newly orphaned boy for two years.
I clenched my fists in secret.
‘It might have been better if my memories had never come back… Or if I had remembered everything from the start.’
Ever since I realized the truth of this so-called “story world,” ever since I felt the dragon’s presence, ever since I took in the dragon’s heart, memories of my childhood with my parents would suddenly return and strike me out of nowhere.
It was deeply unsettling. If I dreamed of them, I couldn’t shake off the bad feeling all day.
When we returned to the Hertrio mansion, I brushed past greetings and locked myself in my room.
I buried myself under the blankets. After a while, there came a polite knock.
I knew who it was, so I didn’t answer. He knew too. The door opened, and soft footsteps crossed the carpet.
Soon, I was in Calix’s arms.
“I’m sorry.”
His voice was heavy with guilt. I put on a brave front.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. You did nothing wrong.”
“I should have known you wanted to bury your parents properly. I’m sorry I didn’t realize.”
“It’s fine. I only started thinking about it recently. And we were both busy.”
“No. It’s my fault.”
He shook his head firmly, refusing to excuse himself.
This was exactly why I had delayed telling him — I didn’t want him apologizing for things that weren’t his fault.
I pushed aside the blanket and peeked out. He was behind me, so I couldn’t see his face. To change the subject, I asked:
“Anyway… what happened with the prince after that? I wasn’t paying attention at the end.”
Calix kindly played along.
“We’ll have to negotiate a few more times, but within a month, your family’s name will be restored.”
Restoration. The Troxia restoration.
“You’ll be called Marquess Troxia now.”
“…Marquess?”
“Yes. Along with the restoration, your title will be raised from Count to Marquess. It will look better.”
From then on, Calix spoke mostly about me—what I would gain, and how I would live.
The Troxia lands would be returned. As compensation, the imperial family would hand over gold mines. And as an apology, my title would be raised to Marquess.
As he finished explaining, he asked:
“Do you have anything else you want?”
“No.”
But then something suddenly came to me.
“Wait, yes! I do want something!”
“Oh? What is it?”
He always sounded happy whenever I wanted something. As his sweet voice reached me, I pictured the ruins of the Troxia mansion.
If I got the land back, there was only one thing I wanted.
“I want to rebuild the house. On that land, I want the Troxia mansion back, just like before.”
“….”
The thought of that once-beautiful mansion left in ruins was unbearable. Even if I couldn’t recreate it exactly, I didn’t want to leave it as a wreck any longer. The memory of the rubble stabbed at me like thorns.
Calix’s arms tightened around me.
“Alright. Let’s do it.”
After a long pause, he kissed my hair and whispered:
“I’ll rebuild the mansion and give it to you. As a wedding gift.”
Ah. Right. A wedding gift.
“Thanks in advance. I haven’t even thought of a gift for you yet.”
He chuckled softly near my ear. His breath tickled, and I rubbed my ear sheepishly.
“Speaking of the wedding…”
“Rena, there’s someone I want to introduce to you.”
We spoke at the same time.
Introduce someone?
The moment I realized what he meant, I sat up straight.
“You go first! No matter what, you first.”
I was more curious about this than the wedding talk. Calix almost never introduced me to anyone. Not only because he wasn’t very social, but also because of his possessiveness and jealousy.
But now, someone he wanted me to meet?
“…Is it a man?”
Calix froze.
“Why would you ask that? Isn’t one man—me—enough for you?”
His innocent reply made my face heat up.
He released me and stood up.
