Chapter 115
Noxia, who had been blankly staring at the ceiling in the darkness, slowly closed her eyes. Even so, sleep would not come anyway. She had never expected it from the beginning.
The fragments of memories spreading chaotically against the darkness behind her eyelids were far too overwhelming for her to fall peacefully asleep like this.
Memories of her first life, her second life, and this current life.
And at the center of those memories was always one person.
Proméon, Proméon, Proméon.
Even as the eras changed little by little, his existence remained constant.
Proméon lifting her effortlessly by the waist so she could pick fruit from a tree.
Proméon lying beside her on a grassy field, gazing at the night sky together while naming constellations.
Proméon sharing their first kiss.
Proméon sweetly promising he would love only her for the rest of his life.
Proméon exchanging marriage vows with her.
Proméon protecting her from the conservative priests of ancient times.
Proméon suggesting that she try creating a script meant only for humans.
Before she completely fell out of the gods’ favor for repeatedly inventing things for humanity, Proméon secretly infiltrated the heavenly palace and stole fire—so that he himself would be branded with sacrilege instead of her.
As the price, Proméon received the curse of immortality and had to endure an unbearably long time alone. In the end, unable to withstand it, he even stormed into the underworld, begging her to return with him.
On a quiet shoreline where only the two of them existed, their sweet warmth overlapping as shining tears fell…
“…Hhk.”
A faint breath escaped her.
Her vision blurred as her eyes grew wet. It was certainly not because of dust floating in the air.
“Ugh… hhk… sob…”
There was no way she could pretend nothing had happened.
There was no way the years that had passed meant nothing.
There was no way the time they spent together was worth less than a dream.
She could never think that way.
Proméon was intelligent, sharp, and capable of wielding divine power freely—but even someone as remarkable as him seemed unable to predict everything.
[As if nothing had happened since last autumn.]
There was no way that could ever be true.
Even if it was a love that had ended long ago, the lingering attachment hurt too deeply, and she cried alone in the empty space for a long time.
Many things slowly returned to their proper places.
Prince Elenon, who had nearly died while visiting Tyros with the diplomatic delegation, returned to his homeland as soon as he regained enough strength to move. After several more weeks of recuperation at a hospital in his own country, he fully recovered a few days ago.
Because Tyros’s security had been breached and the prince of Hermeon had suffered severe injuries, relations between the two previously friendly nations rapidly deteriorated, and Tyros fell into immense chaos both domestically and internationally.
These days, the biggest agenda in the Hermeon Assembly was:
“How can we extract the maximum possible compensation from the Tyros royal family?”
Elenon inwardly admired the politicians’ schemes to increase the compensation amount by exploiting the incident in which he had nearly died.
He did not feel particularly pleased, but once he reminded himself that such maneuvering was simply their profession, he found no reason to resent them.
‘It’s not like they’re pocketing the money themselves—it all goes into the national treasury anyway. If anything, the more we receive, the better.’
Elenon quickly stopped thinking about money. Receiving compensation and managing state finances were not his responsibilities. He was simply grateful to have survived and returned safely to his homeland.
He decided to focus on what he could and should do—something trivial compared to matters of state, yet extremely important to him: something related to the girl he loved.
Just as no one except Karnen and Elenon had felt anything strange when Noxia Dekan disappeared from people’s memories, everything felt natural again when memories of her returned.
Noxia Dekan, who had suddenly quit her job and vanished from the capital about nine months ago, was now known to have temporarily left due to urgent business that arose unexpectedly in another region.
Now that the matter had been resolved, her return to the capital was only natural.
The truth behind that “urgent business,” however, was a lie.
Taking this opportunity, Elenon decided to slightly revise the genealogy of a certain noble family in order to elevate his lover’s status.
Before others regained their memories of Noxia, a ruined count living in a rural estate far from the capital in Hermeon died without leaving any children.
Unless a designated heir or close relative appeared, his title and property were to revert entirely to the state under national law.
But at the very last moment, an heir appeared.
She was the count’s long-lost biological daughter.
Separated from her parents as an infant for unknown reasons, the daughter grew up in an orphanage in another rural village before coming to the capital at eighteen, where she met Prince Elenon.
It was a fairy-tale-like story—and accordingly, somewhat forced. But thanks to it, Noxia Dekan, now Noxia Serdin, successfully underwent a change of status.
She was no longer merely a count’s daughter; she had become the count herself.
The title and property of the “biological father” she had never met in her life were entirely transferred to her.
Of course, the family was already collapsing, so there was little wealth worth salvaging. Still, gaining even a nominal noble title was a significant achievement.
In an era where noble titles were openly bought and sold with money anyway, this was hardly a great deception. From the perspective of Elenon and the royal family, it was rather a justified compensation.
“It was the royal family’s duty to protect you, the prince’s partner, and we failed miserably in that duty. As an apology, we bestow upon you the title and property of Count Serdin. Please accept them.”
As memories of Noxia returned, the fact that she had been kidnapped last autumn also resurfaced.
However, the memories remained slightly altered, so the truth—that Noxia had been kidnapped and disappeared for nine months—remained a secret known only to a few people in the world.
According to the version remembered by the royal family other than Elenon, Noxia had been rescued by royal agents after being kidnapped and then sent to recuperate in a rural royal villa to heal her emotional wounds.
Burdened by guilt for failing to protect their son’s lover, the king and queen decided to compensate Noxia generously—by granting her a fabricated secret of birth she had never originally possessed.
Even in an era where an empty noble title held little real value, having something was better than having nothing at all.
After all, Noxia had suffered hardships precisely because she was a commoner. If one was born a commoner, at least wealth was expected—but Noxia Dekan had been thoroughly ordinary in every sense.
Now that Noxia Dekan had become Noxia Serdin, one could at least argue that she stood much closer to the prince in terms of status.
The remaining gap that could not be filled by a mere fallen noble title could be resolved in other ways. The king and queen’s compensation was not yet finished.
“Count Serdin, you have now secured noble status, but you still lack personal achievements.”
“Sadly, the era when simply holding a noble title earned recognition from others has passed. Look at us—though we are royalty, we must prove ourselves to the people every day.”
“So, we would like to support your admission to a university. You may attend the Royal Academy, or study abroad if you wish. Once you complete your studies and earn a degree, it will be just as useful as obtaining the count’s title. What do you think, Count Serdin?”
What did she think?
She was overwhelmed with emotion. Everything felt so unreal and dazzling that it almost left her uneasy.
Noxia slowly accepted that this was reality, not a dream.
She had become a count, and she had gained the opportunity to begin the studies she had long wished for but postponed indefinitely due to financial hardship.
A reward after suffering.
A blessing granted after adversity.
Noxia gladly accepted it.
And so, in the spring of the following year, Noxia became a university student at the Academy—and Elenon’s junior.
Meanwhile, the Veriton ducal house walked the path toward ruin. The preparations were made by Proméon, the delivery by Karnen, and the execution by the royal family.
[Just in case, I prepared this. Use it as you see fit.]
It was the night when Proméon was saying farewell to Karnen—or Pellene—while Noxia reunited with Elenon after regaining her memories. Proméon handed Karnen a thick envelope of documents.
[These are all the evidences of corruption committed by Duke and Duchess Veriton. If Noxia wants retribution, use them.]
[And if she doesn’t?]
Karnen immediately asked back.
Proméon smiled chillingly.
[Use them anyway.]
If it had been up to him, he would have burned the entire Veriton ducal house alive. But he had endured until now because Noxia did not want that.
For once, Proméon chose a rather human method of revenge. Of course, “human” did not mean merciful.
One day, the Duke of Veriton would suddenly find ancient crimes exposed to the public, drowning him in scandal and ensuring he could never again show his face with pride.
The royal family also acted thoroughly to prevent even the possibility of him fleeing abroad and rebuilding his life there.
All of it was possible thanks to the materials Proméon had provided.
However, Elenon showed mercy to Greta Veriton. Though he could not feel affection for her, he could still feel human sympathy.
Before officially filing charges against the ducal house using the materials delivered through Karnen, Elenon met Greta alone. It was the first time he had personally proposed a meeting with her.
The moment she sat across from him in a private room of a quiet teahouse, she understood that he had not summoned her to confess romantic feelings or propose a serious relationship.
“It’s been a while, Prince Elenon.”
“Yes, it has.”
“I’m truly glad you’ve fully recovered. Congratulations on your return.”
Though the prince’s tone was gentle, his expression was solemn, while the young lady lowered her gaze respectfully as she spoke.
“Greta, the reason I asked to meet you today is because I want to give you a choice.”
“A choice?”
As Elenon began seriously, Greta asked cautiously.
He took a thick envelope of documents from his bag and placed it on the table.
“Read it.”
He calmly pushed the envelope toward her.
Greta pulled out the stack of papers inside. After nervously glancing at the prince, she soon began to read through the documents.
