HOWSH~08

~Chapter 8~

∞ ∞ ∞

Aquamarine eyes reminiscent of the vast blue sea.

Hair like molten silver, as if it had swallowed the moonlight itself.

Whenever Carlos looked down at Elchevita’s face resting on his lap, laughing softly, he sometimes felt as if he could never escape that feeling.

Especially on a day like this.

The princess’s brief journey as the representative of the neighboring Kingdom of Kroa, leading a diplomatic envoy, was coming to an end.

Though it had lasted only five days, fate had already begun its work.

Carlos gazed down at Elchevita’s neck with a happiness that outshone anyone else’s. The silver necklace etched with rose motifs made him feel ecstatic, as always.

It was an object that could make him smile just by looking at her, that could fill him with affection.

Ah… I can’t bear to part with you like this.

Carlos endlessly replayed this moment in his mind, savoring it repeatedly.

To preserve his unwavering love, he had erased all her memories, yet still he cherished even these fleeting moments, memorized them, and replayed them over and over in his mind.

Once, it had been insignificant.

A selfish love that belonged solely to him.

<The Princess with a Rare Ability>, Part 2: A Twisted Spring

∞ ∞ ∞

Long-burned, lost tomes of the past sometimes recorded passages like this:

“It is a command.”

“Subdue the tyrant…
The one who becomes a lifelong benefactor…
…
At that moment,
your wish shall be granted.”

“Now, erase everyone’s memories, Carlos.”

Though it sounded complicated, the meaning was simple.

When a royal bestowed with divine power ran amok and lost control, the one who poured all their immense healing ability to stop that rampage would, by divine authority, be granted a single chance to give a command.

For timid Rose Lutiens, who had only ever quietly read books and never dared act boldly, it was audacious enough to even touch such forbidden knowledge.

Now, she was applying the most useful memory she had ever extracted from those ancient tomes.

Whispering into Carlos’ shoulder with a half-doubtful heart, she murmured:

“The command is to be executed—now. Immediately.”

“…….”

“Erase the memories of everyone who witnessed your rampage. Make sure this incident is never spoken of again. Completely. Even your own memories of it, if you must.”

This would be an event only I would remember.

As she finished the command, a faint nod followed, and the white light she had seen before once again filled the banquet hall.

A flash of brilliance, then a sensation of vanishing.

As promised in the ancient tome, the memory-erasing command she had issued to Carlos was happening before everyone’s eyes.

Pulling her face away from him, she slowly turned her back, preparing to leave his embrace.

He grabbed her wrist mid-motion, but she shook him off without hesitation.

“Are you crazy?”

Snapping around, she shot him a glare.

By the authority of the command, he would not remember her, but in this moment, she spoke sincerely:

“If humans had the capacity to think, you would not deserve to come out of this! Do you even realize what you almost did?”

“……”

“This was clearly rebellion, you fool!”

Rebellion.

Even as a prince of this country, the human toll of a rampage like his would make him deserve execution.

The citizens of a kingdom are meant to bear the consequences of the abilities they were born with.

Yet Carlos had acted impulsively, fully aware of the consequences.

Though she did not know the exact reasons behind his decade-long neglect, it was certain that he had reasons for the anger and impulses that had driven him.

But given the same situation, she would always, without hesitation, draw upon the healing power she had long buried deep within herself.

What she truly wanted was happiness and freedom as an ordinary person, not sudden crises in the lives of the protagonists. Especially not crises that could harm others.

“If you get caught and executed for treason, do you think I would be able to relax and not care?”

Something pressed up in her throat, threatening to break into tears.

Suppressing the surge of emotion, she raised a finger toward the dark-haired figure standing rigidly before her.

“Would you feel at ease? No. You’re wrong! Do you have any idea how much I care about the protagonists here? That something as small as this could change the future… does that make any sense?”

Carlos, dying from his rampage? Absolutely not.

Even with the original story twisted so that she survived, she could not bear to see the protagonists of the romance novel die early, or never meet at all.

It would be a horror beyond imagining.

As always, she refused to allow further genre-breaking.

She did not want to add to the guilt she already carried about the original story.

“Don’t die, Carlos.”

“……”

“You have to live, for the sake of this world.”

“Even if life becomes too hard to bear, you will not act recklessly. Ever.”

Rubbing at her damp eyes, she continued:

“From now on, you can’t die recklessly. That life is mine now. Since I saved you, you have no authority over it.”

“…….”

“Do you understand? You must live, until you meet your destined partner. By any means necessary, you must survive.”

Though he would not remember her words, she insisted on speaking clearly, face to face.

And truth be told, how often would she get to speak informally to a prince in her life? The mixture of emotions inside her was too complex to contain.

Perhaps because everyone, including Carlos, was still dazed from the rampage, she was the only one talking amidst the banquet hall.

The lights of the chandeliers, once darkened, flickered back on one by one, then inexplicably stopped.

An eerie silence filled the room, pierced only by faint glimmers of light.

The heat that had been suffusing the hall faded, replaced by a chilling emptiness.

Through broken windows, the cold wind drifted in.

Her hair fell across her shoulders, obscuring her vision in the breeze.

Just as she raised her hand to her ear, a man in a deep blue uniform stepped forward slowly.

“Keep your promise.”

“……?”

He straightened her posture.

“No reversals.”

His breath met hers.

Their lips collided again.

All the heat caused by the previous incident had vanished, replaced by a deliberate, consuming passion.

Every corner of her mouth, every inch of his face, was explored with a hunger that refused release.

The tighter she tried to pull away, the closer he pressed, locking her in his embrace.

“Ugh…”

She tried to push him away, but failed, wrapping her arms around his neck instead.

Perhaps to give meaning to her words, he reciprocated with fervor, even though tomorrow he would remember nothing.

Sweeping her hair back, caressing her cheeks, pressing kisses along her neck…

She could not refuse the warmth and affection pouring from him, and slowly, while savoring his embrace, she opened her eyes.

By then, the banquet hall was gone.

The event, remembered only by her, had concluded.

“Excuse me?”

Have you ever experienced the pure frustration of being woken up by nonsense as soon as you rise from bed?

“What did you… just say to me?”

I couldn’t even close my gaping mouth, frozen in disbelief.

What to even call this feeling…?

Ah, yes. It was like the sudden rage when someone interrupts you mid-urination.

Gripping the blanket in protest, I stared at the notice left by someone, utterly dumbfounded.

Completely absurd. Every last bit made my teeth grind.

Belos Territory Security Team, Room 806

To: Rose Lutiens

Due to the premature decision to revoke your qualifications,

It has been acknowledged, and the matter will be reconsidered after a grace period of approximately 27 days.

Work shall proceed as usual.

This notice was hastily drafted for express delivery.

Ziiiiiik.

“Damn it, seriously.”

Unable to contain my frustration, I tore the paper into pieces without reading it fully.

People say life doesn’t always go as planned—but how could things spiral this way?

It was maddening, like a curse.

The previous night, after that “incident,” everything had returned to normal once I re-entered the banquet hall.

Maichel, blissfully unaware of my presence, blushed as usual.

Isid, smiling brightly, raised his glass to me.

Even the security staff huddled near the dance floor chatting were in their places.

It was strange.

I had commanded a memory erasure, yet it felt as if someone had reversed time itself.