Chapter 42

Only then did Robern realize something was wrong as he struggled while being dragged away.

“Call Esha. Where is my daughter, Esha?! There must be some misunderstanding! If we just talk it out, everything can be—”

I ignored his voice as it grew more distant.

Because Robern no longer mattered to me.

---

• You have successfully twisted the fate of Esha Marceline.

• You have prevented the great famine in the Marceline territory.

• You have resolved the food shortage in neighboring territories.

• You have prevented knight Loren’s extreme choice.

Messages popped up in quick succession as if they had been waiting.

‘Oh….’

No matter how many times it happened, the taste of accomplishment was always electrifying.

---

• You have succeeded in creating a turning point in history.

• Calculating curse mitigation based on contribution.

• Curse of Oblivion mitigated by 41%.

• Someone’s memory has fully returned.

‘Who regained their memory this time?’

Suddenly, I felt a gaze on the back of my head and turned around.

Among the bustling imperial knights moving to tidy up the situation, there stood a lone man.

Though his face was hidden under a helmet, I knew from the start who he was.

Esha’s lover, Loren.

The moment our eyes met, he placed his clenched fist over his chest and bowed his head.

‘I see.’

This time, it seemed you were the one who regained your memory.

---

* * *

“Is it over now?”

Asher entered after waiting in the carriage until things were settled.

Since imperial knights had been mobilized for this mission, he waited nearby.

“Yes, it is.”

Laura was sitting with her back against the door. Her veil swayed with her nod.

“So much was prepared for one little play.”

“But it was successful, wasn’t it?”

Asher couldn’t deny it.

Finding the arranged meeting set by Robern Marceline and arresting both Robern and Marquis Lebanon. It sounded childish, yet it succeeded only because Laura pushed through, saying:

“The more absurd a plan is, the more likely it will succeed.”

Asher also gained from this operation since Marquis Lebanon was a large tax evader.

“Come on, get up. You’re not planning to stay like that, are you?”

Laura lifted her head.

“Will you escort me?”

“Did you think I’d leave you here alone?”

Because the meeting place was far from the capital, Laura couldn’t return to the Rewaiz mansion alone.

Asher extended his hand.

“Didn’t you say I should fulfill my duties as your fiancé first?”

“My, how sweet of you.”

Laura mocked lightly as she stood up. Asher’s dry politeness sometimes scratched her nerves. It felt like the same courtesy he showed to everyone else.

Then, Laura almost tripped over her dress hem, unfamiliar with the style.

“If you have time to mock me, watch your—”

He reached out to catch her, and for a moment, Asher froze.

Laura’s veil slipped off, revealing her face up close.

Her wide shocked eyes, slightly parted lips with neat teeth visible between them – all were right before him.

“……”

Indeed, Laura was beautiful. She just never used that beauty properly, or she used it in other ways.

After a long silence, Asher finally spoke.

“Your Highness?”

Laura’s voice brought him back to his senses.

“I’ll have to tell the owner to redo the flooring. It’s clearly uneven.”

He muttered a strange excuse, rubbing the back of his neck.

Watching from afar, Luigi shook her head at the pathetic sight.

‘Seeing this, I can tell whose blood runs in him. He’s just like his brother.’

In their newlywed days, the Emperor couldn’t acknowledge his feelings for the Empress and kept his distance. By the time he realized, she had disappeared under political attack.

All he could do was pray for her safety while erasing her traces to protect her.

Thankfully, Asher resembled the Empress in appearance, which relieved Luigi.

But seeing him now, he might have inherited the Emperor’s inner foolishness as well.

‘Unbelievable.’

The only consolation was that Asher clearly had feelings for Laura.

Before returning to Morutum, Luigi planned to remind Asher once more that Laura was the best Crown Princess he could have.

But after today, she decided otherwise.

‘If I interfere now, it will only backfire. It’s best to let them naturally grow closer.’

She only hoped Asher realized his feelings soon.

Because his father took too long, forcing him down an unnecessarily long and painful path.

---

* * *

‘She’s a bit late.’

The next day.

Angel sat in the drawing room of the Rewaiz mansion.

Before him was an empty teacup. The cooled tea tasted unpleasantly bitter.

Angel normally never touched refreshments, but today he was too bored to resist. He shoved a stale cookie into his mouth and glared at the hallway.

He had been sitting there for what felt like ages. No one came to check on him or even tell him to wait longer.

‘Why isn’t she coming? Is she… deliberately making me wait?’

He had visited Rewaiz mansion a few times to see the marquis. Back then, the servants treated him like dirt despite being a noble.

Those servants were all gone now, but Angel didn’t know that.

Growing increasingly irritable, he finally stood up.

Walking from the drawing room to Laura’s room, he didn’t encounter a single servant.

This was simply because there were too few working in the mansion, but he didn’t notice.

He arrived at his destination quickly.

The door was made of more luxurious materials than others. It had to be hers.

Knock knock.

“Are you there?”

Thankfully, Laura answered.

“Please wait a moment.”

‘So she’s inside.’

At least she wasn’t having him wait under false pretenses.

Still, it felt rude.

‘She’s inside yet won’t even show her face?’

Keeping a guest waiting endlessly was a power move to break their spirit.

‘As if to say, “You’ll keep waiting here until I permit otherwise.”’

He wanted to tell her to cut the nonsense but—

‘Still, I can’t just barge into a lady’s room.’

Even if she was a villainess, she was still a woman.

Angel was a man of strict chivalry.

But his irritation didn’t vanish, so he waited by the door.

Then—

“I said no.”

A quiet argument came through, followed by another, firmer, “No.”

‘Is someone else in there?’

He waited patiently, but when he heard things breaking inside, he couldn’t hold back.

He grabbed the doorknob and opened it.

“Are you alri—”

“Oh dear, almost fell.”

What he saw was a small child reaching Laura’s knee.

“Mama!”

Laura skillfully picked up the child.

“You can’t just run out like that. You don’t know what’s out there, hmm?”

She patted the child’s back to soothe them. The child rested their chin on her shoulder, whining softly but looking comfortable.

Their bond was not formed overnight.

After calming the child, Laura looked up.

“Oh my, Sir Angel, what brings you here?”

But Angel couldn’t reply.

Ever since he saw the child, he had lost his composure.

“Wh-what… huh…?”

Thud.

The documents in his hands slipped and scattered on the floor.