Episode 16
“W-Wait, are you…!”
What is it?
He had no certainty that the child would remember him after growing up.
And the first time he saw her again in this capital city, now all grown up—
Among the crowd who stood silent and simply stared at her, she looked at him like a stranger. At that moment, he had a small suspicion.
“I’ve lost my memory.”
‘How foolish…’
As expected, Randel, now fully grown, kept repeating it to himself.
What exactly was he expecting from someone who said they had lost their memory?
“What did you say? I can’t hear you well!”
Then she teased him with a playful tone, and he stood there grumbling softly to himself at Newrim Castle.
“I did try, you know…”
But this was…
He hadn’t expected her to remember him right away.
Still, every time it was confirmed that she had erased his existence from her memory, a small piece of his heart seemed to chip away.
“Damn it. What a waste.”
Everything he had done until now, all for nothing.
Still, deep down, he had secretly hoped that she would recognize him.
With a sigh filled with frustration and complicated emotions, he looked up at the sky. Beside him, unaware of his feelings, the woman was shaking a small puppy bell at his neck.
So random. So clueless.
At times like this, he could still glimpse the same habits from her childhood.
But as he unconsciously began comparing again, Randel shook his head lightly.
‘Don’t cling to such things. The woman who lost her memory is just someone I met for the first time.’
However, beneath the crimson sunset, the desire he had tried to suppress began to rise again.
“I hope you’ll remember me.”
One day, he would tell her.
How he lived after they parted, what he longed for…
What kind of existence she was to him…
But not yet. Not now. Because—
“To forget me… That’s so unforgivable.”
In the flickering candlelight on the table, he tapped his fingers repeatedly.
In the drowsy late evening, he smiled faintly as he wondered what kind of time he’d spend with her tomorrow. But perhaps that smile on his well-chiseled face looked a little lonely.
“Still… maybe…”
Maybe she would remember him.
That’s why he couldn’t stop writing today either.
As long as he remembered her—
And as new memories formed—
Even though he couldn’t fill in the long gap,
He added his imagination to that space.
That day too, he visited the chilly lake.
And Randel, as always, filled his script with his familiar handwriting.
“Please read it thoroughly and sign.”
“Sure.”
Gone was the fluttery gaze of yesterday.
The next morning, the troupe director, acting overly polite again, handed her an additional contract at the capital’s office.
‘Originally, coming here with him wasn’t part of the plan.’
After the incident at the theater, they met once more in the capital’s office.
At that moment, Autumn recalled why she had come all the way down here.
> [Rosaline Kiss will travel to the villa owned by the troupe director for five hours of daily acting training, under the condition of confidentiality.]
Honestly, except for that clause, all the other terms were surprisingly favorable to her.
Which is exactly why it felt so strange.
“What do you want from me?”
“Nothing.”
“From an employer, that doesn’t sound convincing.”
He truly seemed to gesture like he expected nothing from her.
Autumn, narrowing her eyes, set down the pen he had handed her and asked again,
“Be honest. Tell me.”
“To be honest, I’m not really looking forward to the first day of the performance.”
His face tilted ever so slightly to the right.
With that answer, Randel made it clear—he had always been consistent in showing her his true intentions.
“What did you say?”
For a moment, Autumn wondered if she had heard wrong. Regardless, she stared at the man who had just said something so bold to her face.
“The reason I cast you is because the protagonist in this play shares your name.”
“Right.”
“Also, this project has major funding coming in due to its promotional value.”
He snapped the pen loudly.
Feeling insulted, Autumn clenched her fists so tightly her hands turned pale.
“I intend to use your name and fame.”
“And what if I ruin your stage with terrible acting?”
She knew she wasn’t going through the usual process of becoming a professional actress, so the treatment was understandable.
Still, she was furious at how calmly he spoke—as if she had no business standing on such an important stage.
“Well, it would be better if you could act well.”
He nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
While Autumn glared at her clenched fists, Randel leaned forward slightly, his fingers interlocked but relaxed, and looked at her.
“But people are already drawn to the name ‘Rosaline Kiss’ more than to any proven acting skills…”
His voice whispered closely near Autumn’s ear.
“I don’t even expect the timing to be perfect.”
His soft voice—yet unkind words—pierced her ears like a thorn.
A dry laugh escaped Autumn’s lips.
The very fact that the play bore the name Rosaline was already meant to catch public attention.
‘As he said, Rosaline only gets one shot on stage. Just once.
If she does well, she’ll rise. If she fails, the failure will still serve as good publicity for his play.’
But for Rosaline, the risk was different.
Her reputation, already in tatters, might not improve—but thanks to this performance, she’d be the subject of gossip once more.
“For now, I just need you to step onto the stage for one day.”
Whether this would be the triumphant return of the talented Rosaline Rosewood,
or the final fall of the washed-up Rosaline Kiss, ridiculed to the end—
“That is all I ask of you.”
His cold final remark only increased Autumn’s pressure.
With a loud bang, she stomped her foot in the quiet study.
‘Still, I can’t stay too long at this villa. If I do, I risk exposing my identity.’
From the beginning, Autumn had planned to avoid going out and hide away quietly.
“You?”
Noticing her unease, Randel approached the lounge sofa and lightly patted her shoulder.
“Does it bother you that I’ll be staying with you?”
“Ah, there are probably many hoping you’ll become a laughingstock. You’ll need to do more than just ‘okay.’”
Still expressionless, he appeared wearing glasses from who-knows-where.
He then sat next to Autumn and handed her a newly added script.
At the sight of it, Autumn’s eyes sparkled brightly.
“A new script!”
She snatched it excitedly and began flipping through the pages quickly.
“Anyway, no one in the troupe has time to help you. They’re all busy rehearsing their own roles.”
As she became engrossed in the script, Randel continued whispering:
“If there were a guide to direct the emotional tone, I believe you could perform that role much better.”
Autumn suddenly looked up at him.
“Oh, and I’m certain you’ll like my villa.”
He spun a quill pen in his hand and looked at her confidently.
“My villa doesn’t allow outsiders in. Unlike the capital, you won’t attract attention or be caught in any scandals again. Isn’t this quite a good deal?”
“…I don’t think I can do it.”
After a long pause, Autumn finally spoke from the heart, her eyes burning with sincerity.
“I’m afraid I’ll ruin your play.”
Even the sound of her clenching her teeth could be heard clearly from where Randel stood.
