Episode 15
***
She didn’t know how much time had passed after that.
As if her memory had been severed, the next thing Yeorae knew, she was standing absentmindedly in the mansion’s corridor. Now, she had only one destination.
If I hadn’t run into him on the way…
I would’ve gone straight to you.
“You…”
The moment she spotted Gideon approaching from the opposite end of the hallway, his white hair fluttering in the air, a rush of fury surged inside her.
Like a raging bull, Yeorae charged forward and grabbed Gideon by the collar. He gasped in shock, a strangled sound escaping his throat.
“You knew, didn’t you? That Leandros still remembers me!”
Ah…
Realizing the situation, Gideon rolled his gray eyes.
Yeorae resisted the urge to punch him and pulled his collar even closer.
“And still, what? You want me to hurry back to my original world? You hypocrite! How dare you pretend to care about me?”
“Yeorae…”
A sigh fell softly against her face.
Gideon gently wrapped his hands around hers, still clutching his collar, and offered an apology.
“You’re very upset, I see. I’m sorry for keeping it from you. But that foolish boy, who rejected three engagements on his own, is now thirty. As the family’s advisor and close friend of the late Duke, I can no longer allow Leandros to delay marriage. He has to forget you and marry the woman fate has chosen for him.”
The grip of his hands around hers tightened. His eyes deepened, taking on a mysterious glow.
“You’ve heard from Sylas about Leandros’s lovesickness, haven’t you? After returning here, he suffered from a high fever and auditory hallucinations for two years. During that time, he was treated like a madman by those who didn’t believe in your existence. The former Duke, Erinique, summoned all the famous physicians in the country, and when none could cure him, he resorted to bringing in priests for exorcisms. Those two years were painful not only for him, but for everyone around him.”
“…Sylas never told me all that.”
“He was only able to stand on his feet again after finally accepting that he would never see you again. If you don’t believe me, you can ask anyone here. It’s a well-known story in this estate.”
Yeorae opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out—as though a rock was wedged beneath her jaw. Or rather, she simply didn’t know what to say.
Perhaps the reason Leandros had grown so much more violent than in the novel…
Was because of her.
To be branded insane, to undergo an exorcism… Just imagining it made her heart ache like it was being shredded.
“His mother hanged herself, and there were rumors that the heir of the duchy was possessed by a demon. The people of this land have only just begun to laugh those memories off. But you, Yeorae, are someone who will leave this place. Please don’t let Leandros, the future head of this family, suffer through the same agony all over again.”
It was painful. It was unfair. But Gideon’s plea carried weight.
Leandros was thirty—well past the typical age for marriage.
And she… was someone who would soon disappear from this world.
She couldn’t let him suffer again, all because of a fleeting connection from ten years ago.
She knew this. Deep down, she knew it all too well.
Leandros marrying Lilianthus and living happily ever after was the destiny written by this story’s author.
And she was merely an observer who had intruded, unknowingly.
Gideon read her resolve and finally released her hand.
Just before their skin parted, she was overwhelmed by a cold, sinking sadness… a lingering regret for a love that could never be fulfilled…
…And the remnants of a love that refused to die.
***
Sometimes, what’s unseen is more important than what’s visible.
Leandros, having left his study belatedly, went to look for the white-haired chosen.
But the man had already vanished.
The midday sun was hidden behind a veil of clouds. A cool breeze blew from the far end of the corridor, carrying the faintest trace of Yeorae’s scent.
But with her body changed, even her fragrance had transformed—and Leandros had no way of recognizing it now.
Like a wanderer lost in a sandstorm, he failed to see the answer right before his eyes.
And when he would realize it—
That, no one in this world could say.
***
[ To my beloved daughter, Hazel.
Hazel, are you doing well? How’s your new job? Is it too difficult? Are the people treating you kindly?
You used to write every two weeks without fail. Nothing’s happened, has it?
Oh, by the way, the Hurell family finally had their baby. A healthy baby boy.
When you come home someday, give him your blessing, won’t you?
Take care of your health. Please write to us.
From the port city of Sesil,
With love,
Your Mom.]
Thud.
Yeorae dropped the letter roughly onto the desk.
After reading the words on the parchment over and over, she was overcome by a tremendous shock.
‘Oh no.’
She’d completely forgotten.
There were parents here, too.
‘What do I do now?’
The careful ink strokes were filled with her mother’s worry.
Yeorae quickly pulled out an ink bottle and a quill. But the moment she dipped the quill into the ink, she felt an invisible wall and slowly lowered her hand again.
‘They’re not really my parents…’
More than guilt, it was worry that weighed on her.
If she wrote back, it would be obvious that someone else had penned the letter.
And so, in the end, Yeorae didn’t write a single word.
She simply hid the letter deep in a drawer.
This was a matter that belonged entirely to “Hazel.”
It wasn’t something she could resolve.
***
One bright morning, as the sun rose in the east, Yeorae served Leandros and thought of her real parents.
Time in the two worlds didn’t flow the same.
What if, when she returned, her parents had aged drastically?
Or worse—what if they were ill?
They weren’t in great health to begin with…
Her heart ached with longing for them—especially in this unfamiliar land.
As for her sister…
She avoided thinking about her entirely. Whether consciously or not, she steered clear.
Because she knew it would only bring her pain.
Leandros’s scent, lingering faintly at the tip of her nose, was slightly different—perhaps he’d changed cologne.
She tried to memorize it, fixing a brooch to his chest with practiced hands.
“…”
She couldn’t meet his eyes anymore.
Not for that reason.
Whenever she looked into those beautiful eyes, it felt like she might spill every truth from her lips like a sinner confessing.
So, she deliberately lowered her gaze, fastening his tie at the back of his neck.
But as her eyes landed on the sharp outline of his Adam’s apple…
A sudden thought pierced her mind.
Don’t tell me… the only way to go back is for this body to die?
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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