“Robert?”
As she waited for a long time without him arriving, Miragen’s eyes narrowed when she finally spotted Robert coming from down the corridor.
It was because his expression, coming from a direction other than the entrance, was dark. Could something have happened without her knowledge?
“…Sorry for being late. I ran into the Crown Prince on the way and should have informed you in advance.”
“No, it’s fine. I haven’t been waiting long anyway.”
Since they hadn’t set a specific time to meet, hearing that Robert had arrived only meant she had waited for about an hour at most.
Shadows fell across his lightly smiling face. Perhaps it was due to her recent thoughts, but Miragen felt that Robert didn’t seem to be in a good mood.
Did he hear something bad from Kaitel? She had many questions, but it didn’t seem right to bring up the topic she was waiting for immediately.
Should she ask about how he’s been? It would seem strange if she inquired about what he found out regarding the masked individuals, so Miragen forced a small smile as if she knew nothing.
“It seems you haven’t been doing well? Your complexion doesn’t look as good as the last time I saw you.”
“I’ve been fine. This is just, a little tiredness.”
“If you’re tired, it would have been okay not to come. I guess I made you come for no reason.”
At those words, Robert quietly rubbed his eyes. Just yesterday, he had been feeling alright, but it seemed the conversation he had with Kaitel was weighing heavily on his mind.
Yeah… Honestly, if someone asked him to kill someone, he could do it without hesitation. How many people had he killed by now? There was no way he would hesitate over that.
However, when he was told to kill Adele, he felt shaken even though he had expected it. He thought he would follow such an order. Of course, he wouldn’t actually kill her, but he intended to use that command to strike at Kaitel’s back. Yet, actually hearing it made anger boil inside him. It wouldn’t have been surprising if he had acted first if it had been someone other than Kaitel.
Only a few minutes had passed since he heard the news, so it didn’t take long for Robert’s expression to change. His head throbbed, to the extent that he couldn’t even remember his original purpose for coming here. The difference between what he had expected and the actual impact of hearing that news was quite significant.
“Robert.”
The late recognition of Miragen calling his name was due to that reason. Although there was still time, meaning there was no need to worry immediately, Robert awkwardly smiled and looked at Miragen as he wiped his forehead.
I looked at Miragen.
“I’m sorry. I have something on my mind.”
“I’d like to know what’s on your mind too. You always seem to know so much that I don’t, it’s like I’m living in a different world.”
Miragen had an inkling that Robert had many secrets.
However, she didn’t press further because Robert had helped her a lot over the time. Without him, she couldn’t have been living this way now.
But as time passed, the growing questions intertwined with recent memories became increasingly solid.
The complicated expression he had when he looked at her, and the sudden desire to become the head of House Taylor after being quiet up till then.
If he intended to change Taylor, wouldn’t he have been prepared for it much earlier?
Yet, Robert’s ascension to the head was quite sudden; it was more like an impromptu situation than something he had prepared for.
After meeting her, it hadn’t even been a year before he took the position.
If one were to interpret that as Robert’s ability, it could be understood, but it still baffled Miragen that he endured so much hardship for that position.
When her gaze met Robert’s, the first thing that caught her eye was the long scar etched across his chest.
Even with his clothes on, she could clearly see the wound and now understood how it came to be.
She discovered Robert Taylor’s position within House Taylor and what he had endured.
Knowing that, she thought she understood Robert to a degree, but she also knew there were many more things hidden away.
Adrian knew what Miragen did not. Adrian knew what Adele, the Grand Duchess of the North, knew as well.
Miragen pondered countless times why such a gap existed, yet in the end, she couldn’t grasp the reason.
“…Do I need to tell you how I think of Robert for you to understand?”
She knew it was complicated. She couldn’t tell if this was love or just a fleeting emotion.
To be precise, this feeling hadn’t taken any definite form yet.
She felt a bit let down because he didn’t reach out often, and the news that came now and then was just that he had been hurt, which left her frustrated.
When they met again, it was always nice, but that time felt too short and regrettable. Now, due to their statuses, she couldn’t just keep him by her side.
Wouldn’t Robert have his own work to do, after all?
If he were just a prince, she could make excuses to keep him near, but having a duke at her side was beyond her power.
How did she feel about him? If she had to answer, it might be closer to a feeling of affection.
But she didn’t say that.
Miragen, who had been staring at Robert for a moment, realized it was inappropriate and let out a small sigh.
“Alright then. I just wanted to say something. It’s a little frustrating. You always go to meet others and only come when I call, right?”
“There hasn’t been a time when I searched for you myself… has there?”
Thinking back, it was Miragen who always tried to get closer in this life. She had given him an artifact, saying it was okay to contact her personally, and ever since, she had treated him a bit lightly. Although their relationship was too casual for a princess, my heart always felt heavy whenever I looked at Miragen.
I always came when Miragen made a request. Wasn’t the last time at the imperial family’s palace because Miragen asked me to come? It wouldn’t change anything to apologize now, but Robert slowly turned his head to meet her steady gaze.
“It wasn’t intentional.”
It was intentional. He didn’t want to recover old memories by seeing her often; he wanted to avoid those complicated feelings. This space they were in now was the same. Every time he lay on that bed, they had always been together, and eventually, Robert found himself looking at Miragen again, having nowhere else to gaze.
They had been the closest in the past, but he couldn’t deny that things had become awkward in this life compared to others. Where had it all gone wrong? The problem began with his own attitude, and Robert scratched his cheek before pulling a chair to sit next to Miragen.
“It seems I may have hurt your feelings. This is the first time you’ve spoken like this.”
“Yeah, I was hurt.”
Miragen, who would have hidden such feelings before, replied honestly. If she said she wasn’t upset, nothing would change anyway. And these ‘delusions’ that had recently surfaced had influenced Miragen to be a little more proactive.
“…I felt that way until just now, but I’m not upset anymore.”
Seeing his face made it easier to forgive him.
The human heart is truly fickle; no matter how much you’re hurt, all it takes is a few shared glances for that hurt to vanish. If he had come and acted shamelessly without apologizing, it would have been different, but there was no energy to be angrier at a man who said sorry the moment they met.
Robert’s gentle smile at those words looked quite natural. It was because being with Miragen allowed him to forget the worries he had been holding onto, even if just for a moment. However, there was still a conversation left to be had.
While Miragen had been considerate and didn’t bring up the main topic, Robert had come all the way to the imperial family to share with her the memories from the previous round.
Right as he contemplated that, Miragen’s lips quietly moved.
“Do you know why I called you? I wanted to ask something by bringing you all the way here.”
“Do you know why I called you? I brought Robert all the way here because I wanted to ask you something.”
“I have an idea. You mentioned something to me before.”
“Do you know what I said, Robert?”
“If you’re asking whether I don’t know, then yes, I do.”
“Robert, please don’t take what I’m about to say too strangely. Just listen without dwelling on it, okay?”
The voice that echoed from the artifact while Adelle was around was trembling lightly.
If his senses weren’t so keen, he probably wouldn’t have noticed, but Robert realized that Miragen, who contacted him, was quite confused.
And the subsequent conversation was enough to infer that the source of that confusion was from the previous cycle.
“I’m sure we haven’t gone together, but I have a memory of going together. We’ve only walked through the garden in the imperial palace once, yet oddly, I have memories of us doing so multiple times. It’s strange to think that the same day would happen over and over; that just doesn’t make sense.”
“…I see.”
“I have memories of confessing to you. I also remember you confessing to me, and us kissing. It doesn’t seem like just a delusion… I’ve thought about it being a delusion countless times. This feeling that lingers, it can’t just be a fantasy…”
It couldn’t just be a fantasy. With her slightly flushed face, Miragen brushed her lips while feeling the rising heat as she looked at Robert.
This was not a delusion. It was surely something that had actually happened, a memory shared with Robert.
But it shouldn’t exist. After all, they weren’t that close, and they had never confessed to each other.
If someone had hypnotized her, she could understand, but there were just too many memories to be explained that way.
“I understand what you’re saying.”
Even recalling those memories wouldn’t change anything, no matter how much she stuttered here.
There were too many emotions tangled in their heated gazes, but understanding this, Robert let out a faint sigh.
It was clear that the time had come to speak up.
“Before I say anything, there’s something you must keep in mind. Will you understand?”
“What are you talking about?”
An old story. One only he remembered, one so intricately tangled that he had intended to carry it alone for a lifetime.
He hoped no one would remember it, but now he could no longer hide it.
Eventually, it was time to tell her everything.
Even if it was just their lives intertwined alone, it had reached dozens of times. Robert smiled bitterly as he slowly parted his lips.
“Please remember that I have never blamed you, not even once.”
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