*Thud!*
The pocket watch had plopped down onto the snowfield.
Mary smiled as she picked it up and gently patted my, Schlus’s, head.
“Mom will be away for work. It won’t take long, so let’s just wait a little, okay?”
Then Mary turned around and disappeared into the mist.
I could do nothing but watch.
*Bang!*
“Ah.”
Just then, the iron door swung open from the outside.
Startled, I pulled my hand away from the crystal sphere, and a quest completion screen popped up.
Outside the iron door stood Madam Lichtenburg, holding a lantern, panting as if exhausted.
“You are not to come in here!”
“Uh, um, mother. I told you to come in. Schlus—”
“You should say ‘Your Excellency.'”
“Your Excellency didn’t know anything… didn’t know…”
“……”
It seemed that this place was a family secret spot.
Julia fidgeted nervously but was at a loss.
She was sitting on my lap, unable to move an inch.
I sighed and hugged Julia.
“I should have asked Madam first… I was too reckless. I apologize.”
“It doesn’t require an apology… Just keep this place a secret from now on.”
“I’ll remember.”
“Let’s leave it at that.”
*Creek,* the door closed back.
I stared at the closed door for a moment before boarding the boat.
This time, Julia needed to ride with the lady, and I had to ride with the butler.
As the boat sliced through the water, my mind became tangled.
‘Mary is Schlus’s mother?’
Something felt off.
It was too strange.
If Mary was Schlus’s mother, it didn’t make sense not to recognize her.
Even if her face had changed a lot since she was little, she would recognize the name.
‘Ah.’
The name changed too.
The name Schlus was given by Iris, and the surname Hainkel was given by the cardinal of the Papal Palace.
I had briefly forgotten that Schlus Hainkel was a name created to hide his identity while being chased by the kingdom’s army.
‘Damn…’
That means the son who asked to pass on the pocket watch was me.
Mary left a will to pass on her belongings, never recognizing her son until the moment she died.
She promised to return and ended up dying without meeting her son.
Because of no one but me.
If I hadn’t embodied Schlus, he would have recognized his mother’s face as soon as he entered the Imperial University.
He would have revealed his true identity and had a dramatic reunion.
Because I embodied Schlus’a body, everything was ruined.
‘Shit…’
My head was spinning.
I was thinking too emotionally.
Let’s calm down and think again.
‘Is there really an issue?’
I decided to gather my thoughts.
Knowing this fact wouldn’t change anything.
No, it wouldn’t.
The only thing that would disappear was one mission to deliver the pocket watch.
In fact, I even got revenge on the bastard who killed Mary.
I had no reason to feel guilty anymore.
That’s how it should be…
“Schlus, are you okay?”
“Ah…”
When I snapped back to reality, I saw Erica looking at me with a worried expression.
I gently brushed her hand off my shoulder.
Still, Erica placed her hand back.
Eventually, I decided to give up and let it stay.
“I’m okay.”
“You saw something inside, didn’t you?”
“It was nothing.”
“It was nothing? You’re crying.”
“What?”
Startled, I touched my eyes.
There was no moisture at all.
I had fallen for her trick.
“See? You’re so out of it that you don’t even know if you’re crying or not.”
“What…”
That was just absurd.
I clicked my tongue and stood up.
I just wanted to be alone for now.
“That crystal sphere, you touched it, right?”
“Yeah. Sorry for using it without permission.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like it’s going to wear out. How long ago did you see?”
“At least 15 years ago… I don’t know exactly when.”
She seemed to notice something was off with me and was trying to console me.
But how could she comfort me?
How could she guess why my mental state was all messed up?
Unless I lost my mind and spilled everything, Erica wouldn’t have any idea what happened.
And maybe even if I told her, she wouldn’t understand.
Who would willingly accept that they and this world are the products of imagination?
“Schlus, there’s something you still don’t know.”
“What is it?”
I noticed the hand on my shoulder had fallen away.
Only then did I realize Erica’s eyes were trembling slightly.
Something I didn’t know?
That couldn’t be.
“The cave. If two people enter a room, they can only share memories that both can see.”
“What does that mean… Ah.”
After a slight delay, I understood Erica’s words.
I had definitely said I saw something from at least 15 years ago.
And at that time, Julia wasn’t even born yet.
To be precise, Julia von Lichtenburg hadn’t been born.
“It was true. Julia is reincarnated…”
“……”
It could only be explained that Julia existed in a form of her past life before her birth.
What I had unintentionally said served as proof of that fact.
“Schlus, you noticed, didn’t you?”
“Vaguely.”
“Does Julia have memories of her past life?”
“She probably does.”
Hearing my answer, Erica trembled and let out a deep breath.
That must be shocking.
To think her little sister had actually reincarnated with memories.
She looked confused as her breath quickened, so I absently pulled Erica close.
With her arms wrapped around my waist, Erica’s breathing began to calm down, and she eventually released me.
“Do you… like Julia?”
“……”
The very first question she asked after calming down was this.
I couldn’t respond with a clear ‘no.’
I had once believed in something called platonic love.
I believed without a doubt that what connected us was our minds.
But I still couldn’t shake my lingering feelings for Julia.
I was still searching for her fragments in a shell without a soul.
I would find satisfaction thinking of her youthful face.
In a way, one might say I like her.
Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say I couldn’t let go of my obsession.
But if you were to ask me if this was true, genuine heterosexual love, I could clearly answer that it wasn’t.
I didn’t love Julia.
I didn’t even deserve to love her.
“No.”
“Liar.”
“Why ask if you don’t even believe me?”
“Wasn’t your initial approach to meet Julia?”
“Who approached whom? Didn’t you come to find me first?”
“Ah… was that the case?”
Erica gave a silly grin.
Sometimes, I wondered if she had a hint of paranoia.
What kind of thought process led to creating a character like this?
“Better not mention that story to your mother.”
“I know. She would be really shocked…”
“Better pretend Julia doesn’t know either.”
“Why’s that?”
“Why do you think I kept it hidden for over ten years? It must be because I didn’t want her to know she’s reincarnated.”
“Does Julia… does she know that you realized it?”
“Probably.”
She likely knows with high probability.
Seeing the little one from the past return as an adult only to visit a little girl with disability.
She probably guesses, but pretends like she doesn’t know.
“So…”
“So what?”
“Ah, never mind.”
Erica hesitated to say something and then ended up mumbling.
How annoying.
I sighed deeply and stood up.
I had hastily covered up Julia’s reincarnation, but it wouldn’t be a significant issue even if it leaked.
The worst scenario would be Madam Lichtenburg fainting in shock or something.
I didn’t have to worry too much about it.
Just as I was about to step forward, Erica lightly grabbed my sleeve.
“If you ever want to use that cave again, just let me know anytime. I’ll let you use it specially.”
“Really? Thanks. I’ll think about it.”
Smiling, I released Erica’s hand and turned my back again.
My heart felt so disturbed.
I wanted to be alone…
No, I wanted to see Emilia.
…
…
…
“I’m going crazy…”
After Schlus left.
Erica lay back on the lawn in the garden and let out a big sigh.
Julia had often been told she resembled a woman from Eisburg who died from illness long ago.
Every time she went out to social events, people would say she looked like her, and eventually, Julia completely cut off her interactions with the outside world.
Until then, I had thought it was just a resemblance.
Just a coincidence that they shared names.
But to think that Julia had actually reincarnated…
It was astonishing, but the fact that she couldn’t tell anyone and was forced to bottle it up inside was infuriating.
“So that’s why.”
Only then did Erica understand why Schlus had shown so much interest in Julia.
Schlus had already gone through two farewells.
He had to let go of the Julia from his past life and then let go again of the lover who embodied Julia’s body.
And yet, Schlus remained by Julia’s side.
He only seemed like a cruel person.
“No wonder he’s been so nice…”
I had only treated him poorly until now.
I had only harbored strange delusions and hated him.
But still, Schlus kept approaching me and continued to give me chances.
At first, I thought I was the goal.
But maybe his goal was actually my little sister…
“I’m such a bad person…”
Upon realizing she was feeling jealousy towards her little sister, Erica felt a sharp pain in her chest.
To think a day would come when she’d be jealous of the little sister she thought could do no wrong.
It was absurd, and loathing herself, Erica couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Wait…?”
After a while with her eyes closed, when she opened them, Erica saw a black bird circling above in the sky.
As she tried to observe closely, the bird seemed to sense her gaze and flew away.
It was a strange-looking bird with red eyes.
