Balter took a rough breath and scanned the room. The only sound echoing in the silent space was his own breathing. It was the bedroom shared by Edit and himself.

In the midst of the chilly moonlight illuminating the room, the only warmth present was Edit, lying on the bed as if she had fainted, lost in deep sleep.

“……Edit.”

It wasn’t clear how much time had passed since he fainted. His voice struggled to come out.

Balter gently stroked Edit’s disheveled blond hair. The traces of exhaustion on her face weighed heavily on his heart.

Even without asking, he could tell that she hadn’t been able to rest comfortably, worrying about him.

However, the wounds inflicted by Patricia’s dagger, enough to overshadow his wife’s worries, were clean and the body felt as if it had just awakened from a deep sleep.

The most crucial fact was that, for some reason, memories from the past were vividly recalled, even in the midst of complete consciousness.

‘The doctors said I had to give up either my life or my memories.’

The conversations of the doctors, sporadically heard amid the complete haze of consciousness, were nothing but despair. Unfortunately, some were certain that memories would be lost forever.

But what happened?

As Balter felt a sense of wonder, calmly regulating his breathing, the clouds covering the moon were lifted, making the surroundings brighter.

Only then did Balter realize that there was something piled up on the side table, which had always been adorned with just a single flower vase.

Not a top-notch item, but well-maintained jewelry. Among them were numerous letters Edit had sent to Isaac but were returned, and a small wooden jewelry box Edit had hidden without showing its contents, even during several relocations.

Thinking it might be a noble family’s keepsake, Balter opened the lid and immediately recognized what the now shapeless contents were.

‘It must be…’

It was what he had held in his hands during the moment in the past, when the memories of the past violently rushed into his mind after collapsing.

“Edit, there’s something I want to tell you before you leave.”

Thinking that he couldn’t leave Edit without making any promises, he rushed to the field, carrying her on his words.

Then, kneeling in front of Edit sitting on a rock, he crafted a ring from the grass flowers and extended it.

With her enlarged watery blue eyes and blushed cheeks, he confessed with a shaky voice, expressing his desire for her to wait for him and marry him, promising to make her the most precious and happy person in the country.

Not to forget him and occasionally send letters.

What she had secretly kept in the jewelry box was the grass flower ring he had presented in that moment.

“…I never thought you’d keep this all this time.”
Balter let out a faint laugh, gazing at the grass flower ring that was so broken that its original shape couldn’t be discerned.

Edit might have thought she received the proposal as a result of consistent hints and pressure on the guy she liked, but it wasn’t the case.

During the four years spent at the Lowell estate, Edit was the person who made him feel alive.

It wasn’t difficult to realize that he would love the girl who, despite many fears and hesitations, he took to the sunlit fields like a ray of sunshine for the rest of his life.

Even though he was only sixteen at that time.

“Umm….”

Whether it was the gentle touch brushing against her hair or the soft sound of a cute animal, Edit woke up.

Eventually, she noticed him leaning against the bedhead, and her eyes widened to their limits.

“Balter…?”

Seeing her waking up, Balter, wondering if it was a ghost or a dream, reached out his arms and hugged her tightly.

The unique scent mingled with the breath and the warm body made his blood boil. With her in his arms, the fact that he was alive became even more vivid.

After gently brushing aside Edit’s hair, Balter kissed her exposed neck slowly.

“Edit, I remember all the childhood years we spent together.”

Even though it was unclear what exactly happened, one thing was certain.

The childhood memories that Edit had kept alone on the side table had lifted the deeply submerged memories in his mind.

The letters she had consistently written and the grass flower ring she had treasured, even during the time he neglected their promises and cut off contact.

Seeing Edit’s skin shiver, she seemed skeptical that her memories had fully returned.

Instead of explaining everything, Balter brought his lips to her skin and whispered in a low voice.

It was the confession he had repeated countless times during the first magic explosion, slowly losing his memory inside Nicholas Portrion’s carriage.

“Edit, you’re the first person I fell in love with.”

“……!”

“I love you very much. That’s why I don’t want to be apart from you.”

Edit understood that the answer to the heartfelt plea Balter made when leaving the Lowell mansion was the one that echoed in her ears now.

With joy that Balter had awakened, her heart, which had been fluttering, began to beat uncontrollably fast.