It’s all just an imaginary delusion, but I try to calm my mind like this anyway.

I’ll have to see him again next weekend, but it’s happiness that won’t last even a week, so it’s okay for just this moment.

No, actually I know I shouldn’t.

Shamelessly, I’ll babble to that man again this weekend that I love him… I know I don’t deserve to be happy.

Lady Fiocele said so.

That this would be the last mercy.

Mercy…

Fear beyond guilt rippled through me.

I suddenly realized I still had things to protect.

As if indifferent to my anxiety, the season was bright and beautiful.

The sun shining through the carriage window revealed my mother, still peacefully asleep.

Her eyelids only lifted after the carriage came to a stop.

[This is the timeline separator]

After getting off the carriage and heading towards the dock, an unfamiliar path stretched all the way to Lapianre Island.

Pink petals fluttered in the sky above the lush trees lining both sides.

Past the long wooden bridge under the piercingly blue and thick sky, the sparkling sea I had only seen on maps appeared.

As we headed there, a small boat approached to pick up tourists.

The weekday afternoon was quiet, and the boat was peaceful and leisurely.

As we boarded, a soft breeze brought a cozy feeling.

The much warmer temperature compared to the colder seasons tickled my heart.

The island we reached after crossing the rolling waves was full of beautiful fragrances.

Perhaps it was just the rippling created by the good mood, but it truly was.

The scent of flowers spread over the smell of foliage, and as we entered, clusters of pure white houses like pretty pebbles were nestled together.

After entering one of them, paying the fee and unpacking, we went out to wander around the village.

Unlike me, who had memorized the map several times, my mother knew all the paths well.

My mother rejoiced like a child whenever she discovered memories here and there.

As if she had found hidden treasures.

As we walked through the forest with a stream, went to the marketplace to eat while listening to sizzling sounds, and ate sweet snacks, a smile never left my mother’s face.

The same was true for me, reflected in her eyes.

My heart floated like clouds at even the simplest foods and scenery.

Like a child on their first outing.

Standing in front of a certain rock, we wrote wishes like other tourists.

“What did you wish for?”

“They say it’ll come true if you keep it a secret.”

After writing such a trivial wish and smiling broadly, a smile spread across my mother’s face as well.

For quite a while after that, we were busy laughing while exchanging meaningless stories.

In between, my mother’s memories naturally slipped in.

In every corner of this unfamiliar scenery was a laughing father, a gentle father, and a father who was warm like the spring sunlight.

Although I usually consciously avoided stories about my father, this time I listened attentively to my mother’s words.

Because it was the first time I’d seen my mother so happy.

In the hope that someone who could give such beautiful memories to a person, even if just in reminiscence, might not be so bad.

No, actually the conclusion of all this was… it was quite detestable, as I was trying to use this person who was my father.

Trying to penetrate everything about my father in order to move him.

The conclusion of the past time came out clearly.

That whoever my father was, it would be better than being subordinate to that man.

It had been that way since the day that man called me to the hotel.

The moment Lady Fiocele came to find me, that resolve hardened.

The tracking device project should be finished within the next quarter as planned, and then I’ll have options.

Hoping that my father is a good person is realistically the only thing I can wish for.

If there’s any silver lining, the more I heard, the better a person my father seemed to be in the memories.

Of course, memories tend to be beautified, so it might only be like that in the memories.

As if reading my cynical thoughts, my mother grasped my hand.

“El, don’t hate your father too much.”

Her emerald eyes, which I had inherited, were full of worry.

Usually, I would have argued how could I not hate him, but today such words didn’t come out easily.

I didn’t want to ruin the bright smile on my mother’s face.

Of course, I couldn’t bring myself to lie and say I forgave or didn’t hate the man who was my father either.

“I’ll try.”

As I smiled faintly, my mother’s hand remained overlapped with mine, not letting go.

Suddenly, I became curious.

“Mom, by the way.”

“Yes.”

“Why did… that person leave us?”

My mother’s clear eyes took me in fully.

Those eyes somehow looked sad, making me belatedly think I shouldn’t have asked.

“You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.”

The emerald eyes, polished like jewels, sank into a deep green.

My mother’s lips moved silently as if hesitating about something, then finally spoke with a pained expression, as if squeezing out the words.

“Your father didn’t leave, El.”

Her voice was rough, as if scratched with sandpaper. The words that followed were the same.

“I’m the one who left that person.”

It was the first time I’d heard this, as my mother usually hid stories about my father.

She left my father. Mother…

My mind reeled as I understood the words a beat late.

The moisture gathering in my mother’s eyes was vivid, as if to prove I had heard correctly.

“I’m sorry.”

My mother’s arms reached out and pulled me in tightly.

The warm sensation woke my senses, but only for a moment.

“What are you saying? Why are you sorry, Mom?”

My mother only repeated her apology in the same voice, ignoring my words.

“Because I was inadequate.”

This wasn’t why I asked.

If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have asked.

Belated regret washed over me.

“Don’t say things like that.”

Mother left Father.

That can’t be. Although Mother is blaming herself, she’s not the type of person who would carelessly hurt others’ feelings.

There must have been circumstances that led her to make such a choice.

Circumstances that would make a pregnant woman flee from the person she loved.

The numerous high-level books lining the house…

The result was too obvious, making it hard to breathe.

Yet, the fundamental doubt that took precedence over resentment kept surging.

Would that man who was my father still not have forgotten Mother?

Or was he living with a new family, having forgotten everything?

Did he know of my existence?

If we were to meet, what expression would he have as he looked at me?

If he had forgotten everything and was living well, would his face crumple terribly?

I imagine the worst.

The face of an adult looking at me with contempt, or coldly declaring they don’t know me with a cynical gaze.

It’s not something to fear, as I’ve imagined it countless times before.

Still, I felt deflated now.

It seems there had been a glimmer of hope.

I swallowed a bitter laugh and pushed aside the numerous imaginings in my head.

The anguish will begin from the moment the tracking device comes out anyway, so there’s no need to gauge all those adversities in advance.

Assuming the worst is good for preparation, but sometimes it only increases the volume of needless worries.

So… I decide to clear my mind for now.

There’s not enough time to focus only on the beautiful scents carried by the refreshing breeze and the delicious sensations melting sweetly on my tongue.

Fortunately, Mother’s face, which lately tends to forget even recent events, soon became full of life again.

A smile in full bloom hangs over it, like a freshly bloomed rose.

Yes. Let’s not do something stupid like shattering this beautiful first trip with tears that blind the eyes.

The truth will be revealed someday anyway.

As I cleared my mind, the weight naturally lifted from my steps as I escorted Mother around the marketplace.

Until I discovered a familiar crest.

‘Blanchet…?’

I must have seen wrong. There’s no way that man would be here.

It must be a similar crest, or perhaps one of Blanchet’s subordinates roaming around here.

After all, it’s hard to find a place in this empire where Blanchet isn’t involved.

Yes, it must be nothing more than that.

But something did feel strange.

The carriage was too flashy and eye-catching to be ridden by subordinates or used for business.

The knights positioned behind it were also out of the ordinary.

Looking closely, Blanchet’s crest was clearly emblazoned on the armor of the knights standing in neat rows.

The carriage, which had somehow slowed down, revealed an even more vivid appearance as it drew closer.

Through the carriage window, that man’s silhouette was visible.

For a moment, those red eyes took me in fully.

Those eyes, sparkling like the sun even in the backlight, were undoubtedly his.

‘Why…’

Goosebumps rose all over my body and my legs stiffened as if paralyzed.

[This is the timeline separator]

The journey following the complex routes of the southwest brought on a weary feeling.

Guarding the empire’s borders was one of the duties of the Blanchet family, which protected the entire body, and the border dispute was, once again, entrusted to Blanchet.

Of course, as usual, it didn’t take long to handle the matter.

Most disturbances tend to be quelled just by Blanchet’s movement, so the short schedule was an inevitable course.

Moreover, upon arriving in the western Periot territory, there was only minimal disturbance, hardly worth calling a problem.

The request for the young master to come along and help suppress future disturbances was nothing more than a pretext with a good appearance.

The Periot family’s intention to reconnect the suspended engagement was evident everywhere.

The two families dined in the Grand Hall, which was decorated so elaborately it was hard to believe it was a space where unrest had been predicted.

[We decorated it with the flowers our Fiocele received when she was selected as the purple rose at this debut, I wonder if you’ll like it.] [She received more attention than the young ladies who just debuted, it was so difficult to fend off those fellows, haha.] [For Fiocele’s next cavalier, well, the young lords are lining up…]

Whether out of pride or not, the Marquis of Westernroad didn’t directly bring up the engagement, but he blatantly revealed his true intentions.

Cassian nearly spat out his water with a “pft―” at this remark, if nothing else.