“Now that it’s just the two of us, there’s a conversation we need to have.”

Etien, with a slight tension, looked at Leharht. It was time to completely reveal the secret.

“When did you die?”

However, faced with such a direct question, Etien couldn’t answer immediately and pursed her lips. Then, as if reassuring her not to be nervous, Leharht raised both hands.

“If it’s too much, you don’t have to answer. I’m just curious about when you died.”

Leharht approached and sat next to Etien. He, too, dipped his feet and let out a long sigh. Though he didn’t dip his body, his expression showed relief from fatigue.

“At the age of twenty.”

Upon hearing his explanation, Etien tilted her head forward. She swayed her feet gently in the water.

“If you were twenty, that means it’s five years from now.”

“His Highness, the Crown Prince, died before that.”

“Hearing it like that, it feels so real. So, are we both people who died at least once?”

As Leharht found a commonality and spoke, Etien smiled faintly.

“It seems so.”

Dying at least once… It felt strange and somehow profound that this could be a commonality.

“What do you want in this lifetime?”

“To save our parents’ lives and ensure that no one in the family dies.”

Etien spoke with an unusually strong tone. At least on this matter, she wouldn’t yield.

“The family…”
Leharht muttered quietly. The fact that Etien didn’t die alone made his voice lower than before.

“The reason I tried to keep it a secret from you, Your Highness, was because of that. My family comes first. While it’s best for you, Your Highness, not to die, even if you were to die again, I thought about how our family could avoid trouble.”

He revealed the reason why he had concealed the fact that he knew the future. He couldn’t predict how Leharht would react to this revelation.

However, he believed that being honest about it might be better than hiding it, thinking that it might be more beneficial later on if he acted for the sake of the family.

“Yeah, so that’s why you didn’t say anything.”

Leharht nodded, contemplating Etien’s words.

“I thought you were looking for an ally to help you, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Your Highness probably didn’t expect Claire to collapse either.”

Etien distanced herself calmly. Although she would seek to save the Crown Prince, there might be cases where she couldn’t avoid sacrificing him.

“But how did I know that I would die and exhaust all of Your Highness’s abilities?”

“I don’t know that either.”

It felt frustrating that Leharht couldn’t provide an explanation, but there was no answer, and the fact remained that Etien died. In the awkward silence that ensued, Etien awaited his response.

“So, do I have to struggle hard all by myself?”
Etien turned to look at Leharht oddly at his muttering.

“Why?”

“No, it’s just… Since you returned my time, I thought it was only natural for you to help.”

However, Leharht responded indifferently to her questioning tone, as if asking why he didn’t say it like that.

“Even knowing my feelings, you said that, meaning you’ve already made your choice. Do you think I’ll come running if I try to persuade you?”

“It seems like you don’t even intend to persuade me.”

“If I try, will you come over?”

Of course not, so Etien couldn’t respond.

“I’m taking responsibility because I chose you.”

Leharht’s voice as he spoke carried no hint of resentment.

“But can I ask you something else?”

“I already asked. Feel free to ask anything.”

Etien responded in a dazed manner, her mind still in turmoil from their recent conversation. What else could be more curious than this?

“Did you like Fernando?”

“…”

Why was he asking such a question? If she could, she would peer into Leharht’s mind to understand.

“You said you didn’t like him. Now that I know everything, I’m asking. Did you like Fernando before you died?”

“You’re already sure, aren’t you?”

Even if she denied it, he seemed unlikely to believe her.

“That’s right. I liked Fernando.”

“Was it unrequited love?”

“Yes. Fernando didn’t like me.”
I can’t remember when I spoke about my feelings like this. Perhaps I had told everything to my servant in my previous life, but now I couldn’t do that.

However, revealing my inner thoughts to an unexpected person felt quite amusing in the current situation.

“I severed those feelings when I died, so I don’t like him anymore.”

“Good for you.”

Etien’s eyes widened in surprise, then quickly narrowed with a smile. It was enjoyable to receive praise for doing well without being questioned about what I thought at the moment of death.

“When you asked if I liked Fernando, I couldn’t express my true feelings, and it was frustrating. But now it’s much more comfortable.”

Etien pulled her foot out of the water with a refreshed expression. While casually wiping off the moisture on her skirt, Leharht, watching her, asked.

“So, now you don’t like anyone? Not even developing feelings for Fernando again?”