Asha and I received contact from the palace a day after our wedding.

The knights were rushing to get me there as soon as possible, and in the end, I decided to leave that day.

“Hadel. As expected, I think I should go with…”

As I was about to board the carriage, I heard the young Asha’s worried voice. I slowly turned towards her, the sound of her soft voice making my heart beat quickly.

“Asha.”

I know that if I leave now, I won’t be able to see you for a while.

That’s why I really don’t want to, and my feet don’t want to move.

I slowly reached out my hand towards her.

I couldn’t see, but it didn’t matter.

Asha took my hand extended midair and brought it to her cheek, as she always did.

My heart raced and I felt excited at the touch of her warm, soft skin.

“I’m really okay. The palace is a dangerous place. I’ll go first to assess the situation, then call for you.”

“It’s because it’s dangerous that I have to go with you, don’t you think?”

Asha’s voice, which had always been strong, was tinged with anxiety.

What kind of expression is on your face right now?

Are you about to cry, or are you so worried that your eyelashes are bent downwards?

Just imagining this makes me feel like I have the entire world, so if I were to actually see your face, I think I might die on the spot.

“Asha. Don’t worry too much. I’m stronger than you think.”

“But…”

I covered Asha’s lips with my finger lightly before she could say any more.

At the soft feeling, my heart became ticklish once more.

“Asha, I want to see you.”

I want to see you.

I want to see what you look like.

Unfortunately, I had never seen Asha’s face before.

This is because I was born with bad eyes.

So, why is the palace looking for me now, when they threw me away before?

With a message that I should rush to the palace, and that they’ll fix my eyes for me?

“However, if you’re ever in danger, I’ll give up that dream.”

Although I yearned to see my beloved wife, her safety was more important to me.

Asha paused for a second at my firm words, before opening her mouth.

“Okay. I’ll trust you, Hadel.”

Although it seemed like she wanted to say more, she wordlessly put a hand on top of my head.

Because I liked the feeling of her fingers slowly brushing through my hair, the sides of my mouth went up subconsciously.

Feeling insatiable, I pulled her hand down and kissed the back of it.

“Hadel, will that be enough?”

“Hm?”

I was about to ask what she meant by that when suddenly, Asha grabbed me by the collar and pulled me in.

Then, I felt something quickly touch and leave my lips.

Seeing that I was so shocked I could only blink, she laughed quietly and wiped my lip with her thumb.

“Since we don’t know when we’ll see each other again, we should do this at least.”

“Huh? Uh…. huh?”

I had to say something, but I was so startled that I couldn’t form proper words.

Then, as if she had also become shy, Asha pushed me into the carriage.

“Y-you should leave now. I’ll wait for your message!”

“Ah, okay. Ah, what I mean is– Ugh.”

Bump. Bump.

As I got onto the carriage, I bumped into things here and there.

My other senses were sharper because I didn’t have sight, and I hadn’t bumped into anything in a long time, but for some reason, it felt like my world had been flipped upside down.

Seeing how my body was swaying out of control, Asha’s worried voice came from behind once more.

“Hadel! Be careful, and be even more careful!”

And just like that, the door of the carriage slid shut and the carriage started off.

I opened the window and shouted towards Asha. “Just wait for a bit. I’ll return as soon as my eyes are fixed. I really want to see your face!”

What did you reply when I said that, again?

[Okay. I’ll wait for you, darling.]

Asha’s last words which had vanished into thin air were always repeating in my memory.

To not leave the ducal residence.

No, to not leave Asha behind.

I screamed and screamed again, but there was no point.

Those words were already a thing of the past, and Asha no longer lived in this world.

* * *

“Sir Derrell! I-it’s from His Majesty!”

Derrell, who had just been promoted as the exclusive Grand Chamberlain for the Emperor, clutched his pounding head.

This was because he had finally had a moment of respite after assigning some servants to attend to His Majesty, only to hear that he’d been called again.

How was it that he couldn’t rest for even a minute?

“What now?”

“His Majesty has, again…!”

Seeing the servant who couldn’t finish his sentence, Derrell stood up from his seat and opened the medicine cabinet.

Although there was no telling what His Royal Majesty had done so that the servants were like this, one thing was certain.

He would need to take some stabilizers himself before he went to the emperor’s bedchambers.

“Let’s go!”

With a deft flick of the wrist, Derrell tossed the pills into his mouth before heading into the center of the storm.

The emperor’s chambers are located in the most inner area of the royal palace.

It is a room that has amazing soundproofing, and the quality of its furniture is unmatched.

It is a place filled with items that are so precious that no merchant would dare name a price for them.

These are the quarters of the sun of the great Sierria Empire.

Derrell’s eyes widened in shock as he arrived in front of the door.

This was because the door, which was definitely made of very strong marble, was partially destroyed.

“Y-your Majesty.”

With a shaking voice, Derrell took one careful step at a time before putting a foot into the bed chambers.

The floor, which was supposed to be shining, was covered with dust, and there were holes in the walls, wind blowing into the room.

The rare and precious vase gifted from the East was shattered in pieces on the ground.

“Y-your Majesty…?”

Shake shake shake shake. Looking at the state of the ruined chambers, Derell approached the bed while shaking uncontrollably.

Pink eyes with the gaze of a wild animal stared at Derrell from the inside of the ripped curtain.

A low voice that sounded like it would explode at any second.

“Get out.”

“Eek! …Hic!”

Under that murderous, icy gaze, Derrell’s body froze. He inhaled, covering his mouth to block the hiccups that were coming out.

Seeing him like that, the Emperor growled once more.

“Right now. Get out of my sight.”

Crack.

Despite the voices of many people calling after him, Derrell escaped the bedroom without looking back.

If he had waited even a bit longer, a sword would have been pointed at him.

An ever-simmering quiet rage and the chill that comes from knowing the feeling of having lost everything was gathered in one person.

That was the current crazy tyrant emperor Lahadelt.

Derrell waved his hand when he saw the junior staff  anxiously waiting outside.

“You can’t right now. It would be best to stay far away.”

He skillfully took the servants to a corner of the Sun Palace.

When the Emperor was acting like this, the only way to survive was to hold one’s breath as long as possible and make as little noise as possible.

Hadel briefly watched Derrell’s quick retreat, then lifted his head and released the breath he had been holding.

He felt frustrated, like there was something blocking his chest.

At the same time, his heart kept tingling and aching.

These have been ongoing symptoms for the past decade.

It happened whenever he thought of Ashella. And when he did, he couldn’t control his emotions no matter how hard he tried.

Nothing could soothe him. Only the desire to destroy everything arose.

“Sigh…”

Hadel slowly closed his eyes and then opened them. The feeling of the cold jewel in his hand gave him a brief moment of sanity.

“Asha.”

The blue necklace in my hand had become duller, but still shone with a strange yellow glow.

It was the present I had sent along with my letter for Ashella as soon as I had gotten my eyes fixed at the palace.

At that time, I had no doubt that she would soon appear in front of my eyes with it around her neck.

But in the end, what I saw was only this necklace while everything else was burnt to ashes.

“When I can finally see you for the first time.”

So why aren’t you in front of me anymore?

Hadel’s eyes welled with tears.

Without a sound, the teardrops fell onto the blue gemstone.

“Just wait a little bit, Asha. Now, really…”

There’s not much time left.

For your revenge.

* * *

Sometimes there are days like that.

The day passes quickly and everything goes as you wish.

Today was like that.

After finishing all of my tasks as a maid, we gathered in a group to play a game, and there had been no problems thus far.

“Serienne, you’re as ruthless as ever,” Aimee said, sighing as she moved her bishop.

“Ugh, I want to beat Enne just once!”

“How does she think of moves like that?”

The maids who had clustered around us all chimed in, watching the board intently.

The chessboard, covered systematically in black and white.

And the chess pieces, fighting ferociously on top of it.

On days where we finished our work early, we sometimes enjoyed a game of chess like this.

Today we had finished our tasks, and I was in the middle of a game with Aimee.

It was just an ordinary day like any other.

It was at an ordinary moment when I had been considering which move to make next.

“Enne? It’s your turn. You’ve basically already won, so what are you thinking about like that?” Aimee asked, confused. However, at that moment, there was no way I could focus on the chessboard in front of me.

“…Hadel.”

The memories that I had lost for the past decade.

The memories of my family and my husband whom I had loved so much.

The memories that I had tried so hard to recover came back so easily and so suddenly to me.

“Hm? What are you talking about?”

“…Ah.”

I could not give a response to Aimee, who asked once more.

I became overwhelmed with emotion.

I thought I would start crying in that instant.

How could I have forgotten all of this for 10 whole years?

After the floodgates had been opened, my past memories kept tumbling over each other, throwing my head into chaos.

“I-I need to go rest for today.”

“What? In the middle of a game?”

I stood up unsteadily amidst the others’ confusion.

I needed a quiet place and some time to organize my thoughts.

“Enne? Serienne!”

Leaving Aimee’s shouts behind, I ran from the lounge.

The memories streamed into my mind, causing the hallway to my room to feel especially longer than usual.

Hadel, who had been called to the palace. And the letter that had come from him a few days later.

The contents read that he would soon arrange for a carriage so I could go to the palace.

I had prepared to go meet Hadel accordingly but had an accident with the carriage on the way there. Soon after, thieves attacked.

I had run and run away until I fell off a cliff, and upon impact, I had…

Lost my memory.

And that’s how the next 10 years had passed.

Although I tried endlessly to recover my memories, it had all been for nothing. No matter what I did, my memories did not return.

The doctor had told me to forget and just live.

He told me that the more I obsessed over remembering them, the farther away they would get.

And that all of my memories could return at any time.

Who would’ve thought that would happen as I was playing a game of chess?

Clack.

I had returned to my room before I knew it, and after closing the door, I slumped to the floor.

“Hadel, Hadel. What should I do? I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, Hadel…”

Uncontrollable tears poured endlessly down my face.

My vision turned blurry, and amidst my endless cries for Hadel, I suddenly regained my senses.

Hadel is a royal.

Even if he’s a half-blooded royal, there’s no way the palace would chase him out. And although they had pretty much cast him aside to our family, my last memory was of the late emperor calling him to the palace to fix his eyes.

…The late emperor?

“No way.”

During the 10 years after I had lost my memory, I had collected new ones as I lived the life of ‘the maid Serienne.’

And those memories included how the emperor, Hadel’s father, had passed away.

The new emperor’s name was Lahadelt.

He was the last remaining royal of the empire who had been mocked for having a lady-in-waiting as his mother and thus a half-blooded royal.

I did not know much about him.

All I knew was that he was a tyrant thirsty for blood.

But…

No matter how I think about it, the new emperor must be my husband Hadel.

The next morning, I woke up and had to go to work in my still bewildered state.

No matter what the past was like, the current me was a maid who worked at this residence.

This meant that I had to work without fail every day.

“There’s no way.”

The words I spouted subconsciously caused Aimee, who had been doing the laundry with me, to look at me in confusion.

“What do you mean there’s no way?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I’m just talking to myself.”

“How boring. There’s so much to do today. Let’s move quickly!”

“…Yes.”

Usually, I would have replied, “Yes, older sister Aimee”. However, I couldn’t bring myself to call her “older sister” at the moment.

Not to mention, I was five whole years older than this prim person!

“Ha….”

I couldn’t help my sighs.

I had been deeply concerned about what to do after I recovered my memories yesterday.

It seemed like His Majesty the Emperor was my husband Hadel, but there was no way I would be able to enter the palace as a maid like this.

Not to mention, 10 years had already passed and gone by.

Hadel became the emperor, and he might have had already forgotten about me.

Was it the right choice for me, his wife from the past, to show up in front of him?

“Enne! I told you to hurry! At this rate, I’ll be scolded by the head maid because of you!”

As I looked into the air, lost in thought, Aimee’s harsh words hit my ear.

My hands felt numb from the cold water.

The numbness crept up from my hands and to the area around my heart in a single moment.

This was all because of the face that had been stuck in my head since yesterday.

Lahadelt, my beloved husband.

And…

“Um… older sister Aimee.”

“What? I’m busy.”

“So, about that.”

“What? If you have something to say, hurry up!”

“So, uh… you know, His Majesty the Emperor.”

Aimee froze and glared at me as soon as the words “His Majesty” came out of my mouth.

It was an expression that said how could someone like you dare to say that name?

I didn’t want to bring this up either.

But what can I do? He’s my husband.

“Why are you asking about His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Do you think he’s crazy?”

“What?”

“Everyone says that His Majesty the Emperor is crazy.”

“You…! Be quiet! Are you crazy? If you want to die, die alone! Why would you bring me into this?”

Perhaps it was because my words were so shocking, but Aimee used her soapy hands to block my mouth.

“Umph…! Ptooey! Ah, really! What’s wrong? Who else would come to this laundry room beside us?”

“I never thought this of you, but you’re really brave, aren’t you? Why are you acting so different today?”

“…Just, just because. Since I’m bored. Do you seriously not know anything? Do you think he’s crazy? Or do you think there’s a chance that it’s a false rumour?”

Since the Hadel I knew was a truly kind child.

He got happy at the littlest of things, he was afraid at night so he always fell asleep while holding my hand, and he cried for several days when a little chick died.

There’s no way my husband, who was like that, would become a crazy tyrant.

Although the rumours that spread about the emperor were the worst, I believed in my husband.

There’s no way he’s crazy.

“Gosh. He would suddenly kill people because he didn’t like them, and on a day that the entire empire was celebrating and dancing, he went around screaming and yelling. Then, he randomly threw a bunch of chicken merchants into jail. He’s the kind of person who would ban marriage for one year because he felt like shit. Do you think those are the actions of a normal person?”

“…Ha.”

“And what about the recent incident where Count Lucien was attacked? Do they say the culprit was His Majesty the Emperor? They say that he suddenly went mad at night and went into the Count’s residence to kill everyone. It was so shocking.”

Nevertheless, Aimee destroyed my expectations and stomped them into even smaller pieces.

Everything she said was things I already knew. These were the rumours about Hadel I had wanted to ignore after my memories returned.

Honestly, before I recovered my memories, I had also been a normal citizen who called the emperor crazy.

“It is strange… if he’s crazy, what do you think made him that way?”

Why would such a sincere and kind-hearted child go crazy?

The thought I tried to avoid kept coming to mind.

That might be because of me.

It has already been 10 years since my death was announced.

Although he may have struggled at that time, he has since become the emperor, so to think that it’s because of me…

“Hm. This is a secret, but…” Aimee looked around carefully before bringing her face close to mine, narrowing her eyes.

What? What is she trying to say?

“There’s a rumour that the emperor went crazy after losing his lover.”

“…his… lover?”

“Yeah! And ten years ago, at that! They say that there was a person he loved before he became the emperor. No, did they say that he was married to her?”

“M-married?”

“It’s all just rumours. There’s nothing officially announced. I don’t believe it. To think that such a tyrant could love, I can’t even imagine it.”

“Hahaha. Y-you’re right,” I responded to Aimee, laughing awkwardly.

Then, I redirected my gaze to the laundry to hide my shaking pupils.

Ten years ago. That’s right around the time when I was announced as dead.

No way.

Aha, no way.

Ahahaha. There’s no way that’s true.

Right? That isn’t the case, right, darling?

But if that rumour is true…

Then, I think I’ll be a bit happy.

Since it would mean that although I lost my memories due to the accident and forgot you, you never forgot me.

It was when I shook my head to get that thought out of my mind and started to focus on the laundry once more.

Aimee tilted her head and said her last words, as if in passing.

“Ah. There was something else. There’s a rumour that he always holds onto a necklace with a blue gemstone and cries.”

Boom.

It felt as if thunder had struck inside my head.

My fingertips were shaking.

It felt as if something I had thought to be impossible was ****** right in front of my eyes to prove that it was the truth...

“But there’s no way that’s true. Anyway, stop wasting time and finish your work!”

Aimee said something again, but I could no longer reply to her.

Due to the specific detail about the blue necklace, I could do nothing but believe it as the truth.

“I heard you should never say never…”

I’m going to go insane. I think my husband has gone crazy thinking I was dead.

What should I do?

* * *

That night, when everyone had fallen asleep, I quietly placed my resignation letter in front of the head maid’s door and left Count Tremain’s house.

I considered telling her directly once the day had dawned, but if I did so, those who I’d gotten close to would cry and try to make me stay.

It would be difficult for me to explain without lying, so I decided to leave without a word.

Although I’d been confused due to my recovered memories, my conversation with Aimee helped me make my decision.

Whether I won or lost, I would go and meet Hadel.

Since it would be difficult to meet the emperor as a maid, I had to find my parents first.

The de Ach family, which was previously a duchy, has since been demoted to a viscounty.

With the new memories I had made in these ten years… they were a family of traitors.

I had no idea what the specifics of the situation were.

I only knew that the de Ach family were labelled as traitors but had not been executed because they were a family the emperor favoured.

This was information that ‘the maid Serienne’ knew.

But now, as ‘Ashella de Ach’, who regained her memories, I could not believe these rumours.

There was no way our family would betray the empire.

“Huu. It’s a bit cold.”

I could see my foggy breath in the night air.

Looking at it blankly, I quickly gathered my senses and started walking.

My plan was first to meet my parents and tell them the full story before going on to meet Hadel.

Because even if they were demoted to a viscounty, they were still nobles, which gave them the qualifications to meet with the emperor.

If my memories served me right, after the de Ach family was demoted from a duchy to a viscounty, they were chased to the southernmost ocean village of Signoria.

I boarded the earliest carriage I could find to Segnoria.

Although my body ached from the bumpy ride, my heart was light in excitement.

Was it because I would soon be able to meet my family, which I’d been longing for?

Or was it because of Hadel, who had yet to forget me?

“But still. To think he went crazy for ten years.”

Although I spoke curtly, I couldn’t control the giggles that kept coming up.

I was too happy at the fact that he still loved me.

I could see the world becoming brighter through the carriage window.

The sky which was slowly turning red was so beautiful my heart felt like it would explode.

It was a little lighter than a complete red, closer to pink colour.

Yes, much like Hadel’s clear eyes.

* * *

Hadel first came to our house when he was seven years old.

You, trembling behind the residence door on a snowy day, was quite cute.

“Ashella, this is His Royal Highness Lahadelt.”

“His Royal… Highness?”

“Yes. Because of some circumstances, he’s going to stay with us at the residence for a while, so take good care of him.”

My father, who was the duke, couldn’t spend much time with me, but he was always kind and warm.

That day, too, he took the hand of the trembling Hadel and put it into mine, smiling kindly.

“Your Highness, this is my daughter. She’s the same age as you, so you two can spend time as friends.”

“…friends?”

“Although this is an unfamiliar environment, this child will help you a lot. Don’t worry too much, Your Highness.”

Hadel, who was holding my hand because of my father’s guidance, was anxious, his pink eyes shaking. Then, he slowly reached his hand forward.

It seemed like he wanted to touch my face, but his pink eyes were looking into the distance.

That’s what I realized.

Ah. This kid can’t see anything.

So that’s why he was trembling like this.

“It’s this way, Your Highness.”

How does it feel to not be able to see? I didn’t know, but one thing was certain.

That must be very anxiety-inducing and scary.

So I brought Hadel’s hand to my cheek.

I did it slowly and softly so that he, whose hand was flailing mid-air, would not be surprised.

“My name is Ashella, but you can call me Asha.”

“Ah… th-thanks,” Hadel said, blushing shyly.

Maybe it was because he could feel the warmth in my cheek, but he stopped trembling.

“My name is Lahadelt. I’ll be in your care, Asha.”

I found out later.

Hadel was a child born from the emperor’s drunken visit to a maid’s room and he had lost his mother to the empress’ hand as soon as he was born.

To make things worse, he was born with terrible eyesight, and he didn’t receive proper treatment since he was continuously neglected.

That’s why Hadel was much more cautious, shy, and afraid than other children his age.

I found out much later that it had taken him incredible bravery to introduce himself to me that day.

* * *

The distinguishable salty smell of the ocean reached my nose.

Though it was hazy, the open view created an atmosphere that improved my mood.

There was a small hill at the end of the beach. On top of that was a small residence: the de Ach Viscounty.

After travelling without a break, I had finally arrived and the residence was now in front of my eyes. I was at a loss for words.

“You’re saying a place like this… is the residence of the de Ach family?”

Even though they had been chased away for committing a crime, they were still a noble family.

But the residence in front of my eyes was a two-floor building likely smaller than just my room in the duchy.

To make things worse, the outer wall had not been conserved properly and it was crumbling off.

“Just what could’ve happened? How did things get like this…”

After hesitating for a bit, I shook myself off and approached the entrance to the residence.

The guard, with nothing to do, was ripping off some dried fish before glancing at me.

I worried for a while about what I should tell him, but he didn’t seem to care about me at all.

“Excuse me, is this the de Ach Viscounty?”

“…Yes, but who are you, my lady?”

I was speechless at the repeatedly asked question of who I was.

What should I say?

Of course I’m Ashella de Ach.

If I told this guard the truth, I’ll surely be chased away as a crazy bitch.

But if I said my commoner name, there was no way he would take me seriously.

“The Duchess… No, I want to see the Viscountess.”

“The Lady? Do you have an appointment scheduled?”

“I don’t… Is it really not possible to see her if I don’t have an appointment?”

The guard laughed at my question in a dumbfounded manner. At the moment, the way he looked while chewing the squid seemed obnoxious.

“Wow. Have you ever seen such an absurd woman? Do you think a noble woman would meet a commoner at any given time?”

The guard was right.

But mother was a person who would meet a commoner as long as she didn’t have something important to do.

It’s not likely that mother’s values would have changed. It must be this guard acting on their own.

“Viscountess de Ach always answers whenever a commoner requests to meet. Do you really not know that?”

“What… What did you say?”

“If it’s too difficult to see the Viscountess, then I want to see the Viscount. I’m not expecting you to guide me. Just let me in.”

“I’m speechless! Look, young lady. Even if this noble family is falling, it is still a Viscount’s residence!”

“…I’m aware.”

“Even though our masters treat commoners so kindly, there are exceptions to rude commoners like you!”

“Rude? Who’s the rude, impolite human here…!”

“That’s enough! Go away! Where did this commoner come from and start making a scene?”

The guard refused to listen to me any longer and waved his hands around. He turned his head the other way and I felt that there was going to be no use in talking to him anymore.

“Fine, we’ll see. That rude guard…….!”

If this was the house of de Ach, the winner was going to be me. But it’ll be a hassle and take some time.

After I laughed in the guard’s face, I sat down on the road a few feet away from the house.

“Huh? Hey hey, hey! What are you doing there?!”

Sure enough, the guard began questioning me with fire in his eyes.

“Why are you doing this? Do you own the land this road is on?”

“Young lady! Are you in your right mind?”

“Yes. I’m perfectly sane. Truthfully, it’s only been a while since I’ve regained my sanity, so I’m a little confused. But I’m still in the very! best! condition I’ve been in out of the past 10 years!”

“What is this kid even saying?”

This time, I ignored the guard’s words, stretched my legs, and then leaned on the wall. My parents are people, so they’ll come out of the mansion at some point. I would be fine with my little siblings too. If anyone came out, the fight would end.

“I have to see the Viscount or Viscountess, so I’m going to wait here! If you don’t like that, you could just open the mansion door for me.”

“Ugh! This crazy bitch! She’s totally insane. Where did this crazy weird bitch come from……!”

The guard continued to swear and grumble at me, but he didn’t try to do anything to me by force.

Relaxing my body, I hugged my bag tightly to my chest.

Ah. My circumstances are so unfortunate.

To think that it’d be this hard and sad to meet my family.

Can one of you hurry and come?

I’ll be waiting.

* * *

It was a very cold winter day.

“Lahadelt! You’ve been waiting for a while, right?”

It had been exactly one year since the day Hadel gathered up the courage to ask me to be his friend.

On that day, I promised Hadel to go to the lower village with him for the first time. And it was also the first time I had ever made Hadel wait.

“It’s okay. Let’s go.”

Although he must have been waiting for a while, he just smiled happily and grabbed my hand.

Then, with an excited heart, I went on a trip to the lower village with him.

The lower village, which I’ve never been to before, was confusing and noisy.

“Can you tell me what kind of people there are?”

Finally realizing, I turned to Hadel. I hadn’t thought about how Hadel wouldn’t be able to see all those people because he was blind.

However, Hadel must have been excited, as he smiled with an expectant face.

“Um, on the left side, there’s a huge shop. I think it’s a dress shop. Wow, there’s so many pretty clothes. There’s a lot of people inside! I think they’ve all come to buy clothes.”

“I see. A dress shop. What else? What about on the right?”

“On the right, there’s a grandpa standing and holding an instrument…”

Like that, I described the surroundings of the street to Hadel for a while.

Although it was hard at first, I was already used to explaining things to Hadel.

Hadel listened to me talk, listened to the sounds, and felt the wind happily.

“Asha, I heard from Sir Coleraine.”

“Hm? Heard what?”

“I heard that they’re having fireworks at the lower village at dinner time.”

“Fireworks?”

“Yup. I heard that they’re like flowers made of fire in the sky. If we go to a place that’s high enough and watch, he said they’re going to be really pretty.”

“But Lahadelt, you…”

You can’t see. Are you still fine with that?

I swallowed the second half of my sentence.

It was because Hadel had an expression like he really wanted to go.

“Asha, it’s fine if you explain it. Just like how you’ve been doing until now.”

Hadel’s pink eyes that couldn’t focus on anything seemed brighter than ever.

I really loved your sparkly eyes. They were like shining gems.

“Okay, let’s go!”

So we held hands again and went up a nearby mountain.

Since there were already a lot of people around to see the fireworks, the path wasn’t scary.

“Lahadelt, hold my hand tightly. The path is uneven.”

“Okay, don’t worry. I’m still fine.”

Although we climbed the mountain enthusiastically, since there were already so many people, I could only find a spot in a random corner.

After stomping your feet a few times, you gave up and sat down on the grass before asking me, “Asha, can you see the sky well? Are we sitting in a good place?”

I, who didn’t want to disappoint Hadel, answered, “Of course! It’s great. We got the best spot!”

“…I see. That’s a relief, Asha.”

At that time, I truly thought you believed me.

Since you were smiling so happily.

And since you couldn’t see, how would you even know whether or not it was a good spot?

But on the day you proposed to me, you told me, “If you marry me, I’ll let you see the fireworks from the best spot next time.” Do you know how surprised I was?

“Asha, I think it’s about to start.”

“Oh? You’re right. Everyone’s gotten quiet.”

Boom-!

Boo-boom-!

The fireworks I saw that day was something I would never be able to forget.

The countless fireworks in the sky.

The exploding sound that made my ears hurt.

The dark night sky that was filled with white, before spreading with different colours, was so beautiful.

“Wow… it’s pretty.”

I was so busy watching the fireworks that I forgot to explain how they looked to Hadel.

Then, suddenly filled with that realization, I looked to find a smiling Hadel, who was looking at the sky with eyes that couldn’t see.

“Since Asha’s happy, I’m happy.”

“Sorry! I told you I would explain. I’m an idiot!”

“It’s okay. We can come again.”

“But…”

“Then Asha, can I ask for a favor instead?”

“Of course! Just say it.”

“Then…”

Hadel hesitated for a moment. Opening and closing his mouth several times, his cheeks turned red before he finally spoke.

“We… decided to be friends.”

“Hm? Yeah, yeah.”

“It’s been exactly one year from today.”

“Ah… you’re right. Wow, Lahadelt’s memory is so good!”

“So, can you- …too?”

Bo-bo-boom-!

“Huh? What? Say it again!”

“So… a nickname. Can you call me by a nickname, too?”

After saying that, Hadel hid his face as if he was embarrassed.

“Yup!”

His ears were so red, it almost seemed like there was smoke coming from above his head.

I got embarrassed along with him, blushing.

“O-of course. Of course I can do something like that…! What’s your nickname, Lahadelt?”

“…I don’t have one.”

“Huh? You don’t have a nickname?”

“I don’t. Since nobody ever gave me one.”

“I see… then can I make one for you?”

“Yup! I’d be really happy!”

“Um… okay, Hadel. Let’s go with Hadel!”

I didn’t put much thought into it and chose it simply because it sounded pretty. This was only possible because I wasn’t aware that back then, people didn’t usually make nicknames using the middle of their name.

If I had known that you deliberated, waited, and prepared for one year to say these words, I would’ve thought more carefully before deciding on a nickname.

“Hadel… Hadel.”

Hadel repeated his nickname several times, before smiling brightly.

“Thanks, Asha! I love it!”

Your smile was so bright I could see your teeth, and your eyes squinted prettily.

Even your black hair was shining from the light of the fireworks.

I can never forget how you looked that day.

Just thinking about it right now makes my heart swell up with happiness.

* * *

“Mm.. I’m sorry, Hadel…”

My eyes opened suddenly.

My head felt foggy.

My surroundings had now become dark.

The guard who chased me out earlier was dozing off while leaning on the gate.

Wow, after acting like he was such a responsible guard, he’s sleeping now. This has to be a joke.

“Wow. Anyway, I must have been tired. I can’t believe I fell asleep.”

I dreamed about the past again.

Maybe it was a side effect of recalling 10 years worth of memories, but whenever I dreamed, I dreamed of the past, so it was painful.

“What’s the point if only the memories come back? All that comes from it is that I want to see him more…”

Haa.

The sighs came out unconsciously.

What do I have to do to enter the palace?

For now, as long as I meet my parents, I’ll be able to enter the palace somehow.

“But how has no one come out yet? It’s already night.”

What should I do?

What if they came out while I was sleeping and didn’t see me?

It was when I was in deep thought.

“Eru! I think you need to practice more.”

“Focus on yourself, sister. Don’t you remember how I beat you yesterday?”

In front of my eyes, I saw a girl and a guy arguing while walking towards me.

I was so shocked, I had to work hard to calm my thumping heart as I stood up.

Since the place they were approaching was the one and only, de Ach Viscounty.

No. There was an even more important reason.

Although 10 years had passed.

Although they had grown up.

How would I not be able to recognize them?

“…Ercian!”