Chapter 16

16

Hessen's voice, spitting out curses, could be heard. He had stopped trying to put me on the horse and instead placed me on the ground, attempting to untie the rope around my wrists.

However, before he could fully untie it, Theodor arrived nearby. He leaped off his horse and rushed over, frowning deeply at the sight of my tied wrists.

Theodor wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me toward him, then asked Hessen in a voice filled with anger.

“What are you doing?”

“……”

Hessen ran his hand through his hair, looking annoyed. Meanwhile, I stood stiffly, held in Theodor's embrace.

Thinking I was trembling from fear, Theodor held me even tighter and patted my back with one hand.

I shivered in terror, and Theodor, stroking my hair, whispered softly in my ear.

“Lily, it's okay now. Don't worry.”

“……”

No, the problem is what you're doing. ……But it wasn't the right time to say that. Hessen was nearby.

I took a deep breath and turned to look at Hessen. He was staring at me, his expression showing that he didn't understand the situation.

Theodor asked him again.

“Hessen Everett, what were you trying to do? Tell me the truth.”

“……”

Hessen stared at Theodor, who was holding me protectively. Then, a look of displeasure spread across his face, and he sneered.

“Duke Valentine, when did you start caring so much about that girl?”

“A girl……”

Theodor, looking quite bewildered, tightened his grip on my shoulder. Hessen laughed as if he were insane, then tapped his head and said,

“Have you gone mad? Is there something wrong with your head? Your Grace, that woman is Lily Everett, whom you hate so much. Yet you treat her like a precious treasure. Is this all an act?”

“……”

Theodor seemed to be choosing his words carefully. He couldn't easily answer, as it would reveal that he had lost his memory, even if it was only the memories related to me.

‘Father and Owen would use even such a trivial matter as a weakness.’

After some thought, I untied the rope around my wrists and spoke to Hessen.

“Hessen, even though you're my brother, don't play such pranks in the future. It's not funny at all.”

Hessen looked surprised that I had untied the rope myself. How little he thought of me. In fact, it's easy to untie if you know the trick.

Then I spoke to Theodor as well.

“Your Grace, this was just a prank by Hessen. He can be quite mischievous. It's nothing serious, so don't worry about it.”

Theodor looked at me, clearly not understanding. But I met his gaze calmly, without changing my expression.

There was no point in making a big fuss. I didn't even feel threatened by Hessen's actions. He was impulsive but lacked planning. If he had taken me away, he would have let me go soon enough. It was just a minor incident, and I wanted to put an end to it here.

“How……”

Theodor's lips moved. His hand, gripping my shoulder, dug in painfully.

“How can this be nothing serious?”

“……”

“I saw with my own eyes that Hessen Everett tied you up and dragged you away. How can you not be concerned? It was a prank? What kind of prank is that?”

Theodor spoke rapidly, his blue eyes blazing. I stared at him, slightly open-mouthed. His behavior was…… truly strange. It didn't match the ‘him’ I knew.

Would the original Theodor, who hadn't lost his memory, have reacted this way? Would he have left me alone if Hessen had taken me? No, he probably wouldn't have even come to look for me.

……Losing his memory seems to have changed him completely. I sighed inwardly and glanced at Hessen.

……At this point, Hessen was looking at Theodor as if he were a bizarre sight.

‘At this rate…… there’s no other way.’

I need to faint.

The priority is to get out of Hessen's sight. I can talk to Theodor later. It would be bad if Hessen noticed that something was wrong with Theodor.

I quickly closed my eyes and held my breath, imagining that I was sinking into deep, dark water. When I was young, I almost drowned in a lake. Hessen had thrown me into the water while we were on a boat.

Although I didn't become afraid of water, I vividly remembered the sensation of being suffocated and trapped in darkness.

Later, I realized that holding my breath for a long time would bring back that fear. And by using my imagination to the extreme, I could lose consciousness just like when I almost drowned.

The doctor at Everett Castle said it was a psychological trauma that needed to be treated, but I thought it could be useful. When Hessen or others were tormenting me, or when Father was lecturing, or Owen was spouting nightmare-like words, I could suddenly faint and escape.

I used this method often. I hadn't used it since coming to Valentine Castle, but it was worth a try.

“……”

I was ‘holding’ my breath, but at some point, it felt like I was ‘choking’. I couldn't control my breathing anymore.

Suddenly, my breath was completely blocked. It felt as if something was tightly stuffed in my throat. The fear of death soon overwhelmed me, and I lost consciousness.

* * *

“Gasp……!”

“M, My Lady! Are you okay? Breathe slowly, slowly……!”

When I opened my eyes after successfully fainting, I was in my room at Valentine Castle. As expected, my head was dizzy, and tears welled up in my eyes. I still found it hard to breathe, as if I were submerged in deep water, with my breath repeatedly cut off.

‘It worked……. I’m glad I managed to get away from Hessen.’

Since I fainted, Theodor must have brought me back to Valentine Castle quickly without confronting Hessen.

“Ugh……”

“My Lady!”

My heart was pounding with the fear of death. After waking up, I had about ten seizures before I could finally calm down.

I hadn't noticed, but Theodor had been standing pale beside my bed. He looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Seeing him made me feel like I might have another seizure. I still couldn't fully understand his current state.

It was absurd that he had lost his memory of me…… Even if he didn't remember me, he should remember what the Everett family did. What could have been erased to change him so much?

Theodor, who was being kind to me…… I once longed for and fantasized about his kindness. Now, it only made me feel heavy and uncomfortable.

I hoped that the hope I had crushed would never resurface. So I repeated to myself that he was only acting this way because he had lost his memory, and he would return to his old self once his memory returned.

“Lily.”

“……”

Theodor slowly approached me as I was drinking water. I met his gaze silently and then put down the glass, subtly signaling Charlotte to stay in the room. I didn't want to be left alone with Theodor.

As soon as Charlotte nodded, Theodor spoke again.

“……How are you feeling?”

He came closer and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at me carefully. I avoided his gaze as I answered.

“I'm fine……”

The voice that came out of my mouth was thin and faint, like that of a dying person. Theodor's expression stiffened for a moment before softening again.

I can't get used to this face.

I even wished he would look at me with a fierce expression like he used to. ……Then, I wouldn't feel so uncomfortable.

“Lily, I was shocked when you suddenly stopped breathing. Why……”

Theodor's lips moved as if he wanted to ask something, but he swallowed his words and sighed.

After a moment, he spoke again, his tone gentle and admonishing.

“I hope you don't faint like that again. I'll have the doctor keep an eye on your condition, so don't skip your appointments.”

“……I understand.”

His constant worried gaze made me feel uneasy. I wasn't used to being worried about. Thanks to Charlotte, it had improved a bit, but I still felt that way.

Facing Theodor Valentine's worried gaze, I felt awkward and even a bit scared. I didn't know when he would change back to his old self.

Right now, he is not the original Theodor because he has lost his memory. That's my conclusion.

“……Is Hessen gone?”

I asked the question that had been on my mind, and Theodor nodded and answered.

“He must have returned to his residence in Salisbury. I confirmed that he wasn't in Veronice.”

Salisbury is the Everett family's territory, located in the southwest of the kingdom. It's not far from here, as you can reach it quickly by boat from the western river. I thought for a moment after hearing Theodor's words.

‘Hessen has his own residence? That’s strange.’

Hessen always pretended to be indifferent, but he had a strong sense of pride in being part of the Everett family. He often showed his loyalty to the family through his actions. Everything Hessen had was Everett's. He didn't create any personal wealth, and he had few knights who followed him.

Why did Hessen, of all people, start to acquire personal property? ……Could it be that the devils of Everett have started to bicker with each other without my knowledge?

‘If that’s true……’

I was momentarily dazed. A strange sense of expectation slowly crept in, making my heart race. If I could completely split those three…… it would be wonderful if they fought and killed each other.

“……Lily?”

“……!”

I snapped back to reality at the sound of Theodor's voice. ……He was looking at me with an indescribable expression.

“……”

What kind of expression did I have? ……I don't know. I covered my mouth and pretended to cough.

“Don't worry about what happened with Hessen. He's always been like that. He's rough and plays a lot of pranks.”

“……”

Theodor's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he nodded and sighed softly.

“……I understand. You should rest now. Should I stay with you……”

I stared at him with wide eyes. My expression must have been one of shock. My lips moved involuntarily, and I blurted out without thinking.

“No, I don’t want you to.”