Chapter 5

It was as if I had just woken from a deep sleep, my thoughts muddled, when I suddenly felt as if someone had called me, and I opened my eyes.

I slowly sat up, my still half-awake mind vaguely surveying the surroundings.

In the darkness, I could see the familiar ceiling and the window through which the moonlight faintly shone. It was probably just past midnight.

The mansion was silent, with little sign of anyone else.

"The mansion in the capital..."

My whispered voice was hoarse. However, the much higher pitch than I had imagined instantly brought me to full consciousness. I hurriedly stood up and rushed to the dressing room with the mirror. I managed to turn on the light in the dark and confirmed my appearance.

"Did... did it work...?"

The reflection in the mirror showed me looking like I was not yet ten years old. I repeatedly touched my face and moved my limbs. There was no sense of discomfort.

"I did it... I did it, Julian!"

I cheered in a low voice so as not to wake the maids, but still clearly. Then, I quietly slipped out of the room and headed to Remia's room.

"Remia..."

When I arrived at Remia's room, I quietly entered, considering if she might be asleep, but her bed was already empty. I hurriedly searched the surroundings and saw a faint light leaking from the adjacent dressing room.

"Remia, are you in here...?"

"Brother...?"

A dazed, dreamlike voice called out my name clearly. I focused my eyes and found Remia standing in front of the mirror, looking bewildered. I immediately rushed to her.

"Remia! Ah, you're alive!"

"Brother!"

The body I embraced was cold from the night air. However, it wasn't as cold as a corpse, and Remia's arms, which held me back, were strong and firm.

"Brother... Is this real...?"

"Yes... it's real... You're alive. I found you... Finally, I found you, Remia..."

"Brother..."

The joy of seeing Remia alive brought tears that I thought had dried up, welling up one after another. We held each other and cried for a long time, feeling the warmth of each other's life. Gradually, I began to tell her the events that led to this moment. My story, told through tears, was undoubtedly difficult to hear, but Remia listened to me while crying.

"Brother, as you suspected, it was probably Robiana who poisoned me."

"Of course..."

When my tears finally stopped and I calmed down, Remia told me about the moments just before her death. It seemed that, as I had suspected, Robiana had given her the poison from the prince without any proper explanation. Apparently, my father had tried to persuade her, but since Remia refused to agree, the poison was prepared.

"If I had known this would happen, I should have signed the document."

"Remia..."

"Why did I cling to such a man... I was foolish..."

"No, you weren't foolish. Anyone would be angry if their efforts were dismissed."

"Brother..."

"The fault lies with the prince and Robiana for getting the order wrong."

I didn't tell her not to have feelings. However, if Robiana wanted to be the princess, she should have made proper preparations. If she had sincerely apologized to Remia and followed the proper procedures to break the engagement, this wouldn't have happened.

"...I have caused you trouble, Brother."

"No, I'm the one who should apologize."

It was then that I first told Remia about the price I had paid for the forbidden spell.

"Bloodline... So, you mean I can't have children?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, Remia..."

I accepted the consequences of my actions. But Remia is different. Since time has been rewound, I want Remia to have a happy marriage with the man she loves this time. However, not being able to have children is a fatal flaw for a noblewoman. Even if she were to hide it and get married, if she didn't conceive after a few years, she would be branded as barren.

"It's fine, Brother. If you don't mind, please let me stay by your side for the rest of my life."

"Remia..."

"Let's live together happily."

Remia comforted me, as if she were the older one, despite my unexpected tendency to cry. And so, the second chapter of my and Remia's lives began.