She hesitated for a while, looking up at Kyle, before cautiously opening her lips.

“Lucias is an island, so it’s cool even in midsummer.”

Then, unexpectedly, she took off the shawl he was wearing and said,

“I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”

With that, she lifted her skirt and covered Kyle’s wet head with her shawl.

‘!’

The warmth that had been wrapped around her shoulders until just now was transmitted directly to Kyle.

Stunned by her unexpected kindness, Kyle finally managed to open his mouth after a long while.

“T-Thank you.”

She looked like she was several years younger than him.

She was probably around the same age as Marinda or Claire, but she felt different from how he usually treated his younger sisters.

Despite her bold actions, her white neck gradually turned red as she hesitated and spoke to him without avoiding his gaze.

“And this… it’s a big flower, so it might be able to cover it.”

Her slender and white hand stopped in front of his chest. Soon, a gorgeous and large flower was stuck in the hole in his chest where he had fallen.

She looked at Kyle’s frozen chest with embarrassment.

Although she had put the flower in, the hole was still partially exposed.

After hesitating for a while, she pulled something out.

A yellow flower.

However, unlike the gorgeous flower from earlier, it was relatively simple in appearance.

Kyle was at a loss for what to do and didn’t know how to react, so she even stuck it directly into his chest.

Finally, when the torn and tattered hole was completely covered, she smiled brightly.

“Oh, now it’s covered.”

Then, she blushed awkwardly as their eyes met.

“It’s okay if you don’t return the shawl.”

Perhaps belatedly feeling embarrassed about her bold actions, she left in a hurry with those words.

As Kyle watched her disappear into the crowd in a daze, he suddenly came to his senses.

He wanted to know her name.

Forgetting about his shabby appearance, Kyle ran off in the direction she had disappeared.

After wandering around aimlessly for a while, Kyle was able to find her on the terrace of the reception hall.

Along with the rough voice of a man coming from inside the terrace.

“What? You lost the flower that the prince gave you!?”
“……”
“What flower will you give as a return gift to the prince?”

‘!’

At the same time, Kyle looked down at the two flowers that were stuck firmly to his chest.

Even though he didn’t want to know, he couldn’t help but know.

‘I caused her some trouble.’

Even though she was shedding tears, she didn’t seem to have any intention of confessing the truth. She just kept repeating that she had lost it.

Instead, he had to step forward and explain.

As Kyle was about to go out onto the terrace, someone called out to him urgently.

“Young master Kyle!”

His servant kneeled down as if he had finally found him and gasped for breath.

“Oh my goodness! What have you been doing to get so wet…?”

The man, who was surprised by Kyle’s appearance, quickly remembered his duty.

“No, that’s not important. The Marquis is urgently looking for you.”
“My father? Why?”
“Have you forgotten already? The Marquis has already informed us that the princess of the Emiriate Empire will be attending the party today. She just arrived and doesn’t have a partner, so everyone is staring and whispering.”
“Just a moment, I’m…”
“First, go change your clothes. There’s no time!”

The servant pushed him from behind.

While being led away almost against his will, Kyle briefly met eyes with the crying girl, but that was the end of it.

Throughout the party, Kyle couldn’t regain his composure, and eventually someone else took the position of partner for the princess of Emiriate.

On the way back home, he received a lecture from his father, but Kyle didn’t hear it properly.

He couldn’t understand why losing a flower could trouble her so much.

Later on, he heard from his father.

“In Lucias, there is a culture of presenting flowers to the most favored nobleman or noblewoman at the party on the day of the royal family’s birthday.”

And even that the flower she had pinned to his chest that day was meant to be given to the prince of Lucias as a gift and as a token of appreciation.

The two flowers that were stuck to Kyle’s chest that day did not fall off.

He met her a few more times while staying in Lucias, and Kyle held her even closer to his heart.

And when he returned home, Kyle mustered up the courage to write a letter.

A reply came flying in when he had sent several letters to Asralda.

It was a short letter that didn’t even fill half of the paper.

[To Viscount Kyle Eckligan,

Hello, my lord. I remember giving you two flowers before. I’m pleased to hear that you enjoyed Lucias’s banquet as much as I did, and I hope that in the future, on your way home, you will smell as beautiful the scent you smelled that day.

Best regards, from Lucias, Asralda Grantry.]

Although it was a formal letter that didn’t even fill a few sentences, Kyle read and reread it until the letter was worn out with excitement.

The fragrance of the flowers he smelled from her when they met before was present in the letter.

He folded the letter neatly and put it in a drawer and wrote a long reply. The next day, he ordered his servant to send the letter to Lucias.

However, there was no response after that.

The reply Kyle received from Asralda was the first and last.

“I have never forgotten a single moment of the two months I spent in Lucias. Asralda, I remember all the days I met you vividly.”

Asralda looked up at him absentmindedly.

She had lived as Aiden’s wife since they first met, but she was curious about when he fell in love with her.

It was much earlier than she had thought.

Then she vaguely remembered a memory she had forgotten.

A boy who was wet and trembling, even bigger than me.

“I don’t know why you tried to hide the fact that you have memories from before your regression, but honestly, it doesn’t matter.”

Despite saying it didn’t matter, his voice was full of emotion.

“Just stay by my side.”
“……”
“I don’t want to experience what I did before.”

His unwavering loyalty every time made her heart ache.

Asralda looked up at him with teary eyes.

Now that he had revealed that he remembered his past life, there was no point in hiding it anymore.

If Kyle continued to hover around her, he would eventually see her revenge play.

There was no point in hiding it anymore.

Asralda forced a smile and looked up at him.

“Even if I were to seek revenge against Aiden, would you still want to stay by my side?”
“……”
“Do you still want to protect me?”

Kyle’s expression stiffened.

His emerald eyes were filled with complex emotions.

He quietly parted his lips.

“After hearing the news that Asralda had escaped to the forest and was then imprisoned by Aiden, I guessed that something must have happened. I don’t know specifically what happened, but from the way you’re talking about it, it doesn’t seem like it was a good thing for Asralda.”

‘Marinda seems to be involved in this too…’

Kyle, who seemed to be trying to hide something, continued to speak.

“I don’t understand Aiden. I have no intention of understanding him. However, I do know that there is a huge misunderstanding between the two of you. I don’t think Aiden went into detail about his conversations with Miss Asralda. It’s because he’s a very single-minded guy. In my past life, he only told me that he repeated life several times to save you.”
“Are you saying there’s something Aiden can’t tell me right now?”
“Yes.”

Asralda let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.

“You really believe in Aiden completely.”
“……”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it’s not a misunderstanding.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I saw it with my own eyes.”
“What are you talking about?”

[Try feeling it once. While looking at my choked neck. How selfish of a person you are.]

Asralda bit her lip. She couldn’t even mention the contents of the letter. This was why she hoped Kyle would never know. When memories were shared, there were many things that needed to be revealed. It meant they were no longer strangers.

Kyle silently looked down at Asralda.

“I’ll answer your question first.”

Asralda didn’t look at Kyle.

She wasn’t angry or anything about his answer that he believed in Aiden. It was just sad and melancholic that Kyle still believed in Aiden.

On the other hand, it was rather fortunate that he took Aiden’s side.

As she was thinking this, an unexpected answer came to her mind.

“Yes, I want to protect you.”