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A horse whinnied near the gate. At first, the guard kept a wary eye on the man galloping into the castle, but upon seeing his face and coat of arms, he immediately straightened.
Albert dismounted gracefully from his horse, which hadn’t settled down from its intense gallop. He forced the reins into the hands of the gatekeeper, who calmed the overexcited horse despite his panic.
Meanwhile, Albert raced into the castle. As he dashed through the corridors, servants stopped to look at him, surprised. Nevertheless, he continued toward the infirmary, not caring one whit about their reactions. He had but one reason for panicking. A messenger from the chivalric order had delivered news from Reynaldo. Mary had collapsed. When Albert asked for details, the messenger claimed not to know anything more.
“You need to hear the whole story from Reynaldo,” he insisted.
Albert wanted to return as soon as possible, but he’d been away on urgent business. After doing the bare minimum to complete his work, he rode a swift horseback to the capital. The sun was just setting when he returned, and he barely even allowed the horse to rest.
How could this happen when Reynaldo and I have already dealt with everything that could harm Mary? Albert wondered. Not only did we abandon our vengeance, but we also captured Tia. All causes for concern should have disappeared. So why now?!
“Reynaldo!” Albert cried.
The Ice Duke showed no sign of surprise at Albert’s sudden arrival. Instead, he wore a look of apprehension.
“Tell me, Albert,” Reynaldo said. “Would you still be able to love Mary even if she lost Rosemary’s memories?”
“What are you talking about? What’s wrong with Mary?”
“Answer the question. This is an important matter. I meant exactly what I asked. Do you love Mary or my elder sister? That’s all.”
“I…” Albert found himself at a loss for words.
“If you love Mary because she and Rosemary were one, then turn back now without visiting her,” Reynaldo instructed. “Mary has lost her memories of her past life. If you love her while seeking Rosemary’s ghost, that would be far too tragic for her.”
Albert’s legs almost gave out from under him. “You speak truly…?”
Reynaldo stared out the window sorrowfully. Unfortunately, Albert didn’t notice his expert acting due to shock.
“Perhaps this happened because we’ve settled all our scores,” Reynaldo said. “I doubt she’ll remember anything you ask her. The memories you shared during childhood. The promises you made to each other. All of them are gone…”
As Albert went silent, Reynaldo turned toward him. His features were beautiful in their resemblance to Rosemary.
“Listen to me, Albert,” Reynaldo continued. “Much to our detriment, we never moved on, but Mary… Well, she lives in the present. Perhaps she’s too resplendent for men like us, who exist as slaves to our pasts.”
Albert understood what Reynaldo meant to say. As someone who’d lived in bondage to revenge, those words stung. At the same time, he remembered the days he’d spent with Mary. He hadn’t shared those experiences with Rosemary. No, he’d been drawn to Mary and wanted to be with her because she was her own person.
“…Before anything else, I just want to see Mary,” Albert decided.
Nothing was more important to him than confirming her safety. He would do so, regardless of whether she’d forgotten her past life, her old memories of Albert, or even everything up to the present.
Mary’s safety comes first, he thought. My feelings don’t matter right now. I want to know how she’s doing.
“She’s in the next room,” Reynaldo said.
Albert left Reynaldo’s room immediately, his expression grave. Reynaldo sighed as he listened to the man’s footsteps fade into the distance.
“Well, I rattled him,” Reynaldo muttered. “Let’s see how much of an effect it has.”
Aloofly, Reynaldo gazed at the door from which Albert had left, his once sorrowful expression gone.
“Much to our detriment, we never moved on. Perhaps Mary is too resplendent for men like us, who exist as slaves to our pasts,” Reynaldo repeated to himself the words he’d spoken to Albert.
“She truly is too resplendent…”
Her light brought such tears to his eyes that he had to look away. She was pure radiance to him.