"Are the jewels in the two rings connected to each other?"
"Wouldn't that make sense?"
For now, that was the most convincing assumption.
But even if that is true, the question remains.
The jewel in Isabelle's ring broke and lost its strength.
But how did Isabelle's memory hold up?
"I have no idea what it is."
I only untied one strand from the tangled thread, but somehow it felt like it had been twisted into a mess.
"Now stop thinking. This little head is getting hot."
Edwin put his hand on my head as if taking a temperature, and gave me a serious expression.
"I don't have a fever in my head after thinking about it."
I put my hand on my forehead saying it was nonsense, but I felt a low fever unlike usual.
"Huh?"
"Look, am I right?"
"Why don't you trust him?" Edwin said with a sullen expression on his face.
I don't know why I have a fever, but anyway, it was true that I could feel the heat, so I nodded my head without saying a word.
"It was overkill. Our rabbit is weak."
"Huh? Ed?"
Suddenly, my body staggered and reflexively struggled.
For an instant, my vision was turned upside down, and something hard hit my head.
Belatedly, I realized that I was lying on Edwin's lap, and I was bewildered.
"Will you get up?"
Sitting on my lap was embarrassing, but lying on it made my face heat up.
As he raised his upper body to get up, Edwin gently pressed his shoulder and laid him down again.
"You must rest now. What if I fall again? I mean, it doesn't feel good."
Edwin frowned as if he was in a bad mood just thinking about it.
Still, the hand that touched my hair was kind.
Boahani tried to get up, but it didn't seem like it would work, so he sighed and lay still.
"I know my name now."
He had told Edwin most of the visions, but he had not yet told them his name.
"... ... What?"
"Amber. Isabelle... ... So uh... ... That's what her money called it. To the baby in the womb."
Now that Edwin knew about Isabelle's relationship with me, it seemed like she should have called her 'mother'.
But it didn't come out easily. because she's not my mother
After hesitating to finish speaking, Edwin looked at me intently with a bright smile on his face.
'Why, why?'
I only said one name, but why are you sounding the siren with your face?
"Eh, Ed? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm just curious."
"What?"
"I wondered what name Lina would like."
Why are you asking about your preference for names out of nowhere?
Suddenly, a certain assumption flashed through my mind.
At the same time, the next question was expected.
"Is it Angelina? Or is it Amber?"
Unsurprisingly, a question that did not differ a bit from what was expected arose.
It was a question that clearly showed his intentions just by emphasizing the name he had given in front of him.
If I had been Amber, I would have stuck with the name my parents gave me, but Edwin was more important to me as the possessor.
I was more familiar with Angelina than Amber.
"Are you Angelina? That's the name Ed gave you."
When he answered without hesitation, Edwin smiled brightly.
It also seems to have been correct. He let out a small sigh of relief.
smart.
Edwin clicked his tongue a little as he got up from the sudden sound.
"come in."
The door opened and Sarah cautiously entered. She brightened up her face as soon as she saw me.
"You are awake. Fortunately, the."
I could feel his concern for me as he wiped his chest.
"Thanks for your concern."
"It's my job to take care of my mother's health and keep her safe. I just want to thank you for waking up."
Seeing Sarah's warm smile warmed my heart.
"What is the dragon?"
It was Edwin's hard voice that broke the calm atmosphere.
"The Grand Duke asked about your condition."
Edwin clicked his tongue slightly at Sarah's report.
It was then that I remembered that I was with the Archduke before I fell.
"How long have I been down? Didn't His Majesty wait too long?"
"You have to sort it out. It's all the Archduke's fault."
Strictly speaking, it was an accident that happened by chance, but I did not pursue it.
Arguing here would only hurt Edwin's feelings.
More importantly, he hadn't decided yet how far he could tell the Archduke.
"What should I do?"
Even with that much said, Edwin quickly understood what I was trying to say.
"First, let them know that Lina has woken up, and if you want to meet her, tell her to wait. If you are busy, you can go."
"All right."
Sarah bowed her head politely and quietly left the room.
"It's been bothering me since the first time we met."
Edwin mumbled displeasedly.
According to Isabelle's memory, Amber was the daughter of the Archduke. That meant that the Archduke would become a craftsman to Edwin.
Even now, we don't like the Archduke, can we really get along?
'Now is not the time to worry about Edwin.'
I was also at a loss as to how to deal with the Archduke.
Apart from the fact that Amber doesn't have any memories, to me, he's not a real father.
'Should I just bury it?'
The Archduke didn't know about Amber anyway.
Wouldn't it be necessary to make a crumb by scraping it?
But... ... .
The affectionate eyes that drew Isabelle through me caught my heart.
His conscience was too pricked to keep his mouth shut even though he knew the truth about the man who had been searching for Isabelle for 17 years.
'What should I do?'
I couldn't easily choose anything.
"What else are you thinking about?"
Edwin bowed his head and met eye level with me.
"Are you scared? Do you want to face the Grand Duke?"
How would you know?
It was as if he was looking into me.
I nodded my head slightly.
Because Edwin is the only person who knows my situation better than anyone and can share my concerns with.
"I still can't think of anything. I don't know how to face it."
"If you don't want to meet, you don't have to."
A low voice fell from above.
"The Prince doesn't even know that he has a daughter. Lina has no memory, so it's okay to live without knowing each other."
okay. We didn't know each other anyway, so if we continue to live like that, there will be no problem.
Then, I won't have to treat strangers like a father, and I won't have to panic over the jewelery issue.
If I were alone, I would have to hold the Archduke's hand, but now I had Edwin.
A person more trustworthy than the Grand Duke, a member of the royal family.
"The Archduke does not know that Isabelle is Jueri. As a member of the royal family, it is impossible to know what he will think of Jueri."
Yes, no matter how much the Archduke loved Isabelle, he was a member of the imperial family.
I've been running only for survival so far, but I don't have to put myself in danger to find Amber's family.
'You're just going to pretend you don't know.'
I made up my mind and tried to inform Edwin, but my lips were frozen as if they were frozen.
Instead, another voice echoed in my mind.
'Amber? The Archduke who was wandering in search of a lover?'
In the end, without making a decision, he buried his face in both hands.
At times like this, I didn't like myself because I was neither determined nor harsh.
I was like an idiot who said that I was not capable of protecting myself and that I was being considerate of others.
"I do not know. I don't know what to do."
I felt a hand wrapped around me with a sigh.
"It's because you're worried about a liver the size of a pea."
His tone was harsh, but the hand that gently stroked his back was only soft.
"I'm with you."
At that one word, my confused mind was instantly relieved.
How reassuringly you feel the firm arms you are leaning on.
Whatever choice I made, I felt safe.
'Yeah, I'm not alone.'
You just have to release them one by one.
I can't be Amber. There's no reason to be indebted to her.
I didn't come to this world because I wanted to. It's not that she deliberately pushed her away and took over this body of her.
I am a victim too.
Thinking about it that way made me feel more at ease.
At first, I complained that Amber's memory was not transferred to Bing's buff, but I think it's rather fortunate in the current situation.
"Yes. I am not alone."
He smiled at Edwin and he grinned.
"It's wonderful. Did the cowardly rabbit get a little brave?"
He stroked my hair as if complimenting me.
"Actually, I want to pretend I don't know, but Grand Duke won't let it go like this. Because we had the same ring."
The Archduke will search for Isabelle until the end. And it will make you doubt my existence.
Then it would be safe to make it on my side.
"If the Grand Duke wants to kill me-"
"You have to kill it."
I was about to ask if you could protect me, but before I could finish my words, I heard a gloomy voice.
"do not worry. The Archduke is nothing."
Edwin had the eyes of a beast looking for prey in the dark night, but he had a fresh smile on his face.
The incongruity was quite bizarre, but strangely, it put my mind at ease.
*
After a while, Edwin and I headed to the drawing room where the Archduke was.
The Archduke had not left his seat until then.
"Are you okay?"
As soon as I entered the door, he jumped up and approached me.
"Yes. Sorry to keep you waiting so long."
"No. I am so grateful to be able to meet you again like this."
"Are you going to sit down first? Don't bother my bride."
Edwin, who spoke bluntly, took me to the sofa.
"Take this ring."
As soon as Edwin sat down on the sofa, he placed the ring on the table.
The Archduke looked at the ring for a while, then slowly grabbed it.
"I was waiting for the girl and I thought about it."
The Archduke, who had touched the ring with nostalgic eyes, spoke in a calm tone.
"This is the ring that I and Isabelle made a vow to. The fact that the young lady was wearing that ring... ... ."
The archduke was unable to speak and took a deep breath.
The unorganized eyebrows were distorted as if suppressing emotions.
"My lady... ... It could be a daughter... ... ."
The Archduke was speechless and wiped his face with one hand.
Me and Edwin didn't rush him.
The archduke's green eyes, who raised their heads after a while, were entangled with indescribably complex emotions.
"I'm sorry for confusing the girl who has no memory. But please understand my feelings of not wanting to miss out on even the slightest possibility."
The archduke's voice trembled slightly.
"I don't want to regret it any more. I don't want to lose someone dear to me anymore."
The remorse I had been pondering over and over for 17 years was deep enough to be heavy just hearing it.
Seeing him beating his chest desperately, I cleared my mind that was still conflicting.
When I turned my head to look at Edwin, his eyes warmly encouraged me.
do whatever you want
He gained courage and moved his lips.
"Sir, how much do you know about Isabelle?"
"I've seen her father, but I don't know the family situation very well. I said I would tell you in detail when I get back from work."
Isabelle was planning to tell the Archduke everything before the wedding.
It means that he believed and loved him that much.
"But neither family nor status mattered to me. Although our time together wasn't long, we loved each other deeply. No one can deny that."
"Then did your majesty tell him that you are the prince?"
The archduke's dry lips were firmly closed.
Deep regret flooded his green eyes.
At that time, there was no oppression against Jueri, and the existence itself was not known, so it would not have been dangerous to meet the royal family.
However, from the point of view of Jueri, who does not reveal her identity to people, it must have been a burdensome opponent.
If he had known from the beginning that the Archduke was the prince, Isabelle might not have continued to meet.
"Once my mother's affairs are settled, I was going to tell her about it after I get formal permission. Although she has not been able to tell until now."
A deep sigh escaped from his chapped lips.
"Your Majesty, are you really curious about a man named Isabelle?"
There was little doubt in the archduke's eyes.