He would never have loved me who hated him, neither would I.
In the past, I didn't want to return the loneliness and sadness I felt while loving him alone after losing my love overnight.
"Theodore."
I called him with my arms crossed.
He gawked at me.
"When I cried in front of you before, you told me."
I spoke to Theodore in an indifferent voice.
"If you're going to be a drag, go out and cry. I don't want to hear it."
Why are you crying?
If you're going to be a drag, go out and cry. Because I don't want to hear it.
The cruel and bitter criticism he gave me that day didn't hurt me very much.
It was because at that time, I had already let go of all my feelings for him.
So it was a past that could be brought up indifferently, but it must not have been the case for Theodore.
He began to cry even more.
"I was crazy back then......."
At last Theodore began to wail.
He seemed like he would choke on his saliva the next second and had difficulty in breathing from time to time. He was breathing heavily, but still didn't stop crying.
I was even worried that he would be included in the history book as the first Emperor to die after crying.
Even Erwin and Odelia, who found out that squirrel warriors were actually villains, would not cry like that either.
"But unlike you, I'm a good-natured person, so talking to people who cry like this is my virtue."
I spoke in a heartfelt voice as if I were being generous.
"Tell me. I'll give you a special permission and listen."
For a moment Theodore stopped crying and looked at me.
His round eyes trembled.
"Really...really?"
He asked in a trembling voice.
His face was very pure when he asked so.
"If you listen to me once, I will to stop crying."
Theodore then clenched his lips and nodded vigorously.
I waited a little while for his crying to die down.
A little later, he slowly opened his mouth after calming down to some extent.
"First of all, I'm not in any kind of relationship with Katarina. It was all a lie. I made a deal with her to find you."
Theodore spoke in a solemn and faithful voice. Perhaps because of the wet eyes, it sounded more sincere for no reason.
"It was a lie?"
"Yes, and her pregnancy. It was a lie that I had to make up to infiltrate Ferdinand. You remember, I was looking for your last trace in Ferdinand......."
"You want me to believe that?"
I was a little dumbfounded and laughed.
"I've seen how madly in love you've been with her."
Theodore chewed his lip and lowered his eyes at the sharp conclusion.
At first glance, he looked hurt.
It's him who hurt me, but I don't know why he looks more hurt.
He was silent for a moment, then glanced at me and continued.
"......and my memory."
"......?"
"I remember I lost it by falling off a horse, but that wasn't it. I didn't forget you in such a bad accident. Ferdinand conspired against me with murderous magic to make me lose my memory."
Murderous magic?
They made him lose his memory?
I frowned at the unexpected words and asked him.
"What are you talking about?"
"It was weird from the start. Not long after I lost my memory, Ferdinands brought in a marriage proposal as if they had been waiting. It was so unnatural when I thought about the last meeting."
"......!"
"But neither you nor I felt anything strange."
As soon as I heard Theodore's explanation, everything that I had never thought was strange was considered strange.
As if the shroud that covered both my eyes was broken.
"What, what, why?"
I couldn't hide my surprise and stuttered.
How come, I never thought it was weird?
The day he took me out of Ferdinand, Theodore threatened Katarina with a sword in her neck.
Nevertheless, Katarina, who reappeared, showed no signs of fear for Theodore.
Rather, she came to the palace with Benjamin and proudly offered to marry.......
"They mixed something in my drink. They entered the palace by disguising as a servant but no one suspected them and thought they were just a servant*."
[T/N: This paragraph was too hard to translate. I translated it word by word and wrote what I thought was right but it could be wrong. I apologise beforehand if it is.]
"In the drink...?"
I was surprised that someone mixed something in his drink and made him forget his memory. But I couldn't afford to be bothered by the shock.
"Benjamin Ferdinand, and Katarina Ferdinand."
As soon as I recited their names, a gloomy energy came over Theodore's face, which had been wet with innocence the whole time.
"They did it. To separate you and me, by black magic......."
Thump!
My heart sank.
"......."
My eyes twitched slightly as I stared at Theodore.
'No way.'
There was only one thing in my head.
Sadly, however, the thought did not come out of my mouth.
"She confessed everything. I also sent soldiers to Benjamin Ferdinand."
"......."
He may not be saying this without a basis, who struggled to get a chance to talk.
But it was hard to believe.
They tried to separate Theodore from me by using forbidden black magic?
Even if it's Katarina, what's with Benjamin?
"Benjamin is..."
"And I couldn't tell you because I didn't have a chance, but when I summoned Brian to Caligor, someone attacked him by using the wizards who were responsible for teleportation magic."
Theodore quickly informed me of one more fact I didn't know.
"They attacked him under royal order..... It's not that easy to do this."
"Yes, so I'm investigating. The most likely culprit is......."
Theodore's words were crushed in his throat.
I glared at Theodore with resentful eyes.
He was the man who pulled me out of the terrible Ferdinand and taught me love.
The six months I spent with him were the brightest and happiest days of my life.
So when he lost his memory, the deeper misery hurt me.
I'm not stupid enough to not remember the woman I love.
No matter what you look like, I would have noticed you at a glance.
I kind of blamed him for not remembering me.
No, being a little resentful is my bluff to try to pretend to be plain.
I hated and blamed him a lot, a lot.
I once loved him so much that I resented him as much as I loved him.
And the sharp resentment did not reach him who did not remember me, but returned to me and scratched me in pain.
My love, torn and ragged in it, finally abandoned me completely and left.
In the words of his first love, he looked so miserable.
But... this was all done out of someone's malice?
Of all things, Benjamin, whom I've believed to be a friend for a long time, schemed all of this?
And he tried to kill him, maybe even my brother?
It's ridiculous. It's such a ridiculous thing.
I glared at the man I once loved, who once made me the most shining woman in the world and then the most miserable woman in the world.
Theodore was saying that all the uncomfortable past between me and him was caused by the malice and deceit of others.
It was beyond belief.
But if even it was a lie, Theodore is a really cruel man.
So I'm devastated that I can't hope this is false or true.
"I know it's hard to believe right now. But I didn't make up false things and it will soon be revealed."
"......."
I stared at Theodore.
As he said, if it was all Benjamin's work to manipulate the Emperor's memory by touching the black magic, breaking down the imperial magic line, and attacking Brian.......
'Black magic. The Emperor's memory. manipulation of the royal court's magic and staff civilians......'
The first two alone were the most felonious crimes in the empire.
Whether I believe it or not, it will soon be revealed to the world.
"Ha..."
A short sigh came out.
I had a headache.
I pressed my throbbing forehead and asked Theodore.
"Yes, I understand what you mean. Did you come all the way to just say this?"
I looked at him with eyes telling him to leave if he had finished his words.
"Wait, Yves. I haven't told you the most important thing yet......."
He caught me with an urgent look on his face, quickly noticing I was about to move, and stared at me openly.
His lips, which were unable to hastily say what he wanted to say, were especially red and moist with tears.
"Say it quickly and finish it, then...... Go away."
"Can I really say it?"
I was very suspicious that I suddenly became cautious after talking in a good manner until a while ago.
"Then you can just go back."
It was when I was about to speak bluntly as if I were going to take my words back.
"I love you, Yves."
He made a sudden confession.
"......?"
His sudden confession made me frown.