"Excuse me, Lady Cyllia. You may go in to see him now," said a medical assistant to me at the Royal Institute of Medicine in Silverbell's capital.
It was weird hearing someone refer to me formally with my last name.
But I was always reminded of my social status whenever I went to the capital.
"I thank you dearly, sir. But may I ask...How my companion is faring?" I asked politely while using words that only a noble lady like me would use in public.
"Of course...in response to your inquiry...Your companion is faring well. He has no obvious physical injuries. However..." the medical assistant tried to say before he trailed off.
"Please continue, good sir...I wish to know what has become of him..." I pleaded politely.
"Your companion...seems to have lost any trace of his memories throughout his life...No matter the treatment we have attempted to carry out...his memories don't seem close to returning..." he continued with a sympathetic look on his face.
"I...see..." I said slowly as my heart sank.
...What...will happen...now...?
"His room is down the hall and is the sixteenth to the right...Do you wish for me to escort you there...Lady Cyllia...?" he asked calmly.
"No...it is fine...I believe I have sufficient capabilities to find my way there...Thank you, good sir, for treating me so kindly," I said with a small curtsy before leaving him.
My throat was tight and my eyes felt a little blurry.
...Why do I feel like everything bad is always happening to me..?
Mattius just died a little over three months ago...and I was barely about to get better...
And then now Ace loses his memories...?
One thing after the next...How much am I going to have to go through before this world is satisfied...?
1...2...3...7...9...11...14...15...
I counted the rooms on the right side of the hall before I stopped at the sixteenth one.
There was a small nameplate on the front of the door that was engraved with the words: "Patient #18537 - Ace."
I took a small breather before I wiped away any tears that might have been hanging out in my eyes...and then calmed myself down mentally...before opening the door in front of me.
Sunlight peeked in through the open windows and a small breeze could be felt blowing in.
On the white bed, centered perfectly in the middle of the back wall, I could see the face of a person I couldn't recognize.
The guy in front of me had Ace's green eyes...dark silvery hair with his signature blue highlights...and his entire human body structure...but...
...but...
...He just wasn't Ace.
The Ace I knew would've recognized my face.
He would've asked me about my day...and then give me a soft smile when I talked about beating up the male leads...
He would've...he would've...he...would've...
...remembered me.
"...A-Are you alright...? You're crying..." Ace asked with an I-don't-know-what-to-do-about-this face.
Tears steadily rolled down my face as I looked at Ace, who just stared at me slightly speechless.
I quickly wiped the tears off of my face before it became too awkward.
"S-Sorry about that...I was just thinking about...some things..." I nervously said slowly.
"..."
"I...um...brought you some flowers...! I hope you like them," I said as calmly as I could without shaking my voice.
I lied to him.
I actually didn't bring flowers or anything.
I just...wanted to continue the conversation...
Luckily, I had creation magic so I created the prettiest bouquet of flowers I could make behind my back to give to him.
"...Thank you," he said awkwardly.
"Yeah...it's no problem..." I replied with also an awkward tone.
"..."
"..."
After that, there was a terribly awkward silence in the room.
Ace didn't have anything he could tell me...while I had everything that I wanted to talk to him about.
...But...even if I said anything...Ace would've become more confused than he already was.
And...I didn't want him to be confused or upset...
"...How have you bee-" I tried to say.
"Who are you?" he asked, interrupting me.
It was like a thousand needles were piercing my heart one by one.
That's right...I never told him who I was...
The moment I realized something was wrong with him, I immediately contacted my father and he eventually landed into the hospital before I even told him my name.
"...I'm...I'm C-Cordelia...It's nice to meet you..." I said as tears welled up in my eyes again.
I hate crying.
Crying makes me feel so weak and powerless.
So...Why am I still crying...?
I wiped my tears away again for the last time.
"It's nice to meet you too, Cordelia," Ace said with a soft smile.
.
.
Two Months Later
.
.
"Are you crazy?! No! He's not going to school with me anymore! I can't do that to him!" I yelled as I smashed my hands onto the table in front of me.
"Cordelia...I understand why you're upset...but even though Ace is missing most of his memories...he's still currently the strongest being in Silverbell right now...and he's still your familiar..." the king said with a sympathetic look.
"He's not missing only most of his memories! He's forgotten everything! He doesn't even know that he's a dragon!" I said loudly as I pointed out the obvious facts.
For some reason...Ace wasn't able to go back to his dragon form anymore.
He was still as strong...still had his magic...and still had dragon blood flowing through his veins...but...
...In summary...Ace had no idea that he was actually a dragon.
He probably thinks that he's always been a human.
"That's irrelevant...The only purpose of him going to school is to protect you," Uncle Gloria spoke without hesitation.
"He's not only my familiar...he-"
"He serves no other purpose than to protect you," he said sharply.
I was speechless.
Ace was not an object.
He was a living being who could feel emotions and had physical and mental limits.
I couldn't let him go to a human academy when he was already so confused.
"...You're heartless...Uncle Gloria..." I murmured.
"I wouldn't be this country's king if I were soft, Cordelia...I'm sorry."
I clicked my tongue and then left the royal palace bitterly.
My behavior in front of the king was...very rude...and I could've been charged with death for insulting royalty...but I was just so angry that I couldn't control myself.
"Lia...? Why are you here...? Maybe...You missed me so much that you traveled all the way to the royal palace to see me...?" someone said from behind me.
I didn't turn my head to acknowledge them and continued walking away.
I already knew who it was.
"Lia...I know you've been going through a lot lately...But you need to calm down and think things through rationally," Florence said as he grabbed my hand from behind me.
"I AM thinking things through! ALRIGHT?! It's EVERYONE else that's crazy!" I yelled with a sudden outburst of rage as I flipped Florence's hands off of mine.
"Calm down...Lia..." Florence commanded again.
"NO! EVERYONE HERE IS SO UNREASONABLE! WHY ARE WE STILL SENDING ACE TO GREENWOOD ACADEM-"
Before I could say any more, Florence's face moved closer to mine and he gave me a kiss on the lips.
The kiss was probably only about three seconds long...but because it was so unexpected...it felt like three hours.
Florence moved his lips off of mine and then stared at me straight into the eye.
"You're being too loud..." he said with a small smirk as he stared at my face.
"...I...huh...?"
"I won't lie...your lips are pretty soft, Lia," Florence said with a chuckle as he licked his lips.
"...W-Wha-"
"I'm sixteen...and you're fifteen...right? This is only the second time I've given you a kiss...I think it's about time I step up my game..." he said with a mischievous look in his eye.
I could feel my face getting hotter by the second and I couldn't say anything.
"..." I stared at him with wide eyes.
"Listen...I understand why you're so upset...Even I'm a little upset by King Gloria's decision," Florence said slowly.
"..."
"But you have to understand...Right now, you are the most important woman in our country, second only to the queen," Florence explained with a sigh.
"..."
"You're extremely important...but you have no real power on your own. You have no control over any of the things my father, the king, decides for you."
"..."
"One day, in the future, you're going to become the queen and you'll have all the power you want. For now, even if you don't like it, the king has complete control everything..."
"..."
"That's why...you can't do anything right now. You need to understand your and Ace's positions..."
"..."
"Are you listening to what I'm saying, Lia? Or...Did my kiss take your breath away that much...?" Florence asked with a glint in his eye.
"I...uh...huh...?" I stammered.
To be honest, I heard everything he was saying but...it was super hard to do anything other than blankly staring at him after that k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-kiss...
"How cute..." Florence chuckled at my most likely red face straight into my ear.
"Y-Y-Y-You...You...Y-You...YOU SADISTIC DEMON!!!!" I suddenly yelled in my embarrassment.
HOW THE HECK IS HE SO CALM AFTER K-K-K-KI-KISSING ME?!?!?!?!
"I love you too, Lia," Florence said with a flirty wink.
"GO AWAY!!!! LEAVE!!!! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU HERE AGAIN!!!!" I screeched.
"...But I live here?" Florence asked with a small chuckle.
"I...I...JUST STOP!" I screamed as I stormed away.
T-That JERK deserves to burn in FIRE until every single inch of his handsome face MELTS off and all that is left is a THOUSAND BURNS on his skin!
IJKNHSUJKNJKIAOHWAH!!
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.
.
A Few Months Later
.
.
.
"Why...Oh...Why is the world so cruel?! My sweetie...my angel...the goddess of my life is leaving me. I think...I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...Yes...I feel that the end is near..." my father said as he waved his hands dramatically in front of an imaginary crowd.
"Aww...I'll miss you too, father," I said sweetly as I gave the old man a hug.
My father sniffled and looked to me with shining eyes.
"NOOO! I WON'T PERMIT IT! I WON'T LET MY LOVELY DAUGHTER LEAVE ME LIKE THIS!" my father yelled as he dropped to the ground and grabbed my leg to hold me back.
"H-Hey! Father! Please, let go of me!" I said loudly as I tried to pull my leg away from him.
"W-Why do you always call me 'Father' nowadays?! Why can't you call me 'Daddy' or 'Papa' again?! Agh...My poor baby is all grown up..." my father cried out.
Real tears dripped from his eyes as he gripped onto my leg with his life.
"I'm so sorry, Father, but I must leave for school now before it gets late!" I yelled as I finally broke free of his grip.
"I-I see...So you don't love me anymore," my father muttered darkly with dead eyes as he moved to the corner of the room to pout.
"No, father...that's not what I meant..." I said as I gave my dad a few pats on the head.
"H-Huh?" my father gasped as he looked to me with hopeful eyes.
"I will always love you no matter what," I said truthfully with a smile.
"Oh my...SWEETIE, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!" my father screamed as he suddenly charged at me with his arms wide open to hug me.
But before my father could loop his arms around me, he was hit in the head hard by the head maid, Sophie.
While my father wasn't looking, I gave Sophie a huge thumbs up.
Thanks, Sophie.
"Stop doting on the young miss too much, Alastair!" Sophie yelled as she scolded my father.
"I-I'm sorry, Sophie! It's just...she's too cute...and..." my father said with downcast eyes.
"Just stop crying or else I'll make sure to give you a few extra hours of work. It seems that you've had too much free time lately, Duke," Sophie said darkly.
"A-Alright...I-I'm sorry..." my father begged for forgiveness.
But like the strict devil that Sophie was...she made sure to scold him thoroughly for the next few minutes.
After they finished, I was ready to leave alongside Ace, Ash, Grey, and Deux.
"Goodbye, sweetie. Don't forget me...and remember to write letters," my father reminded me with a sad smile.
"Of course! Goodbye, Sophie. Goodbye, father!" I yelled as I sat down into the large carriage prepared for me.
Deux didn't say any goodbyes so he came to sit in the carriage on the opposite corner of me right away.
Ace bowed his head to my father before sitting in the carriage across to me and next to Deux.
Ash took his time to say goodbye to everyone and our father before taking a seat next to me.
Grey was the last one to enter since he was technically a servant of our household and needed to let everyone else go in first. He sat in the corner next to Ace opposite from me.
The carriage doors were closed and we were on our way to Greenwood Academy.
.
.
Three Hours Later
.
.
I've reached it.
After all these years...I'm finally here.
Greenwood Academy.
I looked outside the carriage windows in AWE.
As a person who played through the otome game and enjoyed EVERY SINGLE minute of it...I am DYING IN FANGIRLISM!
WAAAAJBHJJAHUSHFWI!!!!!!!!
Why is everything so freaking COOL?!
This place is literally...the most...
Beautiful.
Thing.
I've.
Ever.
Seen.
Ever.
Beings of all races wandered the paths of the extraordinarily vivid and colorful school. Different buildings of who-knows-what stretched across miles and miles of land.
The diverse plants and trees that were grown around the area added so much color and depth to the scene that my eyes were nearly blinded.
The sky here seemed so magical that I almost believed that the world was about to end.
Everything was built with such startling detail that it nearly made me cry.
This was it.
This was the setting of the game.
This is the place that led the original Cordelia de Boren Cyllia to her death.
And I've never been happier to be here.
"Is there anything I should know before school starts? How does the school food system work? Are the teachers nice? Are classes hard? Oh! Can you also tell me abou-" I asked before Ash finally cut me off.
"Shut up, stupid brat. Figure these things out on your own," Ash sighed in frustration as he continued to stare out the carriage windows.
"B-But I thought I could ask you and Deux since...you guys are second-years and..." I said as my voice trailed off.
"That's not the point. Just because we're more experienced than you, doesn't mean you can be annoying about it," Ash scolded me.
"Yeah...I'll try to figure things out on my own then! I can do this!" I yelled as I punched the air in excitement.
"Yeah...whatever. I don't care what you do. Just remember to pick up your uniform at the student check-in today. Don't be late for class and embarrass yourself. Take a bath every once or two days or else you'll stink. Always study even if you think the class is easy. The teachers here love pop quizzes. Ask someone who looks nice and knows what they are doing to help you get to class or else you'll get lost. If you rip your uniform because of how clumsy you are, go to the student head of your dormitory to get a new one. You only have three uniforms, alright? You'll need to wash them all regularly or else you'll be a disgrace to all the nobles here. And also remember to-"
"For someone who says they don't care about what I do...you are sure giving me a lot of advice..." I interrupted him with a small smirk.
"I...uh...Well...I mean...Shut up. You're my s-sister...so if you look bad, I'll look bad too. I don't want my reputation to be ruined by you, so...that's why I said all that," Ash stuttered as he immediately went silent.
A slight blush tinted his cheeks.
"Uhuh...Sure~" I teased him with a giggle.
"...Do you want me to kill you?" he asked with a dark smile.
"U-Uh...No, sir! Please don't kill me!" I yelled jokingly as I held my hands up in a blocking position.
"I swear...You're going to get it!" Ash yelled as he brought his hands in to tickle me.
"AH! NO! THAT TICKLES! STOP! STOP! HAHAHA!" I squealed loudly as he tickled my stomach.
"Ahem," someone coughed to get our attention.
Ash stopped tickling me and we both looked up to see all three of the others looking at us.
Deux and Ace were staring at us with weird expressions.
Grey was the only one who was smirking.
"Excuse me, milady, but you are making quite a ruckus," Grey said with a somewhat dark smile.
Was it me...Or did Grey look like he was enjoying this too much...?
"Wait. It's not my fault! Ash was the one who started tickling me first!" I said childishly as I pointed at Ash.
"What?! Don't look at me! She's the one who started teasing me first!" Ash said as he also pointed at me.
"Pfffffft! Hahaha! We all know it's your fault, Ash," I smiled with a small giggle.
"Really? Are you going to play it this way...? Well then...don't blame me for what happens next..." Ash grinned as he held his hands up in a jokingly yet threatening manner to tickle me.
"AHHH! SOMEONE SAVE ME!!" I yelled as I laughed loudly.
I couldn't stop laughing.
It's been so long since I've had a good laugh...so this felt nice.
Ash was laughing too, which was pretty rare.
"I'll be honest, you look a lot better when you laugh, Ash~" I said loudly with a few chuckles to tease him.
"...M-Me?! Laughing?! Never. Don't lie, stupid brat," Ash said with a stutter as he suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked out the window.
"Hmm~ I don't think so~" I giggled as I finally took a look around the cart.
Grey was starting to become bored again after Ash stopped bothering me and...
...Ace seemed to have a troubled expression on his face.
I wonder why...What was Ace thinking of...?
Ever since he had lost his memories...it had been getting harder and harder to read his expressions.
I've created a simple friendship with Ace, of course...but it was nothing compared to the friendship we had before.
It was just so different...that it was almost painful.
On the other hand, Deux just held a blank stare outside the window.
Deux...was kind of like a doll sometimes.
He wouldn't talk unless he needed to...he wouldn't move if he wasn't told to...and he wouldn't eat unless he was asked to.
It was like at any moment, Deux could fade away into nothing.
"Is there anything I should know for school, Deux?" I asked him with a small smile.
"..."
"Is the food here good?" I asked a different question.
"..."
"Do you think we'll bump into each other...?"
"..."
"Deux...?" I asked with slight concern.
Normally, when I ask him questions, even if he didn't respond verbally, he would nod or shake his slightly...or at least acknowledge my existence.
But now...he was just looking out the window...to stare at...
I traced his line of sight and looked in the general location of where he was looking.
And then...I realized why he wasn't paying attention to anything I was saying.
Standing only a dozen or so meters from us, contaminating the beautiful sight of this school, was Marquis and Marquess Scott.
Deux's parents.
The ones who killed Mattius.
And the ones I vowed revenge on.
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A/N: Alright, this chapter is complete~
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I'd like to conduct a poll today! So, if you want, please answer this opinion-based question~
Who do you hate more?
A) The Mysterious Time-Stopping Guy who stole Ace's memories
B) Marquis and Marquess Scott who turned Mattius into a bomb and are targeting Cordelia's life
C) Neither; I hate someone else more (comment who you hate).
This question has nothing to do with the plotline and is completely opinion-based~ I'd like to see which characters you guys seem to dislike the most.
.
Anyway, thank you so so so so so so much for the support! It really makes my day when I see people enjoy my story~
As always, I'd like to thank my readers/voters/commenters!
Okie byeee!
Word Count: 3355