“Congratulations, Roa.”

“I love you, Grandpa. Really.”

Enjoying the genuine affection in his granddaughter’s words, Feldarn pointed to the pendant hanging around her neck. With a gesture that seemed to say “open it,” Lorencia opened the pendant’s clasp.

The moment her eyes stopped on the pendant, tears began to flow. Feldarn, startled by his granddaughter’s sudden crying, glanced at Ian, signaling him to comfort her. At his sharp look, Ian gently embraced Lorencia.

Although Lorencia was no longer his granddaughter alone, but would soon be called someone’s wife, and eventually, someone’s mother, Feldarn knew that, no matter how much time passed, she would always be his dear, small, and adorable granddaughter.

As he patted Lorencia’s head, Feldarn quietly spoke.

“I love you, my daughter.”

It was a message he passed on to Lorencia on behalf of his children, the ones who had already passed and had been buried in his heart.

Lorencia, wiping away tears, covered her mouth with her hands and bowed her head. Then, she nodded vigorously.

The wind brushed her cheek, like the love of parents.

---

As Feldarn fiddled with the pendant around his neck and recalled that day’s memory, something suddenly welled up inside him. He looked up at the sky, and at that moment, Ian’s voice came from beside him.

“Do you know how embarrassed I was back then? Everyone looked at me like I was a criminal because you started crying all of a sudden.”

“Really?”

“There are plenty of brides who cry from happiness on their wedding day, but I think Lorencia is the only one who couldn’t stop crying even after the ceremony.”

Well, she did cry a lot that day.

She truly cried her heart out. She hadn’t cried like that even when she was sad or upset, but on that day, she cried until she could cry no more. She was happy, sad, and also grateful.

Feldarn, having lived through over a decade of solitude, knew how great and dedicated his grandfather had been in maintaining his role as the head of the family for so many years. But knowing and feeling were two very different things.

His grandfather had tried, and in the end, he had persevered. He had fulfilled his duty until the very end.

“Ian.”

“Yeah?”

“If we have children, do you think I can be like my grandfather and do the same for my child?”

“Like Lord Aztein?”

“Yes.”

“Well…”

Ian rubbed his chin and tilted his head as he thought for a moment.

“It might be difficult.”

“Why?”

“Lord Aztein fulfilled his role, and we’ll have our own roles. We might not be able to be like him, but… we can try to be something like him, don’t you think?”

Ian chuckled.

“Besides, don’t you think it would be arrogant to try to perfectly imitate someone I admire so much?”

Admiration… Feldarn had always admired his grandfather. The man who never showed weakness. He longed for that kind of strength, the ability to stand firmly like a pillar, always reliable.

“We’re almost there.”

As they passed a tranquil hill, a small village appeared below. It was a tiny village with fewer than 300 people. Though he had seen it many times, it was the first time he had visited.

As they entered the village, the first villager to see them widened his eyes in surprise.

“Eh?”

The man, pushing up his dense sun hat, slowly spoke, glancing between the two of them.

“Eh?”

He took a step closer, carefully examining Feldarn’s face before sighing deeply.

“Are you Miss Merci?”

“Merci?”

Unlike Ian, who questioned him, Feldarn’s face stiffened at the name.

“That can’t be. If it were her, she’d be over forty by now…”

The man sighed again as he got closer.

“Then… ah! Are you the twin sisters?”

“Do you know me?”

“My goodness!”

The man clapped his hands and quickly stepped back, dropping to his knees and bowing deeply. Surprised by his sudden behavior, Feldarn waved his hands in an attempt to stop him, but the man insisted on continuing his greeting.

What’s going on with this man? Ian stepped forward, patting the man’s shoulder, grabbing his arm, and pulling him back up.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Tobede, a resident of this village.”

“Earlier, you were talking as if you knew Lorencia… are you familiar with her?”

“I’m not exactly familiar. I just heard the news about her.”

“News?”

The man smiled widely, showing his teeth. As Feldarn wondered how to respond, two women approached from a distance, observing them before clapping their hands.

“That’s right, that’s right!”

“Right? Huh?”

Then, they muttered to each other and approached me, bowing their heads.

“I can’t believe I’m meeting the young lady of the Aztein family like this, it’s truly overwhelming!”

Not knowing how to respond to the red-haired woman’s words, I hesitated, and the two women took a step back with an “oops” expression.

“We’ve been rude. We apologize.”

“No, it’s just… I’m surprised that you know me…”

In high society, it’s natural for nobility to recognize each other’s faces, and even people in the capital would often remember the names and faces of nobles. But I hadn’t expected to be recognized in such a small village.

“You’re quite popular, aren’t you?”

“…Don’t tease me.”

I poked Ian in the side, who was giggling and whispering, then asked the women again.

“But earlier, you mentioned Merci…?”

Rolling my eyes, the man who had been speaking earlier suddenly exclaimed, scratching his head as if embarrassed.

“You look so much like her, I was really startled. If that upset you, I truly apologize.”

I waved my hand at him as he tried to bow, feeling that he was always ready to bow at the slightest provocation.

“How could I be upset by being told I resemble my mother? I was just surprised.”

“That’s a relief. You really do look so much like her. Those beautiful green eyes remind me of the lush greenery of Porryl Hill. I remember the elder and Lady Merci bringing Drieel’s young master here often. I recall seeing you from afar back then.”

My grandfather had visited here often. With my parents, too… I hadn’t known that my grandfather had never brought Ersia and me here.

“But after hearing that both of you went through difficult times, you haven’t visited for over ten years. I was worried when your visits suddenly stopped…”

As the man babbled, one of the women sharply jabbed him in the side. The man stopped speaking and bowed his head, realizing his mistake.

“I-I apologize. That was an inappropriate thing to mention…”

“Oh my, I’m so sorry, young lady. This man has a habit of losing his senses, which is why he makes these mistakes. Now, apologize properly!”

The woman scolded the man, who was unable to do anything but bow his head vigorously. I smiled and shook my head.

“It’s all in the past. Please don’t worry about it.”

As I smiled gently, the woman approached and spoke slowly.

“Is your elder still in good health?”

“Yes, my grandfather is always healthy.”

“That’s a relief. Ah! We shouldn’t stay here. We’ll take you to the meeting hall. You haven’t had lunch, right?”

“Oh, it’s fine…”

I was about to say it was fine, but I felt Ian’s eyes sparkling beside me.

I hadn’t realized before, but Ian actually ate quite a lot regularly. It wasn’t because he had a strong appetite, but because he needed to maintain his energy. He hadn’t had a meal earlier, so he must have been hungry. Since we were already here for food…

I glanced at Ian’s face, and the woman smiled and nodded at me.

“You don’t need to refuse. Come, let us escort you.”

“Lead the way!” As she swished her arms, the man hurriedly moved and ran off in some direction. Laughing at his back as he ran like a colt, the woman’s face brightened, her expression lightened.

“I thought I would never meet the children of the Aztein family again…”

“Huh?”

“No, nothing.”

“Come, let’s go.” The woman walked ahead with a younger woman, presumably her daughter. Ian and I followed closely behind. Ian lowered his head and whispered softly.

“They’re really kind.”

“Is it suspicious?”

Since Ian and I were firm believers that there was no such thing as unmotivated kindness, it was a natural question. Ian shook his head.

“No. I’m just surprised. To think they’d offer kindness just because you’re the daughter of the Aztein family…”

Ian’s eyes shifted towards the women as he continued speaking.

“I can’t help but feel that the Aztein family’s path wasn’t just about business after all.”

“…That’s true.”

They were probably going to expand even more. Moving away from power struggles and conflicts, they would build an ideal place where people could live a little more peacefully and harmoniously. It wouldn’t be entirely equal, but at least people could live humanely.

They would create that kind of place. At least there, people like Tessus wouldn’t emerge.

I tilted my head and looked up at the sky. It was clear and high, with not a single cloud. Winter was here.

“Let’s go inside.”

As Ian gently wrapped his arm around my shoulder and guided me inside, I turned my gaze toward him. After giving him a small smile, I followed the women into the building.

---

Ian and I were treated to an enormous meal, enough to break the table with, and were now resting. It seemed like a bit too much food, but it actually tasted great, and I ended up eating more than I expected. When I asked why the food tasted so familiar, I learned that Mesha, the woman who made the apple pies, was from this village.

I didn’t know that. No wonder the food had the same look, scent, and taste.

“I’ve eaten well. Really.”

“Mesha learned to cook from me. She especially made a great apple pie… does she still make it?”

“Yes. Mesha makes apple pies for my grandfather all the time, since it’s his favorite food.”

“My elder liked my apple pie so much that he suggested Mesha work at the estate. Heh, I’m actually Mesha’s cooking teacher.”

“Now I understand…”

I nodded, impressed by her cooking skills, and glanced to the side. Ian was staring at the ceiling, his eyes half-lidded. Did he not like the food?

People’s eyes landed on him. Ian, who had been staring blankly at the sky, seemed to feel the gaze, lowered his face, looked around, and smiled brightly.

“I’m sorry. I’m just so full.”

“You were eating so well… Are you sure you’re not still hungry?”

Ian calmly shook his head. The empty plates in front of him revealed the massive amount of food he had eaten.

…To serve food that someone like him can’t even finish, I started to feel guilty.

“It was exquisite. The taste is so refined and neat, something you can’t experience in the city. If I could, I’d want to take it all the way to our estate.”

“Heh-heh.”

The woman laughed at Ian’s charming compliment, waving her hand dismissively. The atmosphere softened, and we spent a peaceful time asking and answering questions naturally. But then, the door opened, and an old man entered.

The old man scanned the room and, upon spotting me, raised his eyebrows. He slowly approached me, bent over with his crooked back, and quietly said with his eyes closed:

“It’s been a long time, Miss Lorencia.”

I was surprised to find that so many people here knew me. I studied the old man’s face closely. The woman who had guided us earlier approached him and helped him sit down.

I felt pity for his struggle to stand and got up to offer him my seat, but he smiled and shook his head.

“How could I sit in your chair, Miss?”

“Please, sit down.”

“No, I can’t.”

“I won’t feel comfortable if you don’t.”

I glanced at Ian, who immediately stood up as if realizing something. With two empty chairs left, the old man reluctantly sat down.

At that moment, another person brought over a chair. Ian and I sat down, and the old man sighed deeply, then quietly spoke:

“…Actually, I had intended to die in pain. I felt that I had no right to speak or should not speak at all. But when I reached the end of my life, I realized that there were things I hadn’t said, things I couldn’t express… Even though I should apologize, I found myself hiding, running away in fear. It made me feel pathetic.”

I gently lowered my hand, looking at the old man’s face, which was slightly out of breath from speaking so much. He smiled softly at my gesture, telling him to take his time. His wrinkled face and hunched back clearly displayed the hardships he had endured in life.

“You resemble her a lot.”

“Her?”

“Lady Merci… the wife of Lord Aztein.”

“My mother?”

I was surprised that the people here had more memories of my mother than I did. I couldn’t help but smile as I thought they probably knew more about her than I did. The old man smiled faintly, lifting the corners of his mouth.

“She was always so kind. She cared for others so much. Many people were happy under her attention, and the young ladies who grew up under her were like angels to us.”

“You’re too kind.”

The old man shook his head slowly.

“But… I shattered that happiness.”

“Excuse me?”

“Shattered it?!” I looked at Ian with a puzzled expression. He shrugged, seemingly not understanding either, as he looked at the old man. The old man spoke slowly.

“…What I’m saying now might be a selfish attempt to alleviate my guilt. You may hear this and get angry, or even want to kill me.”

“Why would I…”

“Miss.”

His hand slowly reached out to cover mine. The warmth but stiffness at the tips of his fingers reminded me of Ian. His deep-set eyes seemed to tremble before closing quietly.

“I failed to protect the Lord and his wife, Lady Merci.”

“…”

“I don’t know if you’ll remember me, but at that time, I was their bodyguard. I was the captain of the knights. And on the day they passed away, I was by their side.”

My breath stopped. I had never expected to hear this story here. My memories of my parents were like fleeting fragments, or like a button waiting to be pressed.

As I let out a shallow breath, the old man opened his mouth again.

“It was pouring rain that day. Elder Feldarn had warned us to wait for a better time, but the Lord and Lady had been personally invited to a royal banquet, so they couldn’t refuse. The carriage moved slowly, and we headed to the capital as safely as possible. I did my best to protect them from any danger. Luckily, we reached a nearby village without incident, but… the torrential rain caused the nearby river to overflow, flooding the village.”

“…”

“I tried to save them, but I couldn’t save anyone. In the dark of dawn, everything was swept away by the flood—houses, people, everything. I swam through the water, screaming for them to be alive, but…”

I shut my eyes tightly. The thought of a headache made me tilt my head. Then, I placed my head gently on Ian’s shoulder and opened my eyes again.

The old man’s eyes had lost their vitality. His body seemed to tell the story of someone who had already reached the end of their life. Yet, he expressed genuine remorse.

“Of the 500 people who lived in the village, fewer than 100 survived. Among the group heading toward the capital, only two of us remained—myself and the youngest knight who joined us later. The other thirty died.”

The old man raised his thin hand into a fist and tapped his chest. His lips trembled, and he bit them as he spoke with difficulty.

“I didn’t deserve to survive. I should have given my life to save them, but I couldn’t. When I returned, Elder Feldarn forgave me. But…”

Thick tears fell down his dry, wrinkled cheeks.

“When I saw the faces of the two young ladies, who were too young to understand the death of their parents, I felt I had committed a sin greater than any other in the world. I ran away, hiding from that guilt. Thanks to Elder Feldarn, I was able to settle in this village, but over the past ten years, I’ve never once been able to forget the look in their eyes.”

—Mom, where are you?

Suddenly, I remembered asking those words. Though I couldn’t recall exactly, I had asked a man where my parents were on a day that was so deeply sad and gloomy.

“I gripped Lady Merci’s little hand and cried for days, regretted for years in this place, and begged for forgiveness for what seemed like endless time. But… I couldn’t bring myself to approach them, to take any action, because I realized that asking for forgiveness was only to alleviate my own guilt.”

Still kneeling, the old man lowered his head vigorously to the floor. I stepped back in surprise. The people around us watched sadly but did nothing to stop him.

Even as his forehead split open, bleeding, he banged his head on the floor once more before looking at me.

“Lord and Lady… They loved you both, Miss Lorencia and Miss Ersia, very deeply. On the day they left for the journey, I can still clearly picture their faces, holding each other in sleep, smiling. Elder Feldarn loved them as much as they loved you two. I can’t express it in words, but please…”

With great effort, his head dropped to the floor. His soft voice, full of stillness, filled the air.

“…Please be happy.”

---

“Lorencia.”

“Yes.”

At my soft response, Ian sighed. He quickly walked toward me, blocking my path.

When I looked at him with confusion, he dismounted, came over, and picked me up, moving me forward before sitting behind me. As he gently took control of the reins, I noticed something curious—his horse followed closely behind us.

How did he do that? Can he talk to the horse? But why did he come behind me?

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

“You were swaying on the horse, looking like you were about to fall. How could I just ignore that?”

“I wasn’t…”

“You’re still leaning into me, relaxing all your weight on my chest.”

Tch… So perceptive. I clicked my tongue and closed my eyes. A sigh escaped, and with Ian’s laughter, my chest felt a light tremor.

“Do you hate the old man?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“I don’t hate him.”

“You could hate him, you know.”

“Well… I suppose I could.”

I slowly opened my eyes and glanced at the road ahead, lost in thought. No more questions came.

The sound of hooves clattering and the rustling of leaves in the wind seemed rhythmic, like a lullaby. In the quiet, I narrowed my eyes, thinking back to what had just happened.

“It was a shock, actually.”

“Well, if it weren’t, that’d be strange.”

“Do you think my grandfather sent us here because of something like this?”

“I doubt it. Probably just a coincidence.”

“You don’t know my grandfather. He’s very cunning.”

“Is it okay to say that your grandfather is cunning?”

“What does it matter?”

A brief silence passed. I could feel Ian’s warmth as I wrapped myself in the surrounding darkness and stillness, rolling my eyes.

“Yesterday…”

“Hm?”

“You were standing by the door, Ian.”

“Yes.”

I closed my eyes as I heard his answer.

“Do you know what that door is?”

“No. I only know that Lord Aztein put a lot of regret into it. He told me.”

“Is that so?”

I muttered quietly and sighed before speaking again.

“A long time ago, a young man gave that door to my grandfather as a gift, saying it would be needed later. He told him it was a door that could look into the past and change the future—an absurd story.”

I chuckled, imagining my grandfather’s reaction back then, when he had been so stubborn.

“My grandfather didn’t believe it, but since the door had already come in, he replaced it with the old, unused door to the storage room. After many years, when my parents died, my grandfather remembered that door. He wanted to change the future.”

I, too, had wanted to change things, clinging to the door as I felt my spirit breaking under the weight of the wounds.

“But sadly, it wouldn’t open, they say. For reasons unknown.”

And that door—I could open it. I began to think that the man who gave my grandfather the door might have foreseen this future.

The one who would open the door was already chosen. The phrase “looking into the past and changing the future” seemed more fitting for me than for my grandfather.

I smiled slightly, turning my upper body and resting my head against Ian’s shoulder.

“About the old man.”

“Yes?”

“He was crying.”

“I saw.”

“He was bleeding too.”

“It must have hurt.”

Another short silence passed. Enjoying the brief stillness, I quietly opened my mouth again.

“…He didn’t ask for forgiveness.”

There was no response. I couldn’t tell whether Ian was thinking about what had happened earlier or whether he was waiting for me to say more, but he quietly listened to my words.

“He told me to be happy. Not to forgive himself. Do you know what I thought when I saw that?”

“What?”

“Ah… I thought people are all foolishly selfish.”

I chuckled slightly and continued.

“If it were anyone else, they would selfishly ask for forgiveness. But he, on the other hand, was selfish in a different way. He wished for my happiness, as if he didn’t care what happened to him. As though that was his mercy.”

“Isn’t it good to be happy?”

“It is. But I don’t mind if my life is a little tough and unhappy. I think that in itself could be my happiness. But you see…”

I paused, suddenly feeling thirsty. I looked around, grabbed the water pouch from the saddlebag tied to the saddle, and took a sip.

“…In the end, what’s mine is mine, whether happiness or unhappiness. It’s mine to enjoy. You can’t be happy just because someone else wishes you happiness. But the old man, who seemed like he was going to die soon, tied his last wish to my happiness.”

“Maybe that was his way of expressing himself.”

“I think it was a foolishly selfish expression. But… it wasn’t bad. Even that.”

I heard Ian chuckling.

“Are you laughing at me?”

“Not at all. I just find it amusing.”

I pouted slightly, and Ian chuckled again while patting my head.

“So?”

“It was like… you know, it was like…”

I paused, then looked back at Ian. He was smiling at me.

“Amid the confusion and panic, the old man’s last words sounded just like something my parents would say. Isn’t that strange? That old man was nothing like my parents.”

Ian smiled and nodded his head down slightly.

“He wished for your happiness to ease his own guilt. It was devoted… foolish words.”

“Right, foolish words. I don’t think I would have said something like that.”

“What would you have said?”

“Well… I would have said it bluntly.”

He relaxed his expression.

“I would have said, ‘Don’t give up.’”

“On what?”

“On life ahead.”

Ian increased his pace a little. As if trying to escape the darkening forest, he pulled the reins, and the horse moved accordingly.

“The life ahead may be difficult, tiring, and painful, but still, don’t give up. If you keep going, won’t you eventually find happiness?”

“Is that something a guilty person should say?”

“What do you mean?”

Ian widened his eyes and looked at me, confused.

“Did the old man have guilt?”

The guilt of not protecting his master, that was a crime. Under normal circumstances, he would have been executed. But when I thought of the old man’s faint face, I couldn’t bring myself to think that way.

I glared at Ian, narrowing my eyes and pouting.

“You sure know how to talk.”

“Right?”

I leaned against his chest and closed my eyes. In the darkening forest, I thought again about my parents, about their warm hands that held me.

---

I stood at the door with a teacup in my hand, looking down at the handle.

At that moment, I struggled to open this door. I had clung to it, crying and shaking the handle. I could still clearly hear my voice from back then.

I tilted the teacup and took a sip of the warm tea, then reached out.

The smooth handle and the engraving on it. It was the symbol of Praeteritum.

In other words, this door was their legacy. The one who had given my grandfather the door must have been one of their members.

I grabbed the handle and squinted my eyes. Holding my pounding heart, I cautiously pulled the door.

I heard a clunk. I pulled a little harder, but the door didn’t open. Just like that day.

I set the handle down, breathing out.

Sometimes, I wondered if I was dreaming. Maybe everything I went through before passing through the door was a nightmare, and now this is reality. Or maybe this is a dream, and when I open my eyes, reality will return.

I couldn’t distinguish between the past and the future. I didn’t have the ability to do so. Praeteritum claimed to have changed many things with their power across time, but I thought that was all arrogance.

A future created by someone else. It was just a well-written play.

I didn’t want that kind of future.

Tessus was dead, and the traces of the temple had disappeared from where Praeteritum once stood. But what I heard and saw that day wasn’t a lie. So the door opening wasn’t a lie either.

As they said, maybe a day of regret would come again. At that time, would I be able to endure and accept everything?

“…I don’t know.”

I don’t know the future. But I thought knowing the future wouldn’t be fun.

It wasn’t important to me whether the children Ian and I would have would be a boy or a girl, who they would resemble, or what their personality would be. What mattered was simply feeling and experiencing those things.

So, I had no intention to open this door again, nor did I feel the need to.

Therefore…

“Goodbye, mansion.”

The old, decaying mansion, which had given me both memories and pain, was where my turning point had started.

So, the end should be here as well. I smiled as I looked around the old mansion.

Now, it’s truly over.

I emptied the cup and turned my body.

Now, it’s really over.