All the attendants had retired for the night, leaving only a small flickering light in the dark hallways of the Count's manor.
Hailey, Elena's personal maid, was walking somewhere with a lit candlestick. Her ladyship, Elena Edelweiss, was also beside her.
They had a specific purpose for being up this late. It had nothing to do with stealing the Count's valuables, as Duke Edelweiss was the second richest man in the North.
The two of them stopped in front of a room. They opened the door very slowly to prevent anyone from hearing the noise and went inside.
It was a cozy windowless room, consisting only of a bookcase, a fireplace, a few cushioned chairs, and a single desk.
There was one person already seated in one of those chairs; he was Count Kraus, the one who had called them there. Standing next to him was Ken, a wrinkled old butler who gave off a kind impression, and a middle-aged maid with quite the gray hair.
"It must've been hard to navigate your way here since all the lights were off. I'm glad to see you."
"Hailey has great eyes for the dark. It also wasn't that difficult since you had explained it to us well, Count Kraus. We just had to find a room with a light leaking from the door cracks."
Truthfully, Elena only needed to follow her instincts and find the room where she sensed the strongest energy. Darkness posed no obstacle for her. As a transcendentalist, she couldn't escape Count Kraus's presence even if he tried to conceal it perfectly.
"Count Kraus…sounds too formal. Just call your father-in-law, father. We're going to be family anyway."
"Yes, Father."
The two of them smiled and responded to each other.
Perhaps it was because of the count's youthful appearance, there was a sense of oddity with this picture. Hailey was the only one who minded it because she was not used to the man's appearance yet.
Joachim Edelweiss, head of House Edelweiss, was also the same age as Count Kraus. Joachim did look younger than his actual age. The count, however, looked to be a young man in his twenties. Hailey would also find it strange since the count looked exactly like Damian, her ladyship's fiancé.
Count Kraus proceeded to introduce his attendants to Elena one by one.
"This is Ken, and the woman beside him is Maria. They were the ones who raised Damian. They've been with him since he was a child, so they probably know him better than I do."
"That is not true. He grew up on his own. All we did was stay by his side."
"I couldn't be by his side that much either. Even when he had to say his farewells to his mother."
Neither Maria nor Ken could refute Count Kraus's self-deprecating words. He saw himself as a less-than-adequate father, despite his genuine care for his children. Elena, having heard about Count Kraus from Alphonse and Damian in her previous life, understood their true feelings towards their father.
At the moment, there was nothing Elena could say to the count. Perhaps in the future, she would have an opportunity to address it. Her regression only applied to her, as she was the only one who remembered their past.
The current Elena Edelweiss, was only here to meet her soon-to-be fiancé, an arrangement which was made under the influence of their fathers.
"Oh dear, I almost revealed an unpleasant side of myself. Please forget what happened,"
Elena contemplated whether it was appropriate for her, as a soon-to-be fiancée of his son, to offer comforting words. She didn't dwell on it for long.
"Although today was the first time I met Lord Damian, I didn't sense any resentment towards his father. It's rare to see nobles conversing so comfortably during mealtime."
Elena shared, hoping to provide some solace. The count's hardened expression softened, and he expressed his gratitude.
"Yes. If that's how it appears in your eyes, I suppose so. Thank you for telling me. Geez, maybe it's because I'm getting old, I'm not like how I was back then."
"My father would be furious if he heard you say that, considering how young you look."
"Heh? Well, let him get as angry as he wants or develop a magic spell to reverse aging. That man always takes it out on the innocent. Tsk tsk. I'm glad you take after your mother instead of him, Elena. It's a relief."
As soon as the count laughed, the cozy atmosphere returned to the room. Hailey, in particular, tried her best to hide her tension. It felt like a weight had been lifted, and she could finally breathe again.
The count noticed her expression, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he suppressed his laughter.
"Ahem! Let's focus on the matter at hand."
Count Kraus, Ken, Maria, and Elena were present in the room. If Hailey, who stayed by Elena's side, were to be included, there would be five people. They had gathered for one purpose: to find a way for Damian and Elena to grow closer. That was the sole reason why the count had sent a telegram to Elena after dinner.
"Elena, based on what I observed during our meal, it seems that you have already developed feelings for Damian."
Elena wondered if her emotions were that obvious to others. Her face started to blush when the count directly addressed her feelings.
"Yes. Um…"
She had prepared several responses in case the count questioned her love. However, the count waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to explain.
"No, you don't need to tell me why. There are numerous reasons why people fall in love, even if it's their first meeting. If you wish to share your reasons in the future, you can do so then. My son is truly fortunate to have captured the attention of a sweet and beautiful lady like you, even if he fails to realize it. I sometimes wonder who he takes after."
"For starters, I don't believe he takes after you since your expression reveals everything."
"That's right. It's all Ken's fault. I shouldn't have allowed you near Damian when he was little. You turned Damian into a stone. How will you take responsibility for obstructing my son's engagement?"
"Wait, how did this become my fault? The young master has always been like that."
"Nonsense! He was just like me when he was a kid. He was full of expressions! Didn't he mature too quickly because you were so strict!?"
"Strict you say, but Count Kraus, you were the one who…."
"Anyway! Does anyone have any plans?"
No one had an immediate answer.
Elena didn't even know how to date in the first place. Hailey, on the other hand, had always been by her ladyship's side and had never dated either. That was why Elena had relied on her father-in-law and Ken, but their conversation had already proven unhelpful.
Maria was the only person left whom she could turn to. The older woman appeared to ponder for a moment before coming up with a suggestion.
"Um, miss, could you cry for us once?"
"Pardon?"
***
Time flew by, and the next morning arrived once again.
Count Kraus and Ken helped choose a venue for us to have breakfast together.
It was at the eastern annex, known as the Isilia Pavilion, where his mother, Arwen Kraus, used to cultivate her garden. It had a different atmosphere compared to the main building where I stayed earlier.
My heart raced at the scent of flowers carried by the wind, along with traces of his fragrance.
It wasn't long before he arrived. We would have our meal, go through yesterday's Q&A again, and not delve any further. To be precise, it was because I talked incessantly that he couldn't bring up any topics.
Probably a quarter of how much I said was the amount I spent talking to him in my previous life. However, I couldn't delay it any longer as he brought up talks of the engagement.
"Elena, we haven't clearly discussed our arrangement yet. More importantly, it's still too early to…"
But I knew it was time to do what Maria had advised me yesterday.
'Miss, a lady's tears can become a powerful weapon, especially when they come from a beautiful lady like yourself.'
'But how would she be able to cry on the spot, Maria? I wonder if such a display would even move the young master's heart. He didn't so much as flinch when I weeped in jest.'
'That's because your acting is worse than Alphonse's cut behavior, Ken. And the young master is perceptive in the most peculiar ways. A few tears won't affect him. You have to genuinely feel sad, with true emotions.'
'Okay, but how do you know that?'
'I did it to the young master in the past when he kept training and overworking his body. I don't know why you're asking when you've fallen for it many times.'
'What are you talking about...? Wait... Then before, when you...!'
Before my memories became jumbled, I stopped myself from dwelling on irrelevant stuff. The point wasn't Ken and Maria's argument; it was the fact that I had to genuinely cry for him.
'Lady Edelweiss has just met the young master today, so it will be more effective to employ this tactic after you get to know each other better. The more time you spend together, the more sincere your emotions will be.'
Maria explained. However, she didn't know about my regression.
'Who else except for me has spent more time with him than I did?'
"You said you would respect my choice, Damian. And I chose to engage you. Isn't that enough?"
What I had to do was direct my remorse and sorrow towards him, both of which I was confident in doing as I only needed to recall my memories from a few hours ago.
It hadn't even been 24 hours since my regression; it had only been just over 19 hours. In other words, it had been a mere 19 hours since he died in my arms. Though he stood before me now, alive and breathing, it was too little time to completely erase that memory.
Recalling the events from a few hours ago wasn't particularly difficult. The painful memories, no matter how hard I tried to bury them, resurfaced once again.
The sensation of his hands growing colder and colder, the sound of his heartbeat slowing down, and, ultimately, the gentle smile that reflected in my eyes...
As those memories flooded my mind, warm tears streamed down my face.
I could see him panicking upon seeing my tears.
The magical energy within me responded to my emotions, causing the air around us to turn cold.
"So why would you say that?"
I uttered those words without truly comprehending them. At that moment, sadness and grief overwhelmed me. Gradually, the present faded away, and the past consumed my thoughts.
Driven by the chill I had conjured, I instinctively grabbed his hand. Despite the expected drop in temperature, his hand felt remarkably warm.
"I'm sorry." He apologized as he embraced me to shield me from the cold.
"It wasn't my intention to worry you. It was just so sudden. I only meant to say we need time to get to know each other. That's all."
To be honest, I couldn't fully hear his words. All I could sense was his warmth and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
And at that moment, everything changed when he looked at me. He was alive, and it shattered everything I knew from the past.
'Did I feel relieved?'
Nestling into his arms, I momentarily forgot my original purpose for being there.