Leticia lost her memory. And it happened during a trip for just the two of them to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
Dietrian held the unconscious Leticia in his arms and glared at the culprit of this situation.
The fireworks bursting outside illuminated Heinz’s flustered face.
“This, this was a mistake! I had the best of intentions, I swear!”
“Feeding her a memory-erasing potion and calling it good intentions? Are you seriously making that your excuse right now?”
So, here’s how it all unfolded. Not long ago, a miraculous event occurred in Genos. Sigmund, who was thought to have left the mortal world, returned. And not just alone—he came back with Romiya, who had been his companion long ago.
But the surprises didn’t end there.
“Then, are you saying Lord Sigmund has become a mortal like us?”
“Indeed.”
Sigmund, who had relinquished his transcendent lifespan, seemed immensely happy.
He had decided to embark on a journey to introduce Romiya to Genos as they embraced their second lives together.
During their stay at the imperial palace to prepare for the journey, the imperial treasury became filled with rare treasures, as Sigmund—who cherished Leticia like his descendant—had given away all the treasures from his lair.
“Dietrian, Lord Sigmund said the reason he built Genos here was because of the color of Lady Romiya’s eyes. Isn’t that so romantic?”
Leticia was far more delighted by Sigmund’s romantic tale than by the treasures.
Hearing the authentic founding story of Genos directly from the man himself was incredibly fascinating.
What captivated Leticia the most, however, was the sea. Naturally, the destination for their wedding anniversary trip was decided as the sea.
“What about a secret trip instead of an official one? Like Lord Sigmund and Lady Romiya, we can live like ordinary people for a while.”
“That sounds wonderful. Let’s do it.”
Dietrian welcomed Leticia’s decision. For the past few years, Leticia had been busy as both an empress and a saint.
He wished for her to set aside her burdens and truly rest, even if only for a little while.
Coincidentally, a festival commemorating the founding myth was taking place at their destination.
Though they now knew the founding myth wasn’t entirely true, Sigmund’s earnest feelings remained undeniable.
Excited by the thought of participating in the festival as an ordinary couple, Leticia personally selected everything—her outfit for the festival, the food they would eat, and the performances they would watch.
Seeing Leticia so happy was enough to make Dietrian content.
He had no doubt this trip would be perfect. Yet, this disaster occurred.
“That potion wasn’t meant for her! I swear on the honor of a black mage! It was supposed to be for the old man… I mean, Lord Sig! I’m telling the truth!”
“Enough with your nonsense. Restore my wife to her original state immediately, unless you wish to die by my hands!”
While they were unpacking their belongings at the lodging and preparing to head out to explore the festival, Heinz showed up.
Leticia, recalling Heinz as Sigmund’s subordinate, welcomed him without much suspicion.
After drinking the beverage he handed her, she collapsed on the spot. Fortunately, she regained consciousness quickly but didn’t recognize Dietrian.
“Who are you…?”
After saying those words, she fell asleep again. Shocked, Dietrian demanded an explanation from Heinz, who gave an absurd answer.
He claimed that the potion—intended as an experiment for Sigmund—had accidentally been given to Leticia.
Dietrian truly wanted to snap Heinz’s neck. Heinz awkwardly laughed and tried to calm him down.
“Ha ha, threatening to kill me? That’s such a dangerous idea, isn’t it? I’m a great mage, after all. No matter how skilled you are, you can’t defeat me. If you charge at me, you’ll be the one to die.”
Annoyingly, Heinz was right. There was an inherent gap between a swordsman and a mage.
Moreover, Heinz had surpassed human limits. In a fight, Dietrian would lose 99 times out of 100. Still, he wanted to kill him.
As Dietrian’s intimidating aura showed no sign of abating, Heinz began to sweat profusely.
“This isn’t because I’m scared of you, okay? If I accidentally end up killing you, Lord Sig would never forgive me. That’s why I’m holding back!”
“Didn’t Lord Sigmund say he is no longer your contractor?”
“The new contractor is also a dragon! His name is Kaiten, and his temper is just as rotten as Lord Sig’s—well, that’s not the point! Anyway, I’m asking you to hold back from attacking me!”
“Shut up and hand over the antidote!”
“Ha-ha, well, the thing is… there isn’t an antidote. A transcendent doesn’t exactly need one, you know?”
“What?”
Dietrian’s eyes widened in shock.
“Are you saying it can’t be cured? That Leticia will live the rest of her life without her memories? Do you think I’ll let you live after that?”
“Honestly, that temper of yours, just like your lineage! Calm down! Don’t worry! Her memories will return in time. Do you think I could act this shamelessly if her memories were gone for good?”
“Then tell me, when exactly will her memories return?”
“Well, that’s something even I don’t really….”
Dietrian, still holding Leticia, grabbed the sword lying on the floor.
Seeing him on the verge of charging, Heinz hastily rummaged through his belongings.
“Wait! Calm down! I didn’t want to resort to this, but… if you’re going to be so insistent, I have no choice.”
From his arms, Heinz pulled out two scrolls.
Throwing the ash-colored one toward Dietrian, Heinz clutched the other tightly and yanked it open.
“Ask Sigmund yourself! He’ll surely have some kind of answer!”
*Rip!* The sound of the scroll tearing was followed by a flash of light filling the room.
Realizing what was happening, Dietrian rushed forward, but Heinz had already disappeared.
Dietrian’s face twisted in rage. Next time, he swore, he would definitely kill him.
He quickly examined the scroll.
“A summoning scroll?”
It was meant to summon Lord Sigmund! Without hesitation, Dietrian tore the scroll.
* * *
Not long after the scroll was torn, Sigmund appeared in the room.
Those few minutes felt like an eternity, and Dietrian nearly wept with relief. Sigmund, upon seeing the unconscious Leticia, let out an incredulous sigh.
“I felt Heinz’s energy and was going to ignore it, but the scroll’s use in such a peculiar location caught my attention. And to think it was for this! That fool has truly gone mad.”
“Lord Sigmund, will Leticia’s memories return?”
“Wait a moment. Let me examine her myself.”
Sigmund removed the apron tied around his waist, setting it aside, and casually wiped the flour from his hands.
“Romiya loves bread. Her favorite is macarons. But macaron batter isn’t easy to perfect. Theory and practice are completely different, you know. The shells keep cracking….”
“When we return to the palace, I’ll arrange for the best bakers in Genos to assist you. But for now, please, focus on Leticia.”
“Alright, alright. I see your nerves are completely frayed. Don’t worry. I’ll look into it right away.”
Sigmund gently took Leticia’s hand and closed his eyes.
A golden energy emanated from where their hands met, flowing into Leticia.
After a moment, Sigmund opened his eyes, his expression curious.
“Hmm.”
Dietrian’s heart sank. Fear that Leticia’s memories might be lost forever surged through him.
Sigmund waved his hand dismissively.
“Ah, don’t worry. Heinz was telling the truth. It’s a potion that causes temporary memory loss. Her memories will return soon enough.”
“…….”
“But the process will require a bit of effort. Still, it shouldn’t be too troublesome for you.”
“What must I do? I’ll do anything. Just tell me.”
“The potion Heinz used can be thought of as a kind of veil. It’s like a white veil covering her memories. Once the veil is lifted, the memories will naturally return. The method to lift the veil is….”
“It’ll be resolved quickly. I’ve seen the two of you clinging to each other all day on your days off. Just do the same throughout the trip, and her memories will return.”
“Throughout the trip?”
Dietrian was taken aback. It was true, as Sigmund said, that the two were often close. But the situation now was different.
“But Leticia has lost her memory. She doesn’t remember me. How can I initiate physical contact? If I try to force it, she’ll think I’m some kind of brute.”
“Don’t worry. Leticia will handle it naturally. Imprints tend to reemerge when the mind is blank. Just make sure you stay by her side when she wakes up.”
Sigmund made this cryptic remark, then stood up. He patted the still-confused Dietrian on the shoulder and smiled.
“Don’t be too disheartened. From my experience, having your partner lose their memory isn’t entirely a bad thing. You get to relive all the beginnings again. There’s even the fun of courting them anew.”
“…Excuse me?”
“You’ll understand once you experience it. Well then, I must take my leave. Romiya is waiting for me.”
Deeply engrossed in the novelty of his second romance, Sigmund disappeared, leaving his shocked descendant behind.
* * *
About an hour after Sigmund left, Leticia regained consciousness.
Dietrian suppressed his urge to call her name and waited for her to fully open her eyes.
Right now, Leticia didn’t recognize him. If he approached too suddenly, she might feel alienated.
After a moment, Leticia slowly sat up, looking around in confusion before turning to Dietrian.
“Who… are you?”
Though he had prepared himself, his heart still sank when she failed to recognize him.
Forcing himself to remain calm, Dietrian smiled softly.
“My name is Dietrian.”
“Dietrian?”
“Yes. I am your family. Do you not remember?”
He chose to describe himself as family rather than her husband to avoid startling her. Leticia stared at him in confusion, then shook her head.
“I don’t know. I can’t remember anything….”
“We’re on a trip right now. We were about to go see a festival. There was a small accident, and you temporarily lost your memory.”
“I lost… my memory?”
“Don’t worry too much. Your memories will return soon.”
Though he said this to reassure her, the words also comforted him. It hurt deeply to see her look at him like a stranger.
“We were about to go see the Genos Founding Festival. That’s when the accident happened. Luckily, there’s a way to recover your memory. The method is….”
He hesitated to say “physical contact.” The words wouldn’t come easily.
The thought that Leticia might reject him was more painful than he could bear.
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