TTI 13

 At that time, Peter had barely recovered from his illness. He was weak and frail. In contrast, the Emperor was a sturdy man of stature, making the boy hanging onto him seem almost like a child.

However, Peter's gaze was ominous, as if he would tear apart the man who dared to grab his jaw right then and there.

The Emperor appreciated that aspect of his son. His inhuman demeanor, that crazed appearance, pleased him.

In a typical household, one might imagine a father sitting his son on his knee, telling him tales of old. But in the Von De Layen House, things were different.

It was a ruthless father who grabbed his son's jaw who spoke.

"If you understand, forget about the dead. That's your only way to survive."

The way dragons chose their companions was simple.

Imprinting.

Of course, becoming an official companion involved certain procedures, so it couldn't be said that a companion was obtained solely through imprinting. But from then on, the fate of the dragon was all but decided.

And Peter imprinted on Rowell. The tragedy was that imprinting on someone who would soon die was his only tragedy.

So perhaps it was one of his father's few sincere pieces of advice, but Peter mocked his father.

"You, Emperor, can't forget your dead companion and yet you tell me to forget. It's so easy to say."

Whether he voiced that thought or not is unclear.

The memories of that time were still vivid even after ten years, but ironically, he couldn't remember anything that happened afterward. When he regained consciousness, he was suffering from a fever.

The diagnosis: Post-Exertion Malaise Syndrome.

It was when Peter first used magic and, at the same time, first realized.

The power to erase existence. It could be applied to intangible entities as well.

It was a power that could be used on anything in this world, as long as it existed.

Even one's own memories, or the existence of a person, could be erased from this world.

And so, Peter lost his memories but gained the ability to use magic for the first time.

Upon returning to the palace, for five years, Peter tried to find Rowell.

Two years after reaching adulthood, Peter still hadn't found Rowell.

Three years after becoming Emperor, Peter began to erase traces of Rowell.

A decade can change many things. Even just reminiscing about the remaining memories was a painful time.

If he didn't forget, it felt like he would die. Suffocated by longing, he couldn't bear it. In his struggle to live, he had to suppress the longing. He didn't know where the longing should end, so he buried his life in the ground. Even though there were no mature parts of his body left, if he didn't dream of Rowell, it was over.

Thus, the first memory Peter erased was Rowell's smiling face. Unable to bear to erase the memory himself, he thought about wanting to erase what tormented him the most, and afterwards, Rowell's smiling face didn't come to mind.

Next was Rowell sleeping. Then, her voice. Then, holding hands...

Yet, no matter how many years they had spent together, Rowell never disappeared, no matter how much he erased. Perhaps he could have completely erased her if he wanted, but Peter couldn't do it.

"As long as Rowell's existence isn't completely erased from this world, the imprint won't disappear."

But if even Peter had little memory of her, how could he find traces of her?

Above all, it was difficult to imagine a scenario where Rowell didn't exist in his memories. Even if she wasn't his companion, the imprinted partner was already a part of him. One of the things that made him who he was was Rowell's existence.

Even if he couldn't recall her smiling face anymore, even if he couldn't remember what she looked like when she closed her eyes, the emotions of that moment, the weather, the sunlight brushing his cheek, were all vivid. How much he loved her, how precious the moments they spent together were.

It was a clear imprint that Rowell's existence would never leave his mind until it was completely erased from this world.

Yet, Peter no longer dreamed of Rowell. He didn't need to suffer anymore, and there were more days where he didn't think of her at all.

He truly believed he had forgotten Rowell. Or at least, he thought so.

Until Annette appeared before him.

The buried memories resurfaced in an instant. Memories he thought he had forgotten returned with even greater impact than when he tried to erase them.

So, the day Annette entered the palace, Peter dreamed of Rowell again.

The two children were leaning against the same tree shade as always.

"There's a black rose, Rowell."

"Really? We should plant some in our garden too."

"I think it would suit you well."

"Why? Because it's black?"

Rowell's voice carried a hint of chilliness. Black suited her demeanor, after all.

But Peter wouldn't have brought it up just to hurt her.

"No, because of the meaning of the flower."

"What is it?"

"You are forever mine."

Ahaha! Rowell burst into laughter. It was as genuine as her face.

"Yeah, right, Peter."

But the expression on Rowell's face as she uttered those words next was excessively cold. No, it was sharp. No, it was ruthless. No...

"Where would you go if you're not by my side."

It was cruelly twisted.

"Where can I go when you've killed me and my family?"

Rowell poured out accusations with a twisted face. Her hands mercilessly choked Peter's neck. They were no longer the hands of a girl.

"If it weren't for you, there would have been no reason for me, for my family, to die...!"

Annette Martinek. The memory of her choking Peter's neck was the last thing he remembered before waking up.

The madness that had been suppressed along with the memories now invaded him more strongly than ever.

And so, several days later, in the present.

"...I need to stop thinking about Rowell."

It had been days since Simoren went to escort Annette.

Peter eventually couldn't overcome the turmoil in his mind and stood up from his seat. Outside the window, it had already darkened. It was a time when one couldn't discern whether what was rushing towards the horizon was a dog or a wolf. The same scenery as in Peter's mind was spreading outside the window, engulfing it like a spider web.

"I should try erasing my memories again. As long as Annette is around, it will only have the opposite effect."

There's no way to control madness if left alone.

Meeting Annette again in this state would hardly have a positive impact. If Peter didn't want to cause a disturbance at Tilleman's commemorative ceremony, he had to find another way to control his madness before then.

Fortunately, he had a method he had used until three years ago. Although he hadn't used it since he started erasing memories.

"I should visit the garden after a long time."

Peter decided to open the door that had been closed for a long time.

---

"Formally introducing myself. I'm Simoren Lindel, who will be in charge of your escort from today."

Watching the knight with gray eyes bowing and greeting, Rowell thought to herself.

"...My luck isn't as bad as I thought."

Until just before Simoren's arrival, Rowell had been preoccupied with one concern. Naturally, it was about the future.

"Things have been going well as planned so far."

There probably wouldn't be any major issues as things stood, but Rowell preferred certainty whenever possible. The habit of testing every stone before crossing came from Opherta. There, there aren't second chances for everything. Only one chance, carefully calculated and precisely seized, determines the outcome of everything.

So, to increase the success rate, anything that could increase the likelihood of success shouldn't be overlooked. Just because it was this time, it didn't mean she added more; she certainly didn't subtract.

She handed over the documents written in Opherta's code.

‘The current Emperor's madness hasn't progressed as much as expected.’

These documents were compiled by Rowell, who was diligently compiling stories to make a final conclusion. And among them, the most noticeable was, of course, the story about Peter's madness square.

‘The other emperors who didn't have companions were already halfway mad before Peter's age.’

Because not much was known about the progression of the emperor's madness, Rowell had to consider the possibility that the current Emperor Peter might be in a similar state as she searched for evidence. In the process, Rowell learned that Peter had managed to maintain his sanity longer than any other emperor.

The situation must be at its worst; how on earth?

‘Madness can't simply be stopped with willpower alone…’

Rowell was certain that Peter had found some method. It's just that she didn't know what it was.

And this was something even Martinek's intelligence couldn't uncover. She even tried to discreetly inquire if Monique knew anything, but...

"Even the Empress doesn't have a clue."

It seemed like a dead end to find out. While pondering about this, Simoren came to her.

The face of Mabel's brother who now worked in the same place as her lit up.

"It's really great that your brother is coming as my escort!"

"...I suppose."

Rowell replied, turning her gaze towards Simoren. It didn't take much effort to face her hostile gaze. Looking into her cold gray eyes, she remembered what happened when she visited Simoren yesterday.

[I dislike you, Annette Martinek.]

There's no way someone who said that would suddenly become fond of her overnight.

Rowell hid the upward curve of her mouth as she pretended to stroke her chin.

"How fortunate."

What's the harm in pretending?

Now she might get closer to Peter's secret.