Chapter 220 - 3−24
"Theodore-sama, your hand... wait, what is that?"
Blood stained Theodore-sama’s hand, the crimson stark against his skin. The dark fabric of his magician’s robe had hidden the truth, but he was clearly suffering from a deep, grievous wound. "Theodore-sama... please, let me see the injury."
My voice trembled as I spoke, but he gave no reaction. His silence was unnervingly unnatural. "Theodore-sama?"
He wasn't ignoring me to spare my feelings or hide his pain. If that were the case, he would have offered a witty retort or a playful deflection. A cold shiver raced down my spine, a shock like a physical blow rooting me to the spot.
Since when? Can he not hear me at all?
"Do you really think he’ll give up?" Theodore-sama asked.
How had I not realized it sooner? Despite my repeated calls, he continued to speak in a calm, steady voice, wearing a gentle smile designed to reassure me. I sat directly in front of him, desperately trying to catch his attention, but his gaze remained fixed on the spot where I had been standing moments ago. I was no longer there.
"It’s fine. Whether he’s the Reincarnation of the Progenitor Dragon or whatever destiny dictates, his obsession is far heavier than any of that."
Aside from an occasional pained furrow of his brow, he looked exactly like the Theodore-sama I knew, his lips curled into a half-teasing smirk. To any observer, he seemed perfectly normal. My voice cracked from shouting, and I pressed a hand to my mouth, falling into a stunned silence.
How could he smile so kindly in a situation like this? Why, Theodore-sama?
"I won't let him lay a single finger on you."
"Please... Theodore-sama, stop talking..."
Tears overflowed, and I covered my face, unable to stem the tide. I couldn't believe this was reality. He was right there in front of me, yet I was paralyzed by my own pathetic helplessness. Suddenly, his voice cut off. The abrupt silence made my heart skip a beat, and I looked up with a sense of dread.
Theodore-sama wasn't grimacing in pain anymore. Instead, he stared blankly into the distance. "Ah... I suppose I’m a bit sleepy after all."
"Theodore-sama! Where are you? I’m coming, right now!"
I scrambled to my feet and rushed toward the door. I rattled the handle frantically, but it refused to budge. Why won't it open?!
I needed to get out. I needed to reach him. The fact that I couldn't even do that much filled me with a searing frustration. I slammed my fist against the sturdy wood with all my might. My hand throbbed with a dull numbness, but I felt no pain. I wiped my eyes with my sleeve.
Now isn't the time for tears. I have to get out of here, immediately.
I pounded on the door again and again, screaming for someone to open it. But no sound came from the other side; only the echo of my own desperate cries filled the room. As my knees buckled and I collapsed to the floor, a quiet voice spoke from behind me.
"It’s okay."
I spun around. Theodore-sama had his eyes closed, a faint, gentle smile playing on his lips. "I won't die. I’m just... going to sleep for a little while."
"Theodore-sama?"
At my faint whisper, his eyelids flickered. They opened just a crack, seemingly focusing on exactly where I stood. I let out a cry of joy. "Theodore-sama! Can you see me? It’s Rachel! I’m right here!"
He was looking at me. Everything would be fine. I rushed to his side, tears of relief blurring my vision. He knit his brows as if responding to my voice. "Ah... what’s wrong?"
"What do you mean, what’s wrong? You’re..."
"...Right. Let’s play again later, Rachel."
Smiling like an older brother speaking to a small child, he reached out a hand. But before it could touch me, his form dissolved into shimmering particles of light and vanished. "Theodore-sama? Theodore-sama!"
Don't go. If you disappear like this, I won't even know if you're safe.
I reached for the very last speck of light, but it flickered once and vanished without a trace. His gentle smile and the way he had said my name with such affection echoed in my mind. That expression, that voice... they were buried deep within my distant memories.
Ah... I see. How could I have forgotten?
Theodore-sama looked just like him. The kind older boy who used to play with me at the manor when I visited with my grandmother. The warm soul who always indulged my selfishness with a resigned smile and stayed by my side when Grandmother passed away. Once the dam broke, the hazy memories flooded back in vivid color. Memories of the kindest boy I had ever known.
Scenes played out in my mind like the pages of a picture book. I saw him napping with a book over his face, and using magic to create a parade of animals from the manor’s fountain. I closed my eyes tight, trying to sharpen the image of him standing in the sun, and the figure in my mind began to change. The boy in my memory turned around slowly, as if someone had called his name. His silver hair shimmered in the sunlight as he raised a hand in greeting, his red eyes narrowing into a gentle smile.
It was Theodore-sama, just a much younger version of himself.
I opened my eyes, stunned. But the phantom of Theodore-sama was gone. It was as if he had never been there at all. Why didn't I realize it?
When we were introduced as Louis-sama’s fiancé, he had smiled with a familiarity that felt out of place for a first meeting. In the vision Nel-sama showed me of the aftermath of my death, Theodore-sama had been the first to rush into the forest, gently draping his robe over my body. Even after I lost my magic, when I went to the fief, when I investigated the mystery of the dark spirits... he was always there, watching over me.
Why had he been so close from the start? Why had he come for me at the end of my previous life, even though we barely knew each other then? Why was he always there to offer guidance and help?
The clues were always there, but I had simply basked in his kindness without questioning it. The broad back that always stood before me was so grand, so full of warmth.
Theodore-sama... have you been watching over me all this time?
I wanted to ask him, but all that escaped my throat were sobs and repeated words of atonement.