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Chapter 05
Lucian passed by Sion and stepped out of the room.
Without even a moment of hesitation, he began to walk with small, steady steps.
His confident eyes made it seem as if he already knew the layout of the mansion.
Even though it had only been two days since the child called “Lucian” arrived here.
“Is the cleaning done here?”
“Tommy, Mosquis told you to come to the underground prison.”
As the small child walked from the third floor down to the first, he passed many servants.
Yet not a single one noticed him.
“Meril, do you think we can finish it today?”
“Don’t worry, just trust me.”
Even when he passed right in front of Meril, who was holding a stained cloth, it was the same.
She should have recognized his face clearly—but her gaze didn’t move at all.
Thanks to that, Lucian quietly moved through the people and reached his destination.
“Is this the place?”
It was the end of the first-floor hallway.
Unlike the noisy opposite side, this place was especially quiet.
Paintings hung on both sides of the hallway, all covered with cloth.
From the dust piled on them, it seemed even the servants rarely came here.
But that didn’t matter to Lucian.
What mattered more was filling the gaps in his memories.
“…Next time, I’ll invite you to my house. Until then, don’t cry. And if those bad people bother you, fight back. Okay?”
A gentle voice echoed in his mind, carried by the faint breeze.
In those hellish days, that short memory from five years ago had given him the strength to live.
Maybe that was why, when a blade was once again placed against his neck, he thought of that child… and those words.
His subordinate once asked why he would step into such a dangerous place on his own.
But the answer was simple.
Meeting that child again—
that was the only reason.
Even if that kind child seemed to have forgotten him.
Lucian let out a quiet sigh and recalled another memory.
“At the end of the first-floor hallway, there’s a portrait of my family. People recognize my mother and father right away, but no one recognizes me. I cried a lot that day.”
At Lucian’s glance, the cloth covering the painting slipped down.
Just as he heard, a portrait appeared.
A father. A mother. And a child.
The child had violet eyes from the father and silver hair from the mother.
Her eyes were swollen red as she stared forward.
“So when my younger sibling is born, we’ll paint a new portrait! By the time you come, it’ll probably be finished!”
But unlike that cheerful voice, there was only one portrait.
There was no younger sibling.
Not even the mother he had once seen.
Lucian found it strange—but only for a moment.
He began walking again to find the answer.
At the same time, the cloth covered the painting once more.
The dust remained untouched.
Not a single trace of anyone’s hand.
* * *
At the same time, in the first-floor reception room—
Medeia sat across from a man from the Lisran Merchant Company.
Sophia stood outside, carefully watching the surroundings.
“You said the item has arrived?”
Only after the door was fully closed did Medeia speak.
“Yes. The necklaces you ordered last time. Please take a look.”
The man placed small boxes on the table one by one.
Each made a dull sound—except the last one.
That one made no sound at all.
At that moment, Medeia understood.
“Very well.”
Inside the opened boxes, necklaces sparkled.
But in the last box—
there was a small note instead.
【We have received contact from ‘I’. Please come to the secret location.】
As soon as Medeia read it, she handed it back.
The man poured liquid from a small bottle over it.
A small flame appeared—and the note turned to ash.
“Then I will take my leave—”
Just as the man stood up—
“Ah—!”
Sophia gasped.
Her eyes widened as she looked outside the window.
“Miss, it’s Lucian.”
He should have been upstairs with Sion.
How did he get here?
It was strange—no one had stopped him.
“Escort him out, and bring Lucian inside.”
“Ah, that won’t be necessary. Any message?”
“Tell them I’ll be there soon.”
The man raised his voice on purpose, as if for others to hear, and left.
“I’ll go bring Lucian.”
Sophia followed after him.
* * *
A moment later, Sophia returned with Lucian.
“Lucian, how did you end up here?”
“I came out to look around… and got lost.”
His face looked gloomy.
Just like when he had begged not to be sent back.
“Really? Sophia, is there anyone outside?”
“It’s better if I take him. He might feel more comfortable.”
Sophia looked at Lucian kindly.
But Lucian lowered his head even more.
It wasn’t comfort he wanted.
“…No. Go call Meril. I need to visit ‘that place.’”
Medeia glanced at the ashes.
“I understand.”
Sophia left again.
For a brief moment—
only Medeia and Lucian remained.
“Miss, may I ask you something?”
“Yes.”
Lucian lifted his head.
“Have you ever gotten lost… like me?”
“…No.”
Her answer came calmly after a short pause.
“You know… every time I got lost in the palace, you would appear like my savior.”
Lucian had repeated that memory many times.
There was no way he remembered it wrong.
Yet Medeia didn’t seem like she was lying.
“Come on, let’s go.”
The answer came from an unexpected place.
The maid guiding Lucian was older.
She had seen and heard many things in this mansion.
“Miss used to be bright and kind, right?”
“Of course. She was so kind that even this old woman was touched.”
The maid spoke freely, as if enchanted.
“Then why did she change?”
Medeia was calm now.
She rarely smiled.
As if she had closed off all her emotions.
“It was after the Madam left this mansion. After that shock… she lost many memories, and her personality completely chan—”
The maid suddenly covered her mouth.
“Don’t repeat what I just said. Forget it, alright?”
“I will.”
Lucian nodded with a faint smile.
He truly meant it.
As long as she hadn’t forgotten him because of bad memories—
anything was fine.
Even if her memories were gone…
he could simply fill them again—as “Lucian.”
But that sense of relief didn’t last long.
Because fate, as heavy as the heart she would not give him, separated them once again.
