1 – 1. Fourth Wedding Anniversary

‘I’ve returned.’

Where does it all begin?

First, the memory itself is clear.

A few days after laying Riana to rest.

The Transcendent’s all-out offensive began.

The kingdom was destroyed.

And I died by the Transcendent’s army.

That’s been the course of events up until now.

“Brother-in-law? Are you feeling ill? No, why are you like this?”

Alois is calling to me.

Exactly as he was eleven years ago.

I had to admit it at this point.

‘I really did return.’

Vitality floods my body.

My legs are intact.

Even so, the instinct driven by my memories clearly held Alois as an enemy.

“Brother-in-law?”

I can’t ignore his calls forever, so I deliberately check things.

“Alois, where are the flowers and the cake I prepared?”

“Ah, you’ve finally woken up a bit? The maids have prepared the flowers, and the cake is set to arrive for dinner.”

Then, Alois clutches his head, pleading.

“Please hurry and go soothe my sister’s mood. It’s a complete disaster over there right now.”

“Alright, Alois.”

I wanted to beat the red-haired man in front of me to death right away.

I almost impulsively made a fist, but I held back. He, too, is a man of Helmund.

Helmut’s overwhelming physical prowess, a thing of his very nature, is something a commoner like myself cannot overcome.

Not yet, anyway.

And so, I pass him by.

‘Bouquets, cake, and chandelier.’

Much will occur today.

Within the bouquets, blades are hidden; the cake is laced with a potion that breeds stomach cramps.

And the chandelier, it will plummet onto me, crippling my right leg.

Not merely this day alone, but a future ruined; a truly gruesome day is unfolding.

‘All of this…Alois, it was your plan.’

The one who destroyed my life, that was.

Alois Helmut, third son of Helmut, standing before me.

This time, I won’t be taken in.

As I pass him, I glimpse the pendant he wears around his neck.

A gift my wife, Rianna, had given him long ago, a thing he always keeps close.

Inside the pendant, there is a letter Rianna wrote as a child.

That very thing, that’s why Alois ruined my life.

‘A mad pervert.’

He was a lunatic, lusting after his own sister.

He had always been friendly with me, yet in his heart, he hated me more than anyone.

And so, he wished to render me more helpless, intentionally orchestrating the accident.

Yet, his own ending was not so pleasant.

In this timeline, three years hence, Alois, unable to contain his feelings, will face the tragedy of being expelled from the family.

* * *

Stepping outside, I’m greeted by the grand central hall of the Helmut estate.

The stairs leading to the second floor face the main entrance directly; the wide and dignified interior is always impeccably maintained.

The weapons displayed on the walls hint at a family deeply versed in the martial arts.

And right in front of the staircase leading to the second floor.

A woman with fiery red hair, standing with her hands clasped together.

“Rianna…”

My wife, whom I myself had buried.

The kingdom’s pride, who fought till the last against the Ascended.

Bloody Rose, Rianna Helmund.

“Isaac.”

At my call, she slowly turns her head, her gaze finding mine.

Her blood-red eyes, like gems carved by a craftsman, chide me.

“One of Father’s iron rules is that family members have breakfast together.”

Her usual blank expression, even after ten years, is familiar.

For reference, among family members who attend breakfast, I am not included.

Even as the husband of the eldest daughter.

Each thing like this is a way to know how they see me in Helmund.

“But today, I didn’t attend breakfast. I asked Father for permission beforehand.”

“Because of me?”

“That’s right, because you said you prepared breakfast for our fourth wedding anniversary.”

But as a result, I ended up being stood up.

“……”

Suddenly, the ring on her left ring finger catches my eye.

And mine as well.

The feel of the ring on my left ring finger after so long feels somewhat awkward.

Rianna.

Why have you kept the ring from your husband who fled?

The question remains, but as ever, there’s no one to answer.

“Though it’s a little late, let’s have breakfast.”

With my escort, Rianna follows to the dining room without a word.

There, a table set for two was ready.

Probably a request from yesterday’s me of this world.

As we sit at the table, the servants quickly bring the soup.

Among the servants, a familiar, welcome face appears.

Milly.

The youngest cook working in the Helmund kitchen.

The impressive coeval, Milly, with her tanned, bronze skin.

Back then, I used to talk with Millie often.

Being the same age and a commoner like me, she listened to my troubles well.

She’d offer comfort in her own way, cooking tasty food to soothe my lonely heart.

‘Looking at her like this, it’s truly good to see you.’

I hadn’t heard news of Millie since escaping Helmundt.

“Millie.”

“Yes, Master Isaac.”

I called her name out of joy, but it seemed Millie thought I was giving the signal we agreed on yesterday.

She brought bread and the sandwich ingredients, placing them before me.

They were rather rough ingredients, the sort you wouldn’t see in Helmundt usually.

‘Ah, that’s right. I prepared this, didn’t I.’

The moment I saw them, it came back to me.

As a sort of event to commemorate our wedding anniversary, I was going to recreate the first meal I’d ever made for Rianna.

“…….”

Back then, I’d been so intimidated by Rianna’s expressionless face that I couldn’t even make it properly.

‘Looking at it now, though.’

Looking with some ease now, I could actually see a subtle expectation lurking beneath that blankness.

Once the servants had left,

I began making a sandwich for Rianna.

I halved the bread, sliced some cheese, and cut the bacon into easy-to-eat pieces.

A few pickled gherkins were the only vegetables.

Lastly, I finished it by topping it with salted mashed potatoes.

“Here you go.”

“…….”

Rianna, who had been staring intently at the sandwich I offered, carefully took it with her hands.

Back when we first met,

I remember struggling quite a bit to convince her to eat with her hands, saying it was against etiquette.

While I was making a sandwich for myself,

I caught sight of Rianna holding her sandwich with both hands and cautiously taking a bite, which brought a small smile to my lips.

‘It reminds me of back then.’

When I lived as a ferryman, this was my staple.

I could eat it even while crossing the river in a boat, you see.

Suddenly.

Gazing intently at Rianna eating her sandwich.

It felt like so much had changed.

Upon the blue river.

Back then, sharing a sandwich on a small skiff.

Back then, laughing with small worries about getting too much sun.

‘Never would I have imagined, never, that such a future would await me.’

I glance at Rianna, chewing her sandwich.

The way she eats, munching.

A little surprisingly.

It was the only thing, out of all my changed memories, that remained unchanged.

* * *

Time passed, and it was evening.

In the banquet hall of the Hellmunt manor.

Isaac stood on the balcony, gazing up at the starry sky.

Beside him, his wife, beautifully adorned, was looking at the same place.

Hair cascading down her back, snow-white skin that accentuated the scarlet, fiery red eyes that burned differently than her rose-colored hair.

She was worthy of the title, “the Rose of Hellmunt,” the kingdom’s most exquisite beauty.

Today had been busy indeed.

A new bouquet was prepared, the cake was a small, humble one, prepared by Millie and not a luxurious one from outside.

As Alois planned, the chandelier did fall, but Isaac, already expecting it, had neatly dodged it.

And so.

Isaac had returned to this place, after roughly ten years of winding paths.

‘Last life, I fainted under the chandelier, after all.’

A breeze rustled his hair, and he turned his head slightly.

Rianna standing beside him.

Her expression was frozen, devoid of any trace of emotion.

The coldness captured in her scarlet eyes always made Isaac wary.

“Rianna.”

“…….”

Even at Isaac’s call, Rianna didn’t answer.

She was looking at the sky, as if waiting for something.

“Today, I prepared rather diligently.”

For Isaac, it was an event that took 14 years.

And now, the final act.

Here, where the empty rose garden of Helmund shines brightly in the moonlight.

Isaac gently pulls Rianna’s left hand towards him.

“We’ve had quite a lot happen, haven’t we?”

“…….”

“Even so, we’ve managed alright as a married couple, in our own way.”

Even expressionless Rianna seems a bit surprised by that statement, staring blankly at him.

“I pondered it many times. What would be the best path for our marriage.”

Isaac gently cups her left hand in both of his.

“Rianna.”

Then, carefully removing the wedding ring from the ring finger of her left hand, he quietly declares,

“Let’s get divorced.”

A breeze carrying the scent of roses wafts by.

“What?”

For the first time today, Rianna’s expressionless face cracks.