…No, how did that question turn into that meaning?
The way Nox phrased it carried a strange nuance, and I gave him an awkward smile. I couldn’t claim I helped everyone—I hadn’t even met enough people over the last ten years to say so—but with Nox… I couldn’t help caring.
“You’re not answering.”
“Haha… Sometimes silence is an answer, isn’t it?”
Nox stared at me for a long time before finally turning his head away.
He must have taken that as agreement, right? Watching him swing the sword earlier was already proof enough. But really, isn’t it strange how calm he is about someone volunteering to risk their life for him? Most people would at least ask if I was sure or say something about how dangerous it would be.
Even without his memories, Nox was still a lot like the person I remembered from the book—someone who always prioritized what was beneficial to him first. At least he hadn’t done anything that could be called insane or mad… yet. Still, he felt like a balloon filled with explosives—one wrong move, and it might just go off.
“Shall we go back inside? It’s almost morning.”
The night sky was giving way to a pale dawn, the sun likely to rise within the hour. Nox followed me quietly, agreeing without a word.
Once inside, we were about to separate when Nox caught my hand.
“…Where are you going?”
“To my room.”
“Your room is here.”
He pointed toward the room we shared. I glanced at the half-open door, awkwardly averting my eyes.
“I’m going to sleep in my sister’s room tonight.”
“Why?”
“Well… my sister’s not here, so… there’s no reason to share a room, right?”
I looked at him. He had shrugged off his outerwear, draping it over his shoulders, his chest and abdomen completely bare. He’d already stripped down earlier, saying it was too hot.
Right… Nox is nineteen, isn’t he?
The sharp lines of his muscles still caught me off guard every time. If we stayed in the same room, I’d have to keep seeing that half-naked body… Nice to look at, sure, but not exactly conducive to a good night’s sleep.
I’d been nodding off during the day more often lately, and it was entirely this man’s fault.
“I just… want to sleep well.”
“I don’t remember ever disturbing your sleep.”
Nox stepped closer, grasping the door handle. Click—the door to my sister’s room shut.
“W-why are you doing this?”
“Explain in a way that makes sense.”
“…Do I really have to explain why I want to sleep properly?”
“Why can’t you sleep next to me?”
“…Excuse me?”
Oh, come on, sir. How do you expect me to sleep peacefully next to a half-naked man like you?
His amethyst eyes stared straight into mine, framed by black hair falling over his forehead. He didn’t look like he intended to move until I gave him a satisfactory answer.
“I’ll go. So just… go to bed already.”
“You said you’d go, so why are you still here?”
“…I didn’t say I was going to that room.”
I meant my sister’s room.
I lifted my head, meeting his towering figure. His shadow stretched as large as he was.
“Wouldn’t it be uncomfortable for you to share my bed? It’s not that big…”
I said it carefully, studying his unreadable expression.
“…”
Then, suddenly, his eyes flashed dangerously, sharp like a wolf whose prey had been stolen. My shoulders tensed on instinct.
“…Fine.”
His hand slipped from the doorknob.
“…I understand.”
But he looked at me with such visible dissatisfaction that I almost felt guilty. His rare expressions made every flicker of emotion stand out.
Dissatisfaction? Really? What for?
Tilting my head, I watched him turn away.
“Have a good night.”
“…You give the disease, then offer the cure.”
His cryptic reply puzzled me, but I soon forgot it as I entered my sister’s room.
* * *
Chirp, chirp.
Morning arrived. Since my sister wasn’t here, I indulged myself and stayed in bed until late morning. Even after waking, I lay there, eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of my blanket.
The door opened.
Tap, tap.
“…”
When I finally opened my eyes, I saw a small, black-haired figure. No, a small head. Nox’s wide, clear eyes blinked at me.
“Mm… Nox…?”
He froze for a moment, then clutched the bedsheet.
“Amy. Amy.”
“What’s wrong?”
His voice was rushed, almost desperate, like someone parched for water. He clung to the sheet, biting his lip nervously before releasing it. Watching his hesitant movements, I realized what was wrong.
“Is it because I wasn’t here this morning?”
“…”
He nodded, his face scrunched up with an almost tearful expression. Honestly… it was adorable. I rested my chin on my pillow, smiling warmly.
“I slept in my sister’s room last night. She’s not here, so…”
So I avoided you.
“If only you were half this cute at night.”
“…?”
No, maybe cute wasn’t the right word.
I gently pried his hands off the sheet and sat up.
“Shall we have breakfast?”
“Mm.”
As I pulled back the curtains and stretched lazily, Nox followed me closely, as always.
“What do you want today? Herb sandwiches? Fried quail eggs? We’ve been eating mostly vegetables, so maybe some ham would be nice…”
“I like everything.”
He nodded eagerly, coming up to my right side—and to my surprise, he grabbed my hand. He usually only held onto my sleeve or the hem of my clothes.
“Amy.”
“Hm?”
His small, warm hand felt strangely unfamiliar, given how rarely he touched me.
After hesitating, Nox lowered his head and spoke softly.
“…Don’t abandon me.”
I stared at the tiny hand clutching mine.
So that’s what had taken him so long to say?
Such a simple sentence, yet his rushed tone and trembling fingers carried all the weight in the world. My heart ached as I gave him a helpless smile.
“I won’t. And, you know, Nox…”
Strange, isn’t it? His upturned face right now overlapped so perfectly with the displeased face of the man from last night when I said I’d sleep alone.
I crouched down to meet his eyes.
“Remember how I said you might have a real ‘home’ somewhere?”
“…Yes.”
“There might be people there who care about you deeply.”
The male lead in the original story had been abandoned by his family and hated by many, but not everyone had despised him. The Dawn Knights, Lux, had followed him as if he were their very life, searching for him tirelessly when he disappeared.
“When you eventually remember your home… everything might change.”
“…”
Right now, this child, and even the nineteen-year-old Grand Duke version of Nox, remembered nothing. By the time he remembered, I would already be gone.
Hopefully, he would only remember after I’d left—so that when he thought of me and my sister, we’d just be a passing memory, a simple piece of his past.
“When you’ve gotten everything back, if you still want to stay here… then tell me then.”
But that would never happen.
The man who had once vowed revenge on the crown prince who tried to kill him wouldn’t just sit idly by. Even if my sister survived, the male lead wouldn’t forgive the one who had tried to murder him. He would march to the capital just as he had in the book.
“…If I say it, can I stay?”
Being abandoned only happens when two people need each other. But Nox and I… we were destined to part ways eventually.
Even so, he was slowly taking up more and more space in my heart.
It wouldn’t change anything, though.
Running away was still better than letting the pursuers kill my sister.
…Sorry, male lead. I can’t repay you, but you’ll meet people far better than me.
Running away from Nox someday was inevitable. If I could wish for anything, it would only be for him to carry a few good memories from here when that day came.
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
Not knowing anything, Nox held my hand tightly, smiling faintly, his white cheeks tinged with a camellia-red blush.
How was I supposed to give him just enough affection—not too deep, not too shallow?
Trying to keep my expression calm, I forced a smile and hesitated before gently patting his head.
Soft.
…Why is his hair so soft? Without realizing it, I ruffled it slightly, and Nox closed his eyes, laughing softly as if enjoying the touch.
“Let’s eat.”
“…Okay.”
After breakfast, our routine was a little different from usual. Normally, I would either do housework or tutor Nox, but today, instead of focusing solely on his lessons, I opened a book of my own.
Nox looked at the title, “Encyclopedia of Magical Beasts,” with fascination, then sat down and studied as earnestly as I did, even crossing his short legs to mimic my posture.
The sight was so cute that I smiled despite myself.
* * *
Half a day passed in a blink.
Under the dark sky, Nox was staring intently at the longsword.
“Do you remember how to maintain a sword?”
“I don’t.”
He said he didn’t, yet his hands moved with a practiced ease as he touched the blade. I handed him a whetstone, watching curiously. I hadn’t expected him to be so skilled.
“You say that, but you’re using the whetstone just like my sister. It looks professional.”
“Is that so? I really don’t know. I’m just doing what feels right.”
…So even this was muscle memory?
Watching him work on the sword, I thought of his daytime self. The longer I spent with him, the more I saw the boy and the man as two separate people.
The child Nox barely spoke, innocent and quiet, nothing like this cold-eyed man. And this man, with his sharp, chilling gaze, didn’t resemble the timid, watchful boy at all.
Maybe that’s why I felt more comfortable with daytime Nox.
“Are you done?”
“Yes.”
Finishing the maintenance, Nox stood beside me, sword in hand. Since there was only one entrance to our home, I guided him toward the fence.
“You need to head straight from the gardenia tree, in the direction of ten o’clock. Walk in a straight line for about ten minutes, and you’ll reach the abandoned house.”
“Closer than I thought.”
“Not exactly. Walking in a straight line in the forest is different from on flat ground. You’ll have to move around trees, so it’ll take longer.”
I recalled what my sister had said.
“She tied white cloths along the way in case someone got lost. As long as we don’t encounter any monsters, the path should be straightforward.”
“I see.”
“But monsters aren’t the only danger. There are poisonous plants along the way.”
Tetethis—its fruit bursts when someone passes, scattering seeds with poisonous smoke and liquid. When we first found this place, my sister and I learned that lesson the hard way.
“I’ll point them out as we go. Let’s move.”
Nox stepped through the fence gate first. I swallowed nervously at the dark forest before following him, gripping my packed bag tightly.
Don’t worry, Sister. I won’t do anything reckless.
My sister always worried, but when it came to herbs and plants, I knew more than she did—something she admitted herself. She just didn’t take me out often because of how dangerous the forest was.
We reached the gardenia tree sooner than I expected. Nox’s night vision was excellent—unsurprising, given his body remembered everything, even if his mind didn’t. He had always been naturally skilled at physical things.
“It’s creepy out here.”
“It’s night.”
“…Aren’t you scared, Nox?”
“I’m not.”
“Wow… I envy you. I keep imagining some ghost jumping out of that black hole of a path, and it’s terrifying.”
“Ghosts?”
Nox glanced at me.
“The dead aren’t scary. They can’t do anything.”
“…Huh? Nox, did you just remember something?”
Under the moonlight, his amethyst eyes gleamed like polished stones. He shook his head.
“No, it just came to mind. It faded quickly.”
…Wait. Something came to mind? A bead of cold sweat ran down my back, but I forced myself to stay calm and looked away.
No, he couldn’t be regaining memories this fast. It was probably just a fleeting image.
Still, anxiety gnawed at me, and I opened my mouth to speak—
“Nox…”
“Shh.”
Nox grabbed my shoulder, pulling me close.
“There’s something.”
“A… Ah.”
A strange, birdlike screech echoed through the quiet forest. Something was moving in the brush ahead.
In the Night Forest, there was only one thing that could make that sound. I gripped my bag and spoke calmly.
“That’s a Gllylus.”
“Gllylus?”
“A magical beast with a lion’s head and bird’s wings. Nox, draw your sword! But listen to me first—our goal is to reach the abandoned house, not to fight.”
Clutching his sleeve, I quickly explained. I’d seen Gllylus before when I was with my sister. Thankfully, it wasn’t very strong or particularly troublesome.
“Nox, you’re not fully used to handling a sword yet, so swing only when I give the signal, okay?”
“Understood.”
Even now, Nox’s expression was calm, his eyes steady. For a moment, I admired how composed he was as I turned toward the brush.
Rustle.
The creature burst through the trees—a Gllylus, just as expected. Three of them, all shades of dark blue that blended perfectly into the night.
Screech! Screech!
The bizarre lion-headed birds cried sharply, rushing at us. I quickly pulled something from my bag.
Screeeech!!
The powder I threw exploded against one of them, making it wail.
“Now!”
Nox’s sword moved with surprising speed and precision, striking exactly where I had hoped.
Green liquid splattered through the air, and I grabbed his sleeve, darting away from the spray.
“This way!”
Thanks to the white cloth markers my sister had tied, finding the right direction wasn’t hard.
“What was that you threw?”
“Tarro powder! It’s deadly for winged magical beasts. The effect is only temporary, though.”
“Then we should run.”
“Correct!”
I usually made hunting tools for my sister, and this powder was also used to deter monsters near the fence.
“It won’t last long, but… it should immobilize them for a while.”
“I don’t think so.”
“…What?”
I realized what he meant a second later.
Two Gllylus blocked the path ahead, one rustling in the bushes, and two more emerged from either side—seven in total, screeching threateningly.
“This is dangerous.”
A cold sweat trickled down my back.