Levi continued staring at the mysterious boy.
The resemblance to Arthur was almost unbelievable.
His face…
His smile…
Even the way he stood reminded Levi of his father.
Yet Levi knew Arthur had never mentioned another child.
It simply didn’t make sense.
The silence between them lingered until Levi finally spoke.
“You said my father wanted you to look like him.”
The boy nodded.
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
“Because he made me this way.”
Levi frowned.
“What do you mean?”
The boy looked down at the floor.
“It would take too long to explain.”
“For now…”
“Just know that Arthur created me.”
Levi’s eyes narrowed.
“You keep calling him Arthur.”
The boy tilted his head.
“Isn’t that his name?”
Levi couldn’t argue with that.
“It is…”
“But hearing someone call my father by his name feels strange.”
The boy smiled.
“I’ve known him for a long time.”
Levi remained silent.
Questions continued to pile up inside his mind.
But his body was still too weak to think clearly.
He slowly sat back down on the edge of the bed.
The boy quietly walked over and stood beside him.
“Are you feeling any better?”
“A little.”
“My head still hurts.”
The boy nodded sympathetically.
“It will pass.”
Levi glanced toward him.
The boy laughed softly.
“This room doesn’t feel strange to me.”
“It feels like home.”
Levi blinked.
“Home?”
“Yes.”
The boy smiled warmly.
“I’ve waited a very long time to come back.”
Something about those words stirred a feeling deep inside Levi.
Not a memory…
Just a feeling.
A strange sense of familiarity.
The room fell quiet once again.
Neither of them spoke.
Levi studied the boy carefully.
Every movement.
Every expression.
Every smile.
The more he looked…
The more familiar the boy seemed.
But no matter how hard he searched his memories…
He couldn’t remember.
The boy eventually broke the silence.
“You should get some more rest.”
Levi sighed.
“I’ve been resting for four days.”
“I think that’s enough.”
The boy chuckled.
“Not by choice.”
Levi looked at him.
“What do you mean?”
The boy’s smile faded.
“You’ll understand soon.”
Before Levi could ask another question…
Voices echoed from somewhere outside the room.
Servants were beginning their morning duties.
The sky outside slowly brightened.
The boy looked toward the door.
“They’ll be here soon.”
“Who?”
Levi frowned.
“My sisters?”
The boy nodded.
“They’ve been worried about you.”
Levi smiled faintly.
“That sounds like them.”
The boy smiled too.
“They never stopped checking on you.”
Levi lowered his head.
“…I made them worry again.”
“You did.”
“But they’re just happy you’re alive.”
For a brief moment…
Neither of them spoke.
Then the boy looked back at Levi.
“I should leave for now.”
“Leave?”
“Where are you going?”
The boy simply smiled.
“I’m never very far away.”
Before Levi could stop him…
The boy quietly walked toward the window.
Morning light poured into the room.
His figure slowly disappeared within the glow.
Almost as though he had never been there at all.
Levi stared in disbelief.
“…Was that a dream?”
Instinctively, his hand reached for the ruby necklace hanging around his neck.
The jewel felt strangely warm.
It pulsed once…
Almost like a heartbeat.
Levi’s eyes widened.
“No…”
“It was real.”
Outside the room, footsteps approached.
His sisters were finally coming to check on him.
Levi took one last look at the necklace.
Then toward the now-empty window.
Only one thought remained in his mind.
Who… was that boy?