Even though their vision was obscured, Reshia moved with confidence, as if she knew exactly where she was going. Her steps showed no hesitation, and Eugene followed quietly, his arm still in her grasp. Given who she was, there was no reason for him to be cautious.
They walked in silence for quite some time before suddenly being bathed in bright light. The thick smoke had completely disappeared. Eugene looked around quietly.
They were in a somewhat disheveled garden, but it felt entirely different from the grand garden he often passed through while wandering around the Elpinard estate.
“This is a private garden, separate from the grand garden. It’s my own space. Completely safe,” Reshia explained, seemingly sensing Eugene’s curiosity.
Though her words were meant to reassure him, they only puzzled Eugene more. He had memorized the estate’s layout, yet there was no mention of a private garden for Reshia.
He knew of a space filled with her beloved four-leaf clovers, but that area was connected to the grand garden and was accessible to anyone. It wasn’t a secluded, private space like this.
“Um, well, so...,” Eugene stammered, still looking confused. Reshia, noticing his unsettled expression, scratched her cheek awkwardly.
As Eugene watched her, he suddenly noticed something else odd.
“You look different,” he remarked.
“Huh?”
“Your face looks different,” Eugene said briefly, stepping closer to Reshia and scrutinizing her intently. She widened her eyes at the sudden proximity, but Eugene’s focus was entirely on her face.
His gaze traveled slowly, from her forehead down to her chin. Even after that, he wasn’t fully convinced, so he moved even closer, taking in her scent to confirm before finally reaching a conclusion.
“You’re definitely Reshia, but...”
There was indeed something different about her appearance compared to the Reshia he had seen up until today. However, if someone were to ask if she wasn’t Reshia, that wouldn’t be right either.
The shimmering silver hair, the pale violet eyes, her clear skin, high nose, and neat lips—everything pointed to the fact that the person in front of him was indeed Reshia.
But...
“You seem more... mature.”
It was a ridiculous thing to say, and Eugene knew it, but it was the only way he could explain what he was seeing.
Reshia blinked in response to Eugene’s conclusion.
“Normally, if you notice something off, wouldn’t you assume I’m a fake?”
“Logically, yes. But you’re Reshia.”
His words were far from logical, and yet he spoke with absolute conviction. Reshia blinked at him again before placing her hands on her hips.
“I thought it’d be hard to convince you, so why are you trusting me so easily? I obviously look suspicious! You can’t just trust someone so recklessly, even if it’s me!”
It was an odd situation—scolding someone for trusting her—but Reshia’s expression was dead serious. Eugene couldn’t help but chuckle.
“That’s just like you, Reshia. You’re always scolding me like this, like I’m a child.”
“You act like a child, trusting people so easily.”
“You might not realize it, but I’m not one to trust people easily. I’m quite cautious.”
“What? Where exactly... do you mean?” Reshia’s mouth hung open in disbelief as she scanned Eugene up and down, surprised by his calm demeanor. Eugene gave her a small smile, as if understanding her reaction.
“Of course, you wouldn’t know. You’re the kind of person I can always trust, so I keep my heart wide open when it comes to you.”
“I mean, thanks, but I might not be Reshia! You just said I look older, so shouldn’t you be suspicious?”
“But you are Reshia.”
“And how can you be so sure?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? You’re Reshia. I can tell just by looking. How could I ever not recognize you?”
Reshia fell silent at his unwavering confidence, her expression shifting as if something had just dawned on her.
“Now that I think about it... you’ve been like this from the start, haven’t you?”
“Like what?”
“...It’s just something I’ve noticed. Anyway, I don’t have much time right now. I need to quickly tell you the important things and head back.”
“Head back?”
“Yeah, back to my original time.”
Reshia pointed at herself with a slight smile.
“I’m from the future.”
“I see.”
“...Aren’t you supposed to be a little more surprised? That’s a huge thing I just told you.”
When Eugene didn’t seem particularly shocked, Reshia pouted in disappointment. Eugene simply shrugged.
“Well, you’ve brought prophecies from the future before. So it’s only logical that future-you could come here too.”
“...Eugene, you sounded just like Leonid just now.”
“Oh no, I’ve gone and sounded like the one person I least want to resemble.”
Reshia burst into laughter at Eugene’s playful remark.
“The truth is, I’ve crossed over from the future a few times before. I just didn’t show myself.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. If there were times when things mysteriously worked out, it was probably because I was helping from the future.”
“But this time you’ve decided to reveal yourself?”
“Yes, because this time, there’s something you have to do.”
Eugene looked intrigued and asked, “So why did you come to me?”
“Huh?”
“If it’s something that important, I thought you’d go to Master Axel, not me.”
“Well...”
Reshia shrugged without much thought.
“This time, it’s something only you can do. Besides, even if that weren’t the case, I’d still have come to you instead of Axel.”
“Why?”
“Well, because Axel is...”
Reshia started to say something but then suddenly stopped herself, pressing her lips together. Eugene gave her an inquisitive look, urging her to continue, but Reshia only smiled mysteriously.
“You’ll find out what’s going on in the future when you get there. Knowing now would spoil the fun.”
With a quick pat on Eugene’s shoulder, Reshia wiped the smile from her face.
“The important thing is that you have something you need to do right now. That’s all that matters.”
* * *
"...Something's off about the atmosphere at the estate."
The moment Axel and I hastily dismounted from the carriage, we realized that something was wrong at the Elpinard estate. Normally, the estate was lively with bustling servants, but it never felt chaotic or disorganized.
But now, the atmosphere was both frantic and disordered. Something had clearly happened.
"You're finally here!"
As Axel and I cautiously surveyed the estate, someone hurried over to us—Baron Rishier Logan, the Duke’s closest aide and Axel’s friend.
“Logan, what’s going on?”
Axel, usually calm, sounded a bit worried as he questioned Logan, who was clearly flustered. My thoughts immediately went to Eugene, fearing something might have already happened to him. But the words that came from Logan’s mouth were completely unexpected.
“The child is missing.”
“The child?”
Axel and I quickly exchanged glances. It didn’t seem like Logan was referring to Eugene. But if there was anyone in the estate who could be referred to as “the child”...
“Are you saying the prince has disappeared?”
Axel lowered his voice and asked cautiously. Logan, his face pale, nodded gravely.
“There was a sudden explosion, and the estate filled with smoke. After the smoke cleared...”
He didn’t need to finish the sentence. The implication was clear: the smoke wasn’t the only thing that had disappeared—the prince was gone too.
The prince was nothing more than a newborn, a baby whose only ability was to cry loudly. If such a helpless child had vanished, the obvious assumption was kidnapping.
“Has our Elpinard estate become so lax that we can’t even prevent something like this? Was there an external intruder?”
“That’s the thing...”
Logan hesitated, glancing nervously at me before continuing cautiously.
“One of the maids guarding the child claims she saw a man with black hair through the thinning smoke.”
“A man with black hair?”
There was only one man with black hair in the entire estate.
I immediately understood what Logan was trying to imply by the way he kept watching me.
“You’re suspecting Eugene of being the kidnapper?”