He was visibly embarrassed.

“Yes? What do you mean? I’m healthy, hahaha!”

“That’s why you have to be examined. If the Ainel family’s doctor confirms that neither of you has syphilis, Carla’s misunderstanding will be resolved in an instant.”

“Well.. .. .”

“You wouldn’t say that you can’t do that much for your wife, right?”

“Of- of course, I will do it!”

I smiled softly. “Then I will send the doctor today. The doctor of the Ainel family is very competent, so he will reveal the full truth.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I turned around and the Count called urgently.

“Wait a minute, Marchioness! A- actually I have something to consult regarding my wife!”

“What is it?”

“As I just said, I truly believe that my wife is not that kind of person, but... um, my wife might have someone else―”

Damn it, he said it in the end. I can’t stand it any longer.

“You really are a rotten bastard!”

“Ba- bastard!?”

“I can’t think of any other word to describe you other than that.”

He approached with a red face.

“Even if you are a marchioness, there is a line that must not be crossed!”

“It was you who crossed the line, Count.”

I laughed mockingly. “No, you’re no longer the Count any time soon, so I don’t have to call you like that. Then what should I call you? Cheater? Or promiscuous?

His fists trembled. He looks angry.

‘That’s good.’

Because I did it to make him angry.

“It’s a big deal because there aren’t enough words in the world to describe a person like you. Don’t you think so?”

“This woman―”

In a fit of rage, Count Hoffen raised his hand.

I looked at someone over the Count’s shoulder and said nonchalantly, “Are you just going to watch?”

The Count’s body stiffened just when he wanted to hit me.

“My body, I can’t move.. .”

I didn’t bother to answer his question. Because a man is approaching behind the Count.

“It’s an application of lime magic, so if you try to move carelessly, you’ll get hurt, Count.”

‘It’s been a while since I’ve heard his voice.’

It was a pleasant voice, mixed with care and gentleness, as always.

I stared blankly at the young man walking leisurely toward me.

His long, aqua-colored hair was loosely tied and draped neatly over one shoulder. His purple eyes curved gently into crescents like the last time I saw them.

“Michael, the timing is too late.”

He smiled at my complaint.

“My magic is always ready. I was just thinking about when to look the coolest.”

Michael Berris. One of the saints of the Empire and the greatest wizard. And he is a childhood friend of mine who is two years older than me.

Count Hoffen glanced at him and then drew in a breath.

“Uh, uh, why.. .”

“Why? I have an appointment with him.”

I kindly explained the situation.

“Do you think I took my precious time to come to see you?”

On the day I wrote my reply, I gave two letters to the maid. One, of course, was roughly scribbled to the Count, and the other was to contact Michael.

In the first place, the Count is just a bonus. While I made my appointment with Michael, I called him over.

‘That’s why I purposely didn’t bring an escort.’

The other day, Rupert was reluctant to meet Michael, so I have to keep this a secret.

‘It’s a big problem if the question I want to ask Michael gets in Rupert’s ears.’

That’s how we got to this situation today.

“Noel, what are you going to do with this guy?” he asked very curiously.

“What happens if you leave him like this?”

“The magic will fade over time.”

“Then just leave him.”

“That’s an unexpected answer.”

“First of all, this guy is still my friend’s husband. You can’t bury him in the ground.”

Still, it’s necessary to warn him.

“Open your ears and listen carefully, Count Hoffen.”

I tapped my finger on his forehead. The Count who was frozen in the same position as before gasped.

“If you spread false rumors about Carla or send me a bunch of letters to bother me again.. .”

I smiled and slapped him on the forehead.

“At that time, I will make you disappear without rumors.”

“Hic, hic, hic.. .”

‘Because I don’t want to deal with this guy again.’

Then I told my childhood friend, who was still watching the situation with a smile.

“Let’s go, Michael.”

***

First of all, I moved to a place where I could have a comfortable conversation: a cafe with private rooms.

Michael, who sat down, asked curiously, “Something has changed about you, Noel.”

“I hear that often.”

“What happened?”

“There were so many.. .”

There are so many that I don’t even know where to start explaining them.

I glanced at him. Come to think of it, I should make sure he shuts up about this first.

“Oh, can you keep everything I’m going to say a secret?”

“That’s a strange question.”

Michael smiled softly. He continued, “You called me because you trust me, right?”

“Right.”

“I’m always on your side, you grumpy girl.”

“.. .. .”

I was deeply moved by his words.

It was a familiar phrase that I often heard when I was young, but hearing it after a long time made me feel emotional.

He is someone who can reassure me.

“Put a smile on your face often, idiot.”

I got up and hugged him lightly.

“It’s been a long time.”

He patted me a few times.

It was a very light touch, but my sensitive nerves eased. It seems time has stopped without me knowing.

‘Maybe it’s because there’s been a lot of annoying things lately.’

I doubt if there was a problem in my head, and the family I met after a long time was a mess.

My friend had a stillbirth because of her husband, and he had just come and talked nonsense.

‘There are so many bastards in the world.’

All this made me feel blue.

Sadly, I am not strong enough to pass all of this easily.

I want to have strong mental power like the main character in the novel, but the truth is, I am just a normal citizen who stumbled when I reached my limit.

Sometimes I need someone to chat with and share my worries without worrying about anything.

But I have very few people like that.

‘Rupert is the one who suffered the most directly because of my family.’

It’s funny to express my worries to him when I can’t help him more.

On top of that, he was already carrying a heavy burden that was difficult to handle alone. I don’t want to add anything more.

“Here.”

Michael handed me a handkerchief. I didn’t realize that tears welled up in my eyes.

“Thank you.”

I replied in a slightly subdued voice, wiping my tears.

“You kept saying you had a question in your letter. What is it?” asked Michael, who had been waiting for me to calm down.

I hesitated because this must sound like a piece of crap. He wouldn’t treat me like a fool, would he?

“Is there some kind of magic that can control people?”

“Control?”

“So, you were controlled to live a bad life, and you suddenly remembered the past and became kind.. .”

It sounds like a strange conspiracy theory.

Michael smiled. “Are you saying you’re in that state now? No wonder the grumpy lady I know seems to have changed. I thought you were still immature.”

“Don’t make fun of me. I am serious.”

“Okay, then I’ll answer seriously.”

After thinking for a while, he continued, “To be honest, I can’t give you a 100% definitive answer. Because no one knows how the brain works.”

That’s right. Even in modern times, there have been many studies on the brain, but questions have not been completely resolved.

“First of all, the easiest way is hypnosis. It’s easy to come, and also easy to treat. But there are many cases where it doesn’t work at all depending on your constitution.”

“Other than that, how do you completely and for a long period of time control a person’s mind?”

“Theoretically, it is possible. However, it takes a very long time to cast a spell. Besides, once you get caught, you can’t come back to your senses.”

“It’s more complicated than I thought.”

“Right. There’s no proper analogy.. Controlling the mind with magic is like soaking the entire brain of the person you control in magic.”

“Ugh.”

It’s kind of scary to imagine.

“The brain is a very delicate, complex, and difficult organ to recover from. If only one blood vessel has a problem, the aftereffects will remain. If your entire brain is forced to move while soaking it with magic for a long time, it’s hard to return to the original state.”

Since it’s so hard, I’ll just analogize it to pickled plums.

Even if you wash only plums with water after soaking them in sugar for a long time, the permeated sweetness does not completely disappear.

“It’s possible, but you’re not going to be fine even after the magic is gone.”

‘Then what happened to me?’

First of all, it didn’t seem like there was anything wrong with my mental state.

Well, that’s exactly what I wanted to believe.

‘Was it really a coincidence that I regained the memories of my past life and got better?’

In fact, while not physically deficient in my childhood, I suffered some degree of mental and physical abuse.

Did that cause me to grow into a person who bullies others?

‘I wonder if the feeling of being controlled by someone was all an illusion.’

There is no way to find out more right now. I decided to hold off for now.

There is something else more important.

“One more.”

“What?”

“Is there any magic that can control time?”