It was Ariel’s true feelings, which she couldn’t reveal. Besides that, this was proof of how Ariel did not bear any resentment towards Ophelia when she died.

‘If Ariel wasn’t trying to kill Ophelia,’

Then the reason Ophelia couldn’t wake up was due to Ophelia herself.

As he came to this conclusion, Alejandro headed straight to Ronen.

Time had passed, however Ophelia continued to lie motionless like a still-life painting, unable to rouse from her slumber.

‘If she’s sleeping, doesn’t that mean that she’s also dreaming?’

If that’s the case, then it wasn’t impossible to find out what she was dreaming about.

Peering into another person’s mind would deal a huge blow to the spellcaster, so mages avoided doing this as much as possible. Now, however, Alejandro couldn’t let go of this hope that he only managed to seize.

Alejandro’s hand reached out to touch Ophelia’s forehead.

And, the next moment.

“He’s the Grand Duke of Ronen, but this is the first time he’s attending an Imperial ball?”

“But I heard that Grand Duke Ronen hates banquets?”

“His Majesty the Emperor asked for his presence earnestly, and rumor has it that this banquet is being held at a purposely grander scale just to invite him.”

Along with a sense that he was adrift, he heard the buzzing of chattering voices. Alejandro winced as the blinding light of the chandelier entered his senses.

When he got used to the sudden outpour of light to some extent, he could see clearer again, and his changed environment was revealed to him.

It was the banquet hall of the Milescet Imperial Palace. And, at the center of the throng of people, like a swan amidst a flock of chickens, was a man with eye-catching black hair.

Ian Carle Ronen.

It was easy to notice that time had shifted; with a healthy countenance, Ian was smiling.

It wouldn’t have been strange if he would lie back in a coffin any time with how he looked, but his face right now was attractive enough for everyone to admire.

Perhaps because of this, whispers about him could not be missed.

“Should I go talk to him? There won’t be another chance to meet him again.”

“If you’re aiming to become the seat of the Grand Duchess, then just forget it. If you want a man like him yet you’re not at least an Imperial Princess, then you’re out of luck.”

“If he’s to marry an Imperial Princess, it still depends. Shouldn’t it be the Second Princess? If it’s someone like the First Princess who doesn’t even have her own palace, then it’s a different story.”

This memory was not Alejandro’s.

He didn’t even take one step into the banquet hall that day. Then, who’s memory could this be?

The answer was obvious.

‘Ophelia.’

As he shifted his gaze, a woman with red hair who was wearing modest clothes immediately caught his eye.

She wasn’t tall, unlike Ian, and her appearance wasn’t worth pulling someone’s gaze in. Even so, Alejandro’s gaze was immediately drawn in straight to her, like a magnet.

For some reason, however, Ophelia didn’t look well. She kept looking around, all jittery.

Then, with furrowed brows, her confused eyes halted at one spot. At the other side of that gaze was, in the end, Ian.

Ophelia was visibly flustered as she saw him.

‘Did you love him ever since this time?’

Alejandro grimaced. It felt as if he was unintentionally taking a peek into Ophelia’s love story. However, this feeling was short-lived.

Alejandro was about to look away, but he couldn’t—Ophelia suddenly turned around and rushed towards someplace else.

It was the balcony right behind her. Ophelia opened the door without any hesitation and went straight to the railing.

Then, after that, she jumped to her death.

“..Ophelia.”

His blood ran cold.

Alejandro couldn’t remember anything about Ophelia being injured before she left for Ladeen. Then why the hell?

‘Maybe.’

Did Ophelia retain all her memories?

He suddenly had this thought, but there was no time for him to contemplate.

Because, before he could even come to his senses, he reflexively teleported himself to the spot below the balcony.

A silhouette that resembled a falling peony came into his sight, and the next thing he knew, Alejandro felt her weight dropping right into his arms.

The woman in his embrace was clear, distinct. Her fluttering red hair brushed against his arms.

Their eyes met.

Vivid shock could be seen in Ophelia’s blue eyes.

“..Alei.”

It was at that moment, his name flowed out of Ophelia’s lips.

Alejandro saw what kind of dream was being painted.

It was a world where Ian did not mistake Ophelia as Ariel—a world where this had yet to transpire.

This was Ophelia’s wish.

* * *

Regardless of how powerful a mermaid scale was as it had been made at the cost of a mermaid’s life, there was a limit to what it could achieve.

Mermaids, and other non-human species for that matter, who could use magic were not able to disobey the laws of nature through the magic that they wielded.

Ariel’s scale made Ophelia fall into eternal slumber, and the reason for this was simple.

Because Ariel’s scale was intended to fulfill Ophelia’s wish.

However, Ophelia’s wish was something that couldn’t be created in reality.

What Ophelia wanted was for all these things to have?never?happened. However, it was impossible to turn back time to make this possible.

So, Ariel’s scale made a compromise.

It instead stopped Ophelia’s reality forever, letting her go back to the past in her dreams in order to fulfill her wish.

When Alejandro looked into her dream, there was only one thing that changed.

Ophelia could remember everything that she had been through thus far.

In a way, it was only a small change, but this was also a very important key.

Since Ophelia went back to the past with all her memories intact, then this would allow her to solve the misunderstandings that would eventually cause all those tragedies.

So, for the sake of saving Ophelia, the solution was not just turning back time.

Because going back to the past where you knew nothing would just ensure that the same mistakes would be repeated.

If Alejandro had used magic to restore the memory of an object just as he thought he’d do, then the same tragedy would have been repeated countless times.

Therefore, Alejandro used a different method.

It was to use Ariel’s scale.

To use Ariel’s scale as a medium for a conditional spell in order to make the scale’s illusion into reality.

For this, Alejandro offered to sacrifice his position. And this position was his seat as the lord of the magic tower.

If the lord of the magic tower were to give up his position of his own volition, then the repercussions would be lessened to exile.

It was unclear whether this spell would succeed, and it wasn’t even enough to say that what he’s doing was insane. Even so, Alejandro carried out this plan.

Along with a sense that he was adrift, he opened his eyes and his surroundings shifted.

He was not in the Ronen Castle, where Ophelia lay unconscious, but now in front of the window of a familiar stone wall, the view of a sharp reef right before him.

Did the spell succeed?

As soon as his hope rose, a terrible wave of pain swept through his entire body.

“Keugh!”

It felt as if he was being torn alive. Tears of pain streamed down his face, a vase was pushed down on the floor.

There was only one cause for this sudden pain.

‘The spell?did?work.’

The lord of the magic tower was of one body with the magic tower itself, so if that position was renounced, he heard that the pain that would be brought down upon that person would be nothing short of their limbs being torn apart.

He heard a familiar voice in his head.

[ Foolish thing. ]

It was the voice of the Siren Magic Tower, which was heard by Alejandro alone.

Drenched in cold sweat, Alejandro breathed out roughly as he replied.

“Huk, huuk,?Siren..”

[ Do you even know what you have done? ]

“Cough!?Do you, also remember?”

[ Who do you think you’re talking to? ]

A conditional spell was something like a deal.

Mages had since vaguely guessed that the deal was made with some god-like entity, and the truth of the matter was much closer than they thought.

[ It’s not enough that you gave up your position, but you even went against the laws of nature. Soon, you will lose all your memories and you will be banished to the continent. ]

“Huuk,?must you take,?urk,?even my memories? How heartless.”

[ Foolish nonsense. Be thankful enough that your life hasn’t been taken from you. ]

The magic tower scolded him and scoffed, and at this, Alejandro’s lips barked out a laugh.

He had no idea that the cost of the spell’s success would be his memories.

After all, the timeline was like a twisted band at this point. Cause and effect were thoroughly intertwined.

“It was a bit lonely in the forest, you know.”

Recalling his time in the forest when he first opened his eyes without his memories, Alejandro replied as such.

But it was alright.

As long as he could see Ophelia once more.

t/n: so.. so when alei saw ophelia’s wish through that scale-induced dream, the conditional spell he’s under is actually for the condition that it would become her reality? i.. okay i’m soft, i’m gonna cry