“Um…”
“Yes?”
“Am I allowed to be here? They said no one should enter…”
“…”
The Cold Palace wasn’t just isolated—it was strictly off-limits, even to palace staff.
Isaac knew that being caught here, despite his status as a Duke, wouldn’t end well.
‘How did I even end up here?’
Isaac finally realized he was dreaming—or perhaps remembering the original Isaac’s buried memories.
Either way, fragments of the real Isaac’s thoughts flowed into his mind.
The current Isaac was freshly an adult and had inherited his dukedom years ago.
Though young, he had grown accustomed to his responsibilities.
Still, he wasn’t entirely heartless—after all, he had worried about young Luinael enough to offer his handkerchief.
Smiling slightly, Isaac introduced himself.
“Don’t worry about me. My name is Isaac.”
“Isaac… hyung.”
“Urgh…”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“N-Nothing.”
Hearing the angelic Luinael shyly call him hyung was almost too much for Isaac’s heart.
He had always been soft toward younger siblings or juniors in his past life.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Isaac turned back to Luinael.
“Why were you crying here?”
“Well…”
“…”
Luinael lowered his head, clearly hesitant to answer.
Isaac began to worry about treating him too casually, even though Luinael lacked awareness of his royal status at this age.
“Mother… kept crying…”
“Ah…”
“And I couldn’t do anything… even though I was there.”
“…”
Luinael’s faint voice struck Isaac deeply.
Gabriella and Luinael’s time in the Cold Palace hadn’t been detailed in the novel, as it focused on Maximilian’s perspective.
Maximilian had rescued Luinael only as a potential pawn, fully prepared to discard him if he proved useless.
Clicking his tongue, Isaac extended his hand.
“I don’t know the details, but you’re doing well enough.”
“Huh?”
“Your mother must be happy just having you by her side.”
“…Do you really think so?”
“I’m sure of it.”
Luinael’s face lit up with a flower-like smile, and Isaac couldn’t resist ruffling his hair.
But then he hesitated.
Was it okay to touch the head of a royal?
Memories surfaced of stroking adult Luinael’s hair before he’d fallen asleep.
So Luinael had been telling the truth when he mentioned that earlier.
Embarrassed, Isaac withdrew his hand.
“Um… Isaac hyung?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Could you… pat my head a little more?”
“…”
Before he knew it, Luinael had lifted his head, his wide, glistening eyes fixed on Isaac.
Stunned, Isaac could only gape.
Why… Why is he so cute?
Luinael, this cute?
His grown-up appearance was striking enough, but young Luinael was an entirely different danger—innocent and pure to the point of being disarming.
Isaac couldn’t stop his hand from reaching out to him.
“…Luinael!”
“…!”
Just then, a voice called out from a distance.
It was unfamiliar, but the high-pitched tone made it clear: it was Empress Gabriella.
Coming to his senses, Isaac locked eyes with Luinael and gave a small nod.
‘You agree with me, don’t you?’
His eyes seemed to ask. L
uinael responded with a radiant smile.
“Well then, I should get going.”
“Y-you’re leaving already?”
“Yeah.”
Luinael might not understand the situation, but running into Empress Gabriella would be a problem.
Isaac, apparently thinking the same, withdrew the hand he had extended toward Luinael and stood up.
“W-wait a second!”
“Hmm?”
But small, delicate fingers clung to the cuff of Isaac’s shirt.
Moved by the desperate gesture, Isaac stopped in his tracks and turned back.
“Will we… see each other again?”
“Hmm…”
Luinael’s pleading question left Isaac unable to answer immediately.
He hesitated, looking troubled.
It was likely mere chance that the real Isaac had come here at all.
He hadn’t been Duke for long and wasn’t yet familiar with the layout of the palace.
And he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
But he couldn’t bring himself to say that to Luinael, who was on the verge of tears at the thought of their parting.
It wasn’t easy to be so blunt with a child whose heart was breaking.
After a moment of deliberation, Isaac finally spoke.
“Yes, we’ll meet again.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
It wasn’t a lie.
They would meet again in a few years.
But for some reason, the thought left Isaac feeling uneasy.
He couldn’t shake the strong sense that the real Isaac had met Luinael more than just this once.
“Luinael! Where are you, Luinael!”
“Ah.”
Empress Gabriella’s voice was closer now.
Snapping out of it, Isaac turned his body away.
“Until next time, then.”
“Yes, Isaac hyung.”
“…”
Luinael waved, smiling brightly, clutching the handkerchief Isaac had given him.
Catching a glimpse of it, Isaac walked away without looking back.
“Ah!”
Isaac woke with a gasp, his breathing uneven.
He scanned his surroundings.
It was already morning.
The room was vividly clear, its opulent furnishings and the serene face of Lepeter, the god painted on the canopy above, unmistakably marking it as a bedroom in the Grand Duke’s mansion.
“Ha…”
So it was a dream.
Was it merely a dream, or were those truly the memories of the real Isaac?
Isaac frowned, trying to piece together the memories of the real Isaac.
What had happened after meeting Luinael?
What came next?
“Ugh…”
But once again, his thoughts were clouded, as if shrouded in mist.
He could only recall meeting young Luinael in his dream.
As Isaac grimaced, feeling the frustration of uncertainty, a sound interrupted him.
Ding!
A notification window appeared before his eyes.
[A Fragment of Lost Memories has been stored in the Library.
Rewards are given each time a memory is recovered.
Reward: 1,000 gold
Fragments of memories recovered so far: 1 ]
“Rewards…? Memory fragments…?”
Isaac tilted his head, confused, before slowly realizing what the words meant.
Though he could recall most of the recent memories of the real Isaac, he couldn’t remember the earlier ones—like meeting Luinael for the first time, as he’d seen in the dream.
“So that’s why I couldn’t remember?”
It made sense now.
Unlike himself, the protagonist Park Sihoon could fully recover Maximilian’s memories in the original story.
He had assumed this difference was due to their differing roles.
But it seemed his memories had been deliberately sealed, perhaps to incentivize him through these quests and rewards.
Isaac nodded as the realization set in.
And the rewards weren’t bad.
A thousand gold might have been pocket change when he was a Duke, but after his failed rebellion and subsequent demotion, he was penniless.
Even though he was bound to marry the protagonist and become the “Grand Duchess” in name, that was merely part of the protagonist’s plan to dominate the Ducal household.
The title wouldn’t grant him any real power.
“I’ll need personal funds.”
If he were to flee the Empire one day, he’d need money.
While he still had some wealth hidden abroad, he’d have to gather funds to sustain himself until he could reach it.
These quest rewards were timely.
Plus, they’d help him learn more about Luinael and the real Isaac’s past.
Luinael’s sharp memory constantly drew comparisons between the real Isaac and himself. Perhaps by recovering these memories, he could gain a bit more freedom from Luinael’s scrutiny.
“Phew… Alright.”
Though it added to his to-do list, it wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, it was advantageous. Feeling better, Isaac allowed a smile to form on his lips.
*Knock knock.*
“Hm?”
A cautious knock sounded at the door. Isaac turned his gaze to it and spoke.
“Come in.”
“Did… did you call for me?”
“Yes.”
“….”
The servant who had entered yesterday stepped in, bowing nervously. He still looked frightened.
Even though he seemed terrified, he always came promptly. Isaac watched the trembling young man approach with an observant gaze.
“I brought water for your wash.”
“Good.”
“Sh-shall I assist you?”
“Hmm…”
Isaac hesitated.
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