Though I Don’t Recall It, I’ll Take Responsibility - Chapter 12

The moment I opened the door to the drawing room, a faint scent of floral pomade wafted through the air, and the lady seated in the chair rose slowly to her feet.

Her fingertips trembled slightly. Her eyes held a mixture of hope and anxiety.

There was no way I could forget those mannerisms—the hallmarks of the easily-nerved Tiana.

“…A-Aira?”

A frail voice called out.

“Yes, it’s Aira. Your best friend, Aira.”

In that instant, Tiana’s eyes wavered violently.

“…Is it true? Is it really my Aira…?”

Before she could finish her sentence, the strength seemed to leave her. She collapsed back into her chair and began to sob.

“Goodness, you’re a fine lady now, and yet here you are crying.”

I felt as though I might burst into tears myself. Tiana lifted her tear-stained face.

“But, when I heard from your mother that you had returned to the Aira of old, I couldn’t bring myself to believe it. Still, I hoped… I hoped so much that it was true…”

I walked over slowly and took Tiana’s hands in mine.

“Tiana, do you remember?”

Tiana wiped her tears away and tilted her head in confusion. I softly touched the back of her hand and, with my index finger, traced a gentle circle.

Tiana’s shoulders jolted.

“This…”

“Yes. Our ‘secret signal.’ It’s the sign for ‘let’s sneak out together’ without anyone noticing.”

At those words, Tiana’s expression slowly thawed.

Memories of our childhood must have come rushing back. The signal we used to escape boring adult tea parties. A secret known only to us.

Tiana’s trembling lips curled into a faint smile.

“Aira…!!”

She lunged forward from her chair to embrace me, weeping once more against my chest. I gently stroked her back. I used the same rhythm I had used countless times as a child until she stopped crying.

“I’m not going anywhere this time. I won’t leave you behind again.”

“…Really…?”

“Fufu, I’ll be sure to stay away from stairs for the rest of my life. This is the strongest promise I’ve ever made you.”

The drawing room began to fill with relief and smiles.

“Tiana, actually, I read the diary.”

“The diary?”

“Yes. The one ‘Lara’ kept during the ten years I had no memory. I’ve only read two volumes so far, though.”

“Oh! I suppose she wrote about me too?”

“Yes. I clearly caused you so much pain and made you cry so many times… I am truly, truly sorry.”

Tiana gave a small shrug and turned her gaze toward the fountain in the garden.

“Fufu. Well, I accidentally let a few tears slip today. But I’ve grown stronger than you might think. I didn’t cry during our Academy days, and I wasn’t hurt at all.”

—That’s not true.

Looking at her profile, my heart ached. It was the exact same expression she used to wear as a girl, smiling through swollen eyes after we had fought.

“Fufu. But Aira, if you want me to forgive you, perhaps I should ask a favor. There’s a patisserie I’ve been wanting to visit. Your treat, of course?”

“That sounds wonderful. A patisserie… I was so looking forward to visiting them once we entered the Academy.”

“I know. Even though we said we’d go together. But you know, there are so many more shops now that I think you’d like. I’ve been… I’ve been researching them all this time, hoping to go with you someday.”

Her words stung my heart, but I smiled so she wouldn’t notice.

“Hey, Tiana. Do you remember? When we were little, we played ‘secret cake shop.’ You’d crumple up paper, decorate it with nuts, insist it was real cake, and almost try to eat it.”

Tiana blinked in surprise.

“Ah…! I told you that was a secret and to forget it! But didn’t it look more delicious than the real thing? Fufu. We’re the only ones who remember that, aren’t we?”

“Yes. It’s one of the secrets that belongs only to us.”

Tiana’s smile was much softer than before.

“This time, let’s go eat real cake. Just the two of us, like old times. All right?”

“Yes. To a real patisserie.”

Tiana smiled mischievously.

“From now on, we’re going to do everything we looked forward to—dresses, accessories, all of it. So, you’d better be prepared, okay? You kept me waiting for ten years, after all.”

“Yes, yes! I’ll be prepared.”

After we had laughed for a while, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

“Tiana… what about Brother? How is he?”

“Hmm? Oh, he’ll be here soon. I left a note when I came out, so it shouldn’t be much longer.”

“…He’s coming here?”

Tiana laughed, her shoulders shaking.

“Yes. When your father and mother told him you had ‘lost ten years of memory and returned to the old Aira,’ he was the most restless of them all.”

She grimaced slightly.

“And yet, he kept muttering things like, ‘No, a person doesn’t just change that suddenly. She’s surely trying to trick us again. My Aira only exists in my memories now.'”

“…That sounds just like him.”

“Right? Eventually, he told me ‘not to go’ because I’d ‘only end up sad.’ I just ignored him and left, though.”

My, Tiana.

“Is that really okay?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. He was just looking for a ‘reason’ to come himself. Now that he has the excuse of picking me up, I think he’ll finally be able to make the leap. So, I expect he’ll be here any moment.”

Brother is coming. I involuntarily clenched my hands.

“…I wonder if Brother has changed?”

Specifically, the amount of hair on his head.

“Hmm, I don’t think he’s changed much. But then, I see him every day, so who knows?”

“I wonder if I should be relieved by that.”

Just as Tiana giggled—

Knock, knock, knock.

A reserved knock echoed through the room.

“Madam, Viscount Langford requests an audience.”

“See? I told you he’d come.”

That was fast. I’m not mentally prepared yet.

“Please show him in.”

“As you wish.”

Tiana smiled with her eyes, as if saying “Good luck.” I felt my heart give a heavy thud.

…I’m getting nervous.

The sound of the knock repeated. It felt as though ten years of time were standing right on the other side of that door.