Chapter 47
"So that dream just now… was Lumière-san’s past?"
It seemed to be a memory of her first encounter with Noir—Albert-sama’s past incarnation. Though fragmented, one thing was clear: Lumière-san had loved Noir with all her heart.
"In a way, it’s so like Albert-sama’s past self."
Reckless? Unapologetically bold? It reminded me of how I’d first met him.
『…Yuka-san, I apologize for subjecting you to such… unsightly memories…』
"Please don’t apologize. I’m the one who intruded. And… seeing how deeply you loved Noir-sama left me feeling strangely warm."
『It’s embarrassing to say aloud, but I adored Lord Noir. That truth hasn’t changed.』
Her voice held no hesitation—no lie.
"I could tell. But why did I see that dream?"
『Likely because our souls are beginning to merge. Given time, we’ll become a single existence—both you and me, yet neither. Our souls were originally one, fractured by irregularities. Rejoining is nature’s way of easing the strain.』
"Wait, Albert-sama mentioned something similar… What happens then?"
『I cannot say for certain, but our pasts and consciousnesses may coexist.』
Yeah… I’m too dumb to follow. But one thing nagged at me:
"You won’t disappear, right?"
That was my only fear. What would "merging" mean for her? Maybe it’s presumptuous for someone like me to worry, but I couldn’t help it.
(O/A Side note: I’ve always had mixed feelings about reincarnation stories. The way protagonists "remember" their past lives and become entirely different people… It unsettles me. Where does the current "self" go? Feels less like awakening and more like being erased. Fine if it happens in infancy, but when it hits halfway through life? Hard to stomach. I still binge those stories, though.)
Point is—I’d be the one getting "overwritten." Yet more than fearing that… I just didn’t want her to vanish.
『You worry for me over yourself? …Fear not. Neither of us will fade. I’ll ensure we both endure—living on as one.』
"Mmm… I don’t get the complicated stuff, but as long as you’re safe, that’s enough."
『…You truly are hopelessly kind. That temperament will bring you grief.』
"I don’t mind. As long as Albert-sama, Lil-chan, Mill-senpai, El-kun, Luca, and everyone at the manor are with me—and you—I’ll bear any burden."
『…Good grief. My reincarnation is a handful. That exact attitude is why you get exploited, you realize?』
"Ahaha, can’t argue with that."
Lumière-san sighed, exasperated. Fair. I’m self-aware… just bad at fixing it.
『…Yet perhaps it’s precisely because you’re like this… that you could become Albert-sama’s salvation.』
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