I’m Looking for the Male Lead for the Ending - Chapter 36

Chapter 19.1

I was flustered as I stared at the system window in front of me.

‘What on earth does that mean?’

I pondered over the sentence that I couldn’t understand in my head over and over again.

[ 〈SYSTEM〉 Ongoing mission — Find the lost fragments of memory

Fragment of memory (0/2) ]

No matter how many times I read it, the content didn’t change, but the numbers in the system window still seemed strange.

‘…It’s not just one piece?’

When the mission to find the lost pieces of memory was first presented, I naturally assumed it meant the memory from when I was ten years old.

‘I was in a coma from ten to eleven, so I had no memory for a year.’

When I woke up, I suddenly found myself eleven years old, and there was no one to tell me what had happened. All the servants I knew had been dismissed from the mansion, and new people had taken their place. When I tried to ask about what had happened, my father refused to talk to me, dismissing me as pathetic and worthless, and Heron glared at me fiercely before turning away.

The last fragmented memory I had was attending my late mother’s funeral. So, if there were pieces to find, I thought they must have been from that empty period.

As I clutched the jewelry box, wondering if there were any lost memories I hadn’t yet recognized, I heard Heron’s voice.

“Did you receive that jewelry box from the Grand Duke?”

When I turned my head to look at him, surprised by the unexpected question, he twisted the corner of his mouth as he continued.

“How dare he accuse Aidelis of being a thief before, and now he’s trying to silence you by giving you such a trinket? The actions of the Grand Duke of a country are utterly disgusting.”

“…Brother, what are you talking about?”

“You better not think about lying, Ardi Aidelis.”

“….”

“I already know about the accusation that you stole the Grand Duke’s brooch.”

I stared at him, speechless for a moment. His gaze, devoid of any doubt, occasionally unsettled me. Setting aside how Heron could’ve known about it while participating in the tournament, there were other things, like how he could solely believe in that statement.

“…How can you be so sure?”

“What?”

“To say that I didn’t steal the Grand Duke’s brooch.”

“Ardi Aidelis.”

“If I did steal the Grand Duke’s brooch, it wouldn’t be an insult. It would just be the truth.”

Listening silently to my words, he furrowed his brow and opened his mouth.

“Then, I really want to ask you something.”

“….”

“Why do you have doubts about what I’ve been saying since last time? Is it because you don’t trust me or because you don’t trust yourself?”

I flinched involuntarily at Heron’s question. Seeing my visibly flustered state, he let out a shallow sigh.

“The Grand Duke’s brooch is something I’m already familiar with. It’s not a common design, but looking at the jewels and craftsmanship, it’s not that expensive.”

“….”

“I don’t understand why you suddenly wanted a men’s brooch, but even if you really wanted that brooch, it’s just an ordinary one that you could have a craftsman make for a modest sum.”

“May, maybe what I wanted might not have been a similar design, but the brooch that His Highness used…!”

“Ardi Aidelis.”

Heron’s voice lowered. As I flinched under his icy gaze and closed my mouth, he pierced through with a sigh-tinged tone.

“Are you expecting me to believe that you stole a brooch that used to belong to a man you never gave a second glance to, let alone pay attention to?”

His questioning gaze, as he looked at me, shifted to the jewelry box I was holding. Fearing that he might snatch it away from me, I pulled it closer to my chest and answered.

“…There was a misunderstanding with His Highness about the brooch. Afterwards, I returned the brooch I had because it seemed to belong to the Grand Duke.”

“That brooch belonged to the Grand Duke?”

I nodded cautiously in response to Heron’s questioning gaze as if to say he couldn’t believe it. I quickly continued speaking, anticipating that he might ask about the origin of the brooch.

“And regardless of the reason, this was given as a token of gratitude for returning the brooch. In fact, since the brooch originally belonged to His Highness, it was only natural for it to be returned, yet instead, he gave me this as a gesture of appreciation.”

“….”

“So, brother, for the sake of Aidelis’s honor, I hope you won’t make a big deal out of this anymore.”

I reluctantly mentioned Aidelis’s honor, fearing that Heron might bring up the matter again and make a fuss. In truth, I couldn’t care less about Aidelis’s honor.

“How could I possibly…!”

“….?”

Then, Heron’s voice momentarily grew louder. After taking a deep breath to rein in his emotions, he seemed to realize that he couldn’t say anything more since the situation had already been settled.

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