Chapter 69 Nostalgia
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
He had expected her to leap into his arms the moment he arrived. After all, if Marina could share in the divine ability personally granted by the beloved goddess Shelm, she would surely be overjoyed. Yet when Yuuri teleported into her private realm, the first thing he saw was the hem of a white dress fluttering in the wind. She stood motionless at the rooftop railing, staring off into the distance.
He landed quietly on the stone path surrounded by flowerbeds and benches, a place arranged like a rooftop garden. Around them rose the maroon roofs of modern buildings encircling a wide athletic ground—an academy sprawling halfway up a mountain ridge. Beyond it, the ridgeline sank into a hazy bay, shimmering under the afternoon sun. Far below, the plain stretched out into residential streets, and beyond that, a city center with towers of glass and steel. It was unmistakably a provincial city from their previous world.
This place, too, had been built to accommodate many people, yet the air was silent, lifeless—like Ashley’s domain, completely devoid of human presence.
”…Sorry,” Yuuri said, scratching his neck. “I don’t recognize this place at all.”
Marina smiled faintly. “Yeah. It’s strange, isn’t it? I should know every corner of it, but I can’t even remember where my own house used to be.”
The confidence that usually filled her voice was gone. Her back looked small against the vast sky; the open back of her dress shivered, not only from the chill of the wind. He couldn’t help but move to her side and wrap his arms around her.
He had no idea where this place truly existed—but it was clear enough: this was a reconstruction, shaped from Marina’s memories, a replica of the school that held her old life.
”She’s cruel,” he muttered. “To make you forget your name and your face, only to show you this now.”
Marina’s voice softened. “Thank you, Yuuri. But it’s all right. I know this is only a dream. We died, remember? We’ve already started another life. If I can see these familiar sights one last time, it isn’t only pain—it’s something precious, too.”
He frowned. To anyone else, this might seem an insult—a goddess’s mockery of those robbed of their past. But Marina spoke of it as though it were grace itself. The goddess who claimed to see only ‘humans as humans’—if Yuuri raged against her coldness, Marina’s priestess heart still called it mercy.
”You really are too kind to her,” he said. “After everything she’s done—after toying with your life like that—you still find a way to forgive her.”
She laughed softly. “You’d understand if you ever faced a fatal illness, Yuuri. When you’re dying, even a silent god feels like a blessing just for answering.”
Her hands slipped from the railing to rest over his. In that gentle motion, she leaned into him like a bride soothing her nervous groom. Perhaps it was that faith—hardened through agony—that gave her strength. Yuuri, who had died under the wheels of fate still clinging to hope for tomorrow, could not grasp such peace. He fell silent. Marina, noticing his silence, looked up with her usual mischief, her golden eyes bright again.
”So?” she teased. “We’ve been dropped here without any warning. Did Shelm-sama tell you what this is about?”
”Well, uh—” he began, but the weight of her gaze froze him. Her golden eyes sharpened, full of quiet authority. He could have just told her honestly about the new power bestowed on his Familial Workshop—but that expression of hers, the faint frown that seemed to see straight through him, made him hesitate. Her look said she already knew he was hiding something.
He finally relayed Shelm’s words, awkwardly, only to see Marina turn aside with a pout.
”So, while I was stuck here all alone,” she said coolly, “you were busy flirting with Ashley?”
”Wha—hey, that’s not what I said—ugh!”
He hadn’t mentioned the false Alegria mansion at all, but her accusation hit home. When he tried to protest, she glared sharply enough to make him flinch.
”I was looking forward to tonight, you know?” she went on. “A little wine, a little warmth—and then our long-awaited wedding night. But the Yuuri who appeared before me doesn’t smell like wine, or even sweat. No matter how clean you make yourself with purification magic, being scentless only proves one thing: you’ve been with Ashley!”
”Ugh—w-wait—”
Too late. The dread he’d felt earlier finally made sense—Marina’s keen intuition had already seen through him. She’d coaxed him into confessing his new power, only to strike straight at the truth he’d tried to hide.
”So tell me,” she demanded, eyes flashing, “how many days did you spend alone with Ashley? You left me and Suzuri out, so it must’ve been quite an intimate little getaway, hmm?”
Yuuri could only admire her wit. Her sharpness stripped away any lingering nostalgia; her words came fast and merciless. To anyone else, it might look like jealous anger—but he knew better. Marina, who had already accepted her place as second in his heart, wouldn’t waste breath on real resentment. No—she was merely playing the villain to keep peace between him and the goddess.
That understanding filled him with warmth even as he braced against her mock scolding. Beneath her sharp tone was affection—and the faintest invitation to tease her back.
He reached out and stroked her cheek, pretending to soothe her. Her lips trembled as if she might smile, but she forced her face into a pout. He leaned close, whispering playfully into her ear.
”One day.”
”…Eh?”
Her startled cry was so genuine it almost made him laugh. To feed the mischief swelling in his chest, he held her tighter, as if to stop her from running. His arms slid around her slim frame, and at that, Marina stiffened in alarm.
”Ashley wanted us to have plenty of time together,” Yuuri murmured. “But she said she didn’t like the thought of me spending days with another woman—so she kicked me out after just one.”
”Wha—what!? Yuuri, you mean—you and Ashley, only one day!?”
The girl in his arms blinked wildly, her golden eyes spinning in confusion.
If not for the worry of onlookers, Marina would have gladly spent every spare moment with the man she loved most. It was the natural thought of a woman who understood her place as the second beloved—but one who forgot she, too, was cherished no less.
”Ugh… So by leaving some regret behind, she guarantees a next meeting? Clever girl, that Ashley…!”
At last, Marina seemed to realize her own miscalculation—a mistake born of inexperience. When time itself was endless, there was no need for any one favored soul to monopolize affection. The older attendant, who had been the first to demonstrate that understanding, had already won this round. With a small sigh, the princess conceded defeat.
Still, teasing born from a misunderstanding invited a proper counterattack. Yuuri, half exasperated and half amused, swept Marina into his arms in a bridal carry. Her eyes widened as he grinned down at her, wolfish and unrepentant.
”So, Marina,” he said, lowering his voice, “I’ve been holding back since I was tossed out too soon. I still need to get it out of my system—and you don’t mind if I take it out on you, right?”
”H-hya—! Th-that’s… fine…♡”
Her body, tense a moment before, melted against him. The proud golden eyes that had once challenged him now shimmered, soft and hazy. Yuuri loved their banter, but moments like this—when her feelings shone plainly—were his undoing.
”Well then,” he said at last, clearing his throat, “before the sun sets, we’ve got work to do. It’s windy up here—we should head downstairs.”
”Y-yeah. Nighttime schools are kind of spooky anyway. Let’s turn on every light we can!”
The sun was already sinking, and the mountain winds howled even louder. Their voices nearly vanished beneath it, so when they spotted a door leading below, Yuuri decided retreat was the wiser choice.
* * *
At the foot of the stairs, Marina smoothed her hair and puffed her cheeks. “Geez, you could’ve set me down sooner.”
”Don’t be ridiculous. That wind was whipping your skirt everywhere. Besides…” He scratched his head. “I’ll admit, I panicked a bit when I found the door locked.”
Their grand adventure in this school began not with mystery or danger, but with the mundane obstacle of a modern lock. Naturally, there was no key on the outside. Yuuri was about to break the glass with divine protection when Marina, with an almost mischievous calm, pulled the pin from her hair.
From that delicate clip, she summoned a shimmer of light—her Holy Sword. With a precise flick, she sliced through the lock behind the glass without so much as a scratch to the frame. The door slid open with a satisfying click.
Yuuri stared, dumbfounded. “You… seem awfully practiced at that.”
Marina gave an innocent smile. “When I used to sneak out into the city in disguise, everyone got so mad. I ended up under house arrest for a while—so I learned a few tricks.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t… use them for anything shady, did you?”
Her smile didn’t waver. “Define shady.”
Apparently, she’d been slipping out long before Shelm ever chose her as a vessel. Part of Yuuri wanted to scold her as a concerned subject, but another part knew a princess couldn’t live on duty alone. Before he could decide, Marina was already descending the next flight of stairs, free from the wind and full of purpose.
”Let’s check the staff room first,” she said briskly. “If everything’s locked like this, we’ll need a key ring or a master key. Otherwise we can’t use half the facilities.”
Her pace was confident, her steps sure. Even in this hollow, lifeless world, she moved as though the academy were still her own. Yuuri followed, watching the hem of her white dress sway in the dim light.
The corridors grew darker as evening deepened. Marina flicked on every switch she passed; some lights hummed to life, others remained dark. A few seemed to be on timers, but most were clearly meant for daytime use only. She hurried along, turning lights on one after another, glancing back at him again and again.
Yuuri hid a smile. He could guess the reason—perhaps she feared the dark. But calling her out would only earn him another glare, so he chose to stay quiet, enjoying the sight of his bride darting about in the half-lit hallways.
”So,” he called out lightly, “where do we sleep? The infirmary, maybe?”
Marina stopped mid-step and grinned. “Classic spot for forbidden love! Tempting, but don’t worry—I’ve got a much better place in mind. The bed there’s far softer.”
After rummaging through a few keys hanging beside the staff room door, they realized no room here was meant for comfort. The school had desks, not beds. Still, Marina seemed certain of another destination. She led him back up the stairs, the rhythm of her heels echoing in the quiet building.
Finally, they arrived before a heavy wooden door unlike the rest.
Yuuri squinted at the plaque. “Seito… kaishitsu?”
”That’s right!” Marina said brightly. “The Student Council Room—my old office!”
He read the worn characters aloud, the script of a life two decades gone. The meaning settled slowly in his mind.
This was a place he’d never entered in his previous life. Back then, he hadn’t belonged to any club, hadn’t strived for anything at school. But for Marina—the Marina of that lost world—this might have been where she lived her days to their fullest.
He hesitated. Could he really step into a place so steeped in her old life?
Marina noticed nothing of his hesitation. With practiced ease, she unlocked the door and slipped inside.
”Hey, come on!” she called. “We’ve got tons to do, and you’re just standing there?”
”Right, right—I’m coming.”
He shook off the weight in his chest and followed. The carpet was thick beneath his boots, muffling his steps.
The room stretched wide and warm, its walls lined with bookshelves crammed with binders and records—student histories, event logs, fragments of youth preserved in paper. Heavy desks filled the center, the largest one set farthest back, polished to a quiet shine.
Marina leaned against it, smiling radiantly.
”Welcome, Yuuri,” she said. “To my student council room. As president, I officially welcome you.”
Here, in this quiet sanctum of her former life, Yuuri felt the echo of the girl who had fought to live every moment she was given. Tonight, he was invited into the very heart of the princess he loved—the proof that she had truly lived.
Notes:
• Marina – First Princess of Restea—needs labyrinth escort.
• Shelm – Wicked Goddess, reincarnated Yuuri, manipulative, wants him to use his power.
• Ashley – Count’s daughter, royal attendant, has a crush on Yuuri.
• Suzuri – A scout who braved the labyrinth and lured a petrifying monster to protect her friends, she endured long isolation while frozen in stone and relied on inner magic to preserve her sense of self.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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