CHAPTER 131
It was Lewis. It seemed that Lewis had returned.
"Lewis? Is it really you?"
It was so dark that I couldn't see it!
As I called out to Lewis in the darkness, he waved his hand.
Then the lights turned on.
He was lying on his side, propping his chin up. He wore the same outfit he had on the day he visited the Duke's mansion.
He had taken off his vest and was only wearing a white shirt, lazily smiling like the Lewis I knew.
"Did you miss me a lot while I was gone?"
"Lewis!"
I abruptly sat up.
"Sigh."
A sigh of relief escaped my lips before I knew it.
"I was so worried about what would happen if you didn't return!"
"Why does Bella always have to cause trouble with her potions?"
Lewis clicked his tongue at Bella.
But it seemed Bella's shock therapy had worked, seeing that he had returned to normal...
"Do you remember everything that happened while you were young?"
"Yes, I remember everything."
Lewis chuckled.
"You really treated me like a child."
He remembered everything. I felt somewhat embarrassed and tried to make an excuse.
"Well, even as an adult, you only remembered up to when you were eleven. I thought it would be better to treat you like a child until you returned to your original state."
"So, did you enjoy being with that child?"
"Um... he was cute."
It wasn't bad. It was like meeting Lewis from his childhood, so I naturally felt affectionate.
"Bella probably didn't find it cute."
Bella seemed to alternate between feeling sorry and wanting to scold young Lewis every time she saw him.
As I chuckled, Lewis propped himself up on the bed and leaned toward me.
"Forget about that kid now. After all, I'm the real one."
"Both are Lewis, so what's there to forget..."
Before I could finish my sentence, he kissed me.
After a light kiss, he pulled away, and I continued.
"What's there to forget? That child is also Lewis."
"How can that be me? A child without any memories."
A child without any memories. He was treating his younger self as a different person.
Lewis, smirking, leaned in again. Sensing his intention, I placed my hands on his shoulders.
I was more than happy that he had returned. I had been worried about him since he turned young.
As he softly sucked on my lips, he soon grabbed the back of my head, deepening the kiss.
I shared my joy of reunion with Lewis.
It was a dawn that made me forget our wedding was the next morning.
* * *
The Croft family was so surprised to see Lewis in the morning.
"Do you know how much I missed you?"
Bella welcomed adult Lewis with a face that seemed almost tearful.
"I almost ruined my best friend's wedding!"
"Aren't you sorry to me? Who do you think drank the potion you made?"
"Th-that was my mistake..."
Given the circumstances, Bella also expressed her apologies to Lewis.
"We don't have time for this. We need to prepare."
At the Duke's words, we dispersed again.
Many people attended the wedding.
It was based on the Duke's opinion that we should send out as many invitations as possible, and more people attended than expected.
It would have been a disaster if we had postponed it.
Lady Redmond, now Countess Devant, guessed the reason for the large turnout.
"It's the wedding of the only Tower Master in the Empire. It's a family connected to the Marquisate, so people would naturally want to attend."
Then she looked at me with a smirk.
"Of course, I came because of my friendship with you, Miss Elsner."
"Of course!"
"You look beautiful, Miss Elsner!"
Charlotte, who attended the wedding, looked at me with sparkling eyes.
Lady Horse looked at Bella and tilted her head.
"But Miss Croft's under-eye circles seem particularly dark today."
"Haha, she hasn't slept properly for days."
Although Bella couldn't make an antidote, it was such a relief that he returned!
It's fortunate that he returned, but yesterday's mood lasted longer than expected, and we almost didn't sleep.
'Lewis. Our wedding is tomorrow, no, today. If we don't sleep, it'll be a big problem!'
I had to coax Lewis like this...
Soon enough, it was time for the wedding to begin, and everyone who came to congratulate me left the waiting room.
The Duke, who had been greeting people outside and exchanging pleasantries, came to see me before the ceremony started.
"I want to pat your head, but I'm afraid I'll mess up your hair."
The Duke looked at me with a fond expression.
She was Bella's mother but treated me more like a daughter than my own mother did.
"So I'll have to hug you."
The Duke opened her arms and hugged me.
"I'm so glad your wedding is proceeding without any issues."
"Yes, I was very worried..."
The Duke, smiling warmly, stayed by my side for a moment before leaving the waiting room.
It was really time for the wedding to begin.
Let's go. I picked up the bouquet and stood up.
As I entered the hall where the wedding was held, I saw Lewis standing at the end of the red carpet, facing forward.
When the announcement of the bride's entrance came, Lewis turned around.
We looked at each other.
This is my first time experiencing this, so it feels awkward. I smiled brightly at him.
Side Story 2 : On the Honeymoon
Our wedding ended smoothly.
Besides narrowly avoiding the great crisis of the groom almost not showing up, everything ended without any issues.
"Have fun."
"Yes, Duke."
"Get plenty of rest."
"We'll wait for your gift!"
After saying our goodbyes to the Croft family, we left for our honeymoon.
We went to the exotic Western Continent for our honeymoon.
I had a lot of influence on choosing the destination.
'Where do you want to go for the honeymoon?'
'Hmm... I want to go somewhere that's not a resort.'
I had given a light answer since we had already been to resorts several times.
Lewis, who had traveled around the continent before being swamped with Tower Master duties, chose one of those places.
It was the Western Continent, known for its exotic buildings.
As we were taking the boat there, Lewis said,
"The Western Continent is warmer than the Empire, so it'll be nice for traveling."
"The buildings are different too, right?"
"Yes."
I was filled with excitement and anticipation.
And as we were nearing the Western Continent—
"We will arrive in an hour."
"Finally! Let's go out and see, Lewis."
I pointed out the massive dark clouds in the distance.
"Uh... Lewis, look at those dark clouds."
It was sunny when we were in the Empire! Why does the sky look like it could pour down rain at any moment?
"We're heading right into those dark clouds. We're going to get completely soaked, aren't we?"
"Why is it raining? It's not even the rainy season."
Lewis's expression turned grim.
We only learned what was happening when we arrived at the hotel.
"It's been raining heavily since the beginning of this week. Normally, it doesn't rain this time of year..."
Weather anomaly! The hotel manager explained that there was an unusual weather pattern.
Ah, why is this happening during our honeymoon?!
"W-Well, let's go out and explore anyway."
Though flustered, I tried to stay positive and suggested to Lewis.
"The first day of the trip is when we have the most energy, so we should see something."
The rain wasn't falling now, so we had to see things while we could!
But it wasn't long after we went out that it started pouring.
Swoosh—
It was not a light drizzle but a torrential downpour.
"Why is it raining now of all times?"
Lewis seemed frustrated.
We were really unlucky. How could the weather be like this on our honeymoon day?!
According to what the manager said, it seemed like it would continue to rain like this.
My honeymoon...
Holding an umbrella and looking at the famous buildings with Lewis, I felt a little tearful inside.
But there's nothing we can do about the weather. We just had to accept it.
Today's sightseeing was ruined.
We saw some nearby buildings briefly before heading back to the hotel.
"Shall we enjoy ourselves at the hotel?"
After washing off our wet bodies in the room, we wandered around the hotel. Fortunately, there were other facilities, even if there wasn't a theater like the previous place.
With the sound of rain falling like white noise through the windows, we had dinner at the hotel.
Then we returned to the room and drank the wine Lewis had ordered.
"Shall we have a drink?"
"Sure."
We both drank just enough to feel slightly tipsy.
Feeling a pleasant buzz, I lay on the bed, and Lewis sat on the edge, looking down at me.
"By the way, Lewis—"
"Yes, Lewis?"
"Ah, young Lewis. Eleven years old."
Drinking the wine made me think of it suddenly.
"He wanted to try alcohol."
"You should have let him."
"No way. His body and mind were that of a child. Even if he was originally an adult."
That's a big no-no!
"Come to think of it, I didn't get to say goodbye properly. If I'd known we'd part so suddenly, I would've at least said goodbye."
"You said he was me anyway."
"Still. He was completely a child. It broke my heart to see him cry."
Remembering how heartbroken he was upon learning his mother was gone still made me feel sorry.
Seeing my sad expression, Lewis wore a strange look.
"Forget it. He's gone now, so stop thinking about him."
"Every time I mention young Lewis, you react like this. Are you jealous?"
Seriously?
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