Vol 1 Chapter 22: Epilogue – The Prince Elvyn and the Lost Memories

The sky in the capital of the Rose Kingdom was gray. As if it knew, someone in the palace was fighting against a fog that was thicker than the clouds overhead.

Prince Elvyn sat alone in his study. His hand held the golden pen that was usually used to sign royal circulars, but the page in front of him remained blank.

He couldn't focus.

Not because of the pressure of work. But because of the emptiness—a hole inside him that he couldn't explain. It wasn't just forgetting someone's name. This was worse. Elvyn knew there was someone... who had once been very important. Someone who made his heart feel warm every time he tried to remember them, but that person's face was always covered by wilted rose petals.

And the more he tried to remember, the more his headache hurt.

—

A Letter From Clara...

Clara had just returned. The report on the two fugitives had been submitted—written neatly and coldly:

"No sign of the fugitives. Their tracks were lost in the middle of the forest. It is strongly suspected that they died due to eaten by wild animals in the forest. There were no traces left.

Or it is strongly suspected that they died due to internal conflict between criminals. There is no evidence of the involvement of the valley residents.

This area is safe. Very safe. More so than the capital. And I advise you not to send anyone here.

Fugitives not found. Search declared complete. Presumably they were dead before the investigation team arrived. No remains or evidence of their current whereabouts were found."

But Elvyn knew. Clara didn't write the whole truth.

And for some reason, Elvyn didn't ask her.

"Why can't I remember?"

In the quiet night, Elvyn stood on the balcony of his room. The wind carried the scent of roses from the royal garden.

"Who are you...?" he whispered to the sky.

For seven years, that vague image haunted his dreams. A woman, with silver hair that gleamed under the moonlight. A gentle smile. Warm hands. And a voice...

"Elvyn... be the light in this kingdom. I may become dark. But you... you must remain the light."

Every time that voice rang, Elvyn's chest felt tight. Like an old, invisible wound. Every time a rose bloomed in the royal garden, he felt like crying without knowing why.

—

Memories Left Behind by the World...

After the incident that collapsed the world's memory seven years ago, many people lost a part of themselves. But Elvyn knew—his was not just a memory. What was lost was the emotional identity of someone who had shaped who he was today.

Some of the palace advisors told him to forget. They said it was just a residual effect of an ancient artifact.

But Elvyn knew that this was no ordinary memory.

—

The Old Map and the Symbol of the Blood Rose...

In his secret room, hidden behind a bookshelf, Elvyn kept an old cloth with the symbol of a blood rose—the symbol of the kingdom's top fugitive from the past: the Blood Rose Princess.

No one knew Elvyn had it.

He had found it by accident, during an expedition with his troops to the western ruins five years ago. When he saw the symbol, his heart beat faster, and his eyes became moist... though he didn't know why.

"Who are you really... and why do I feel... I love you?"

—

Fragments of a Dream...

That night, Elvyn had a dream. It wasn't like the previous dreams that were blurry and drifting.

This time it was clear.

Someone was looking at him with a smile. Not a seductive beauty or a blue-blooded noble. But an older sister...

With long silver hair that fell to her shoulders and piercing blue eyes like ice and the sun mixed together. Not just beautiful—she was both majestic and sad at the same time.

"You must live, Elvyn. Live for all that I could not protect."

And in that dream, Elvyn cried.

—

A Confusing Morning...

Elvyn woke up. Her hand was holding a red rose—wet with dew, but real.

He looked out the window.

From the south, the wind brought the scent of the valley. A scent that was not in the royal garden.

The same scent as the embrace in his dream.

—

Towards the Answer...

"Clara..." he whispered.

"What are you hiding from me?"

Beyond the horizon, behind the layers of flowers and memories, there was someone he had been looking for. Not as a prince. But as a younger brother who missed his older sister.

—

Author's Note

Vol 1 ends here. Vol 1 focuses on Marry el Rose's life as a mother to Caelan el Rose's beloved daughter and some remnants of the past that begin to interact with her. Clara and Elvyn are memories of Marry's past. Although Clara and Elvyn do not remember, Marry as Caelan's mother, remembers everything. Marry is one of the people who did not 'forget' after the incident of the collapse of the world's memory 7 years ago. As if she lived alone, carrying those painful memories when other people forgot. The author tries to describe the inner conflict experienced by Marry el Rose and also highlights the impact it has on important characters such as Clara and Elvyn, and how their inner conflict is trying to find their memories again.