Section 2: Amnesia

He opened his eyes.

The surrounding scene was hazy, and it was only after a few seconds that he could see the ceiling. It was the ceiling of an ordinary mansion with simple patterns painted on it.

Here it is...... Where?

The thought popped into his mind. It's an instinctive reaction – anyone who opens their eyes and sees an unfamiliar scene will have this instinctive question.

"Is he awake?" he heard a voice ringing in his ears. He turned his head to see who the speaker was, but the simple action caused a sharp pain that caused him to let out a moan.

"Are you awake?" he saw a figure appear in his field of vision as he spoke. It was a girl who looked to be fifteen or sixteen years old, with light blue silver hair. His hair was braided and hung down to his waist.

"Where is this? And ...... Who am I?" he asked, his lips twitching, in a barely audible voice.

"This is my home...... Who are you? Have you forgotten who you are?" asked the girl, a little confused.

"Who am I......" he repeated in a voice that was almost mosquito-like. The question drained his best strength, causing him to faint once more.

The girl walked out of the room. Outside, Aunt Mary and her sister were waiting there.

"Did he wake up?" said Aunt Mary. "It's good, he's not dead, he didn't waste our time. ”

"Hmm...... But ......," said the girl, with a strange face. "It looks like he's lost his memory. ”

"Lost memory?" Aunt Mary repeated the word once. Losing memories is not an outrageous thing, and although a person may never have the opportunity to see such cases in their lifetime, there are at least many books (especially medical books) that document this phenomenon. There are several causes of amnesia, the most well-known of which is a blow to the head. But in addition to stuffy sticks, there are many other reasons. In short, although such a thing as amnesia is rare, it is not an outrageous thing in the concept of ordinary people. "Are you sure?"

"I believe so. Because he just asked me who he was. ”

Aunt Mary nodded, and burst into laughter. "You two are really lucky, let's get a doctor to come and check his body right away. Now that he has lost his memory, he has a lot of value. He's your fiancé. ”

"Auntie......" The twins questioned in surprise because they didn't understand what aunt meant. "What did you say, fiancé?"

Aunt Mary came to the exit of the room, glanced out to make sure there was no eavesdropper, and closed the door.

"Well, as you said, this man named Ashruphat is a mercenary...... A shameless rascal, and besides a dark magician, isn't he?"

The twins looked at each other, then nodded affirmatively. "We haven't seen him use it, but we're sure he's learned the dark arts. ”

"Good, good...... A mercenary...... I don't have a fixed place, I don't know where I came from, and I happen to lose my memory......" Suddenly, the aunt changed the subject and asked in a stern tone, staring at the two nieces in front of her. “...... Do you know how old you are?!"

"We ...... "The question was so sudden, ...... the twins didn't have time to react at all.

"You're almost thirty years old!" said Aunt Mary sternly. "Although some people just look young...... But there are limits. This reason won't last forever! Women your age are preparing to be grandmothers or grandmothers! I remember the girl in the Ralvins, the one you played with when you were a child...... Her daughter is engaged this year. Well, she got married at the age of fifteen, and it is estimated that in two or three years, she will be able to be a grandmother. ”

"But we ......"

"You can never get married? Not marrying for the rest of your life will inevitably arouse unnecessary suspicion. But if you really look for a random man, then how can you hide your unnatural youth? Makeup and dressing up can make people look young or old, and that's nothing, even if outsiders have suspicions. But the person next to the pillow is different. Then again, that's what a lot of people learn about dark arts! But if you can," she sighed. "I don't want to see you burned at the stake one day. I know your secrets, and I believe that you have never done anything unreasonable...... But others won't believe it. The Church never spares the Dark Mage...... In fact, the fact that you are still unmarried has caused some rumors and other troubles. Now you need a man by your side, and the Ashrufat that you picked up on the road is a godsend......

"From now on," Aunt Mary gestured with her hand toward the inner chamber. "This Ashruphat is your fiancé. ”

The tone and movements of her voice are such that no one can misunderstand what she means.

"But...... What if others don't believe it?"

"Who wouldn't believe it? I'm the witness!" the Ashrufat ......," Aunt Mary bowed her head, groaning as she walked in small circles. "Born into a family of down-and-out knights from Ryan...... Because it is far away, and in addition, there was a civil war a few years ago, and it was chaotic, and even if someone went to check their identity, they would not be able to verify it...... He and his father, whose name he was named Thomas, and whose name was all over the streets, had been reduced to mercenaries because of the middle of the family. But, in an accident, they saved your poor father's life. Out of gratitude, your father promised to marry one of you to him, on the condition that he renounce his former status, surname, and coat of arms and join your family. Of course, I happened to be there and was a witness to it. Well, that's it. The whereabouts of this Knight of Ashrufat were unknown for the past few years, and his fate was uncertain, which is why you remain single...... I only met him now. Well, good, so that the whole thing is coherent and flawless!"

(Author's note: The letter is a story, hey, auntie, what about your festival?)

"By the way, you two pay attention to one thing. Aunt Mary turned her head and looked at the two nieces. "You should understand that he is a mercenary. She emphasized. "And the mercenaries, they're a bunch of hooligans with no sense of honor! I'm sure you all remember that he saved you, but he made you pay the price of chastity. While I admit it's a good deal for you, it proves that he's not a decent man. He's amnesia—there's no one to know when he'll regain his memory!"

She paused, as if thinking about something. "You two must remember that he is a 'fiancé' and can only be a 'fiancé'. ”

The two sisters looked at each other suspiciously, not understanding what their aunt meant.

"What you need is a façade, not a person. Be sure to understand this. As long as you have a 'fiancé'. It doesn't matter at all whether he's staying with you or going away from you. Those are explainable things!Got it?!"

......

He woke up again, feeling the pain of tearing all over his body. Each piece of muscle seemed to have a small drill bit drilling, reminding him not to move.

The eyes still see what they saw the last time they woke up. It was a ceiling, which you would often see when staying overnight in a regular hotel.

He blinked, and reason slowly came back to his mind, making him realize that he was lying on a bed at the moment.

Where is this? Who am I? He immediately thought about it again. What am I doing here? He struggled to search his memory for useful information, but found that his memory was blank. He vaguely remembered something, but when he reached out to the lost memory, he realized that it was just an illusion.

"Are you awake, Mr. Ashrufat?" a voice caught his attention. He turned his head sideways and looked at the person who was speaking. Although the simple act caused more pain, he finally did not pass out again like the last time.

Sitting on the edge of the bed was a middle-aged woman in her forties, fat and with fat on her face. From the aspects of clothing, looks, appearance, etc., it can be easily seen that she is a maid.

He nodded. Is this his name? He tried to think again, to use the name as an opportunity to remember something from the past, but it was useless, it was all in vain.

"Come, drink some water. The maid gave him a spoon and a mouthful of water. "You've been in a coma for three days, and you must be thirsty. ”

Thirsty? But he didn't feel thirsty at all. However, this may be due to the effects of the pain. He drank the water silently.

Ashrufat?He repeated the name in his mind. I can't tell if the name is familiar or not, but judging by the maid's natural way of speaking, this "Ashrufat" should be his name.

But he couldn't remember it at all.

"The doctor said you probably fell from the mountain, so you were physically injured by the impact. The maid continued. "During this time, you have to recuperate. ”

"My name is Ashrufat?" he asked. "Where is this......? Do you know you?" fortunately, he found that his mouth moved quite neatly, and even his words did not cause more pain.

"Don't you remember?" another voice said. He tried to look to the side, and what he saw was the girl he had seen before he had passed out the last time.

"Remember, remember, what?" The dazed desire in his heart to pursue the answer made him even overcome the severe pain in his body and lift his head slightly.

"Where is this? Who am I? ...... you Who is it?"

"This is North County, or rather, the outskirts of North County, my manor—my home. As for you, your name is Ashrufat, my fiancé. ”