Dissuading Aiseline's father was the hard part.
"Perhaps… did my daughter offend you in any way, Sir Julius?"
"Not at all."
The man sitting across from Julius was the same person who had nearly lost everything when it became his time to inherit his family's merchant-line trade.
Crushed by the greed of a single man, he had been forced into desperation, only to be saved by that very same person. He knew the truth, but he could do nothing.
Such was the overwhelming power of the Schneider family.
To protect both himself and his daughter, all he had to offer was her hand in marriage. It was a painful sacrifice, yet it was Aiseline who had said it was all right.
And now, he could only ask why that very same man was suddenly withdrawing from the engagement, feeling worried for both his daughter's future and his own.
"Then… what will happen to us now? Will the Vergissmeinnicht be pushed out of the Schneider group?"
Julius knew Aiseline's father had never liked him. Even now, there was relief in the man's eyes at the thought of his daughter being set free.
Yet despite that sense of relief, there was fear, for he understood that his family had only survived because of the Schneider family's backing.
"Rest assured," Julius said. "No such thing will happen. I will do everything in my power to persuade my father, and I will ensure the Vergissmeinnicht continues to prosper while maintaining full autonomy."
"I-Is that so?" Aiseline's father stammered, his voice trembling. "D-Do you truly mean that?"
"Do you doubt me? If you wish, I'll have it in writing."
"I… no. If you say so, then I will trust you."
Julius leaned back. "Good. Trust is the foundation of any agreement, isn't it? Consider this a promise."
Aiseline's father bowed his head slightly, as though to hide it. "Thank you, Lord Julius. My daughter and I are in your debt."
"…You're not," Julius replied. "Not anymore. But if you're truly thankful, then thank your daughter. Please continue to support her endeavors."
The man raised his head slowly. His lips parted as if to speak again, but no words came. Instead, he gave a stiff nod.
Julius looked across the table, Aiseline remained motionless. Her fingers traced the edges of the bouquet, confusion evident in her expression.
'She doesn't believe me. Not yet. Nor should she.'
'After all, why would she? She owes me nothing. Least of all, the benefit of the doubt.'
Julius rose from his seat.
"That will be all for tonight. Rest well, Lord Vergissmeinnicht. And you, Lady Aiseline… continue as you always have. The world deserves to hear your music."
"…."
Aiseline looked up, startled as if pulled from her thoughts, but no reply left her lips.
Julius gave a final glance at her father, nodded, then turned and walked toward the door.
* * *
"Are you sure about this, Young Master?"
"Were you eavesdropping?"
Gabriel averted his gaze. "Only when her father arrived."
"…You were listening from the start."
Gabriel didn't answer right away. His hands remained clasped behind his back with that aloof expression as always. The next moment, he shrugged.
"Perhaps a little bit."
"That's a violation of privacy."
"It's the Master's orders."
"Master this, master that. Why don't you just marry my father? He's widowed, and at his age, maybe his tastes are beginning to lean the other way."
Gabriel's brow twitched, though his expression remained composed. "If that is your wish, Young Master, I will be sure to propose at once."
"…You really are a scary guy, Gabriel."
As they stepped out of the restaurant and crossed into the parking lot, a sudden voice called out behind them.
——Wait a minute.
Both men turned. Aiseline had hurried at first, though she slowed as she approached. The bouquet of forget-me-nots was still in her hands.
"Lady Aiseline?" Julius's brows raised.
Aiseline's chest rose and fell as she caught her breath.
"Why now?" she asked. "Why say those things tonight?"
Sensing the tension between them, Gabriel bowed his head and quietly moved ahead to start the car, leaving the two a moment of space.
Julius regarded Aiseline silently for a moment. Under the pale glow of the parking lot lamps, her eyes searched his face as though trying to peer into his thoughts.
"…Because I should have said them long ago," Julius replied at last.
"If this was how it was going to end, then you shouldn't have…" Aiseline's brows furrowed. She cut herself off, holding her tongue.
Deep down, she feared the repercussions. If she spoke too harshly, Julius might withdraw his promise to her father.
Julius noticed her clenched fists but chose not to address them.
"Thank you for tonight, Sir Julius," Aiseline said. Through gritted teeth, she pressed their engagement ring into his hand.
Julius accepted it and closed his palm around the ring, watching Aiseline walk back toward the restaurant.
Just like that, it was the end of a four-year engagement. The sum of four wasted years.
To sever it so easily was both a mercy and a punishment for both parties.
From the car window, Gabriel peeked his head out. "Young Master. We should leave."
"…Right." Julius drew in a breath, straightened his coat, and entered the car.
Julius silently rested his chin on his hand, staring out the window. From the driver's seat, Gabriel broke the silence.
"What will you do about your brother? His faction was already preparing to swallow the Vergissmeinnicht entirely. Are you planning on opposing him?"
"Jeremy, huh? Who knows?"
Jeremy Sylvester Schneider, the eldest son and heir of the Schneider family.
The one most favored by their father.
The golden child.
The perfect son.
Everything Julius had never been.
Yet in his last life, he had outlived such a person.
The car moved on in silence for a few minutes more. Gabriel, catching the complicated look on Julius's face through the mirror, decided to speak again.
"There are better women out there your age, Young Master. She's what now—nearing her thirties? And you, twenty-four? She was always out of your league."
"Is this your way of comforting me?"
Gabriel's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. "If you take it that way, then perhaps."
Julius leaned back against the seat, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You really are terrible at it."
"Better than saying nothing at all." Gabriel shrugged.
After making a few more turns, Julius noticed something felt off.
"Someone's following us."
"Yes," Gabriel replied without surprise.
"No wonder you've been driving in circles this whole time."
"I thought you needed the extra time to sulk."
That was just like Gabriel. Annoying, sarcastic, never once breaking character.
And yet, always considerate.
From the time they were children, Gabriel had remained by his side. Born the son of his mother's attendant, he had been raised to serve the Schneider family and, in time, Julius himself.
When Gabriel died, Julius had cried more over his mutilated body than he ever did over his father's death.
"Gabriel, what do you think of me picking up the sword?"
"You? Sword? Pfft—"
"…."
Gabriel tried to hold a straight face, but failed spectacularly. He glanced at Julius through the rearview mirror, then back to the road, his shoulders shaking.
"Pfft—"
"I'll fucking kill you."
"Okay, okay." Gabriel raised one hand in surrender. "But a sword? That's my job."
He wasn't wrong. Julius had never been one for the blade. He had studied magic as a minor subject, but only to a degree of usability.
Still, times had changed. The world no longer would no longer move under the same rules it once did, and Julius knew that.
With the rapid advancement of cyber-magic military warfare, pure incantation spells fell hopelessly behind compared to those who wielded cybernetic magic weapons.
As the scenery shifted from neon-lit streets to a more secluded stretch of road, Julius realized what Gabriel was planning.
"I'll help you," Julius said.
"Stay put. Any blood on your clothes, and the Master will have my head."
Moments later, the car stopped. The vehicles trailing behind them did the same, and Gabriel stepped out.
"…."
Julius closed his eyes, and a familiar migraine pierced his skull.
"Ah, fuck. As always…"
[SIBYL Initializing…]
[Boot Sequence: Online]
[Neural Sync: Established]
[Retinal Overlay: Active]
When he opened his eyes again, strings of code flickered at the edges of his vision. Regression had returned his body to its younger state, but certain things had not disappeared. Certain… gimmicks.
[Access Granted]
[Welcome.]
In the far future, military personnel had been forced to undergo brain surgery, each implanted with a microchip.
That chip housed an AI known as SIBYL. It encoded hardware into the user's retina, body, and nervous system, granting unparalleled battlefield integration. However, it came with a cost. The Republic could track anyone, anywhere, and breach data from anyone, at any time.
Yet in this era, SIBYL did not exist.
"SIBYL, start the scan."
And still, it was here. With regression, the chip had remained inside him.
[Proximity Scan Initiated]
[11 hostile signatures detected within immediate radius.]
[Positions: Surrounding perimeter.]
Eleven figures closed in around them. Among those signatures, one belonged to Gabriel.
Julius rummaged through the front seat. Inside the glove compartment, he found exactly what he was looking for.
Swiiish——
A photon saber.