Chapter 6 – Names and Memories
Kurora looked at Ignes with curiosity.
"Who is it… that can scold you, Your Highness?" he asked carefully.
The question lingered in the air.
Who could possibly scold Ignes?
Kurora's mind raced.
There are only two souls who can even called 'Your Highness'…
Then how could someone like that exist…?
His small body stiffened slightly as the thought stayed unanswered.
---
Ignes didn't look at him.
"You don't have the authority to know that," he said calmly.
There was no anger in his voice.
Just a simple statement.
He then shifted his gaze slightly, as if thinking about something else entirely.
"…Anyway."
"I think I have too many memories."
His voice became quieter.
"I'm not sure anymore… if I've mixed up my different lives."
He closed his eyes for a moment.
"Some of them feel similar to this one."
"Some of them… overlap."
He opened his eyes again.
"Give me the information."
---
Kurora felt a small sting in his chest.
Not being trusted with that answer made him a little sad.
But he didn't show it.
Instead, he straightened himself and spoke properly.
"You are Ignes von Heart."
"Your father is Alexander von Heart."
"Your mother is Alena von Heart."
"You have one brother—William von Heart."
"You belong to one of the four great Dukedoms."
He paused for a moment, then continued,
"This empire is called Aeternum."
---
Ignes listened quietly.
Then—
A faint smirk appeared.
"Don't tell me…"
"If my last name is Heart… then the other three Dukedoms are Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades."
He tilted his head slightly.
"And the royal family name is Ace."
He paused, then added lazily,
"…Or maybe Fool."
---
Kurora froze.
For a moment, he couldn't respond.
Ignes… making a joke?
No—
Not just a joke.
A sharp one.
This was different.
Ignes used to be gentle.
Calm.
Soft-spoken.
But now—
There was a sharp edge in his words.
"…Yes," Kurora finally said.
"The Dukedoms are named exactly as you said."
"And the royal family name is Ace."
He looked at Ignes with disbelief.
"How did you guess all of them correctly?"
"You didn't know this before."
"You always said it was boring."
"You didn't care about your Duke title at all."
"You would just leave everything behind and go play with your magic."
He hesitated slightly.
"And… why 'Fool'?"
"Don't you think that's an unsuitable name for a royal family?"
---
Ignes leaned back slightly, his expression calm.
"They're just names from a deck of cards."
He spoke as if it was obvious.
"I thought calling that emperor 'Fool' would be fun."
There was a faint amusement in his voice.
Then his gaze drifted again.
"As for how I guessed…"
He tapped his temple lightly.
"…pattern recognition."
"Simple structure."
"Four Dukedoms. One central ruler."
"It was predictable."
---
Kurora stared at him.
This… is not the same Ignes.
The thought came naturally.
Not wrong.
Just… different.
---
Ignes continued, almost casually,
"And from your description…"
He paused.
A small smile appeared.
"I was probably in my crazy scientist phase."
He added after a second,
"…or psycho scientist phase."
---
Kurora blinked.
"…Phase?"
He didn't understand.
But one thing was clear—
Something inside Ignes had changed.
Not his power.
Not his identity.
But the way he thought.
The way he spoke.
And the way he looked at the world.
---
And Kurora couldn't tell…
If that change was a good thing—
Or something far more dangerous.