* * *
Cedric resented Edgar, who didn’t care about him in the slightest.
Because he liked him—he resented him even more.
Whenever Edgar looked at Liette with those affectionate eyes, not him, Cedric felt blinded by jealousy.
And the cold attitude Edgar reserved only for him left Cedric wounded time and again.
It hadn’t been like that from the start.
During their first meeting, Edgar had clearly been kind—to him, too.
Cedric had fallen for Edgar at that very first encounter.
After that, he was formally introduced through Liette.
But once they began to interact, Edgar started seeing him as a rival.
And over time, he erected a wall between them.
Then that moment finally came.
“Liette. If you’re okay with it, would you be my partner at the ball?”
Right before Cedric’s eyes, Edgar asked Liette to dance.
Seeing him look so bashful made Cedric snap.
In retaliation, Cedric immediately asked Liette for a dance as well, sabotaging the moment.
Cedric had already told Liette he had a crush on Edgar.
Liette, in turn, had been supportive.
That’s why, flustered and unsure how to reject Edgar, she took Cedric’s hand instead.
Edgar, unaware of the circumstances, seemed deeply hurt.
He probably thought Cedric had gotten in the way on purpose—and got angry, too.
But even so… was it really worth cutting him off entirely?
Cedric had been just as shocked.
He realized, then, that to Edgar, he was someone so insignificant—someone Edgar could cut off without a second thought.
After that day, filled with nothing but wounds, their relationship began to crumble beyond repair.
At least, Cedric thought the rift was one-sided.
That only made him more desperate.
He clung to Edgar’s orbit, even more stubbornly forcing himself into view.
There had been a time, even if only in name, when Edgar had called him affectionately and considered him a friend—despite their bickering.
Everything Cedric had held onto, no matter how shameful or obsessive—it all vanished in an instant.
Cedric was withering away, day by day.
“Eddy… help me give up on you.”
So he asked Liette for help.
“You said you’d help me. That you were rooting for me, right?”
He knew he was being selfish, but desperation overpowered him.
He was terrified Edgar would slip away for good.
What made it worse was Edgar’s view on relationships—while he didn’t care about physical traits, he only ever dated women.
Considering their current relationship was colder than even casual acquaintances, Cedric knew that no amount of sweetness or attention on his part would ever win Edgar’s heart.
Especially not when Edgar’s feelings for Liette were so solid.
So if he wanted even the possibility of a chance, Cedric had to make Edgar give up on Liette first.
“Cedy…”
Back then, Liette had looked at him with pity.
She must’ve felt torn.
But in the end, she said she’d help.
So Cedric allowed himself to hope.
Even as their conflicts grew and resentment piled up, Cedric believed—he believed he had finally succeeded in making Edgar give up his first love.
The one he thought of as his biggest rival.
To Cedric, it was just the beginning.
He truly believed that one day, his turn would come.
That if just once—a single moment—he could break through, Edgar might see him in a different light.
He was so sure.
But it didn’t take long to realize just how arrogant, how naive that belief had been.
“To throw away your life so young…?”
“Why would he do that?”
“Who knows. Rumor says it was heartbreak.”
“Oh dear, he must have loved them deeply. How tragic.”
“But he was aiming too high. Trying to take the omega of a noble house heir….”
Who could’ve imagined Edgar would escape from him… through death?
That wasn’t what Cedric wanted.
He hadn’t meant to push things that far…
But Cedric crumbled.
It was as if he’d sunk into the deep sea, the weight of heartbreak and guilt dragging him down.
He prayed it was a dream.
A cruel prank.
But no matter how much he denied it, all that remained was an empty space and the shadow of Edgar, gone.
His own selfish, one-sided love—his desire to possess—had driven the person he cherished most to death.
When that truth hit, Cedric felt his chest tear apart.
Even as Liette scolded him, saying she was hurting too and that they needed to endure this together, Cedric couldn’t stand.
He was half-mad.
He didn’t even know how he kept breathing.
Every night, nightmares came—of Edgar dying, disappearing, right before his eyes.
All Cedric could do was wish for it to end.
He wouldn’t ask for anything anymore.
Please.
Just stay alive, by my side…
That too-late promise replayed meaninglessly in his head.
Why do people only realize the truth after they’ve lost someone?
All Cedric had left was the regret of being too late, and an endless, aching void.
Then one day…
“They say there’s a divine relic that can turn back time.”
Liette came to him again, after a long absence.
“It’s called Chronos. Have you heard of it?”
The worn book she held described an ancient temple that worshipped the god of time—Chronos.
There were only records left; the temple and relic had never been found.
It sounded like a legend, but Liette said, ‘why not try believing in it?’
Cedric’s eyes lit up.
After that, he began scouring the continent for anything related to Chronos.
Even if it was just a story Liette had made up to pull him back from the edge… Cedric, teetering on the cliff of life, clung to that final hope.
He didn’t allow himself to think about anything else.
The seasons changed, again and again…
Cedric eventually found the Temple of Chronos—and the divine relic hidden within it.
It was as if the temple itself had a will of its own and approached him first, suddenly appearing before his eyes one day.
“Turn back time. Let me… meet Eddy.”
Even if it was all a false illusion, he didn’t care. He just wanted to see Edgar alive again.
That was all he wished for.
“Very well. That is why I’ve come.”
The will of Chronos, residing within the relic, granted Cedric’s request without resistance.
It did offer a word of warning, though—this chance to turn back time would come only once.
Afterward, he would never be able to find the relic again, no matter what.
“…I understand.”
Thus, Cedric earned his one and only chance.
There could be no turning back.
When he opened his eyes again, Cedric found himself exactly where he had always longed to be—facing a living Edgar once more.
It was during the celebration of Edgar’s twentieth birthday… at that moment, in that place.
Beneath soft, fine golden hair, Edgar’s clear green eyes sparkled in the light as he looked toward Liette.
The warm atmosphere, the feel of the air against his skin, the clarity of sight and sound…
At first, it felt too real to believe. He could only stare blankly, unable to accept it wasn’t a dream.
“Get out. Just—go. Leave me alone.”
Suddenly, Edgar acted differently than Cedric remembered, and he shoved both Liette and Cedric out.
Cedric was still too bewildered to grasp the situation.
“Why is Eddy acting like that? Do you have any idea?”
When Liette gave him a tap on the back, asking what might’ve caused Edgar’s abrupt behavior, Cedric—gradually regaining his sense of reality—finally realized: he had truly crossed time and returned to the past.
“…I don’t know.”
That’s what he told Liette.
That he didn’t know.
But inside, he wondered if Edgar’s altered behavior was a ripple effect of him turning back the time stream—causing things to shift.
Whatever the case… it didn’t matter.
Just the fact that Edgar was alive made Cedric happy.
Just hearing Edgar call him by his old nickname again filled him with joy.
He felt he could let everything else go.
So, he decided to give up.
He hated the idea of Edgar ending up with someone else—but if it was Liette, he thought he could accept it.
After all, Edgar had always wanted Liette the most.
That was the compromise Cedric painfully arrived at.
In this life, he wished for Edgar’s happiness—with Liette.
And that happiness would likely come sooner than expected.
Cedric already knew Liette had feelings for Edgar, too.
That’s why he had interfered a little.
Before her affection could deepen into love, he had pretended not to notice and preemptively told her he liked Edgar, asking her to cheer him on—cutting off her feelings at the root.
If he hadn’t done that, those two would have certainly—
“Would’ve ended up together.”
Now it was time to put everything back where it belonged.
All he had to do was step aside.
He couldn’t actively push them together—but if he left things alone, they’d naturally find their way.
So he decided to just quietly watch from the sidelines.
“Just watching… is enough for me.”
As long as Edgar didn’t suddenly disappear again.
As long as he remained in sight.
As long as he proved he was alive—every single moment.
…But that clueless son of a count—
“Hey, you know… why don’t we take a trip sometime? Just the two of us?”
“……”
“To, like, get to know each other better…”
“That’s your time to spend, not mine.”
“…I-I meant so I could get to know you better.”
“……”
“Is there anywhere you want to go?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Then, maybe somewhere you haven’t been?”
As they descended Mount Burden, Cedric glanced sideways at Edgar, who kept chattering in an attempt to lighten the mood.
That smiling face, oblivious to Cedric’s feelings, annoyed him.
He couldn’t help but feel bitter, wishing Edgar had smiled at him like that before.
And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to hate him.
…Maybe, for the first time, he liked hearing Edgar talk this much.
“I’ve never been to the seaside.”
“Oh, the sea! That’s great. Our family owns a coastal resort, actually. We could go there—or if you prefer somewhere else, I can book an inn. What do you think?”
“…Do whatever you want.”
So Cedric pretended to pout even more, walking slower on purpose, just to keep listening to Edgar’s voice—chirping like a bird beside him—for as long as possible.
* * *
