When he was leaving, I tried to stop him without thinking.
"What do you mean by that?"
Ivan didn't answer. He just stood there, quiet and unreadable, before leaning against a shady tree near the mansion where I'd been staying. His arms crossed, expression unreadable. I couldn't tell if he was annoyed by me or if I was just being paranoid. Either way, I felt like I had disturbed something by being here.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly, guilt bubbling up in my throat. "If I caused trouble… if I'm a burden… I can leave after I recover."
He looked at me like I'd just told the worst joke he'd ever heard.
"Don't be stupid. You wouldn't last a second out there."
His tone wasn't exactly cruel, but it wasn't kind either—blunt, sharp, maybe even worried, though I couldn't tell for sure.
Before I could reply, footsteps approached behind me, soft against the grass. Then someone cleared their throat with an exaggerated "ahem."
"Don't be too hard on her, Ivan," the voice said smoothly. "She's new. Plus, she doesn't remember anything."
It was the tall guy from before. His voice was calm, but there was a slight edge to it.
The tall guy walked closer, flashing me a gentle smile. "Don't worry. You're not a burden to us. Actually, it's been a while since we had anyone around. This mansion's been a ghost town lately"
"Besides, Ivan is just antisocial don't mind him" he wishpered in my ears.
Ivan huffed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not antisocial. I just don't babysit."
And with that, the silver-haired man turned and walked away, disappearing around the edge of the mansion.
Left standing there with the tall guy, I felt a mix of awkwardness and relief. The tall guy smiled at me again and said, "The name's Zen. Nice to meet you, Miss."
He gave a courteous bow, placing his left hand gently over the right side of his chest. For someone who looked like he could lift a truck, he moved with surprising grace.
I blinked, a little caught off guard. "M-Miss?"
Zen chuckled softly. "Sorry. Since you don't have a name yet, I figured I'd just call you 'Miss' for now. Is that okay?"
I smiled. "Oh, I don't mind. I was just startled. You can call me whatever you like."
Right then, something thudded from above. A figure dropped from the third-story balcony.
I gasped.
Roland.
He fell with a grunt, but before I could rush over, he casually pulled a gadget from his belt, a small gun with a glowing tip and fired it upward. A nearly invisible thread shot out and anchored him mid-air just in time.
Dangling from the string, he grinned down at me. "I'm fine. Don't worry. I'm not planning on dying today."
But then the string snapped.
He crashed into the ground with a loud thump, followed by an exaggerated groan. "Agh—okay, that hurt more than I expected."
Zen was already sprinting over with a first aid kit. He knelt down, quickly wrapping bandages around Roland's arm and ribs with practiced hands.
Ivan, who had reappeared at a window above, just leaned on the sill and smirked. "That's what you get for stepping on my tail."
"Tail?" I muttered, confused.
Zen sighed. "Don't ask."
"Yeah," Roland groaned through a laugh, "I accidentally stepped on his tail this morning. He's been grumpy all day."
"Wait, he has a tail?"
They both looked at me, then shared an almost mischievous smile. Zen said nothing, simply patted Roland's shoulder and left.
"Lunch?" Roland asked, raising a brow.
After lunch, Roland invited me for a walk.
We strolled through the gardens, down a gravel path that wound deeper into the woods. He opened an old iron gate that led us beyond the usual trail. It was quieter here more untouched. The air felt different. Crisp, almost nostalgic.
We wandered past tall trees and the edge of a slow-moving stream. Sunlight filtered through the branches above like liquid gold.
I found myself laughing at one of Roland's dumb jokes something about a haunted chicken coop and for a second, I forgot everything: the amnesia, the mystery, the fear. I felt... normal.
But as the sun dipped lower, I realized how late it was getting.
"Roland," I said, glancing up, "it's getting dark. Maybe we should head back?"
He blinked, looked at the sky, and chuckled. "Wow. That was fast. Yeah, let's go."
We turned around, but as we retraced our steps, the sky shifted. Light rain began to fall, soft and cold.
Roland grabbed my hand. "This way!"
We ran together, laughing a little at the sudden weather, until we reached a cave tucked behind some rocks. The entrance was narrow, but inside, it opened into a dry, quiet space.
Night had officially fallen. The cave was cold. I rubbed my arms and tried not to shiver.
Roland noticed and instantly shrugged off his white coat, handing it to me.
"Here. You'll freeze."
I hesitated. "Are you sure? Won't you be cold?"
He shook his head. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."
He crouched down near a pile of dry wood and tried to light a fire, grumbling under his breath as the sparks refused to catch.
"Is it hard to light one?" I asked.
Roland looked sheepish. "Honestly? I've never done it. Usually Ivan handles this kind of stuff."
I giggled. "Want me to try?"
"Be my guest."
I took the wood, struck it once then twice then five more times.
Nothing.
We both ended up laughing, sitting beside the cold pile of wood, sharing warmth from the coat between us.
The rain eventually stopped, and when we stepped out of the cave, the sky was filled with stars. Thousands of them. And the moon hung huge and golden above the trees.
Without thinking, I blurred out, "It's so beautiful tonight."
Roland glanced up, then back at me. Something in his gaze changed. It softened, deepened like he was seeing something else entirely.
"I got an idea," he said suddenly.
I blinked. "Huh?"
"Your name. What if, just for now… Estelle?"
I stared at him, caught off guard. "Estelle?"
He smiled, almost shyly. "It means 'star' in old French. Thought it fits. You came into our world like a mystery and now the stars are out for the first time in weeks. Kinda poetic, don't you think?"
I smiled slowly. "It's… beautiful. Estelle. I like it."
"Then it's settled. Estelle it is—for now."
"Thank the stars, huh?"
He chuckled. "Exactly. They named you tonight."
For a brief moment, we just stood there in silence, staring at the sky together.
But inside… my heart was pounding. I couldn't tell if it was the cold night air or the way Roland had looked at me.
We returned to the mansion later that night. To my surprise Zen and a white cat next to him were already seated at the garden table, waiting with warm food and candles that flickered in the breeze.
"Welcome back," Zen said with a soft smile.
"Took you two long enough," the white cat added, not looking at us as it bit into a tuna.
Zen looked at my confused expression ''oh this is Ivan" he gestured to the cat
"Huh"
The cat or should i say Ivan glared at me as if chalengging me to ask
But i remain silent and sit next to Roland as he chuckled at the interaction.
Then we all sat together under the stars, eating and laughing softly like we'd done it a hundred times before.
Then Zen suddenly stood up, pointing to the sky. "Look! A shooting star!"
We all turned our heads at the same time. Sure enough, a bright streak raced across the sky.
"Make a wish!" Roland said quickly, his eyes wide.
I closed mine and whispered a silent wish.
Ivan and Zen leaned in at the same time. "So?" they asked in unison. "What did you wish for, Estelle?"
I grinned and raised a finger to my lips. "That's a secret."
But the truth?
I had wished for this moment to last.
For the warmth.
For the laughter.
For these strangers who made me feel like I belonged.