Outside the mansion, on the cobblestone streets still damp from the morning drizzle, a black carriage drawn by demonic horses waited in front of the enormous iron gates.
The carriage was guarded by several knights riding blue three-horned horses, whose armor glinted faintly in the light of the rising sun, giving them an intimidating presence.
The guards at the entrance announced the arrival and, with effort, opened the large gates, allowing the carriage to advance into the territory, followed by its escort slowly.
...
In a spacious room in the mansion, Adam was sitting on a piece of furniture, his legs crossed and a cup of hot tea in his hands.
His expression showed not the slightest nervousness; he was utterly calm, as if the event that was about to occur could no longer upset him.
"It seems that, even in this day and age, this type of engagement still occurs."
Adam turned his head slightly to look at Asterin, who was floating beside him with her arms crossed. He raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Was it like this in your day, too?"
She nodded, letting out a weary sigh, as if she had just opened up an old wound.
"Yes. It was always the same. I saw countless young women ruined by decisions that were never theirs to make: traded like currency, forced to smile while others decided their futures."
"Hmm..." Adam hummed softly.
He, too, had seen that fate repeat itself too many times. Noble brides promised for convenience, abandoned when they were no longer helpful, dragged into an undignified life after losing the favor of their families or husbands.
It was a cruel reality, but a common one.
Adam got up from the furniture and went to the window. From there, he could see the black carriage finally stopping in the central courtyard. His mother was already downstairs, welcoming two members of the Tubor family who had just gotten out of the carriage.
"They're here..." he murmured.
He moved away from the window and returned to his seat, carefully placing the cup on the table. He remained silent, waiting for the guests to be shown into the room.
His father hadn't come out to greet them. He was busy with other matters at the moment, even though he was the one who had arranged the engagement.
Adam closed his eyes for a moment.
Shortly after, the door to the room opened with a slight squeak from the hinges.
Six women entered.
Two of them were dressed as maids and kept their heads bowed. Another, with a firm posture and light armor, was clearly a female knight escort. The remaining three wore elegant, noble attire.
They were Alisha Briol, Aella, Sofia, Agnes Tubor, and Selene Tubor.
Adam's gaze lingered on her.
Selene was his fiancée.
She had long, silvery hair that fell like a shiny veil over her shoulders, and light blue eyes that were almost painful to look at. Her features were fine and delicate, harmonious.
She wore an elegant black dress, accompanied by lace gloves of the same color, which gave her a solemn, almost melancholic air.
For a brief moment, the world seemed to stand still.
Adam felt no surprise. Nor joy.
He felt something far more dangerous: recognition.
As if he were not looking at a stranger, but at someone whose image was already engraved deep in his memory. A figure shrouded in blurred memories... and in an ending he had never been able to forget.
His face remained impassive.
But inside, something began to crack silently.
Alisha, who saw that her son had frozen, pretended to cough so that attention would be focused on her.
With everyone's attention on her, she introduced them.
"This is my son, Adam Hall. Son, this is Selene Tubor, your fiancée, and Agnes Tubor, her mother."
Adam snapped out of his thoughts and approached Selene. He gently took her hand, kissed it, and looked her straight in the eyes:
"It's a pleasure, Lady Selene."
The young woman's face flushed deeply at the greeting. She did not perceive any lewd desire in Adam's gesture. Selene lowered her head, hiding her embarrassment, and whispered something.
"It's... nice to meet you too."
Adam smiled and did the same to Agnes, sitting back down on the furniture next to his mother, who looked at him with an amused smile.
"What a polite son you have, Alisha. As expected of my future son-in-law, I hope you will take good care of my daughter in the future," Agnes said with a warm smile.
"The pleasure is all mine," Adam said, reincarnating and returning to his mother's side.
Soon, Alisha and Agnes were chatting while Adam and Selene went to explore the mansion's garden.
...
As they walked along the stone path in the garden, surrounded by rose bushes still damp with dew and the distant murmur of a fountain, Selene broke the silence.
"Have we met before?"
Adam paused just long enough before answering for her to notice.
"Huh? Why do you ask?" he said, trying to keep his tone natural. "This is the first time we've met."
Selene lowered her gaze for a moment. When she looked up again, there was a trace of doubt in her eyes...
"It's just that..."
She hesitated.
"The way you look at me is as if you already knew me. It's not curiosity or simple interest. It's as if... as if you were looking at me with pain."
Adam didn't respond immediately.
Silence stretched between them.
He had done everything possible to hide his emotions, but she had seen through him anyway. Not the facade, but what lay behind it.
He didn't want to lie to her.
Not to the woman who, in another life, had loved him unconditionally.
Then, an idea crossed his mind.
"Actually..." he finally said. "You could say I've seen you before."
Selene stopped and looked at him intently.
Adam let out a long sigh, as if he were about to reveal something he had kept to himself for too long.
"Before you arrived, I had a dream."
He continued.
"In that dream... I knew you. We spent time together. And... you died in a very tragic way."
Selene frowned.
For a moment, she thought it was absurd. A dream? Knowing her even before seeing her? It sounded ridiculous, almost childish, like a bad excuse from a romance novel.
And yet...
When she looked at him, she saw no mockery or frivolity. His eyes were not those of someone making up a story, but those of someone who had witnessed something that still weighed heavily on his soul.
She sighed inwardly.
Why did I end up with such a unique fiancé...?
She didn't insist. Not because she believed his words entirely, but because, somehow, she felt that pressing further would only open a wound that had not yet healed.
Besides...
She enjoyed his company.
There was no arrogance in him, nor that fake smile so common among nobles. With Adam, Selene felt a strange calm, as if walking beside him were... natural?
Something she had never experienced with anyone else.
They resumed their walk in silence.