Years passed after the stormy night when Reinhardt nearly lost his life. The girl who saved him became a fading memory, tucked away in the deepest corners of his mind, like a dream he wasn't sure had truly happened.
But one day, that memory stirred again when he met Carmela.
It was a sunny afternoon at the elite Imperial Academy, where Reinhardt was studying. The academy was known for taking in only the best, children of high-ranking officials, nobles, and powerful families. Very few ordinary students ever made it through the gate. That's why Carmela stood out.
She appeared introverted, dressed in ordinary clothes, and didn't seem to know where to go. Her backpack looked worn, and her shoes had tiny holes on the sides. But her eyes were mesmerizing and pure, like someone who had seen a lot of vicissitudes in life.
Reinhardt was leaving the library when their paths first crossed.
A group of boys surrounded her, laughing.
"Hey, orphan girl," one of them sneered. "Did you get lost on your way to the public school?"
Carmela lowered her eyes but didn't reply.
Another boy reached for her bag. "Let's see what treasures she brought with her, maybe a bowl to beg for food?"
Before Reinhardt could think, his voice rang out.
"Enough."
The boys turned, startled. When they saw him, they froze.
"R-Reinhardt... we were just joking..."
"I don't care." His tone was cold. "Get lost."
They left without another word.
Carmela looked up at him, surprised.
Reinhardt stepped closer. "Are you alright?"
She nodded. "Yes. Thank you."
"You're new here?"
"Yes," she replied softly. "I just transferred. My name is Carmela."
There was something about her that felt… familiar. Reinhardt couldn't explain it, but he didn't walk away.
Instead, he asked, "Have we met before?"
Carmela smiled a little. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out an old photo. It showed a small hand holding a jade pendant, his pendant.
His breath caught.
"That's…" he began.
"My pendant," she said quietly. "It was mine, once. I lost it after a fire at the orphanage. But I kept this picture. I saw your necklace. They were similar."
Reinhardt stared at the photo. It was the same shape, the same design.
His heart beat faster. "Where did you get it?"
Carmela looked down. "A boy gave it to me when I was little. He was in danger. I helped him escape. He said it was a promise."
Reinhardt's hands clenched slightly at his sides. "What happened to it?"
"I lost it," she whispered. "There was an accident. The building collapsed. I… I barely made it out."
Reinhardt didn't speak for a while. His thoughts were spinning. Could it really be her? The girl from the cave? The one he had never forgotten?
He looked at Carmela again. There was warmth and courage in her eyes. The same kind of courage that had once led a girl to save him in the middle of a deadly storm.
He believed her.
"I'm sorry you were treated that way today," he said gently. "You don't have to face this place alone. I'll help you."
From that moment, Reinhardt made sure Carmela was protected. When others tried to bully her, they backed off as soon as they saw him nearby. He often walked with her between classes.
He invited her to study with him in the library. Slowly, people stopped mocking her. Some even began treating her with respect, only because she was close to Reinhardt Razalo, the heir of a powerful family.
Carmela never asked for anything. She was kind and humble, and she always smiled, even when things were hard. She wasn't like the other girls Reinhardt knew.
They wore expensive dresses and used fancy words. They tried to win his favor with their family names and grand titles. But Carmela didn't need any of that. With her, things were simple.
She listened when he talked.
She didn't judge others easily.
She didn't try to control him or influence his thoughts.
She was always patient and forgiving.
She made him feel like he could breathe, like he didn't always have to be perfect.
They shared pleasant moments under the trees in the school courtyard. They laughed over silly things. They worked on school projects together. And slowly, something started to grow between them.
Reinhardt didn't even realize it at first. He just knew that he looked forward to seeing her. That his days felt empty when she wasn't around. That he wanted to protect her, always.
It wasn't like the stories of love in the books, wild and sudden.
It was slow.
Gentle.
Like how the sun rises without noise, yet lights up the whole world.
And one day, while they were watching the stars from the rooftop, Carmela whispered, "Do you ever think about that night? When we were young?"
He turned to her, startled.
"You remember?"
She nodded. "I remember how scared I was… but I also remember how I couldn't let you die."
Reinhardt reached for her hand. It was cold, but her grip was steady.
"I never forgot that night," he admitted. "I never forgot you."
She smiled softly. "Then… do you believe I'm really the girl with the pendant?"
He didn't answer right away. He didn't need to. Because at that moment, looking into her eyes, he did believe it. Whether it was true or not, he believed her. And from that belief, their bond only grew stronger.
To Reinhardt, Carmela was more than just a girl from the past. She became his best friend.
Then, she became something more.
Something beautiful.
Something like love.
But seeing the pendant on his wife's neck, with no scratches or burned marks, he doubted everything Carmela said. The girl's image, when he last saw her, slowly started to take form in his mind.
His feelings for Carmela were deep, and he would never deny it.
But little by little, the image of the girl closely resembled Aeliana.
He could finally compare the voice of Carmela and the child who saved him back then. They were not one bit similar. And even with the little time he spent in the mountains, he knew no similarities could be found between Carmela and the girl he was looking for.