CHAPTER 445: ’KNOW SOMEONE WHO MIGHT.’

"So the one you spoke to... was the one responsible for waking His Highness?" Afton asked, adjusting his glasses as his eyes remained locked on Heinz. "And the one who was silent, terrified—that’s the Prince Florian we see now?"

Heinz gave a single, solemn nod.

He had already done his best to explain things to Afton—to describe the two versions of Florian without exposing the truth: that there were two souls inside that single body.

And above all, Heinz kept one vital secret buried deep—he never once mentioned that the original Florian remembered everything from their first life.

He couldn’t. Not yet. Not until he knew what he wanted to do with that truth.

"And they have... completely different personalities?" Afton asked, his voice more measured now. Curiosity laced with something else. Respect, maybe. Awe.

Once again, Heinz nodded. No words this time. Just tired confirmation.

"Hm." Afton folded his arms across his chest, fingers tapping against his biceps as he turned the facts over in his mind. "That is... very interesting."

"Have you heard anything about this?" Lysander chimed in, his tone shifting. There was less disbelief now, more weight behind his words. "Anything in your research? Anything at all?"

Heinz watched Afton closely, hopeful—even if guarded.

For a moment, Afton didn’t respond. He seemed to search for the most honest answer.

And then, finally: "Truthfully? No."

Heinz’s stomach dropped. His eyes narrowed. His shoulders stiffened where he sat.

’Then why the fuck did you look so damn fascinated? What was the point of acting like this was your breakthrough?’

But Afton didn’t flinch under Heinz’s glare. He simply raised one hand, pointer finger extended, as if to halt any frustration before it could fully rise.

"However," Afton said, voice steady and calm, "while I haven’t read anything exactly like this, there is an explanation to consider. What I find most fascinating is that the entity Your Majesty encountered is not only aware of the current Prince Florian... but also aware of himself. He appears to possess autonomy—and more importantly, intent."

He leaned slightly forward, elbows resting on his knees now. "From your recounting, it sounds like he’s protecting the current Prince Florian. Shielding him. Guiding him. That alone tells me this is not a case of mere dissociation or amnesia. There’s something else going on—something conscious."

Afton’s eyes gleamed with thought, not excitement. "Psychology is still young. We’ve only begun formal research in recent years. There are so many

things we do not yet understand. Your Highness Florian may simply be one of the rare, unclassified phenomena—an anomaly we’re only beginning to grasp."

’An anomaly?’ Heinz thought frustratedly.

But Heinz wasn’t angry.

No, he was just... confused.

Not knowing what to do. Questions that led to more questions. Stuck between two pieces of someone he loved.

That was confusing.

He slumped back slightly into his chair, fingers rubbing against his temple, his voice low and rough when he finally spoke again.

’The only reason I even told him all of this... was because I was hoping he’d say it’s happened before. That there’d be a map. A way forward.’

Because the truth was, Heinz didn’t know what the fuck he was supposed to do now.

He knew he loved this Florian. The one who smiled at him now. The one who blushed. The one who has a sharp tongue.

But somehow—somewhere in his gut—he also knew he had loved the other one too. The one who cried for him in the past. The one who bore the scars from Heinz’s neglect.

And that was the worst part of it.

Because freeing the original Florian... might mean losing the one he had now.

And no matter how he twisted it in his mind, there was no version of this that ended without someone being hurt.

’I can’t leave him trapped there. Not again. Not after what I did. But... if I set him free... will I lose the Florian I love now?’

He sighed, leaning forward, burying his hands into his face with an exhausted groan.

"What can we do to figure this out?" Heinz asked, voice low, almost pleading now. "Anything. Anything at all."

Afton took a breath, nodding slowly. "There’s one clear path forward. I can collect all the older research I have access to. Cross-reference similar symptoms. Look through trauma and memory division cases. But honestly..." He straightened up, his tone becoming more clinical. "The best way to get answers is still through observation. I need to interact with His Highness directly. Examine him. Speak with him. If I could ask a few careful questions—"

"No."

The word came out before Afton even finished his sentence.

Firm.

Heinz’s eyes were sharp as blades when he looked up.

"Out of the question. At least... not right now."

The air shifted in the room. Even Lysander, who had gone quiet, blinked at the sheer authority in Heinz’s tone.

They didn’t ask why.

They wanted to. Heinz could see it in their expressions—the subtle twitch of a brow, the stiffening of posture. But they didn’t dare. His face must’ve said it all.

Afton slowly inclined his head. "Understood."

The doctor rose from his chair, bowing respectfully.

"I’ll begin research immediately. If I find anything, I’ll report to you first, Your Majesty. Is there... anything else you wish to ask?"

Heinz stayed quiet for a moment.

There was something else—a weight sitting deep in his chest, nagging at him even more now that he had spoken about the two Florians.

Something he had not yet addressed. Something he wasn’t sure he wanted to say out loud.

But it mattered.

It mattered deeply.

He lifted his head, voice low and careful. "Do you know of any magic... or psychological technique... that can help access lost memories?"

That made both Afton and Lysander pause.

The way Heinz asked it—it wasn’t casual curiosity. It was personal. Raw.

He sat straighter in his chair, hands clasped together, thumbs pressing into each other with restrained tension.

Because it wasn’t just about Florian anymore.

It was him.

’There are gaps in my memory...’

’Things I know should be there—but they’re just... missing.’

Memories from his first life—the hazy, disjointed pieces that returned after some moments with Florian—weren’t whole. Not even close.

And worst of all... they were the memories tied to Florian. The original Florian.

There were things that boy remembered—things only he remembered. He had spoken of them like they mattered, like they carried the truth Heinz was still too blind to see.

Heinz still remembered the way Florian had looked at him when he said it.

’You don’t even remember, do you?’

That hurt more than anything else.

Because he didn’t. And he wanted to know why.

"I... believe I may have forgotten something important," Heinz continued, his voice quieter now, almost hoarse. "Something only the original Florian remembers. And he said... it would all make more sense if I did."

’Why don’t I remember? Was I drunk? Was I trying to forget something? Or... was it taken from me?’

The possibility twisted in his gut like a blade.

Afton’s brows furrowed. The casual interest from before was gone now, replaced by something more solemn. Thoughtful.

"I don’t know any technique like that myself, Your Majesty," Afton said honestly, his face serious. "No spell. No method I’ve studied that could fully restore lost memory without danger."

Heinz let out a quiet sigh, the hope leaking from his shoulders. He was already preparing to dismiss them. A tired wave, a closing of this frustrating Chapter—

"But," Afton continued.

Heinz’s eyes immediately snapped back to him.

"I do know people who might," Afton said, voice firm now.

"Oh?"