The old butler had passed away over a decade ago.

The empty house lacked any sign of life.

Three days later, he went to see George River.

Both of them had lost the spirited vigor of their youth, the restlessness and madness of the past had long since vanished without a trace.

Sitting face to face, memories of the past surfaced in their minds.

There was regret, there was sorrow, and there was also acceptance.

They say time can dilute everything, but they still felt a void in their hearts.

It was as if something was missing, something that no matter how hard they tried, they could never fill.

After that, Jimmy Simmons and George River never saw each other again, nor did they meet in this city.

Because they both left.

They left carrying their respective regrets.

Neither found release for the rest of their lives.

...

Flames of red maple leaves marked another autumn’s passing.

Louis Snyder still lived in the sanatorium.

He remained trapped in those memories, unable to escape.

Sometimes he dreamt of the past, in that decrepit rental house, where he still couldn’t wait for Hannah.

The empty room was so cold it chilled to the bone, becoming the prison of his life.

The worn teacup became his only undying concern.

...

As spring leaves and autumn arrives, flowers bloom and wither.

Eventually, everything becomes blurred; all that was once familiar will be replaced.

What remains unchanged are those feelings that once existed and will never fade away.

Long ago, the moment we pushed the door open, that was the beginning of our story.

In the days when flowers bloomed resplendently, under the night sky with the lights blurred, I remember your smile, more beautiful than the blossoms.

I fell in love with you at first sight.

......

In the interstellar empire’s royal family.

The newly awakened Golden Lotus was still a bit dazed, staring blankly at the beautiful and delicate person sitting in front of him.

It took a moment before it said, "Who are you?"

Hannah leaned down to look at it and flicked its ear gently, "Your beautiful and charming master."

Golden Lotus blinked its eyes, still not quite coming to its senses.

This was the first time it had seen its master’s true appearance.

It turns out there was a reason for its master’s self-admiration.

Compared to Hannah Winter’s refined and charming face, Hannah’s own looks bore an additional touch of purity, like the moon on the lake, ethereal and dreamlike.

Snow-white skin, waist-length hair, at first glance, stunningly unreal.

Golden Lotus felt somewhat woozy all over.

Not only distance separated Blue Star and the empire, but time as well.

What might be just a momentary interval to them, could have been ten years on Blue Star.

They could never go back to that small world again.

Suddenly Golden Lotus felt a touch of sadness, "Master, have we come back?"

Hannah stood up and surveyed the surroundings, "Yes, we’ve come back."

Her voice was filled with calmness and gentleness.

Very pleasant to hear, but the few words uttered made Golden Lotus burst into tears, "I miss Big Round, I even left him two big bones in the yard, I don’t know if he found them, and also..."

Little Golden Lotus began to prattle on.

But it was no longer little.

Without the limitations of the small world, it was now about the size of a normal small dog.

Compared to before, it was indeed quite big.

Hannah let it cry, while she herself walked to the door and tried to push it open.

As soon as her hand touched it, a deep blue prohibition immediately emerged on the wooden door in front of her.

This was a defense system specifically designed to contain her.

Initially used on the battlefield, it was now employed in this little room, merely to imprison her.