Episode 102

Was it a dream?
It felt far too vivid to be just a dream.

As I sat there, blinking in confusion, the sound of the door opening reached my ears.

“Sierra, you’re awake!”

It was Ludwig.

Upon seeing my open eyes, he strode over in an instant, checking my condition.

“How do you feel?”

“I… I think I’m fine.”

I pressed a hand against my dizzy forehead and tried to sit up in bed.

But Ludwig gently stopped me.

“There’s no need to rush. Please lie down a little longer.”

His face was firmer than usual and caught off guard, I sank back into the bed.

“But more importantly… why are you here, Ludwig?”

He reached out, smoothing my disheveled hair as he spoke.

“Do you remember what happened?”

“Hmm… I don’t know. I was just on my way back in the carriage, and suddenly, I lost consciousness… and when I woke up, I was here.”

“You’ve been unconscious for three days.”

“…Three days?”

Had I really been asleep that long?

“It wasn’t poison, nor was it an illness. There was no discernible cause, yet you wouldn’t wake up. It was terrifying.”

Ludwig’s eyes looked shadowed as if he hadn’t slept properly in days.

“Not knowing when you’d wake up—or if you ever would—was driving me mad.”

“……”

“I told the Grand Duke that I would do everything in my power to wake you, but strangely, none of my abilities worked on you. Even Lord Selber’s abilities had no effect when he came by yesterday.”

So many people must have visited while I was unconscious.

For abilities to have no effect at all… that had never happened before.

Ludwig brushed his fingers lightly across my eyes.

“Why were you crying?”

Crying? Me?

I lifted a hand to wipe at my eyes, and sure enough, there were traces of dried tears.

“…That’s a good question. Why was I crying?”

It wasn’t just a few tears. Judging by the lingering sting and the dampness on my cheeks, I must have cried a lot.

Ludwig pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the remnants of my tears away.

“You must have had a sad dream.”

“…Maybe.”

I couldn’t forget the hollow look in Damon’s eyes at the end.

Wait… now that I looked at him like this, Ludwig bore a striking resemblance to Damon.

The same flowing black hair, dark as the night sky, the same chiseled, elegant features.

Their eye colors were different, but their overall presence was eerily similar.

If Damon had a nephew, he might have looked exactly like this.

‘Now that I think about it, they are distantly related.’

According to history, the wise Emperor Damon never took an empress, leaving no direct heirs. The throne eventually passed to a distant relative of the previous emperor.

And before Damon was crowned, his original title—the Grand Duke of Karsian—had been inherited by his younger brother.

‘Still… for them to look this much alike?’

As I studied Ludwig’s face in detail, a faint blush spread across his cheeks.

“Is there something on my face?”

Yes, there is. Excessive handsomeness.

“Oh… you just remind me of someone I know.”

“Someone you know?”

He seemed curious about who I was referring to, but I couldn’t exactly say it was a man from my dream.

Awkwardly nodding, I swiftly changed the subject.

“More importantly, does that mean no one knows why I collapsed?”

“That’s correct. The physicians, mages, and priests all said the same thing—there is no known cause.”

No poison, no illness, no magic…

Could I really have just slept for three days without reason?

Thinking back to the moment before I fainted, I recalled simply conversing with the spirits while reading an old manuscript.

‘I felt a sudden, intense pain… and then collapsed to the ground.’
Right before my vision flickered out, it felt as though something—or someone—was pulling me with tremendous force.

But… I didn’t know.

Was it really just a coincidence that I had seen the contents of the ancient book play out so vividly before my eyes?

As I sat in silence, lost in thought, Ludwig’s worried voice broke through.

“Are you still feeling dizzy? I should call for the physician.”

“Ah, no. I’m really fine.”

I reached out to stop him.

If he called the physician, I’d undoubtedly have to go through a half-day’s worth of thorough examinations.

“…Just stay with me a little longer.”

I didn’t want a crowd of people barging in while I was still feeling disoriented.

But I was also afraid of being left alone.

I had been unconscious for three days without explanation—there was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen again.

Without realizing it, I had grabbed the hem of his clothes.

Ludwig looked down at my hand before settling back into his seat.

Rather than simply standing by, he sank into the chair beside me with a decisive motion.

“I won’t leave. Even if it takes a lifetime, I will stay by your side.”

“A l-lifetime is a bit much…”

That’s excessive.

But strangely, Ludwig seemed… pleased.

He held my hand, his warmth radiating through our joined fingers.

It felt as though he was silently promising that he wouldn’t go anywhere.

Sometimes, Ludwig reminded me of a lonely child—one who longed for warmth.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, pressing my other hand over his, encasing it completely.

My hands were small and delicate, while his were much larger—so much so that it was unclear who was holding whom.

Was it because he wielded fire-based abilities? Or was he just naturally warm?

Either way, his warmth seeped into me, and the lingering confusion and anxiety within me began to subside.

“I was on my way back from Robert’s laboratory,” I said.

“Robert… the physician from the South?”

“Yes. He finally found a way to cure Lisbeth.”

At my words, Ludwig nodded.

It seemed he had already heard the report from Queensbury.

“I received the translated records from the ancient manuscript a week ago, but I didn’t tell you right away because…”

“I know. You didn’t want to get my hopes up until it was certain, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“According to Robert’s research, the contents of the manuscript were accurate. We really have found a cure.”

I smiled at him.

“Thanks to you, I finally feel like there’s a way forward. Thank you.”

Robert had emphasized several times that Queensbury had played a significant role from start to finish.

And it was thanks to Ludwig entrusting Queensbury with my matters that this was possible.

“On my way back, I kept thinking about you. You were the first person I wanted to tell. After all, you have a wish to claim.”

“It seems the time to use my wish isn’t far off.”

“I wonder just how grand a request you’re planning to make.”

I teased him, and Ludwig smiled.

“My wish is… a little selfish.”

“Wishes should be selfish. The things we truly want are never easy to obtain, after all.”

“That’s true.”

Ludwig gently caressed my cheek.

For some reason, the tender touch made my heart race.

Not wanting him to notice, I quickly changed the subject.

“Th-The only problem is that the ingredients for the cure are difficult to obtain.”

“Tell me what you need. I’ll find them for you.”

“You’ve already helped so much. I can find the ingredients myself.”

“…Can I come with you?”

Ludwig’s eyes drooped slightly, giving him an unexpectedly forlorn expression.

‘Damn.’

A face like that should be illegal.

No one in the world could refuse him when he looked like that.

And it wasn’t as though I had a reason to reject his offer—he was offering to help, after all.

“Of course, I’d love it if you came with me. You’d be a huge help.”

At my words, he smiled in satisfaction.

“Then it’s settled. What’s the ingredient?”

‘…Why do I feel like I’ve been played?’

Shaking off the thought, I answered.

“The root of a rare fruit that grows on Mount Teiosa.”

“Mount Teiosa…?”

“It’s one of the most well-known mountains in the South. I guess I have an unusual connection with the South.”

I thought back to how frequently I had been visiting the South lately.

“It will be a challenge. Mount Teiosa is vast—almost as large as a city.”

And the ingredient I needed wasn’t just any ordinary plant. It was a rare species.

Even if Sharon had a rough idea of its location, it would still be an incredibly difficult task.

But…

“For some reason, I think I know where to find it.”

I recalled the place where Damon had stood for so long in my dream.

 

 

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