Dawn was still a long ways away when he opened his eyes.
Dehart wiped the cold sweat from his brow and surveyed the room, tidy to the point of austerity.
“…This is reality.”
He rubbed his face with both hands.
In his dream, he had ultimately failed to open the door to the greenhouse.
He had fled, afraid that she might be on the other side, or that he might have to relive that dreadful moment.
“Pathetic…”
With a dry, self-mocking laugh, Dehart got to his feet.
A few steps took him to the window, where he leaned his shoulder against the frame. His view was dominated by towering hills, seven of them, reaching upward like hands grasping for the heavens.
At their fingertips, the ruins glowed faintly white.
Dehart spent the rest of the night gazing at them, lost in thought.
It was his first day in Serpredi, the fallen city of the gods.
***
A city once believed to have held the glory of a god once revered by ancient civilizations.
The doctor had repeatedly emphasized how unpretentious and simple it was, yet Sebelia had unconsciously envisioned it as something sacred and majestic. Perhaps that’s why…
“…Oh.”
The sight of Serpredi as she stepped down from the carriage was a shock.
Are they… fighting?
At an open-air café, people of all ages were raising their voices, embroiled in heated arguments. Hearing words like “divinity” and “temple” she figured they must be scholars staying in Serpredi.
“So even scholars argue.”
She had never met a scholar before and had always pictured them as quiet and studious, absorbed in books and research. The scene clashed entirely with her expectations.
Once again, her lack of worldly experience was showing. Feeling the heat rise to her neck, Sebelia hurriedly slipped away.
She still had a lot to prepare before meeting the person recommended by the doctor in Ulshik.
***
As Dehart came downstairs into the lobby, the knights greeted him with a bow.
“My lord.”
Ilay approached as Dehart seated himself at the table. To avoid revealing Dehart’s identity, much like Ryan had done before, he had adjusted the way he addressed him.
“There is an urgent matter I wish to discuss with you.”
The urgency in his tone caused Dehart to raise an eyebrow. Then, leaning in, he whispered;
“I’ve been thinking about it all night… I can’t possibly have you stay in such a modest place. I’ll request accommodations from Baron Serpredi.”
What a load of nonsense.
So much for Ryan’s high hopes about this one’s potential. Dehart thought.
Then again, if his own cousin, who was said to resemble him, turned out to be like this, even he would feel embarrassed.
Ignoring Ilay entirely, he casually waved over a staff member.
“What’s your best dish here?”
It was quite an arrogant way of asking for a recommendation. Needless to say, the staff member’s face briefly contorted in confusion but quickly settled into a smile, clearly drawn on by the realization that Dehart must be a distinguished noble.
“Our inn’s pride is…”
Ilay, ignored and bristling with frustration, cast a resentful glance at Dehart, but Dehart didn’t give him a chance to speak. Grumbling under his breath, he stomped out into the street. At the very least, he hoped to find an inn better than this one.
As he passed through the streets lined with outdoor cafés, bustling with eccentric scholars and officials, he began inspecting the inns near the square.
If they’ve been around this long, you’d think they’d have been rebuilt as hotels by now, but somehow, they’re still standing; the knight thought.
Perhaps the city prided itself on preserving its history, but to Ilay, the remnants of a bygone era weren’t impressive. Finally, he came across an inn farther from the square. Its newly built appearance instantly caught his attention.
“This is the one,” he murmured with a satisfied smile, leaning against the counter.
By chance, there was already a guest there—a woman with hair cut to about shoulder length, who turned to look at him. Her vivid blue eyes contrasted sharply with her dark brown hair, giving her an air of mystery.
“Good day,” Ilay greeted her first, exuding dignity befitting a knight.
Huh?
But had he overdone the formal tone? The woman’s eyes trembled slightly before darting up and down to scrutinize him.
Did I come out in my pajamas? The man thought.
Wide-eyed, Ilay quickly checked his attire. However, there was nothing out of place. He wasn’t wearing the uniform bearing the crest of Inverness, nor anything too distinctive—just a plain knight’s dress uniform. Even so, the woman stood frozen, like a merchant caught in the path of bandits.
She must be terrified of knights.
If she was from the countryside, that was understandable. Ilay decided to remain calm and maintain a neutral expression. He felt that even the slightest movement might cause the woman to scream.
As a knight, he couldn’t let her suffer such an embarrassing ordeal.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting… Oh dear, it seems there’s already another guest here,” the innkeeper said, ending the awkward standoff.
“My apologies, but there are no rooms available. The young lady here has just taken the last one,” he said, shaking his head while holding up a key.
“The current guests are all long-term lodgers, so I doubt any rooms will free up soon.”
“That’s unfortunate… this was the only inn that suited my tastes,” Ilay replied regretfully.
As he turned to leave with a heavy heart, he couldn’t help but keep thinking about the woman. However, she had already disappeared inside, key in hand, after speaking with the innkeeper.
Should I have at least asked if she was okay?
Regret hit him belatedly. But what was done was done—there was no use crying over spilled milk.
With a carefree shrug, Ilay brushed off his lingering thoughts and returned to their current lodgings.
As he arrived, Dehart, who had just returned from finishing his meal, frowned at the sight of him.
“Where have you been? Everyone else is diligently carrying out their tasks. Even Lynton went to request cooperation from the Baron you mentioned.”
“Are we changing accommodations?” Ilay asked hopefully.
“Think before you speak. Of course not—it’s about getting that doctor’s cooperation. This is infuriating! What the hell have you actually been doing?”
With a sharp snap, Dehart closed the pendant in his hand, glaring at him. But Ilay, unfazed, calmly recounted his day.
“…I’m speechless,” Dehart muttered, his gaze icy.
Is he really Ryan’s cousin?
Ilay, however, didn’t care. His thoughts were elsewhere, wagging at the back of his mind like an eager tail.
Come to think of it…
The woman he’d met earlier bore a strange resemblance to the duchess in the portrait inside Dehart’s pendant.
Could they be related?
Ilay wisely kept this observation to himself as Dehart, annoyed, sent him out to gather information.
I’d better not say anything about the duchess… that could cause trouble; he thought as he left for the streets.
Even a fool like him had enough sense to know when to keep his mouth shut.
***
She thought her heart had stopped for a moment there.
“My goodness.”
Sebelia, having come into the room, kept repeating “My goodness”, as she paced anxiously through the living room. Even after wandering around aimlessly for a while, still unsettled, she sank onto the rug.
The pounding of her heart seemed to echo in her ears.
“I thought Ryan had come to take me.”
When she had turned around at the sound of the front door opening, Sebelia felt as if the world was splitting in two.
Light blonde hair, indifferent grayish-brown eyes. A neatly pressed uniform and a symbolic accessory representing valor, always at his waist. Everything about him struck her all at once, shaking her very core.
But it wasn’t him.
It didn’t take long for Sebelia to realize that the young man in front of her wasn’t Ryan.
“…He didn’t panic when he saw me, nor did he rush at me with a stern expression.”
That’s how she immediately knew that the person, although he resembled Ryan a lot, wasn’t him after all.
After regaining her composure, she carefully observed the young man again and confirmed that his hair was a darker shade of blonde than Ryan’s.
It must have looked lighter for a second because of the sunlight.
It had all happened in the blink of an eye, but honestly, she felt like she had aged ten years at that moment.
“Ha,” a shaky breath escaped her lips.
Still hugging her slightly trembling legs, Sebelia rested her chin on her knees.
“If this was some sort of bad omen, I hope it’s over with now.”
She had been feeling unsettled due to a dream she had before arriving in Serpredi. She had dreamed of Hylend Hall. And having dreamed twice in a row of the place she had just left made her feel uneasy, as if she had left something important behind.
But this time, the location was different.
In her dream, she found herself in the annex where she had stayed just before leaving Hylend Hall.
It seemed much older and more worn-down than she remembered, but it was definitely the same annex.
“What is going on…?” she asked aloud.
Startled by the fog that surrounded her, as if it were forcing her into the annex, Sebelia gave in and walked inside the building, blinking at the unfamiliar carpet and the strange, heavy, old-fashioned décor that had replaced the interior she once knew.
This is really strange.
The bizarre events continued.
No matter how far she walked, the end of the corridor never appeared.
“I really wish I’d wake up soon.”
Sebelia tried jumping in place and even pinched her cheek. But when nothing changed, it seemed like it was a distant hope.
Just as she was considering whether to throw herself out of the window in frustration, she finally reached the end of the hallway.
And she was at a loss for words.
“…This is really unbelievable.”
The tall, beautiful glass door that had always stood between her and Dehart was right in front of her.
The door leading to the greenhouse.
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