Episode 97

Could he be saying that I’m beautiful?

Or was it just my imagination?

But it didn’t seem like a mere misunderstanding because he continued to stare at me intently.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed by his piercing gaze, I awkwardly smiled and added to his words without thinking.

“Oh, yes. The fireworks… are beautiful.”

But honestly, the most beautiful thing here was the man still looking at me.

When I looked at Lloydin, I often felt like I was witnessing the epitome of beauty in motion.

His tall stature, broad shoulders, and unusually long limbs, adorned with well-defined muscles, were all striking.

However, anyone would undoubtedly be drawn to his face first.

Even though he probably didn’t groom himself daily, his eyebrows were always neat and perfectly shaped. Underneath them, his black eyes, moist and glistening, always sparkled.

His smooth, prominent nose and well-defined jawline added to his strong appearance.

Most notably, his black hair, rich in texture, and his soft, fair skin contrasted so well that it seemed like he hadn’t spent most of his life on the battlefield. They shone with a luster.

I was so mesmerized by Lloydin that I suddenly realized I had been staring at him for too long and tried to look away hurriedly.

But before I could move, he was quicker to cup my cheek, stopping me.

“Duke…?”

Looking up at him in surprise, I saw his deep, gentle gaze as he softly caressed my cheek.

“It’s you who I find beautiful.”

“What?”

“To me, you are the most beautiful.”

His words left me momentarily speechless, and my heart pounded in my chest.

The fireworks exploded in vibrant colors above us, but all I could see was the man in front of me, his sincere eyes locking with mine. His words, coupled with his tender touch, filled me with warmth and a sense of profound connection.

“Thank you.”

I whispered, feeling a rush of emotions.

“That means a lot to me.”

He smiled, a genuine, heartfelt smile that seemed to reach into my very soul. We stood there, the fireworks painting the sky above, lost in our own moment of shared intimacy.

The world around us faded away, leaving just the two of us in the glow of the night.

Bang, bang, pop!

With those words, the sound of fireworks exploding filled the world with their colorful, beautiful lights.

And my heart was pounding wildly without limit.

“Oh, um… me?”

“Yes.”

Lloydin’s tone was firm, as if there was no other answer possible, no alternative existed.

The sound of my heartbeat, threatening to burst from my chest, made it impossible to think clearly.

So I began to speak whatever came to mind without organizing my thoughts first.

“Actually, I think you’re more beautiful, Duke. Not that I’m lacking in looks, of course.”

Once I started speaking, the words tumbled out uncontrollably fast.

“I mean, you’re so handsome, so dashing, it’s breathtaking every time I see you…”

I had no idea what I was even saying.

It was a stream-of-consciousness ramble, and I couldn’t stop.

Midway through my rambling, I fell silent and just looked at Lloydin.

He seemed pleased with my words, smiling brightly.

Caught up in his smile, I stared blankly until I felt his lips lightly touch mine.

“Ah…!”

The sudden kiss startled me, snapping me back to reality.

I realized we weren’t alone indoors but outside where others might be around.

I quickly looked around, scanning our surroundings.

“There’s no one here.”

As he said, there wasn’t a soul in sight.

It seemed we had found a secluded spot while searching for a good view of the fireworks.

I sighed in relief and gave him a playful glare.

“You scared me…”

“Did you dislike it?”

“No, it’s not that…”

I definitely didn’t dislike the contact.

I was just a bit flustered and embarrassed.

“Then, may I continue?”

“Here?”

I didn’t expect Lloydin to suggest continuing.

I stared at him in surprise, then nodded.

“Okay.”

No sooner had I spoken than Lloydin’s lips met mine again.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and welcomed the kiss fervently.

Given the location, the tension of possibly being seen made the sensation even more intense.

Lloydin seemed to feel the same, holding me so tightly that there was no space between us.

Pop! Bang!

The sounds of fireworks continued to burst behind us, illuminating the sky.

But the fireworks no longer held any interest for me.

When we finally broke apart, darkness had settled all around us.

* * *

That night, back home, I fell asleep and had a strange dream.

When the dream began, I found myself in a very familiar place.

‘What’s this?’

Why am I back here?

This was the place I always found myself when I fell asleep, the starting point for finding my way.

From where I stood, countless paths branched out.

‘What’s going on?’

Even though I was completely healed and all the paths had disappeared, why were they here again?

And why were there so many more paths than when I was at my worst…?

‘No, calm down.’

I tried to regain my composure in the face of this unbelievable situation.

If there are paths, I can find my way out again. It’s not difficult.

It would take some time, of course.

The number of paths was overwhelmingly more than I had ever seen before.

‘Lloydin will be waiting.’

I was more worried about him seeing me not wake up than about finding my way out of this place.

No, wait.

He would give me the strength to wake up.

So there was no need to be anxious or depressed.

I had Lloydin.

With my mind set, I carefully examined the paths.

One thing was particularly strange.

In my previous dreams, I couldn’t tell the length of each path.

I couldn’t know which was short or long, so I had to blindly choose one and walk it.

But this dream was different.

The paths stretching out in all directions were of different lengths.

Some were short enough to reach the end in ten steps, while others seemed infinitely long with no end in sight.

This made the choice easier.

I decided to try the shortest paths first, then move on to the longer ones.

I quickly ran down the shortest path.

Hoping that, with some luck, this path would be the key to waking up.

I soon reached the end of the path.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the energy I usually did when waking up from a dream.

I thought I had failed and was about to turn back when suddenly, the space around me began to fade, revealing a new place.

‘This is…’

The new space was also familiar to me.

But I had never experienced such a phenomenon before.

Instead of waking up, I was transported to another place within my dream. What was happening in my dream?

Lost in complicated thoughts and unsure of what to do, the background gradually became clearer.

And then…

Bright, lively music filled the air as people paired up and began to dance.

I was in the imperial palace where a banquet was being held.

‘A banquet?’

Confused, I looked around, and suddenly someone extended their hand to me.

A large hand with prominent veins and long, thick fingers.

It was a hand I knew well.

“Madam.”

Lloydin reached out to me and called my name.

I looked up at him.

He was dressed elegantly in a black tailcoat, perfect for the banquet.

I took his hand and walked with him to the center of the hall.

Or rather, it was my dream self who did so.

We danced joyfully to the music.

Sometimes we moved energetically to fast-paced tunes, and other times we swayed gently to softer melodies.

After dancing exuberantly, we returned to our seats to rest and sipped wine.

Crash…

The sound of glass shattering on the floor echoed through the banquet hall.

Everyone’s attention turned toward the noise.

Curious about what had happened, I looked in the direction of the sound.

“C-Crown Prince, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

A servant was on his knees, bowing repeatedly and apologizing to a man.

“Tsk, such a mess.”

The voice, devoid of emotion, belonged to the Crown Prince.

He glanced at the wine stain on the white cuff of his tailcoat and then looked coldly at the man.

“Take him away.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“P-Please, Crown Prince. Forgive me. Just this once, please…”

Several knights standing by dragged the servant away.

Fear and terror were etched in the servant’s eyes.

After the servant was taken away, the shards of glass were quickly cleaned up.

The banquet hall returned to its usual state as if nothing had happened.

Only the wine stain on the Crown Prince’s coat remained as a reminder of the incident.

And then it happened.