Episode 98

Perhaps I had stared at the Crown Prince for too long because, suddenly, he looked in my direction.

It felt like our eyes met.

Startled, I tried to look away, but my view was blocked by darkness.

When I raised my head, Lloydin was standing in front of me, looking at me with a blank expression.

His face began to blur, and soon everything disappeared.

When everything vanished, I found myself back at the starting point of the dream.

The moment I wished to wake up, I did, as if by magic.

* * *

When I woke up, it was still dark, indicating it was the middle of the night.

I could hear Lloydin’s steady breathing close by as he held me in his sleep.

‘Thank goodness.’

Not much time had passed.

I had worried that days might have slipped by while I was asleep, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

‘But what on earth was that dream?’

Even after waking up, I couldn’t fall back asleep and lay there, thinking about the dream over and over.

I had never had a dream like this before, and I felt I needed to understand its meaning.

I couldn’t dismiss it as just a dream because the paths reappearing and the vividness of the scenes were too striking to ignore.

But no matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn’t decipher what the dream meant.

‘Ugh, I give up.’

“Madam?”

I must have sighed aloud because I heard Lloydin’s voice, lower and huskier from sleep.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

“When did you wake up?”

“Just now.”

Actually, I had been awake for a while, but I didn’t want him to worry, so I pretended I had just woken up.

“Can’t you sleep?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then why did you sigh?”

“Well…”

It seemed like he wanted to know everything happening to me, as he asked one question after another.

His concern made me feel good.

“I just had a dream, and I was thinking about it.”

“A dream?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of dream?”

“I dreamt that we were at a banquet, and we were dancing. I guess I must really want to go to a banquet, which is why I had that dream.”

I tried to mix in a bit of a lie, hoping it wouldn’t show.

“Dancing… I guess I should definitely ask you for a dance today.”

“I’d like that. Please do.”

I smiled at him, feeling a mix of relief and affection.

Lloydin’s presence was comforting, and I felt reassured knowing he was there with me, even in the middle of the night.

I smiled and buried my face in his chest.

As Lloydin gently stroked my hair, a sense of calm washed over me, erasing all the thoughts I had been having, and sleep began to overtake me again.

“I’m sleepy. I want to sleep some more.”

“Yes, go back to sleep.”

With that, I drifted off in Lloydin’s warm embrace.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up early and moved about busily, preparing to attend the evening banquet.

“Madam, how about this dress?”

Lia asked, showing me a light green dress.

“Perfect. Let’s go with that one.”

Lia had served me long enough to know exactly what suited me and what I liked.

The light green dress was elegant and refreshing, perfect for the summer weather.

“Alright. I’ll also prepare accessories that match the dress.”

“Thank you.”

“How would you like your hair styled?”

“Well, instead of an updo, I think a half-up hairstyle would suit the dress better, given the heat.”

“I thought the same. I’ll do a half-up hairstyle then.”

“Great.”

By the time I finished all the preparations, the day was already turning into evening.

Knock, knock.

Just as I was about to leave my room, someone knocked and entered.

“Duke?”

“Shall we go together?”

“Yes, let’s.”

I stood up and walked toward him.

But suddenly, his appearance felt so familiar that I stopped in my tracks.

“Madam?”

“Oh, yes. Let’s go.”

Seeing my odd behavior, Lloydin called out to me, and I hurriedly started walking again.

We left the mansion together and got into the carriage.

The carriage soon set off for the imperial palace.

Even while having a short conversation with Lloydin inside the carriage, I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

‘What is this?’

An inexplicable question filled my mind.

“Is there something on my face?”

“No, nothing like that.”

Realizing I had been staring too intently, I deliberately averted my gaze.

“The tailcoat you’re wearing today suits you very well.”

I spoke to him, looking at his attire rather than his face.

“Really? I’m glad you like it.”

“Yes. The black… it really complements your aura.”

A black tailcoat.

Ordinarily, there would be nothing strange about it, but today it kept catching my eye.

Because it was the same tailcoat Lloydin had worn in my dream last night.

There were plenty of clothes with similar colors.

I might have thought I was mistaken, but the details on the collar and cuffs perfectly matched what I had seen in my dream.

“You look stunning tonight, as well.”

“Thank you.”

I managed my expression carefully so Lloydin wouldn’t notice my confusion.

After a few more exchanges, the carriage arrived at the imperial palace.

When we entered the banquet hall, many nobles were already gathered in small groups, chatting.

As always, the moment we appeared, all eyes turned to us, but it didn’t bother me anymore.

What struck me was how differently the nobles looked at Lloydin.

The recent campaign had indeed marked a significant turning point for him, as evidenced by the changed attitudes during his return celebration.

As usual, I first sought out my family.

“Father, Mother!”

I called out to my parents, who were talking with a few others.

They wrapped up their conversation and approached us.

After greeting my parents, Lloydin and I also exchanged pleasantries with my brothers, Jade and Luke.

We spent time with my family in a warm and pleasant atmosphere.

There was a brief, odd exchange of glances with my father, but that was all.

While we were spending time together, the royal family entered the hall.

“His Majesty the Emperor, the noble sun of the Retheus Empire, approaches. Please show your respects.”

The lively chatter of the banquet hall died down, and the nobles bowed their heads towards the emperor and the royal family.

I always kept my head down while they passed, as I had no particular interest in them.

But today, I felt compelled to confirm something because of my dream.

So, I discreetly raised my eyes to glimpse one of the people following the emperor.

Seeing the crown prince after the emperor and empress, I was struck with a jolt of surprise.

The white tailcoat the crown prince wore was almost identical to what I had seen in my dream.

‘Did my dream show me today’s events?’

The matching outfits made me lean toward that conclusion.

If that were the case, why did I have such a dream?

Lost in these thoughts, I felt a headache coming on and furrowed my brows slightly.

“Madam, are you feeling unwell?”

“Oh, no. I’m fine.”

Lloydin, always perceptive to my changes, asked with concern, and I hastily assured him I was okay.

He seemed like he wanted to say more, but the emperor’s speech began, silencing him.

I was relieved I didn’t have to explain further.

The emperor’s speech felt exceptionally long today.

Distracted by my own thoughts, I found it hard to focus on the dull speech.

Suddenly, applause erupted around me.

I quickly joined in, trying to look as natural as possible while assessing the situation.

Everyone was looking towards the emperor’s seat, so I followed their gaze.

The emperor seemed unusually pleased, standing beside a young woman of my age.

She was someone I had met once before.

It was Princess Daina Retheus, whom I had encountered by chance at the temple and exchanged greetings with.