I had a dream.
A dream of the northern lands, where I had endured a year of relentless hardship.
That place, where monsters attacked several times a day, reeked of blood and suffering. There, I was assigned to medical duties.
Well, ‘medical duties’ was just a fancy way of putting it—real treatment was left to the doctors.
My job was washing bloodstained towels and changing patients’ bandages.
Just like any other day, I was heading out to dispose of the used bandages when suddenly, a black smoke approached me.
It was thick, suffocating smoke—like something from a fire.
Strangely, though, I didn’t feel scared.
Instead, I felt at peace. I even smiled.
The smoke spoke to me.
‘Why are you smiling?’
‘Just because.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘To dispose of these bloodstained bandages.’
‘…..…….’
Before I could take another step, a gruff voice sounded from behind me.
‘…Be careful.’
Hearing that, I let out a laugh.
And in that moment, I tripped over a rock.
Oh… oh?
I was about to hit the ground face-first.
“Gasp!”
Startled, I jolted awake from my dream.
As I sat up abruptly, the blanket covering me slid to the floor.
“Are you okay?”
A sudden voice made me flinch.
When I turned to the side, I saw Edwin watching me with concern.
Oh, right. I was pulling an all-nighter.
Once I grasped the situation, the fear from the dream faded a little.
Edwin gently cupped my face with both hands.
“It must have been a nightmare.”
He examined my face closely, checking for any signs of distress.
Honestly, Edwin had a way of throwing people off guard.
‘Too close…!’
Without warning, he had leaned in with that ridiculously handsome face of his.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”
I pushed his shoulder away, albeit gently.
Still, he didn’t seem convinced.
Instead, he reached out to smooth my disheveled hair and lightly patted my back.
I blinked in surprise.
‘Does he have a lot of younger siblings or something? Why is he so caring?’
Seeing his serious expression, I decided to tell him about the dream.
“It was nothing. I just had a dream where I got distracted talking to black smoke and tripped.”
“…Black smoke?”
“Yeah. It reminded me of when I worked in a monster-infested area doing medical duties.”
“…….….”
Hearing that, Edwin let out a soft chuckle.
“So it wasn’t a nightmare.”
“Huh?”
“It was a good dream.”
Edwin’s face lit up as he said that.
Dana smiled in response.
“Yeah, a wonderful memory I’ll never forget.”
“……….”
For a moment, Edwin was silent.
An unforgettable memory…
It felt like a warm spring breeze had swept through his chest.
The emotions were both comforting and overwhelming—a bittersweet ache.
His red eyes darkened as he gazed at Dana.
The longing he felt for her was stronger than ever.
“Oh my gosh, did you do all this by yourself?”
Dana’s cheerful voice broke through his thoughts, clearing his mind.
Edwin closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again.
As if nothing had happened, he smiled gently.
“Yes, somehow it ended up that way.”
“I feel so bad! I just slept the whole time.”
Dana sincerely apologized to him.
Edwin, unfazed, simply resumed organizing the documents.
“I actually liked it.”
“Liked what?”
Because I got to look at your face all I wanted.
Edwin swallowed the words before they escaped and instead smiled.
“I meant, I liked that I got to familiarize myself with the work.”
Dana nodded, thinking, Such a hardworking newcomer.
“You’re leaving now, right? Let’s go together.”
He extinguished the magical lamps in the office.
In the darkness, Dana fumbled along the wall.
Then, warmth brushed against the back of her hand.
In the pitch-black office, Edwin’s fingers lightly stroked her hand.
“Hold my hand.”
A large, gentle hand wrapped around hers.
The sudden contact felt strange and ticklish.
In the quiet, empty office, Edwin’s warmth was the only thing she could distinctly feel.
Leading the way, Edwin slowly guided her out of the office.
Thanks to him, Dana managed to leave the building with ease.
“………..”
“………..”
As they stepped outside, neither of them spoke.
The two walked in silence toward the side gate of the courtyard.
Dana kept glancing at Edwin.
‘Why isn’t he letting go of my hand?’
Unlike the dark office, the outside world was softly illuminated.
Above them, the night sky was speckled with twinkling stars.
The magical lanterns would continue lighting the way until they reached the estate.
“Um… Edwin? I think you can let go of my hand now…”
“Can I? It’s still dark.”
At those words, Edwin gently let go of her hand.
Dana didn’t notice the fleeting look of disappointment on his face.
After walking for quite some time, a thought popped into Edwin’s head.
‘Where is the carriage?’
The carriage that was supposed to pick up Dana was nowhere to be seen.
A noblewoman walking alone at night was dangerous.
Since she worked late every day, he had assumed that her family would send a carriage for her.
‘Aren’t they being too negligent with their daughter?’
Edwin felt anger bubbling up toward Dana’s parents—people he had never even met.
Swallowing his frustration, he decided to ask her carefully.
After all, he might have been mistaken.
But how should he phrase it?
As a member of the imperial family, Edwin had never been good at beating around the bush.
He had never really considered other people’s perspectives before.
‘What kind of parents don’t even send a carriage for their daughter?’
No, too aggressive.
‘Do you like walking?’
No, that might come off as sarcastic.
For the first time in his life, Edwin struggled over how to phrase a question.
Just as he was deep in thought, Dana spoke up.
They had reached a fork in the road.
“I walk home from here. What about you, Edwin?”
She was implying that if their paths were different, they should part ways.
She really does walk home… Edwin’s expression hardened.
If he had known this earlier, he would have secretly assigned her a guard.
No—should he arrange for a carriage instead?
He quickly erased the dark expression from his face.
“Looks like we’re heading in the same direction.”
“Really? Then we can walk together whenever I have to work late!”
Dana beamed at him.
“Together?”
That single word struck deep in Edwin’s heart.
‘Walking with her every night… that doesn’t sound so bad.’
Any thoughts about hiring a guard or arranging a carriage vanished from Edwin’s mind.
Meanwhile, Dana was thinking…
‘So, he must be of a similar social status to mine.’
She had gathered another piece of information about Edwin.
The higher a noble’s status, the closer their residence was to the imperial palace.
Naturally, lower-ranking nobles like Dana’s family lived much farther away.
Yet Edwin had walked with her all the way to her mansion.
“Is your house around here too?”
“Yes, but I have to go a little farther in.”
Edwin pointed beyond the road.
Hearing that, Dana felt relieved.
For a moment, she had worried that this kindhearted new colleague had gone out of his way just to escort her home.
“Well then, I’m heading in. Sleep well! See you tomorrow!”
“Goodnight.”
Dana waved before disappearing into her mansion.
Watching her retreating figure, Edwin murmured softly to himself.
“Goodnight, Dana.”
***
The Next Morning – Early Dawn
Edwin, who rarely needed sleep, woke up as usual.
After rising from his bed in the imperial palace, he quickly finished his sword training.
Then, without hesitation, he opened a cookbook.
“…..……”
No matter how many recipes he looked at, none of them seemed satisfying.
It felt like no dish could even compare to Dana’s cooking.
‘I should ask the head chef.’
When Edwin had a thought, he acted on it immediately.
Without hesitation, he strode toward the imperial kitchen.
He pushed the door open, startling the head chef.
“H-Hello, Your Highness!”
Edwin ignored the flustered greeting and got straight to the point.
“A dish that is simple, elegant, and delicious.”
“……….”
The chef quickly racked his brain.
“How about a fresh omelet…?”
Hearing that, Edwin rolled up his sleeves.
Following the chef’s instructions, he silently prepared the dish, adding a preservation spell to keep it warm.
He also prepared fresh apple juice, making sure not to forget it.
Thinking about Dana enjoying the food made his mind feel clear.
With the lunchbox in hand, Edwin headed straight for the Potion Management Division.
He was eager to see Dana Hartwin.
Just as he was about to enter the office, Dana stepped into the hallway.
She wasn’t alone—her colleague Kira was with her.
Edwin was about to call out to Dana with a smile.
But then… he overheard Kira’s words.
“Dana, I have a guy I want to introduce you to.”
At that moment, the air around Edwin turned ice cold.
