‘……He must be dreaming about that day.’
Ashid’s past, the one that had twisted his life, had become a curse that tormented him.
It was only natural. No one can escape their past. Even more so when that past remains unresolved, lingering in the present.
Daniela felt a deep sense of compassion for Ashid. She gently patted his trembling back and whispered in a low, tender voice.
“It’s okay, Your Highness.”
“……!”
At that moment, Ashid’s back flinched and shuddered. Daniela stroked his sweat-drenched back and continued speaking.
“I may not be able to fully understand how you feel, but… I know how painful and difficult it must have been.”
“……”
“I know it’s a past that’s too painful to forget… a wound that may never heal. But… I hope you don’t have to relive that painful past, even in your dreams. …That would be too much to bear.”
Her smooth, gentle voice was like a lullaby. The harshly contorted expression on Ashid’s face slowly, little by little, softened. His breathing, which had been ragged with distress, gradually evened out, becoming calm.
Daniela sighed in relief as she looked at Ashid, who now seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, freed from his nightmare. Thinking it was finally over, she carefully tried to slip away from his embrace.
But every time she moved, Ashid’s arm would tighten around her and pull her back into his hold.
As a result, Daniela found herself crashing into his solid chest multiple times. Frustrated, she pounded his chest and back with her fists.
“Excuse me, Your Highness? Could you please let me go now?”
But Ashid, deep in sleep, didn’t budge. Her feeble punches were nothing against the muscles hardened through countless battles and rigorous training.
After several more failed attempts to wake him, Daniela eventually gave up, slumping against him in exhaustion.
‘Ugh, this is exhausting.’ Resisting any further was futile.
For now, she decided to stay still and wait until Ashid fell into a deeper sleep and his grip naturally loosened.
With a deep sigh, Daniela closed her eyes and resigned herself to her fate.
At least, his scent was refreshing, like the smell of fresh grass. If he had smelled strongly of sweat instead, she wouldn’t have lasted even a second.
Hoping that time would pass quickly, she silently counted in her head.
Before she realized it, she, too, had fallen asleep.
In the quiet bedroom, only the sound of their even breathing filled the air.
It was that dream.
The memory of that day—one he had never been able to forget.
‘Mother!’
After the murderers who had taken his mother’s life fled, he, who had cowardly hidden away, burst out of the closet.
His mother, with dark bruises on her wrists and neck, collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.
As he approached her, sobbing, she recognized him and reached out with trembling hands to caress his cheek.
‘Ashid… You must… survive…’
With those faint words, dark red blood spilled from her lips, splattering onto his cheeks and body.
Then, her breathing stopped.
Her body was still warm, yet no matter how desperately he shook her, she would not wake up.
‘No! Mother! Mother!’
He screamed.
Even in his dreams, he could not change her fate.
Rage, fear, helplessness, and despair surged over him like a tidal wave.
And then, the next horror unfolded before his eyes.
Soon, he would be cast out of the palace, powerless.
His indifferent father.
The real culprit behind his mother’s murder—Empress Catherine—and her retainers, all looking down at him.
Catherine, holding the young Adrian in her arms, smirked in amusement.
—I will personally kill every last one of them.
Not just her, but everyone involved in this crime.
Their parents, children, relatives, and friends—I will wipe them all out.
His blood boiled with fury.
But he was only five years old.
Helpless, utterly helpless.
Tormented, unbearably tormented.
Gritting his teeth, he clawed at his chest. The pain choked him.
He couldn’t breathe.
[It’s okay, Your Highness.]
Suddenly, a gentle voice whispered in his ear.
The owner of that voice wrapped him in a warm embrace.
Broken, powerless, and alone, he instinctively clung to that warmth.
A soothing hand patted his back as if to comfort him.
[I know how painful and difficult it must have been.]
[But I hope you don’t have to relive that painful past, even in your dreams. …That would be too much to bear.]
The voice offered him a kind of comfort he had never received before.
Desperately, he clung to it.
Just a little longer—just a little more of that voice.
A revelation, a guiding light to help him escape this nightmare, to overcome this despair.
And so, Ashid pulled the owner of that voice even closer, as if she were his last salvation.
His instincts were correct.
A faint light seeped into the darkness of his mind, which had been consumed by painful memories and unbearable grief.
The scarlet hair of the woman in his arms shimmered like the midday sun.
Warm and radiant.
Leaning into the comforting heat of her body, Ashid, for the first time since that dreadful day, fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.
The blanket brushing against her cheek was soft and carried a warm, pleasant scent.
As the bright morning sunlight peeked through her closed eyelids, Daniela slowly opened her eyes.
And right in front of her—
A white robe, slightly parted, revealing a solid, well-built chest.
“……Ah!”
In that instant, the memories of last night flashed through her mind.
Her face turned bright red.
The sympathy and pity she had felt for Ashid last night had now transformed into sheer embarrassment that made her want to curl up and disappear.
Her gaze shifted to Ashid’s still-sleeping face.
Good. He was still asleep.
With relief, Daniela carefully tried to slip out of his arms.
“…Mmm.”
But just as she let out a sigh of relief, Ashid’s tightly closed eyes slowly opened.
His deep navy-blue eyes, still hazy from sleep, gazed at her blankly.
In a voice that was low and husky from slumber, he murmured,
“…What exactly is this situation?”
Daniela let out a disbelieving chuckle.
What kind of question was that?
That was exactly what she wanted to ask him.
With a sharp tone, she retorted,
“Do you not remember what happened last night?”
“…Last night?”
“Ugh, forget it. Since you’re awake now, could you please let me go? This is really uncomfortable.”
She pried his arms off her and sat up.
Her body still felt heavy, her mind groggy, but there was no way she could stay in bed with Ashid any longer.
Ashid, however, caught her wrist before she could leave.
Fixing her with a firm gaze, he asked,
“Before you go, answer me. What exactly happened last night?”
Daniela sighed deeply.
She had hoped they could just move on without making a big deal out of it, but of course, he had to press for details.
“Do you remember arguing with me last night before we both fell asleep?”
“…Yeah.”
“I dozed off, but then I heard you mumbling something. When I woke up, you were drenched in sweat, calling for your mother.”
“……What?”
“You looked like you were in pain, so I was debating whether to call a maid… but before I could decide, you suddenly grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. Until this morning.”
She deliberately left out a few details.
If she told him everything, knowing his personality, he’d probably say something annoying—like how her sympathy was unnecessary, or how she should mind her own business.
Ashid’s eyes widened slightly in shock.
That dream.
For the first time, it hadn’t ended with him being cast out of the palace.
Instead, he had been embraced by someone warm and kind.
A long, flowing cascade of vibrant red hair…
That comforting presence in his dream—
It had been Daniela.
