“Why are you crying?”
And the dream changed.
“… … Winfred?”
Just a little while ago, she was rubbing her face against her mother’s cheek, feeling blissfully happy.
Before she knew it, she was in a different place.
Where is she? She looked around.
Ah, on the roof. On the roof, she watched the stars with Winfred.
But was Ayla crying at that time? No, she definitely wasn’t crying.
Strangely enough, the area around her eyes was moist.
“Don’t cry, Ayla. If you cry… … .”
If she cries… … . Winfred couldn’t continue his conversation, but somehow he seemed to know what he wanted to say.
Winfred in her dream, as if her tears were him. Because she had a heartbreaking expression.
“miss.”
“… … It’s strange. It’s Cloud.”
There was a long scar around her right eye. The dream must have changed again, and she saw a cloud in front of her eyes.
She didn’t like this dream a bit. Why, of all people, it’s Cloud.
Ayla puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction. She was with Winfred.
She didn’t like the character in her dream either, her eyes were stinging and her vision was blurry.
“Miss, I’m sorry. I… … .”
Cloud apologised to her with an expression that said he couldn’t bear it because he was in pain.
“… … It’s a strange dream. Cloud, you… … . “There’s no way you’re going to apologise to me, right?”
Because Cloud is a bad guy. Because he is a bad guy who deceived Ayla and used her for his family’s identity.
“… … sorry.”
“what? “What are you sorry about?”
Why is he saying sorry? It’s just a dream anyway, so why come to her in her dream and disturb her like this?
Ayla was angry and wanted to scream, but she had no strength in her body. It seemed like it was a dream.
“… … .”
Cloud closed his mouth. It was not a funny situation. Even if it was just a dream, there was no way he would confess his crime.
What did he expect when he asked?
“… … “Are you okay with deceiving me?”
Ayla asked with a sneer. Cloud’s blunt face was distorted with guilt.
“Is it fun to trick a stupid child?”
No. He already knew that she didn’t think it was fun.
Cloud was distressed at having deceived her. And yet… … .
Maybe what she’s doing is nothing more than venting her anger.
Still, it’s a dream.
… … Because it’s a dream.
And soon, the scene changed again.
* * *
“Miss, lady?”
Ayla seemed to wake up for a moment but then seemed to fall asleep again.
‘… … ‘Is it fun to trick a stupid child?’
Cloud had been by her side and nursing her all night frowned. He had no idea what he was hearing just now.
He spoke in a tone as if he knew everything.
That can’t be possible. So, it can’t be done.
Although the fireplace was warming the air, a cold wind blew down his spine.
‘… … Surely, did you know?’
Since when? And how far?
That she is not Byron’s biological daughter? Or does she even know that she is being raised to be an assassin in order to kill her biological father?
‘No. Probably not.’
Isn’t that possible? How could a thirteen-year-old child know all that, yet pretend not to know, and fawn over Byron as usual?
As she was watching Ayla sleeping with a mixture of shock and guilt, Laura, who had gone to bed in the morning, opened the door and came in.
“Hey, uncle. Now I can take care of you… … . “Go and rest.”
“Oh yeah. “Let’s just go.”
Even as he took turns leaving Ayla’s room with Laura, Cloud’s eyes kept turning towards Ayla. And his pupils trembled slightly.
Absolutely not, even though he thought that wasn’t the only thing.
A small doubt arose in his heart.
He wonders if that little child knows the whole truth. It’s a ridiculous thought.
He kept raising my head.
* * *
‘… … ‘Why is my head so heavy?’
Ayla stood up in a daze. Then, a wet towel fell from above her head. What is this? Ayla shook off the sleepiness hanging from her eyes and looked around to understand the situation.
Laura was dozing off while sitting on a chair next to the bed.
Only then did the memory come to mind.
‘Oh, I fell.’
In the cold rain, she gritted her teeth and held on.
She didn’t have the stamina to faint just because of the rain. It seemed like it was due to the accumulated fatigue.
‘How long did you sleep?’
Her head felt heavy and her back stiff. She couldn’t even tell how much time had passed because it had been so long since she had slept.
“Oh. “You’re awake, lady.”
Laura had been sleeping and woke up in surprise at the rustling sound she made.
“What happened… … ?”
“… … What happens? Do you know how surprised the master was when the young lady suddenly collapsed? And he slept for two whole days.”
‘Two days… … ? ‘I slept that long?’
It was unbelievable. She had never slept that long in her life. She had become a habit of living a regular life and always went to bed early and woke up early.
She’s probably never laid down for this long except when she was a newborn.
‘… … But you’re still sleepy. I guess I’m really unwell.’
After sleeping for two full days, she still felt like going back to sleep immediately.
“The fever… … It looks like it’s been raining a lot. Aren’t you hungry?”
Laura’s hand, which was grunting and touching her forehead, still felt quite cool, indicating that she still had a slight fever.
“Uh. “Yes, I’m hungry.”
After listening to Laura, her stomach started to growl. It was understandable since she hadn’t eaten anything for two days.
“Please wait a moment. I will bring you something to eat right away.”
Laura grumbled for a moment, saying that she was bothering herself by being sick, and then quickly brought her some steaming chicken soup.
‘… … Now that I think about it, I think I had a dream.’
Ayla was lost in thought as she took a bite of hot soup. Since she slept for two days, she must have had quite a few dreams.
She couldn’t remember any dreams clearly.
She thinks she had good dreams about her biological mother and father, and she also had bad dreams about Byron.
It seemed like she also had a dream about Winfred.
‘Because it’s not important.’
Ayla focused on eating the soup. It may be because she was hungry after starving for two days, but isn’t it really a delicious soup?
Although she was her enemy who deceived her, she could not help but acknowledge Capella’s cooking skills.
As Ayla emptied the bowl, Laura held out a medicine that was clearly very useful.
After drinking the medicine with a frown on her face, she felt drowsy again.
“… … “Can I sleep more?”
“That’s right. My master ordered me to rest well until my body fully recovers.”
Laura adjusted the pillow and blanket and laid her on the bed. She thought it would be difficult to fall asleep again after sleeping for two days, but she fell asleep quickly, putting her worries aside.
* * *
Ayla was sick for quite a long time.
She wondered if it was okay because it was the first time she had been this lazy in her life, but it wasn’t usually difficult to get out of bed because she would fall asleep again and again.
After spending several weeks almost exclusively in bed, she woke up to find that the season had completely changed.
One by one, the trees that had colourful leaves left only their bare branches, and the first snow of this winter also quietly covered the world in white.
It seems like she grew taller around this time in her last life, and it was the same in this life. Although there were still a few years left before she became the figure she remembered.
It wasn’t because she didn’t sleep a lot because she was in pain, but because she was growing taller, she was growing taller.
“I need to get some new clothes.”
Laura clicked her tongue in disapproval when she saw that her short and chubby arms and legs were gradually starting to get longer, and the sleeves of the activewear she had made for training had become noticeably shorter.
It’s natural for a growing child to grow up, so why are they so dissatisfied?
Since Laura and Capella will be the ones cutting and sewing the new clothes, she understands that it is undesirable to increase the workload for no reason.
She couldn’t understand why it was necessary to show it in front of her like this.
In her last life, she was so upset that she even apologised for growing taller. But now that she thinks about it, it is truly ridiculous.
“… … Yes, that’s right.”
Ayla roughly agreed in a soulless voice.
She knew that Laura’s desired response was to be very intimidated and apologise. But even if she doesn’t do that, there’s nothing Laura can do.
Growing taller was really natural.
“… … .”
As expected, it was just as she expected. Laura seemed dissatisfied with Ayla’s attitude, but since there was nothing she could do, she kept her mouth shut.
Since she didn’t have any clothes to wear right now, Ayla put on Laura’s coat. It was a little long, but it was still wearable thanks to Laura’s not being tall.
The weather has become very cold, and Ayla has been sick for a long time, so she is worried. Laura put her in a furry scarf and earmuffs.
“You’ve barely trained, so you’ll have to work even harder to catch up. Otherwise, your master will be disappointed.”
“… … Okay, Laura. “I will work hard.”
She felt like she was back to her regular life, even if it was pleasant not to have to put up with Laura’s constant nagging while she was lying in pain.
