Chapter 057
Evan opened his mouth to speak, then paused again, closing it shut.
It seemed he was bothered by the dozens of gazes directed at him.
The children, who were openly filled with anticipation, and the knights, who were trying to hide their expressions but seemingly just as eager as the children.
And I, who had become curious about how he would respond.
Evan, unable to ignore these intense stares, stood there for a while with an unreadable expression before finally speaking to the knights.
“It seems there’s an interesting spectacle. From now on, the last person to arrive at the training ground will have to spar with me.”
“Ah, no!”
At Evan’s cold warning, the knights, who had been standing with cheerful expressions, instantly turned pale and quickly dispersed like the tide.
Next, Evan’s gaze fell on the group of children huddled together.
“You all…”
He began to speak but stopped abruptly, his expression startled.
The children’s eyes, filled with anticipation, sparkled brighter than any gem as they looked at Evan.
With a subtle softness towards the children, Evan seemed unable to tell them to leave, letting out a soft sigh as he leaned down toward them.
“I love her.”
At that moment, I, who had been watching to see what he would say, froze like ice, my eyes wide open.
At that time, Evan, bent down to the children’s eye level, lightly tapped the fairy tale book the child was holding and added,
“They say marriage is something done between people who love each other.”
It was clear he said this to protect the child’s innocent heart, yet oddly, heat flooded my face.
“If your curiosity has been satisfied, you should go back now. It’s not safe to be out until dark.”
“Yes!”
Belle, vigorously nodding his head up and down, had flushed cheeks.
As Evan, still in a daze, raised his body, our eyes met directly in the air.
“…If I was unpleasant, I apologize.”
The moment our eyes met, he quickly averted his gaze and spoke in a low voice.
“Oh, no.”
I wanted to continue the conversation naturally, asking what he had to apologize for, but I kept stammering, repeating that it was nothing, and eventually fell silent.
Evan, who had been looking down at me, quickly left after saying he would take his leave.
“What is this…? Why does it feel so uncomfortable?”
As I blankly watched Evan’s retreating figure, I finally snapped back to reality at the voice coming from beside me.
Turning my head, I saw Joy, arms crossed tightly, staring intently in the direction Evan had disappeared.
“Customer, I feel like I’m missing something important right now, but I don’t know what it is.”
“What are you talking about?”
Joy kept muttering to himself, wondering, “What is this uncomfortable feeling?”
Regardless of that, I was caught up in my own strange feelings and couldn’t match Joy’s rhythm.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
That night.
Feeling increasingly drained lately, I fell asleep early.
I was running forward aimlessly.
At first, everything around me was pitch black, but gradually it began to transform into a familiar landscape.
“Find the Empress!”
A fierce shout directed at me echoed from afar.
Gasping for breath, I looked around and saw people collapsed everywhere, bleeding.
The once white walls were now smeared with blood, a chaotic mess.
‘Why am I here?’
As the scenery I thought I would never see again unfolded before my eyes, I couldn’t think straight.
‘I have to go somewhere.’
All that filled my mind was the need to escape this palace.
I immediately began to run forward with all my might.
‘Huff, huff…!’
But something felt off.
No matter how hard I ran, gasping for breath, the scenery before me didn’t change.
People were still collapsed on the ground, and bloodstains covered the floor and walls.
And in the distance, I could still hear voices calling for me.
Stopping in my tracks, I sank to the ground, shut my eyes tightly, and covered my ears with my hands.
‘This is a dream. It’s just a dream.’
Just as I was waiting to wake up from this terrible nightmare, I felt a gentle tap on my back.
“Dahlia. Are you okay?”
The voice that followed startled me so much that my trembling body froze.
Lifting my head and turning around, I saw my brother, with his red hair neatly tied back, looking down at me with kind eyes.
“Oh, brother…?”
He had the youthful face and height that barely reached my chest, the last image of my brother when I remembered him at twelve years old.
His green eyes, as if embracing nature, softened warmly.
At the same moment, my father, mother, and Cesar appeared behind him.
Unlike my brother, they glared at me fiercely and shouted.
“It’s your fault.”
As I stood there unable to speak, looking at my family, more faces I didn’t recognize began to appear behind them.
“It’s your fault.”
Each of them, injured and staring at me, were the palace servants who had just moments ago been collapsed on the palace floor.
“I, I…”
All of them spoke in unison, blaming me, their voices echoing in my ears.
As I took a step back, they all stepped forward in unison.
“It’s your fault.”
“It’s your fault.”
With a chillingly emotionless expression, they continued to repeat the same words.
Unable to even think of turning around, I kept backing away when something solid touched my back.
Startled, I quickly turned around and upon seeing the face before me, I let go of the tension I had been holding.
“Evan…”
Just as I was about to reach out to him, so relieved to see his familiar face looking down at me, I noticed the numerous arrows protruding from his back.
“What, what is this…?”
The arrows weren’t only stuck in his back.
There were countless arrows embedded in his shoulders and forearms.
Yet he stood there, looking down at me with not a hint of movement on his face.
Eventually, I saw his mouth slowly open.
Knowing what words would come out, I shook my head vigorously.
‘I don’t want to hear it…’
And in that moment, everything surrounding me began to vanish like smoke.
I had finally awakened from this terrible nightmare.
“Gasp…!”
I opened my eyes, taking a hurried breath as if I had just emerged from water.
At the same time, the familiar ceiling pattern came into view. Only then could I exhale evenly and turn my head.
Amidst the dark surroundings, I saw Evan sleeping on the bed, though I didn’t know when he had come in.
The moment I saw him, the scenes from my recent dream flashed in my mind, causing me to grip the blanket tightly without realizing it.
‘What kind of dream was that?’
I quietly slipped out of the room, careful not to wake him.
My heart was still pounding, making it seem unwise to sleep right away, so I thought I might take a short walk.
Thud, thud.
The empty hallway in the middle of the night had a rather eerie atmosphere.
Once outside, I stood in the garden decorated within the castle, lost in thought for quite some time.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
Would everyone be unhappy again if they were with me, just like in the past?
It was a fact I had momentarily forgotten while meeting new people and spending busy days.
Anxiety washed over me at the thought that the scenes from my dream might actually become reality.
Just as I lifted my head to gaze blankly at the night sky, I heard a soft voice.
“You’ll catch a cold if you stay outside for too long in that outfit.”
At the same moment, a warm blanket was draped over my shoulders, and the gentle voice settled in my ears.
