When she asked directly, Ifrit gently curved his pretty eyes and lowered his gaze.
His fine platinum-colored eyelashes fluttered down softly, covering his clear pupils.
“Is not Your Noble Imperial Highness someone who deserves to claim the finest groom candidate?”
“Those are sweet words to hear… but it only has meaning if that groom candidate falls for me. Forcing and taking him by crushing him with power is something my pride will not permit.”
“Then, will you allow a mere young lady from a family on the verge of collapse to take Duke Blake?”
His voice was perfectly respectful, but his tone was distinctly defiant.
“Marquis.”
Selene spoke softly, as if soothing him.
“After meeting that young lady of House Krone, I realized that the only thing she lacks is the power of her family.”
For an instant, a faint crack appeared in Ifrit’s gentle smile.
“The more I met and spoke with her, the more I understood why Duke Blake fell for her.”
“But…”
“If those two love each other, how could I possibly force them apart? So, Marquis, give up on Lady Krone and find another good person.”
At words that seemed to say she knew exactly why he was acting this way, Ifrit’s shoulders flinched and trembled slightly.
“And perhaps, Duke Blake has not made a losing bargain.”
A mysterious smile spread across Selene’s beautiful face.
“The young lady of House Krone may be someone far more valuable than what is known to the world.”
At those words, Ifrit’s eyes widened greatly. It was because he himself had already had some suspicions.
“Surely, you do not mean…”
“It is not certain, but my intuition is quite sharp.”
Those words were surely just modesty. As an Imperial Princess, she would have a very precise information network.
Ifrit unconsciously swallowed dryly and waited for her next words.
“Since you introduced a fine new product today, I shall tell only you, Marquis, just a little. It seems that the young lady of House Krone has awakened an ability.”
“What kind of power is it?”
“You must not speak of this anywhere else. …Duke Blake has long suffered from insomnia.”
Ifrit recalled Rastan’s complexion, which had always appeared dark even from afar.
“But lately, his complexion has become very good. And today, he announced his engagement to Lady Krone.”
“Then, you presume it is a power that helps with insomnia.”
“If that were not the case, there would hardly be sufficient reason for the Head of House Blake to take a young lady from House Krone as his spouse.”
Though he gave Selene a small nod, Ifrit’s eyes sank deeply.
“A mental-type ability…”
He could no longer hear what Celine was saying. Lost in thought, Ifrit raised the corner of his lips slightly, barely perceptibly.
***
It seemed that going to the Imperial Palace had been tiring.
As soon as the sun set, I headed to bed early.
“Ahh… I keep yawning, I cannot help it. I will go to sleep now.”
“Then I shall go as well.”
Since he was sleeping beside me anyway, he would be safe from nightmares even if we didn’t fall asleep at the exact same time.
However, whether early or late, Rastan now always tried to fall asleep at the same time as me.
“You may finish your work first.”
“I would feel uneasy. And…”
He turned his body toward me as he lay down and pulled my waist into an embrace with one arm.
“I also like the time holding you like this until you fall asleep.”
I had already grown accustomed to sleeping in the same bed with him, but having our entire bodies pressed closely together in bed was something on another level entirely.
“Ah…”
I reflexively tried to push Rastan away, but since he didn’t budge at all, I ended up placing my hand against his firm chest instead.
He lowered his gaze to my hand and let out a small chuckle.
“I like this too.”
Rastan gently held the hand resting on his chest, then brought it to my lips and kissed them.
Perhaps it was because of the warm and affectionate kiss. It felt as though we had truly become lovers who loved each other.
And just like that, falling asleep quickly in his arms, I entered Rastan’s dream.
Today’s dream was a peaceful moment spent by a beautiful riverside.
After confirming from afar that Rastan was calmly looking around the dreamscape, I turned away.
‘I have somewhere to go, so travel alone in today’s dream.’
Today, I intended to look into Ifrit’s dream.
Half of it was to practice my ability, and the other half was because I was curious about what he was truly thinking.
Recalling Ifrit’s face from when I met him earlier that day, I tried to cross over into his dream.
But then…
“Ah!”
As if I had collided with something, I was thrown backward and fell.
Before me, at some point, an unknown black wall had appeared.
It couldn’t be touched by hand, like smoke, but it was certain that that wall had repelled me.
‘What’s this?’
I had never once failed to enter someone’s dream, so I was extremely flustered.
‘This can’t be… Let me try again.’
Focusing my mind, I attempted once more to enter Ifrit’s dream.
“Huh?”
And the next moment, I woke up just like that.
When I slightly rolled my eyes to the side, Rastan was sleeping soundly, lying facing me.
Seeing him sleeping peacefully with a relaxed face meant there was nothing wrong with my ability.
‘I was completely thrown out of the dream world itself?’
How could something like this happen? Could it be that Ifrit also possessed some kind of ability?
I recalled the time he had suddenly proposed to me before. He had said it was because he had fallen for me, but…
‘He might have tried to marry me to have a child with an ability.’
Of course, even when two people with abilities married, it didn’t necessarily mean their child would also have an ability.
However, someone who wished to pass down their power might seek such a spouse to increase the probability of having a child with an ability.
‘If I assume that, everything makes sense.’
If Ifrit were a mental-type ability user, it might be that his ability was stronger than mine, preventing me from entering his dream.
It was the same principle as being unable to break through the defense of someone physically stronger than oneself.
But I couldn’t easily accept it.
‘My ability now has grown quite strong compared to before.’
Having steadily improved through constant practice, I didn’t want to easily accept that Ifrit’s ability was stronger than mine.
There was also a slight sense of stubborn defiance at the fact that there was a dream I couldn’t enter.
Was it not human nature to want something more when told you can’t do it?
I was also curious about what exactly was inside.
‘Let me try again.’
Golden hair that seemed to shine under sunlight, clear gray-brown eyes, a slim yet firm and long body.
I vividly pictured Ifrit’s appearance in my mind and tried to fall asleep again. And the moment I fell asleep, I encountered that unknown black wall once more.
“Hmm…”
When I felt along the wall with my hand, I sensed a force pushing me away, as if two identical poles of magnets were pressed together.
In the dream world, I had been no different from an absolute being until now. Because of that, a thought naturally arose that I would never have in reality.
‘It dares to push me away? This wall, I will break through it no matter what.’
I became offended by the wall that blocked the path of this absolute being. Steeling myself, I charged at the black wall with all my strength.
This time, I thought I would surely break through it, but—
“Huh? Huhhh?”
The black wall violently repelled my body. And from the recoil, I was thrown into an entirely different space.
In an instant, the scene changed, and I was sitting beside someone’s bed.
It was a dark room, but thanks to the moonlight, I could make out the objects.
‘Where is this… huh…?’
The moment I saw who was lying on the bed, I involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath.
‘Ro, Rosie?!’
Though cold sweat beaded on her forehead, Rosie was sleeping peacefully with a calm expression.
Seeing the child who was always pitiful to look at, exactly the same as in my memory, tears quickly filled my eyes.
‘But this situation now…’
This was clearly a memory from my previous life.
I had been repelled by the black wall and thrown into a random memory.
I recalled the day of this scene I was now in.
I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it was, but I remembered why I had been in Rosie’s room at such a late hour.
