Chapter 58
I had a dream.
It was a prison underground.
A dark and damp place.
Cold floor. The smell of rot piercing my nose. Rusted iron bars. A torch shining faintly in the darkness.
A terrifying space where someone’s screams seemed to be heard from far away.
I was inside it.
My whole body hurt. I didn’t even know where I was hurt. There were shackles on my wrists. Cold metal dug into my skin. Chains clanked whenever I moved.
It felt familiar.
I had returned here again.
The imperial underground prison.
In the end, I couldn’t escape.
Someone stood in front of the iron bars.
It was the Emperor.
The ruler of this empire. My father.
“Running away is useless, didn’t I tell you?”
His cold voice echoed.
“You are mine, Lorea. Your blood is mine, and your life is mine. No matter where you run, you will eventually return here.”
No.
No.
“Did you think the archduke would protect you?”
The Emperor laughed.
“He is dead. Because of you.”
My heart sank with a thud.
It felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“He died trying to protect you. Surrounded by assassins. With a sword stabbed into his back. Bleeding. Trying to protect you. You killed him. You killed that man.”
That’s a lie.
It’s a lie.
Please say it’s a lie.
“And the same goes for the Archduke’s family. The Carlos is ruined because of you. It’s all your fault.”
No.
It’s not true.
I wanted to deny it, but my mouth wouldn’t open. My body was frozen.
The Emperor laughed.
“Now come back. To your place. If you return obediently, I will end it without pain. If you resist… it will only hurt more.”
His hand violently reached for me.
I tried to dodge. But my body didn’t move. The shackles held me. I couldn’t escape.
His hand wrapped around my neck.
I couldn’t breathe.
My vision darkened. My consciousness drifted away.
‘…I hate this.’
I hate it.
‘…I don’t want to die. I don’t want to go back.’
Please.
‘…Save me. Someone, save me. Anyone….’
“Princess!”
My eyes suddenly opened.
“Hah!”
My breathing was rough. My heart was beating like crazy. My whole body was wet with sweat. My back was damp. Sweat ran down my forehead.
When I came to my senses, a familiar face was in front of me.
“…Mia?”
Mia was holding a wet towel and looking at me worriedly. She had been wiping my forehead.
“Princess, are you awake?”
Mia asked, almost crying. Her eyes were red and swollen. She must have cried a lot. The tip of her nose was red, and tear marks were left on her cheeks.
“How did this….”
I looked around.
It was a familiar room. The guest room of the archduke’s mansion. Sunlight came through the window. I could hear birds singing. It was a peaceful scenery. The faint smell of flowers was in the air. Mia must have placed flowers here.
‘…It was a dream.’
This was not the underground prison. Not the imperial palace. This was the archduke’s mansion. A safe place.
Only then did my stopped thoughts start moving again.
‘Sion brought me here.’
I tried to get up, but I had no strength in my body. The bandaged arm ached.
“Princess, you must not move!”
Mia hurriedly supported me.
“You slept for almost two days. You had severe anemia. Because you lost a lot of blood.”
“…Two days?”
“Yes. I was really worried. You didn’t wake up… and the young master was also worried….”
Mia almost cried again. She seemed to be holding back tears, but it wasn’t working. Her voice trembled.
‘Two days…?’
At that, my mind suddenly became clear.
“Where is the archduke?!”
Ignoring my weakness, I jumped up.
My head felt dizzy. It was probably because of anemia.
But that wasn’t important.
“Where is the archduke?!”
“P- Princess! You must not get up like this!”
Mia tried to stop me.
But I didn’t have time to care.
My hands were shaking badly. My heart was beating wildly. Anxiety pressed on my chest. I couldn’t breathe.
“He died. Because of you.”
The nightmare’s voice echoed in my head.
No way.
No way it really—
“Princess, calm down!”
Mia grabbed my shoulders.
Her voice was firm. Different from usual.
“His Excellency is fine!”
“….”
“The Tower Master examined him! He is stable now! He hasn’t woken up yet, but he is past the dangerous stage!”
“…Really?”
I asked in a trembling voice. Please. Tell me it’s true.
“Yes, really. The Tower Master kept treating him. He looks like he is just sleeping now.”
Relief washed over me. When the heavy pressure on my chest disappeared, strength left my whole body.
He was alive.
He didn’t die.
Carlos was alive.
The nightmare was just a nightmare. Not reality. Carlos was alive.
Tears fell.
I couldn’t stop them. Even if I tried to suppress them, tears kept flowing. They were tears of relief… or happiness. Probably both.
“…Princess.”
Mia looked at me worriedly. She seemed to want to comfort me and tell me not to cry.
I covered my face with both hands.
I cried silently for a long time, only my shoulders shaking.
It was good.
It was good.
Really good.
He was alive.
That person was alive.
After crying for a long time, I finally calmed down.
Mia brought water. It was cool water. When I moistened my dry throat, I felt a little better.
While drinking water, I looked down at the bandage on my arm.
A white bandage wrapped around my forearm. It looked freshly changed. Mia must have done it.
Mia’s gaze fell on my arm.
“…Princess, that arm….”
She spoke carefully.
I was thinking about what to say when—
Knock, knock.
The door opened.
“Hey, I’m here.”
Sion leaned against the door and waved his hand.
He didn’t look surprised that I had woken up, even though he had probably only seen me sleeping for two days.
“Can you leave for a moment? I need to talk with the princess.”
At Sion’s words, Mia looked back and forth between us, then sighed and stepped back.
“…Yes. Call me if you need anything. I’ll wait outside.”
Click.
The door closed quietly.
Silence fell in the room.
‘Awkward silence….’
Actually, maybe I was the only one feeling awkward.
Sneaking a sideways glance, Sion looked calm.
He casually looked around the room. The view outside the window, the flower vase beside the bed.
Then he sat on the chair next to the bed and looked at me.
“The archduke is fine.”
As if he knew what I was most curious about, he answered kindly before I even asked.
“I did emergency treatment, and stabilized him with purification stone power. The damage to the magic circuit will take time, but as I said, his life is not in danger.”
“…Thank you.”
I tried to speak calmly, but my voice trembled.
“Thanks to you, both the archduke and I survived. If it weren’t for you, both of us would have died. I don’t know how to repay you.”
“……”
Sion stared at me.
Silently.
It was a thoughtful gaze. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His constantly changing, universe-like eyes now felt deep and dark. I couldn’t see what was inside them.
Sion moved his eyes to my hand. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Then, soon after—
“…The purification stone. You make it with your blood?”
