Chapter 71
Riena’s Dream (2)
Riena followed the sound into the living room. The knocking came from the door connected to Cassel’s room.
“Cass? Is that you?”
When Riena asked the closed door, a reply came back.
“Yes, it’s me.”
She hurriedly opened the door and saw Cassel in a light shirt. His hair was still a little damp, as if he hadn’t fully dried it after washing.
Riena smiled faintly as she adjusted her gown.
“Did you come to hear the story you started telling earlier?”
“Yes. But it’s late at night, so I worry. If you’re tired, I can come another time.”
“No, it’s fine. I was a little tired earlier, but soaking in warm water helped me feel better.”
Hesitating for a moment, Riena took Cassel’s hand.
“Do you want to come in? We could go to the office or the study, but since it’s so late, there’s no need to go out.”
After all, they were publicly engaged, so having a private conversation in the same room at this hour wouldn’t raise any eyebrows.
Moreover, since the conversation was happening inside the room, no one else would even notice.
“Then, excuse me.”
Riena seated Cassel on the sofa and lit a candle. Though even with several candles the room didn’t become very bright, it was enough for them to see each other’s faces while talking.
“I’d like to offer you some tea, but it feels a little rude to summon someone at this hour.”
“That’s fine. I already had enough to drink at the palace.”
“Same here.”
Riena poured water into two glass cups, just for appearances.
“Hmm, so… where were we?”
“You mentioned that you had a different dream from the recurring ones since arriving in the capital.”
“Oh, yes. That’s right.”
Riena clasped her hands together and chose her words carefully.
“The very first dream felt like a continuation of the dreams I’ve been having. To be precise, it was like a story from before you asked me to leave.”
“……”
“I was sitting alone in the palace garden. My chest felt tight and my mind was in turmoil, but I didn’t cry. It felt like I had no tears, no urge to cry, maybe just a sense of resignation. It was as if…”
Riena muttered bitterly.
“…I were someone who had given up everything. Of course, I’ve never felt that way, but I imagine if I ever lost all will to live, it might feel like that.”
“……”
“At that moment, you came to me. You sat in front of me like before and looked at my ankle. Oh, now that I think of it, there was a faint bruise on my ankle. You saw it and got angry.”
“……Did I say something?”
Should she speak honestly? It was just a dream, but she didn’t want to bring up Johannes unnecessarily.
When Riena fell silent, Cassel subtly urged her.
“Ria.”
His voice sounded unusually pitiful. She felt that she should comply with whatever he asked.
Riena spoke almost entranced.
“He… asked what Beliar had done.”
Cassel’s jaw tightened. She watched his expression and forced a bright tone.
“Isn’t it kind of random? Beliar… Was he referring to Sir Johannes Beliar? Or the Marquis Beliar? Either way, it felt completely out of place.”
“……”
“Maybe it’s because there are so few people I know.”
She hadn’t told Cassel about Johannes proposing before he arrived. From the last conversation she had with Johannes, Cassel could probably guess vaguely, but she hadn’t mentioned it.
There was no particular reason. She just hadn’t felt the need to tell him.
But now, things felt different. It still didn’t seem necessary to tell him, yet keeping silent felt like deceiving Cassel.
“There’s something I haven’t told you.”
“……?”
“When you came to the south, Sir Beliar was staying at the Dyke estate. Actually, he proposed to me then too.”
“……”
“I’m not sure if he came just to propose, but seeing my mother pushing for my marriage with Viscount Lotman, he seemed concerned and asked me to go with him.”
“……”
“Before that, he had formally sent a marriage proposal, but my father hadn’t given an answer.”
Cassel, who had been silently listening, asked seriously,
“……Are you sure your father really didn’t respond?”
“Actually, I wondered about that too. My father is not the type to ignore something like that. Even if he were to refuse, he would have sent a polite letter. And he never once mentioned Sir Beliar or the proposal to me.”
“Then if he sent a proposal before, isn’t that a one-sided claim from Sir Beliar?”
“Well… maybe. But why would Sir Beliar lie? Perhaps my father sent a reply that didn’t arrive properly. My father probably didn’t want to tell me anything because he planned to refuse on his end.”
Riena shrugged.
“That’s not important now. I wondered if that’s why Sir Beliar appeared in my dream.”
Her throat felt dry. Riena sipped lukewarm water before continuing.
“Until then, I wasn’t sure that the person in my dream was you. I thought it could just be someone who looked like you.”
“……”
“No matter how I think about it, it’s strange. It’s rare to repeatedly dream about someone I’ve never seen after growing up, and yet I even met him in real life. But after the next dream, I could finally believe that the person in the dream was you.”
“What dream?”
“I dreamed about you and your nephew.”
Cassel visibly reacted. Riena hesitated to tell this dream in full.
It wasn’t just anyone—it was Noah, the nephew Cassel cherished most. Even if it hadn’t happened in reality, speaking about the child’s death felt unsettling.
Superstitious beliefs aside, it felt uncomfortable.
After some thought, Riena decided to speak indirectly.
“During the conversation in the dream, I found out your nephew’s name was Noah. And it really is the same as your actual nephew. Hearing a name I’d never heard before confirmed it for me. That’s when I became certain the man I saw in the dream was you.”
“Did… something happen?”
Cassel washed his face dry.
“Did anything happen to Noah in the dream?”
Riena was taken aback; she hadn’t expected such a question.
“Well… yes, it did happen.”
“……”
“But don’t worry. Dreams are just dreams. There’s even a saying that dreams are the opposite of reality. And Noah is fine in the Winkler household, so my dream isn’t something to be concerned about.”
Actually, she had another dream afterward. But seeing Cassel’s serious face, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him.
“It’s late. I should go to sleep now.”
“I’ve taken up enough of your time. You must be tired, so I’ll leave now.”
“Yes.”
Cassel stood, still wearing a stern expression.
“If you dream of me again, will you tell me?”
It wasn’t a difficult request, so Riena nodded without hesitation.
“Yes, I will.”
“Then, I hope you have a good dream.”
Cassel gave a simple farewell and was about to leave. Riena hesitated briefly, then called out.
“Cass.”
He immediately stopped and approached her.
“Do you have something more to say?”
“Well…”
Riena recalled the dream she hadn’t told him yet.
The one with Raoul scolding her and Johannes calling her his wife.
‘Maybe it’s better not to talk about that dream.’
She hadn’t fully processed it herself, so she decided to keep it a secret for now.
“No, it’s nothing. See you tomorrow.”
“Yes. See you tomorrow.”
After Cassel left, Riena lay on her bed, reflecting on the day.
‘So, it’s really over with Raoul.’
Thinking of Raoul made her mood plummet.
She thought he would remain a lifelong friend, yet in just a few weeks, things had gone so wrong.
She knew maintaining good relationships was harder than expected, but she hadn’t realized it applied to her and Raoul too.
Perhaps her connection with Raoul had truly ended.
Recalling Raoul’s expression from earlier today, Riena closed her eyes with effort.
Back in his room, Cassel leaned against the door connecting the two rooms and exhaled sharply. He had tried to appear composed in front of Riena, but when Noah was mentioned, he could no longer maintain his calm.
If he had lingered a little longer, he might have shed tears of agony in front of her.
Cassel clenched the shirt over his left chest. His heart, pierced by a dagger, continued to function as if nothing had happened, but a red scar remained on the left side of his chest.
