Leah claimed an empty hospital room in the research facility and rested her eyes on a bed in the corner. She thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep with her restless mind, but she was wrong.

“Mmm…”

She must have been secretly exhausted from her recent intense activities, as she fell into a light sleep while making soft moaning sounds.

An unfamiliar bed. Afternoon sunlight filtering through strange windows. Her body feeling heavy and waterlogged.

Through these small gaps, a presence both familiar yet strange seeped into her dream.

“…It works.”

A low voice laughed with satisfaction, the sound vibrating in his throat.

Cold fingers brushed her cheek.

“It’s been a while.”

A chilling sensation. Land and sky blazing fiercely.

‘This is a dream.’

Leah realized.

‘Imperial Prince Archaik Oken… the dragon has come to my dream again.’

Noticing that Leah had become conscious within the dream, Archaik scratched her cheek with his fingernail. He narrowed his brow as he touched his tongue to the beaded blood.

He could sense his mana gradually diminishing in Leah’s blood.

“When you wake, this wound will be gone, and my mana will continue to fade within you.”

Archaik’s voice became tinged with madness.

“I want to fill you completely with my mana.”

When Leah shuddered in disgust, Archaik bared his teeth against her eyelid. Forced to open her other eye, Leah glared at him.

Archaik pulled up his red lips, glistening with her blood, into a smile.

“I want to start by chewing your eyes.”

“…”

“If I bite you from head to toe, leaving wounds everywhere, you’ll be marked as mine, won’t you?”

“Why not just chew me up and swallow me whole?”

“You think I couldn’t?”

Leah felt chills run down her spine.

“…Did you order Count Trow to do this?”

“I didn’t realize you thought I had so much free time.”

At Archaik’s response, Leah bit her lip.

‘So the fake medicine incident was Count Trow acting alone…?’

But she couldn’t fully trust Archaik’s words. His cold finger pressed against her lip, forcing it open as she continued to bite it.

“You have many important things besides me.”

His eyes were dark. Leah shot back immediately.

“You’re not important.”

“I will be.”

Archaik looked into her eyes and said:

“If only you knew how much I’ve been protecting your family and house.”

It was a threat, but also a plea.

The moment she said “You’re not important,” the golden flames that flared in Archaik’s black eyes clearly showed anger, but his gaze couldn’t hide his hurt.

However, quickly erasing that expression, Archaik spoke in a low voice:

“Soon you’ll long for my hand.”

“…”

“When the world burns like this dream… only then will you realize you’ve lost the only one who could save you.”

“…What are you planning?”

“Destruction.”

The moment he spat out that word, everything suddenly went dark.

“…Leah!”

With that desperate call, Leah was yanked back to reality.

Helix was looking down at her with the face of someone who had just rescued a drowning person.

“Leah, are you alright? The dragon?”

“…Helix?”

Leah blinked. With a confused expression, she looked around the hospital room, at the bed and the window, and then at Helix in front of her.

“Did you wake me?”

“I sensed the dragon’s mana.”

Sweat dripped from Helix’s jaw as he replied briefly.

Leah sat up and stared blankly at him. Her mind was still jumbled, not fully returned to consciousness.

‘Come to think of it, Helix doesn’t have the cookie basket anymore.’

The scene she had witnessed before falling asleep flashed through her mind.

The woman offering the cookie basket and Helix accepting it. Leah’s mouth fell open.

“The cookies?”

Helix blinked.

“What cookies… oh?”

Helix’s eyes widened as they met Leah’s.

“You were watching?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t see?”

Leah, unconsciously speaking sharply, tapped Helix’s hand.

“Listen, Helix.”

Tap. Tap.

As she tapped his hand, she said, “I’ve been feeling sorry for you.”

“…”

“Because I’m the Dragon’s Holy Maiden. And I’ve kept you with me. I felt like I was tormenting you.”

“No, Leah. I—”

“Yeah. Thinking about it now, I don’t think that’s true.”

Leah interrupted Helix as she wiped away his sweat.

“I didn’t become the Dragon’s Holy Maiden because I wanted to, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I haven’t been tormenting you, have I?”

“Of course not. The one who tormented me was Azura who made me this way. You’ve done nothing wrong, Leah.”

“Right. I’ve done nothing wrong. I just…”

She spoke softly, but clearly, “I just like you, Helix.”

Gulp. Helix’s Adam’s apple moved. Leah smoothed his eyebrows gently.

“So I won’t apologize anymore. I’m going to be jealous. I’m going to ask you to play only with me, not other women.”

“…”

“Do things with me.”

She said, “Eat cookies with me. Eat cake with me.”

These were impulsive words she blurted out upon seeing Helix who had rushed to her side, worried. But they were all sincere.

Leah held Helix’s face and emphasized, “Eating delicious food, holding hands, walking in beautiful places.”

“…”

“Do all the good things only with me.”

Suddenly, Helix surprised her with a kiss.

After pressing his hot lips against hers and pulling away, he whispered in a dry voice:

“Things like this too.”

Helix’s warm hand caressed Leah’s cheek and ear. It was a touch filled with heat, nervousness, and desperate possessiveness.

That touch raised goosebumps on the sensitive areas inside and behind her ear, causing Leah’s neck and shoulders to unconsciously shrink inward. Helix’s large hand stroked her back soothingly.

“Ah…!”

She trembled in surprise at the unfamiliar sensation. Helix held her tightly and gently bit her ear. He whispered in her ear:

“Let’s do everything only with each other.”

Tight. Instead of answering, Leah embraced Helix.

“…Don’t accept things like cookies again.”

Helix laughed softly while being embraced.

“I didn’t eat them.”

“Really?”

“Really. When she said to share them with my colleagues, I took them and gave them to other people.”

Taking her words literally was so like Helix.

Feeling newly reassured, she wanted to laugh, but Leah spoke in a deliberately stern voice:

“Don’t even accept them from now on.”

“Understood.”

After readily agreeing, Helix hesitated for a moment.

He rested his chin on Leah’s shoulder, took a breath, and then pulled away. Helix’s large hand took hold of Leah’s.

“…Don’t touch other men either.”

Leah opened her eyes wide.

“I don’t touch them! I only hold hands with you!”

“I know, but…”

Suppressing the corners of his mouth that were trying to rise, Helix continued:

“When you pat Karai’s shoulder, other knights keep over-reporting to you just to get your praise.”

“R-really?”

She gaped at this fact she hadn’t even suspected.

***

Helix found her expression cute and unconsciously gave her lips a quick kiss. He fidgeted with Leah’s hand as he spoke:

“I know you have many responsibilities, many people to command, and you’re generous with praise.”

“…”

“But Karai asks about your condition every thirty minutes like a puppy that needs to pee, just to get one compliment from you.”

She had thought he checked in frequently, but not that often.

“And when you tell the knights they did well, they go off to work excited like they’ve grown tails. Men who’ve seen your smile once have their expressions soften just looking in your direction for days. And some of those herbalists break vials while stealing glances at you…”

When did he notice all this?

Leah was surprised. Though she wasn’t one to talk, having memorized all the women hovering around Helix.

“Ugh.”

Thunk. Leah pressed her forehead against Helix’s arm and grumbled.

“…I didn’t know I had such a jealous personality.”

Helix gently pushed her forehead toward his chest and embraced her shoulders.

Suddenly enveloped in his arms, Leah felt Helix rub his cheek against her head and sigh.

“I’m the same.”

“…Still, I need to give orders and praise people, so I’ll continue patting shoulders.”

“Understood. But waists and b*ttocks are off-limits.”

“Of course!”

“Haha.”

Helix laughed out loud and carefully added:

“I’d prefer if you didn’t smile at men when you’re alone with them. You’re too pretty.”

“Mm-hmm. And since Helix is handsome too, you shouldn’t smile at women when you’re alone with them.”

Helix unconsciously nodded, making the top of her head tickle where they touched. Leah pulled slightly away from his embrace and kissed his chin.

“Promise.”

“Is this how we make promises?”

Helix smiled.

His arms tightened around her.

“Then let’s make the promise a hundred more times.”

“Eek?”

***

Imperial Prince Archaik Oken was confused.

‘That power was definitely the mana of that man Helix.’

Leah Piert and himself were connected through dragon’s mana. So it was perfectly natural for him to infiltrate her dreams.

But now that Helix was infusing Leah with his mana, and another unidentified mana was mixing in as well, Archaik’s mana was gradually being pushed out of Leah’s body.

The three different manas were intertwining, accelerating the process of transforming into Leah Piert’s unique mana.

‘She belongs to me.’

Why was the connection weakening like this?

Why couldn’t he freely enter Leah Piert’s dreams anymore?

Moreover, Helix’s mana that had awakened Leah and taken her away this time was incomparably stronger than before.

‘She is mine.’

His insides churned. At the same time, he was angry with himself.

‘What is it about that woman that makes me like this?’

It was a confusing emotion he had never experienced before.

When he wasn’t seeing Leah, he felt only possessiveness and indignation, wanting to snap that slender neck of hers. But when he actually faced her, all his senses were captivated, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Those pink lips that only spoke sharp words. Those blue eyes that stared straight back at him without intimidation. That white, slender female body that flinched and struggled to break free when he subdued her with his mana.

He wanted to fill all of it with his mana, claw her until she bled, chew her up and swallow her.