Chapter 8 (Part 6)

Cloud ordered Rybid not to leave his residence due to the new monster problem. Rybid quietly complied. Anthus stationed wizards around Rybid’s residence to cast invisibility magic from time to time.

Locked in his room, Rybid bit his lower lip. The new monsters that appeared during the hunting competition were immune to holy attacks, and the land contaminated by the monsters’ saliva wasn’t purified. Although he mentioned to Anthus or Cloud that it could be a curse, holy power removes all negative things. Curses included.

But something even bigger had happened. The fact that the target of the new monsters appearing in the capital was himself couldn’t be erased.

Upon hearing the sudden attack of monsters in the capital of the Sirius Empire, Rybid couldn’t stay still and cast ‘Holy Sanctuary,’ the strongest holy attack spell, despite consuming a lot of holy power. However… it was useless.

“Damn it… What the hell! Why doesn’t holy power work on a damn monster!”

Though people cheered seeing him, Rybid wasn’t happy at all. He couldn’t say anything. Fortunately, the monsters quietly disappeared.

“Your Holiness…”

“I’ve never seen such monsters! I must take Lia and return to the Holy Kingdom immediately…”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“But how do I take her? I must find a way to take her to the Holy Kingdom…”

He wanted to meet Yuliana, but Anthus thoroughly blocked their meeting.

“He even took his fiancée to the territorial war… Damn Rockbellion.”

“Your Holiness, please don’t worry. There will be a way to take her somehow.”

“Yes. I must take her by any means.”

* * *

Matthias dreamed a nostalgic dream. He wandered through the Imperial Palace ballroom where he first met his beloved Rosaline, lost in memories. A longed-for dream. But soon, that dream turned into a nightmare that made him scream.

“Aaah!”

At his scream, Butler Leijin opened the door and entered.

“Master, what’s wrong!”

Leijin approached Matthias, who was breathing heavily.

“Huff huff. Am I back to reality?!”

“Master! Take a deep breath.”

Matthias, breathing heavily, asked Leijin to bring him water.

“Here it is, Master. Drink slowly.”

Despite Leijin’s worried words, Matthias gulped down the water in one go.

“Phew… It was a dream. Thank goodness.”

“What kind of dream was it…”

“It was a terrible dream… With the capital unsettled by monsters, I even dreamt of something like this! I have a bad feeling.”

Leijin tilted his head slightly, curious about the dream.

“In the dream, a dragon with red eyes… a very fierce-looking dragon appeared in the capital.”

“A dragon?”

“It was so terrifying… The dragon opened its mouth and approached me… I felt like a mouse frozen in front of a snake.”

Leijin poured more water into Matthias’s empty glass.

“People started fleeing, and I began running too. But that dragon persistently chased only me! Still, to protect everyone, I decided to be the bait and ran as fast as I could into the forest…”

Matthias shook his head and shivered.

“The dragon kept chasing me, and eventually, my hiding place was discovered. I felt immense fear but didn’t give up and ran again. And I was sure. The dragon’s target was me…”

“Why would the dragon target you, Master…”

“Every time the ground shook because of the dragon, my heart also shook… The dream was so vivid that it’s a wonder my heart is still intact.”

Leijin gently wiped the sweat from Matthias’s forehead with a handkerchief.

“In the end, the dragon leaped into my arms! I thought I would be crushed to death by the dragon, but then I woke up from the dream! Ha…”

Matthias said, calming his chest.

“It was truly an evil smile.”

“But Master, dragons are symbols of luck.”

Historically, dreaming of a dragon is an omen of good fortune. Leijin thought he should tell his master this fact to lighten his mood.

“Don’t look at it too negatively. Perhaps something good might happen, Master.”

Hearing Leijin’s words, Matthias felt a fluffy feeling that something good might indeed happen since it was a dragon dream.

“Is that so?”

“The fact that the dragon entered your arms means that great fortune will soon come to you, Master. Come to think of it, it’s about time for the Young Lady to return to the Earl’s residence. It might be a prophetic dream.”

Leijin smiled as he received the empty glass of water.

“Come to think of it, today is the day our Lia returns!”

“That’s right, Master.”

“Then it’s certain that the Duke will come with her, so tell the chef to pay attention to the food.”

“Understood, Master. Please lie down again.”

After confirming that Matthias had fallen asleep again, Leijin quietly closed the door and left.

* * *

Early in the morning, Matthias wore the happiest expression in the world upon seeing Yuliana return to the Earl’s residence.

“Lia! Do you know how much I missed you!”

“I missed you too, Father.”

“You must have had a hard time with the territorial war, right?”

At Matthias’s question, Yuliana gave an awkward smile.

Territorial war… Was it really a territorial war? All she did in Ludmilans Territory was eat, sleep, bathe in hot springs, and with Anthus… spend the whole day… without leaving the room…

<I’ve become a body that can’t live without you, Lia…>

Yuliana recalled Anthus’s increasingly charming mischief. Her face gradually heated up.

“Lia, why is your face so red! Oh dear! You must have exhausted yourself from the territorial war. Go up to your room quickly! Today, the chef has specially prepared a nourishing meal for you.”

“Yes.”

Yuliana silently vowed not to think of Anthus in front of Matthias for the time being.

“My daughter is too capable, it’s a big deal.”

“I’m competent because I take after you, Father.”

Yuliana thought that protecting the innocent heart of the pure-hearted Matthias was also a form of filial piety, so she said nothing and smiled brightly.

Since when did I become such a good liar? 

But one thing is certain: at this moment, a lie for goodwill is necessary.

“Father, I heard that new monsters appeared in the capital.”

“It was chaos… We’ll talk about it in detail over dinner. Go to your room and rest.”

Matthias recalled his dragon dream. As Leijin said, it was definitely a good dream. With Louis absent and Anthus, who usually visited frequently, not at the Earl’s residence, he was pleased to have a cozy meal alone with Yuliana after a long time.

“Indeed, the dragon dream was a good one…”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind. Normally, I’d want to dine out… but since it’s unsettled, let’s eat at home.”

“Yes, Father.”

Yuliana looked at Butler Leijin behind Matthias and said,

“There are gifts in the carriage. Distribute them to the servants. Tell them they can keep or sell them.”

Since Ludmilans Territory is a place where sugar is cultivated, she prepared high-quality sugar as gifts.

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”

“No, it’s nothing. Everyone worked hard taking care of Father while I was away. By the way, Leijin…”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

“There wasn’t anything unusual while I was gone, was there?”

“No, nothing special happened.”

At Leijin’s words, Yuliana nodded as if she understood.

“Is my brother busy preparing for his wedding? Does he know I’m here?”

“Indeed, he seems busy as the Young Master has been staying out often lately.”

“Really? I see.”

Yuliana returned to her room, enjoyed a half-bath, and changed into light clothing. There was still time before dinner.

And then she suddenly thought of Anthus. She wondered if he was doing well in the meeting at the Imperial Palace. She wanted to go with him… but his warm consideration for her to rest at home made her feel uneasy.

Feeling like she was being petty, Yuliana felt self-reproach. And the reason for these childish thoughts was one thing.

“I miss him.”

In Ludmilans Territory, she was never apart from Anthus, always sticking together.

“Feeling this way after being apart for just a short time… Yan, I understand now when you said you’d go crazy without me. I feel like I’m going to lose my mind without you by my side.”

That night, Yuliana dreamed. She ran barefoot on a vast meadow with beautiful flowers and trees. Even the prickly sensation of grass underfoot felt good.

But at some point, the flowers and trees began to wither gradually. Yuliana looked around to find the cause. Then she heard a man’s mournful voice pleading with someone.

Yuliana ran towards the voice. A man was kneeling and praying.

<Is there such a thing as peace in my prayers! Yes… there is no peace in my prayers.>

The man suddenly stopped praying and kept pounding his fists on the ground. And in great agony, he began to scratch his chest with his nails, inflicting wounds on himself.

<After taking everything away, they tell me to find peace through prayer!>

Instead of tears, blood flowed from the man’s eyes. He banged his head on the ground and sobbed.

<Give it back… give back what you took away… give it back!>

Though Yuliana didn’t know the man’s story, she felt that the sorrow hidden behind his immense rage was great.

A dark aura spread across the meadow, centered on the man. Lush flowers, green trees, and even birds were consumed by the dark aura, soon turning black and dying.

<Where should I unleash this anger? Who will recognize my fury? When my anger disappears, where should I go?>

Yuliana listened to the man’s cries with her mouth closed.

<The people I loved vanished from the world as if they never existed… where can I go to meet them?>

The man looked at Yuliana.

<No matter how deep and wide the abyss is… nothing in this world can contain my anger, this grudge…>

Yuliana covered her mouth. The dark aura enveloped the approaching man.

<You might understand, right? My heart? Don’t you want to kill those who took your mother away?>

Yuliana paused to understand the man’s question.

<I don’t want to kill them.>

<Are you saying you’ll forgive them? Even though they took away something precious?>

<I believe forgiveness is something only a god can do.>

<You’re right. A god might forgive them. But you and I are not gods. So we can’t forgive. If you help me with revenge… I can bring your mother back to life.>

At that moment, Yuliana’s eyes snapped open, and she awoke. Her bed was soaked as if she had sweated profusely.

“What kind of dream is this?”

At that moment, tears fell from Yuliana’s eyes.

“Why am I so sad… It feels like my heart is tearing apart… Why do I keep crying?”

Yuliana sat on the bed for a long time, shedding tears.