Chapter 56

The knight, still uncertain about his choice, was sobbing. However, when Julian and I acted as if we were about to leave, he finally blurted out his name.

“Brent Hilt.”

“Good, Sir Hilt. The task I have for you isn’t too difficult. Just tell the truth about everything except for a few details.“

“W-what do you mean?”

I extended my finger, pointing beyond the beast’s corpse.

“I didn’t kill those knights.”

At my fingertip lay the mangled bodies of the knights. They had been struck by my arrows but were later trampled and bitten by the enraged beast, making it look nothing like a human’s doing.

The only ones who knew the truth were Prince Cain, Knight Hilt, and me.

“And I indeed had rare magic stones but didn’t intentionally provoke the beasts. I tried to help Prince Cain, who was attacking the beast, and things went wrong. Do you understand?”

“…Yes, I understand.“

“Good.”

I nodded and tapped Julian’s arm with my finger.

“Let’s go, Julian.”

Julian didn’t look back at Hilt as he spurred the horse into motion. Only then did I relax and lean against Julian’s chest. Cold sweat on my forehead and neck indicated that my wound was severe.

Julian gently yet urgently grasped my hand as my breathing grew increasingly labored.

“Laila.“

“I’m fine.”

“… You’ve lost too much blood.”

Blood drops trailed behind the galloping horse. The bleeding from my legs was becoming numbingly persistent, and my vision started to blur.

“Laila, stay with me.”

Julian urged the horse to go faster, holding me tighter to prevent my body from shaking.

Perhaps due to the overwhelming pain, I thought this moment wasn’t so bad. Rubbing my forehead against his chest, I spoke.

“Julian, I was injured by a beast when I was a child too.“

“I see.”

Julian didn’t seem to be really listening. It felt like he was just responding to keep me talking and conscious.

“I was fine back then, too. So, don’t worry.”

As I said this, I felt my consciousness slipping away. I couldn’t stay awake any longer. At that moment, Julian gritted his teeth and whispered.

“I shouldn’t have trusted you.”

Those words were painfully honest. I closed my eyes with a bitter smile. Despite the pain in my heart, I wasn’t afraid of falling off the horse. It seemed okay to close my eyes here.

Julian…

Even if Julian didn’t trust me, he would still protect me.

Consumed by selfish thoughts, I finally lost consciousness.

* * *

“What are you doing here?”

A woman’s unfamiliar voice jolted me awake. In front of me stood a beautiful woman with red hair. She was wearing a luxurious-looking purple evening dress. She had a slightly weary expression but was strikingly beautiful.

I’ve seen her somewhere before… Ah!

She was the woman I often saw crying in my visions!

Startled, I tried to get up, but it didn’t seem like it was of my own will.

“I-I’m sorry, madam.”

The words that came out of my mouth weren’t my own. Surprised, I wanted to cover my mouth, but my body wouldn’t obey. My body hurriedly got out of the bed I had been lying in and began to tidy up my disheveled hair and clothes.

Is this an illusion? Or a dream?

Whichever it was, it certainly wasn’t reality.

“This is his bedroom. Why were you sleeping here?“

‘My‘ actions became flustered, not knowing what to do.

“I-I was just so tired…“

“Do you think that’s a reasonable excuse? I’ve been thinking, are you by any chance…”

Just as the woman was about to accuse ‘me,‘ the door opened, and someone walked in. He was a tall man, so tall that the door seemed small. What stood out even more were his black hair and blood-red eyes, like the night sky and the color of blood.

The woman’s face lit up noticeably. The melancholy beauty’s smile was dazzling.

“Your Grace, you’re here?”

The sharpness from moments before vanished, replaced by tender affection for the man.

What was more troubling was the way ‘my‘ heart pounded at the sight of him. ‘I‘ blushed and couldn’t even look at him directly. It was clear what feelings ‘I‘ harbored for this handsome man, who seemed to be the object of boundless affection from both women present.

However, the man appeared uninterested in such emotions. He simply scanned the room with a tired look and spoke irritably.

“Why are you here?“

“I have something to say…“

“Tell me later.”

The woman’s face turned to despair as she approached the man, calling out to him.

“But Isaac…”

Isaac? I was startled once again. The name I had seen in my visions was also ‘Isaac Zan.‘ A man called ‘Your Grace‘ named Isaac—could this be a coincidence?

The situation didn’t wait for me to process my confused feelings. The woman clung to Isaac’s arm.

“Please, listen to me…“

“Get out!”

But Isaac shouted loudly, swinging his arm. The woman, thrown aside, ran out of the room in tears.

‘My‘ body approached Isaac and helped him remove his coat. Isaac accepted the gesture.

“Your Grace, please don’t be so angry.”

Isaac, holding his forehead, let out a pained groan. Then he patted his hand on ‘my‘ shoulder twice.

“Thanks to you, things will be resolved.”

“All for Your Grace.“

“Thank you.”

Isaac sat on the sofa with a long sigh, looking utterly exhausted.

“I’m considering divorcing my wife soon.“

“Just follow your heart, Your Grace.“

‘My‘ voice was filled with concern, but I could feel it—the overwhelming happiness ‘I‘ thought at this moment.

In the glass cabinet beyond Isaac’s shoulder, ‘my‘ reflection could be seen—a woman with blonde hair, too lovely to be just a maid.

My green eyes met the reflections when ‘I‘ lifted my head. With a gentle, angelic face, ‘I‘ carefully touched Isaac’s shoulder.

“You didn’t fall in love with her knowing she was a witch.”

* * *

I opened my eyes. Staring blankly at the ceiling, I wondered if this was another dream or illusion. Then, a familiar face rushed over.

“Your Grace! Grand Duchess, are you okay? Are you conscious?”

It was Nife. This time, it seemed like reality. I nodded weakly, giving a faint smile. My legs still ached, and my head throbbed from the strange dream, but considering the trouble I caused, this was manageable.

“Where is His Grace?”

Nife clenched her fists at my question and exclaimed as if on cue.

“His Grace is furious!”

My face darkened immediately. Of course, he would be.

‘He said he shouldn’t have trusted me.’

If he said that much, his anger must be significant. I clenched the blanket and bit my lower lip.

Then, Nife spoke.

“His Grace has been demanding an explanation from the Second Prince, saying that if the truth isn’t told, the Duchy of Zan won’t stand idly by!“

“What?”

I sat up abruptly. Julian got involved in this? I had only expected him to protect me. I had selfishly thought he wouldn’t abandon me because of his strong sense of responsibility.

But Nife’s words were entirely different.

“You have no idea how much chaos there was. The hunting competition was halted due to the appearance of the beasts. The Emperor has taken the Second Prince into his tent and hasn’t come out, needing time to think. His Grace has been standing outside the entire time…“

“How long have I been asleep?”

This time, Anna answered.

“About half a day. His Grace has been very worried.“

“That long…”

That meant Julian had been standing outside the Emperor’s tent for six hours. I couldn’t hide my shock, running a hand through my hair. My curly golden locks brushed past my eyes.

It reminded me of the blonde maid in my dream. The green eyes filled with undisguised love for Isaac.

There were many people with blonde hair and green eyes. It wasn’t a particularly unique trait. But the fact that the woman I became in the dream had those features bothered me.

‘But her face was different, so… forget it.’

More importantly, I needed to get to the tent where Julian was. This was an issue I had to resolve, not Julian. As I lowered my legs off the bed, pain flashed before my eyes.

“Ouch!“

“Your Grace! You need to rest more!“

“That’s right, Your Grace. You need a lot more rest. His Grace will find out the truth. Please?“

“No, I have to go.”

I gritted my teeth. After feeling intense pain once, I had an idea of how much I could move.

“Bring me a wheelchair.“

“What? You need to rest!”

Nife stomped her feet, but Anna, seemingly anticipating this, brought out a wheelchair from a corner. I smiled faintly at Anna. She sighed profoundly but wrapped me in a long coat.

“Do you really have to go?”

My determined gaze met her final question, and she resigned herself to helping me into the wheelchair.

As we exited the tent, the sky was filled with stars. It was a beautiful night, contrasting sharply with the deceit that would fill it.

TL NOTE: A more advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories.