Chapter 33
As the stern command was issued, burly men who had been waiting outside rushed in.
They pulled Claire, who was sitting, out like she was just a rag doll.
Even under their rough handling, her pale face remained expressionless.
What on earth is this?
Claire realized she was dreaming.
But what should she make of this situation?
Then, suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind.
The guillotine.
Execution.
The dream she had on the day of the victory ball.
In that dream, Claire had been executed by guillotine.
This dream was clearly a scene just before heading to the guillotine. It was much more detailed and vivid. It felt like something that could actually happen.
Why was she having this dream? Could it really be a premonition?
Claire could no longer dismiss these dreams as mere fantasies.
Her intuition told her so.
The dream was showing her something that would actually happen.
That made it all the more strange because, having left the duke’s residence, she would have no occasion to meet the man in white, nor to die by the guillotine because of him.
If the dream was to be believed, her fate had not yet changed.
And it was not just that. The Claire in her dream, though thinner, looked exactly like she did now.
That meant her death was imminent.
Fear began to creep up on her.
“Claire!”
At the young man’s cry, she snapped her eyes open.
“Are you awake?”
“Gasp!”
Startled by the sudden voice, Claire lifted her head and almost choked.
Turquoise eyes were intently looking down at her from behind a mask.
“Ah, uh, what… what are you doing right now!”
“I’m taking you to bed.”
“Oh, my, oh my.”
In reality, she was being carried from the window to the bed in Eiden’s arms.
She was so flabbergasted that she couldn’t speak.
She frantically wriggled her legs, trying to get out of his embrace.
“Shh, if you move like that, you’ll fall.”
He hugged her even tighter. His chest, hard as a brick wall, pressed down on her.
Ah, this was a bit… Her heart was pounding.
She was afraid he might feel her heart beating through their adjoining skin.
While she was in this state of disarray, she felt the soft bedding against her back.
Eiden lightly set her down on the bed. His touch was unexpectedly gentle, and Claire was at a loss for words.
“Th-thank you.”
Feeling awkward and embarrassed, Claire sat up.
“Stay lying down.”
Eden gently pushed her shoulder, urging her back down onto the bed, then turned his back.
She thought he would just leave the room.
But, mocking her expectations, he brought a chair over and sat down next to the bed.
“You’re fine now. You can go about your business…”
“I’m not so heartless as to leave a lady who just fainted all alone.”
She would have preferred to be left alone, though.
She hadn’t completely shaken off the dream, and her mind was in disarray after seeing the Emperor right in front of her.
“…”
The silence was burdensome too.
Eden didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving. With no other choice, she lay there, gazing up at him.
“What happened?”
“You fainted.”
She knew that. She had fainted and had a disturbing dream.
What she was curious about was why the Emperor had found her after she fainted. It would not have happened if he hadn’t entered her room.
“Did you have some business with me?”
“…”
“Why did you visit my room?”
“I was just passing by.”
Claire glanced at the open door.
That was a lie. Hanna had definitely closed the door when she left.
That meant he had deliberately opened the door to look inside.
“I heard groaning, so I had to enter.”
“I see.”
The Emperor must have very sharp ears to kick down the door at such a small noise.
“Thank you. Thanks to your Majesty…”
“You fainted at the last victory ball too. Are you unwell?”
Just as she was trying to get him to leave, Eden abruptly asked her.
“I’m a bit frail. Oh, I feel dizzy.”
Claire put the back of her hand to her forehead and groaned in discomfort. With squinted eyes, she peered at him, thinking that he would take the hint and leave.
But Eiden didn’t budge.
“You were talking nonsense.”
“That’s because I’m weak.”
“Did you have a dream?”
“A very bad dream…”
She stopped mid-sentence and suddenly shut her mouth. She almost spilled everything in response to his leading question.
“I’m sorry. You’re probably not interested.”
“I want to hear it.”
“What?”
She looked at him in confusion, but his gaze was very serious.
“I want to hear it. The dream.”
“It was just a dream.”
“You seemed to have had a dream last time you fainted, too.”
“Ah.”
Even if my mouth were torn, I could never speak of the dream I had at that time.
Thanks to that dream, I dramatically experienced why there is a scar on his face, and who is responsible for it.
If I ever spoke of that dream, Eiden’s sword would immediately be pointed at her throat.
“All dreams are the same. Nothing special about them.”
Claire wiped her sweat away.
“In the dream… I appeared, didn’t I?”
Eden slightly raised the corner of his lips as if he knew everything.
Claire widened her eyes in surprise.
“That, that, that’s…”
“Could it be that the Lady has…”
He leaned forward. His handsome face, covered with a mask, slowly approached her.
His smooth lips parted as if he was about to kiss her.
Although it was unlikely for him to kiss her out of the blue, Claire closed her eyes tightly, feeling breathless from the imminent kiss.
“What are you doing now?”
A sharp voice cut through the air.
Claire opened her eyes wide and turned her head.
“Sir Richard.”
Eiden slowly straightened his upper body. His voice, casually uttered, was tinged with slight annoyance.
“Brother.”
Claire got up awkwardly, smiling, feeling like she was caught playing a secret prank.
“Your Highness, I asked what you are doing.”
“I was taking care of the Lady.”
“Alicia? Why?”
“She fainted.”
Eiden crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair.
Creak. The chair screamed under his weight.
Richard crossed the room in surprise and examined Claire.
“I’m fine. I just lost consciousness for a moment.”
“It’s not too much. Even if we move slowly, the schedule is too tight for someone as frail as you.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“Tell them to bring up a meal. Rest well.”
“Thank you, brother.”
Richard carefully tucked in the blanket, then turned to Eiden, throwing him a silent look that said it was time to leave.
As expected, Eiden pretended not to notice.
“I apologize for causing concern. Unfortunately, I showed a poor side to His Majesty.”
Unable to stand it, Richard spoke first. His words were subtly sharp.
“Not at all. She is the esteemed Lady of Grizmenn, and it’s my duty to care.”
“Then, please let Alicia rest…”
“Not at all. Since I found the Lady fainted, I want to take responsibility to the end.”
“I will take care of her.”
“That can’t be. Since you had a tight schedule because of me, I will stay by her side.”
Eiden echoed the words Richard had said earlier, with a clearly mocking tone.
Eiden and Richard’s gazes tangled in the air.
The undercurrent of tension between the two, which had bizarrely persisted since leaving Grizmen, sparked up once again.
Ah, I don’t understand it either.
Claire closed her eyes demurely. The low rumbling voices of the men turned into a lullaby, and she fell asleep. The unsettling dream she had was slowly forgotten.
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The cemetery is located north of the monastery.
Dawn mist swirled around the wooden markers stuck in the flat ground, thickly blanketing the area. The names of the deceased monks were inscribed on these markers.
Not far from the cemetery, there was a prominently raised grave.
Someone stood in front of it, gazing intently at the marble slab laid on the ground.
〈Here lies Adel Lotier Immortel〉
The sound of footsteps on the wet grass pulled the man out of his thoughts.
“You are here, Your Majesty.”
Anafi spoke to Eiden, who was damp with morning dew.
Only then did Eiden turn around. His eyes, as cold as his silver mask, were unemotional.
“Has it been two years since I last visited this place?”
“You’ve been busy.”
“Still, the Empress would have been pleased. As soon as the war ended, her son came to visit her.”
“How would a dead person know.”
Eiden clicked his tongue softly.
“But how long will you keep her here? Shouldn’t you move her to be beside father?”
“Why bother moving her? She’s more comfortable here.”
“But during their lifetime, their bond was so strong. It seems cruel to keep them separated in death.”
“Enough sentimentality. Even if she loved my father, Immortel was nothing but a burden to my mother.”
“But…”
“My mother prefers it here. She was a devout follower of ‘El’.”
“…”
“Of course, that very fact led to her demise.”
Eiden muttered cynically.
“Your Majesty, haven’t you still forgotten about that incident?”
“Why should I forget? The ones who killed my mother are still out there.”
“The Empress…”
Anafi couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence and closed his mouth.
“There were those who pushed my mother into making such a choice.”
“If you are referring to that saint, isn’t she already dead?”
“You’re too naive.”