CHAPTER 3

Of course, the closer she got to him, the more his beauty caught her eye.

His black hair looked a little dry, but it still seemed soft and healthy, and his red eyes were striking enough to remain engraved in her mind after only a moment.

Because of his enormous build, she had imagined he would have dark skin…

Instead, his skin was as pale as moonlight, and his sharp jawline looked as though it could cut through darkness itself.

The exhaustion etched across his face and the monstrous dark circles under his eyes were shocking, yet they somehow made the Duke of Raphaereon seem even more unreal.

As though he had been deliberately painted.

Aureliata lost her words for more than one reason.

“What is your name?”

The Duke of Raphaereon, who had approached her, felt slightly less frightening than before.

“My name is Aureliata. I wander from place to place, so I do not have a family name.”

“Who do you think I am?”

“Perhaps… Your Grace, the Duke of Raphaereon…?”

“You are not entirely lacking in sense.”

Even if I lacked sense, how could I not know?

Where else would you find a physique this overwhelming?

Even after wandering through so many places, she had never seen someone with such a build.

“Tonight, you must prove to me that you are not a fraud. Otherwise, I will throw you into the Forest of Screams.”

The Duke of Raphaereon spoke of the Forest of Screams as casually as if it were nothing, despite his hollow face, bloodshot eyes, and dark circles.

The Forest of Screams was the largest and darkest of the dense forests surrounding the Grand Duchy.

It was the forest of demonic beasts.

There was even a rumor that criminals who were exiled there disappeared without a trace and that the underground prison of the Grand Duchy remained empty because of that forest.

Aureliata forcibly raised the corners of her trembling lips and asked,

“Um… are you perhaps sick somewhere, or do you have nightmares… something like that?”

See? This is the experience I’ve gained from traveling all over the Empire!

This is what real social experience looks like!

There’s even a saying in some countries that you can’t spit at a smiling face!

“If everything you said is true, then it can be cured whether you know that or not.”

The Grand Duke replied indifferently.

You can’t spit at a smiling face, my foot!

Who even came up with that saying?!

“T-That’s true, but knowing the details makes it more effective. Since you’ll kill me either way, wouldn’t it be better to just tell me…? Haha…”

Feeling cold sweat trickling down her back, Aureliata asked as gently as she could.

The Grand Duke continued to stare at her with an unreadable expression.

Soon, his red lips parted, and his low, deep voice flowed out.

“Nightmares.”

Nightmares…

Aureliata was eating the cake that had been served as dessert in the deserted kitchen of the Grand Ducal Castle.

Her stomach, which had been empty all day, had loudly protested as soon as the Grand Duke finished speaking.

It was still too early to sleep, and Mitchell, the Grand Duke’s secretary, had served her dinner.

After devouring the meal, Aureliata looked at the dessert cake and thought that perhaps the Grand Duke might actually be kind.

“No… that’s not it. Maybe he’s feeding me so I won’t resent him before he throws me into the Forest of Screams.”

More importantly, what kind of nightmare could make someone look like that?

“If it’s a nightmare bad enough to make him look like that… I wonder if it takes a lot of power…”

Aureliata muttered quietly with her fork between her lips.

At that moment, Mitchell entered the kitchen.

“Come. His Grace is waiting.”

Aureliata nodded and solemnly followed after him.

The Grand Ducal Castle was so large and spacious that even with a guide, it was difficult to tell where anything was.

Then Mitchell stopped in front of a door.

“Go in. I wish you luck.”

His words were kind, but his expression remained cold.

After passing him and entering the room, she realized it was probably the Grand Duke’s study.

Turning to the right, she saw the Grand Duke lying on a couch in front of a small fireplace.

“Sit.”

Even with his eyes closed, he seemed to have sensed her approach.

Aureliata sat on a small stool by his head.

Then she asked very carefully,

“Um… I’m going to touch your head a little…”

The Grand Duke frowned without opening his eyes.

“I’m only going to place my hand on it lightly… just a little, so please overlook it…”

Pretending not to notice his frown, Aureliata gently placed her hand on top of his head.

It felt as though the crease between his brows deepened, but he did not tell her to stop.

To calm her trembling heart, she took several deep breaths.

Looking at the Grand Duke’s face from up close was astonishing in an entirely different way.

His hollow cheeks and eyes as dark as charcoal made him look even more like a demon.

Even one sleepless night was enough to exhaust a person.

Just how terrible must the nightmares have been to leave his face in such a state?

Aureliata quickly shook off her thoughts and closed her eyes.

Then, desperately calming her trembling heart, she slowly began to sing.

“The curtain of night descends upon the sky, and a gentle light begins its sweet song.”

“My child, I shall guide you to a new world.”

“Within the light, you shall become someone new and run freely.”

“My child, close your eyes and listen to this song.”

“You shall fall into its sweetness and be born anew.”

“All living things hold their breath as they wait for you.”

When she finished singing, Aureliata slowly opened her eyes.

The room was silent.

Only the occasional crackling of the firewood in the fireplace could be heard.

She stared intently at the man before her, whose face looked utterly devoid of vitality.

His long eyelashes remained perfectly still.

Then she heard a soft, faint sound of breathing.

The small breaths, like the sigh of a bird, soon settled into a steady rhythm and filled the study.

It worked… it worked!

I’m alive!

He had fallen asleep.

The infamous Duke of Raphaereon had fallen into a deep sleep in front of a small woman, completely defenseless.

Aureliata cheered inwardly.

If morning came like this, then she would have proven she was not a fraud.

Then she could return to the village and slowly settle her affairs.

She wanted to stay longer, but nothing good would come from powerful people discovering her abilities.

Aureliata began organizing in her mind everything she needed to do in the morning.

At that moment.

Flinch.

The Duke of Raphaereon moved slightly and began to frown.

His once steady breathing had become uneven.

What? What’s happening?! He’s going to wake up at this rate!

If he woke up now, she would be branded a fraud.

And more than anything else, it felt as though the Forest of Screams was drawing closer to her neck.

She absolutely had to stop that.

No one is watching, right…?

Though they were alone in the room, she worried that someone might be peeking through the door or watching from the moonlit window.

Aureliata moved closer to him and sat down beside him.

Then she placed her hand on his head once more.

“The curtain of night descends upon the sky, and a gentle light begins its sweet song.”

“All living things hold their breath as they wait for you.”

“The pain disappears, and warm air embraces you.”

“In this new world, all you need to do is run and play to your heart’s content.”

A faint light repeatedly appeared and disappeared from Aureliata’s right hand.

After that, her singing continued endlessly until the dim light of dawn arrived.

As the darkness slowly retreated and the pale rays of morning entered through the study’s windows, the Duke of Raphaereon finally opened his eyes after enjoying a long and peaceful sleep.

It had been a sleep as sweet as honey.

He felt as though he had dreamed something pleasant, but he could not remember it clearly.

Even so, the refreshing feeling he had never experienced before made his spirits soar.

The corners of his lips kept rising into a smile.

How long had it been since he had truly slept?

Ever since he could remember, nighttime and sleep had been sources of terror for him.

Yet this had been such a sweet sleep.

The Duke of Raphaereon stared at Aureliata, who had fallen asleep while sitting on the stool.

Her honey-colored hair, surprisingly smooth for a commoner, shimmered in the light.

The color of the eyes hidden beneath her closed eyelids was a shade rarely seen in the Alferno Empire.

Those eyes that had looked straight at him despite her trembling hands remained vivid in his memory even when closed.

At first, he had thought she was a fraud.

Then he had thought he had nothing to lose by trying.

But now…

“It seems she really is the real thing.”

Hadn’t she said that anyone who listened to her lullaby slept especially sweetly?

She had also said that she accepted money only because people insisted on rewarding her no matter how much she refused.

At that moment, Idwin understood those people’s feelings.

“I really want to give her all sorts of things.”

To have such an irrational thought.

Normally, he would have wondered whether he had lost his mind.

But this morning was different.

Even while entertaining such absurd and unreasonable thoughts, the corners of his lips kept lifting.

Idwin smiled broadly and rose from the couch.

Then he carefully moved Aureliata, who looked as though she might topple over at any moment, onto the couch.

For a while, he quietly watched her sleeping face.

“Then let’s see if that damned prophecy is true.”

With long strides, Idwin leisurely left the study.

The chirping of birds gradually began to irritate Aureliata’s ears.

It sounds like birds are chirping right beside me.

Did I forget to close the window before sleeping?

No… there have been so many bugs lately that Yuel always told me to shut it tightly…

Huh? What happened to Yuel again…?

“Ah, that’s right!”

After wandering through her hazy consciousness, Aureliata finally returned to reality and realized that she was in the Grand Ducal Castle.

“What? Where did that man go…? Did he sleep well? Did he wake up properly? Wait, why am I sleeping here?!”

As she frantically looked around, the study door opened and someone entered.

It was Mitchell, who today wore pink feathers on his shoulders as though they were decorated with flamingo plumes.

“G-Good morning.”

“His Grace wishes to see you. Please follow me.”