RSHV 7

Chapter 7

She was dreaming.

Belona stood at a distance, watching the original story’s heroine and hero—no, her two closest friends—talking happily together.

Belona, Aiden, and Davien were always together.

According to the original story, the three of them had been childhood friends centered around the heroine, Davien. Even after countless regressions, her bond with them had never been completely erased.

Davien burst into laughter at something the male lead, Aiden, had said. Then she noticed Belona standing alone.

“Belona! Why are you standing over there by yourself?”

“Because the two of you look good together.”

Which lifetime was this memory from?

Perhaps it wasn’t a memory at all. Maybe it was simply an illusion created by her subconscious.

“Davien was waiting for you, Belona. You’re late today.”

Aiden’s tone was slightly gruff, but he still pulled out a chair for her with effortless gentlemanly grace.

Belona smiled faintly at his characteristically prickly attitude.

“I didn’t want to interrupt your cozy little moment.”

“If you knew you’d be interrupting us, you could’ve just stayed away altogether.”

“Aiden! Don’t say that. Today was supposed to be tea time for all three of us.”

She didn’t remember making any such plans, but if Dream-Davien said so, then it must be true.

Belona shrugged.

“You’re unusually irritable today.”

“And who exactly am I supposed to compete with?”

Normally, Belona would never back down from a challenge, but Dream-Aiden merely shook his head with a quiet sigh and decided to focus his attention on Davien instead.

“Davien, should I ask them to bring us fresh tea?”

“Sure. But first, try this. I made these cookies myself. Are you really not going to taste them?”

“You know I don’t like sweets.”

“I made them less sweet this time. Just try one.”

As expected of the official male lead, Aiden wrinkled his nose at the sweet aroma of the cookies, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse something Davien offered him.

At the same time, he gently brushed the crumbs from the corner of her mouth after she’d already eaten several cookies.

His every gesture was endlessly affectionate, and his eyes were filled with love.

A bittersweet smile spread across Belona’s face as she watched Aiden, who loved Davien more than anyone else.

It was difficult not to lean on people this kind.

Difficult not to give them your heart.

Even if she promised herself she’d keep her distance, memories built over countless years couldn’t simply disappear.

“…Davien, Aiden. I have something to confess.”

“What is it?”

Davien’s beautiful golden hair shimmered as she blinked her blue eyes and smiled brightly, silently encouraging her to continue.

“I made a choice. One the two of you would definitely try to stop if you knew about it. Maybe it’s a choice that will hurt both of you. You might hate it. You might even blame me.”

After all, every time she regressed, the real Davien and Aiden lost their memories.

There had already been several lifetimes in which they had grown apart because Belona had shut herself away in her own isolated world.

So why was she sitting here now, rambling in front of them?

“Was it a choice you made for yourself?”

“Huh?”

Belona looked up at Davien’s unexpected question.

Davien was still smiling at her.

“Whatever it is, if it can make you happy… then I understand.”

Once, exhausted beyond her limits by endless regressions, Belona had grabbed Davien and poured out every secret she’d been carrying.

And even then, Davien had answered her gently.

She couldn’t do anything about the countless lives Belona would continue to live.

But she wanted Belona to remember one thing.

That she would always, forever, be her friend.

“…You’re far too good a friend for someone like me.”

Even though she knew this world was nothing more than a dream of her own making, Belona cried.

Because she pitied the person she’d become.

Even the brilliant friendship she’d shared with them had faded into something distant and numb.

When Belona opened her eyes, she realized she was lying in her soft bed.

She blinked several times and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Yesterday, I was definitely talking to Deminic…

Eventually, she’d stopped paying attention to him and gone back to reading her book.

She hadn’t intended to fall asleep.

Just like Deminic, who had shown no signs of being tired, she’d planned to stay awake all night.

But it had been the very first day after her regression, and too many things had happened.

At some point, she’d drifted off without realizing it.

And now, when she finally woke up, the pitiful, blood-soaked man she’d seen the previous night was nowhere to be found.

Instead, Deminic was sitting casually in a chair beside the window, perfectly fine.

At some point, he’d even managed to find a black shirt to replace the bloodstained one.

“You…”

Resting his chin lazily against the armrest, he was flipping carelessly through the book she’d been reading.

At the sound of her voice, he looked up.

Their eyes met immediately.

Tilting his head to one side, he skipped any form of morning greeting and asked an unexpected question.

“Who is Davien?”

Hearing Davien’s name come from Deminic’s mouth was enough to catch Belona completely off guard.

A chill ran down her spine.

It took several long moments before she regained her composure.

“What… did you just say?”

“Davien. The name you mumbled in your sleep. Along with Aiden Sutton, the Marquis.”

Apparently, she’d been talking in her sleep.

Her throat felt unusually tight.

She sat up and cleared it with a small cough.

Her head was pounding.

When she touched her face, she discovered faint traces of tears.

Honestly… I’m unbelievable.

She’d cried.

Not in her dream.

In reality.

She’d always thought she’d become emotionally numb, but perhaps that wasn’t entirely true.

Trying to shake off the lingering remnants of those emotions, she deliberately ignored his question about Davien and asked something she’d been wondering about instead.

“Did you go outside? And if you could leave, then why did you come back?”

Without answering, Deminic rose from his chair in one smooth, effortless movement and walked over to the bed.

Leaning one arm against the headboard, he slowly bent down and studied her face for a moment.

Then he reached out and brushed his fingers against her cheek.

“Someone close enough to appear in your dreams?”

“…Yes.”

Belona pulled away from his hand.

Then she suddenly remembered that he’d been sitting in the chair beside the bed right up until she’d fallen asleep.

Unless she’d somehow walked to the bed herself while half-asleep, there was only one possible explanation.

He had carried her.

It was an uncharacteristically thoughtful gesture.

“Aiden and Davien are both my friends. We probably just had an interesting conversation in my dream.”

Pushing him away, Belona climbed out of bed.

She walked over to the table, poured herself a glass of water, and took a sip before continuing.

“Davien… must have something very special about her.”

Exactly.

Even this proved it.

He’d immediately realized that Belona was deliberately avoiding the subject of Davien and had instantly concluded that there must be something unusual about her.

I should never have humored him when he started teasing me about saints and prophecies…

She’d foolishly admitted that she knew who would become the saintess.

And now she’d trapped herself.

Feigning ignorance seemed like the safest option.

“Even if she does, you don’t need to concern yourself with it. Actually, don’t concern yourself with it at all.”

“Stop reacting like an angry cat. I won’t ask anymore.”

Still leaning against the headboard, Deminic raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

When their eyes met, he simply shrugged.

“I don’t particularly want to do things that I know you’ll dislike.”

The way he spoke made it sound as though he were trying to calm a genuinely upset cat.

Belona shot him an irritated look and deliberately answered his earlier comment.

“Funny. Considering you’re the one who climbed into someone else’s room like a cat in the first place.”

Deminic smiled, apparently pleased that she’d played along with his joke.

“Well, I can’t deny that. But I’m a very charming cat.”

“I should just stop talking.”

Belona rolled her eyes while drinking her water and sighed inwardly.

Even though he’d clearly noticed something, the fact that he was intentionally backing off and showing little interest in Davien was, at least, a small relief.

But before their conversation could continue, someone knocked on the door.

“Miss, are you awake?”

Belona froze.

Meanwhile, Deminic moved toward the door with such speed and agility that it was hard to believe he’d been so seriously injured only the night before.

Who is it?

My maid.

Their whispered exchange was so quiet their lips barely moved.

Belona slowly approached the door.

Deminic stood so close behind her that she could hear his faint breathing as he remained alert, clearly wary of Rose standing outside.

“Rose, I’m not feeling very well. Could you just leave breakfast outside the door? I’d like to rest a little longer.”

“Miss, are you very sick? Let me come in and see you. If it’s serious, we should call a healer or a priest.”

Rose was truly an incredibly kind and devoted maid.

At times like this, it would have been much easier if she’d simply been happy to have less work to do and left the breakfast outside.

I need to open the door and at least show her my face.

No.

The moment Belona reached for the doorknob, a large, firm hand covered hers and stopped her.