âPrecognitive dreamsâŠâ
After returning to the bedroom, Serdel fell deep into thought, mulling over Kartalâs muttered words.
There definitely wasnât any information about Serdel having such an ability when I played the game.
Wasnât thereâŠ?
To begin with, there wasnât much information about a character named âSerdel Lobesta.â
She was the former fiancée of Count Hersh Mayant, one of the male leads.
Or she was briefly introduced as the younger sister of Adis, the genius knight. Aside from that, there were hardly any episodes in the game that dealt with her.
No, I should say there were practically none.
She had barely appeared after being dumped by Count Mayant at the tea house.
Come to think of it, she had been one of the most insignificant extras in the entire game.
Even she herself had only learned more about Serdel after transmigrating into her body, through the memories that remained within it.
And even those memories were quite unstable.
There were gaps in them.
At the time, she hadnât paid much attention to it.
She had been emotionally exhausted to such an extent that simply getting through each day had been difficult enough.
It wasnât as though my own memories had disappeared.
The past memories of the person whose body she had possessedâŠ
She hadnât felt any particular need to dig deeply into them.
It wasnât inconvenient to live while simply being aware of whatever I could remember.
Besides, back then, she had been afraid that her own memories might accidentally become mixed with Serdelâs incomplete memories.
Especially whenever she found herself becoming influenced by the emotions left behind in the body, she would become extremely tense.
She had even repeatedly reminded herself that she was merely a âguestâ who had somehow ended up inside this womanâs body.
Her relationship with her family had also been poor, so she hadnât wanted to become too deeply immersed in or focused on the person named âSerdel.â
Even though she had been so obsessed with Count Mayant.
Ironically enough.
But now, after spending three years trapped inside the game and even going through a resetâ
I canât keep avoiding whatever I might have missed. I need to properly figure it out. Especially if it has something to do with this bodyâs abilities.
She let out a long breath.
First, she would investigate the missing memories.
Her breathing trembled.
Suppressing the various emotions crossing through her, she closed her eyes and, for the first time, focused not on herself but on the body.
She traced Serdelâs memories backward, deeper and deeper, all the way down.
And then she discovered that there were gaps even in parts she had never consciously noticed before.
Moreover, the memories from the middle of winter when she was five until midsummer when she was six were completely blank.
What happened back then?
Five years old⊠six years oldâŠ
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldnât remember.
So instead, she recalled the original settings regarding Kartal and Adis.
Unlike the almost nonexistent presence of âSerdel,â there had been at least some information about him, the head of the countâs family, and her, the vice-captain of the Imperial Knights.
Not much, but still.
ââŠâŠâ
Even though it was information she already knew, examining it now with a clear purpose made everything feel new.
Things she would have casually overlooked before, she carefully committed to memory this time.
Eventually, she realized that around the time Serdel was six years old, the Countess had died in an accident.
ââŠAn accidental death.â
What kind of accident had happened to her?
There was no information about it.
Serdelâs brows gradually furrowed.
Until now, she had never really thought deeply about the Countessâs absence.
She was already a deceased character, and no one in the countâs family ever mentioned her.
The door to the bedroom the Countess had once used was always firmly locked.
Serdel didnât even know the date of her death.
She had simply never once seen anyone observe it or do anything to commemorate her.
Perhaps that was why discovering this fact now left her somewhat bewildered.
The Countessâs death, the gaps in Serdelâs memories, and precognitive dreamsâŠ
When she put the three things together, a single picture immediately formed in her mind.
The dream Serdel had before the accident must have been a precognitive dream.
Serdel had been young at the time, so she must have been frightened and told someone about it.
But they probably dismissed it as nothing more than a childâs meaningless whining.
âAnd then, when the actual accident happened, the shock must have caused her to lose her memoriesâŠâ
She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she accidentally spoke aloud.
Her mouth felt dry and bitter, as though she had drunk something unpleasant. The realization left her deeply troubled, and her mood sank.
She shook her head several times, trying to push the feeling away.
HaaâŠ
With a deep sigh, she ran a hand over her face.
Now isnât the time to be overwhelmed by emotions.
She swallowed her distracting thoughts along with her saliva.
This precognitive abilityâŠ
Could she have lost it because of the aftermath of that incident�
It was a shame.
Being able to see what would happen in the future would be an incredible weapon.
She knew the original story, but she was no longer the Serdel from the past. Her actions had already changed the early circumstances.
It was only natural that the future would change as well.
If only I still had that abilityâŠ
She would feel much more reassured.
Still, for the time being, there probably wouldnât be anything to stop her from acting as she pleased.
Even if she made somewhat absurd proposals, Kartal could no longer simply ignore her words.
Just as he had ultimately allowed her to explore.
ââŠâŠâ
The hesitation he had shown remained in the back of her mind, leaving her uneasy.
She forcibly pushed the thought aside and lay down on the bed, staring blankly at the canopy.
She suddenly realized just how many things had happened today.
Fatigue washed over her.
Her consciousness gradually grew heavier, and sleep came over her like a wave.
ââŠâŠâ
Her previously unsteady breathing soon became peaceful.
·
·
[You have become aware of an ability that had been forcibly sealed.]
[Precognition has been unlocked.]
·
.
It seemed as though flames were flickering.
The red hair billowing in the wind certainly looked that way.
His gaze was fierce, and his expression sharp.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and covered in muscle.
There was something arrogantly wild about his overwhelming presence.
Compared to Damon, who had somewhat refined and handsome features, this man had much stronger, more rugged features. He looked distinctly masculine.
She knew him.
There was no way she could not.
The Second Imperial Prince, Failden Asladen.
He had been her favorite male lead after the duke when she played the game.
And in the past, he had been someone she resented for a long time because, despite obtaining a fortuitous opportunity in the forest, he had turned his back on the countâs family.
And now, that very man was suddenly charging straight toward her.
With his sword drawn.
Her dazed mind snapped fully awake.
What? Whyâwhy is he coming toward me?
No, more importantly, why is his presence so terrifying?
What is this situation?
âGet away from there immediately!â
Get away?
Startled by his unexpected shout, she finally rolled her eyes around and looked at her surroundings.
For some reason, she couldnât move her head.
It was as if something had pinned her in place.
Moreover, while his figure was crystal clear, she couldnât properly make out anything else around her.
Where am I?
âGet away! Serdel Lobesta! Wake up!â
His rough shout rang out again, making her heart jolt.
How was she supposed to move away when she couldnât move at all?
She felt bewildered and anxious, and for some reason, even angry.
But her mouth was frozen as well, so she couldnât make a single sound.
âGet away!â
The sword in his hand began to shimmer with sword energy.
The bright blue aura of his power was incredibly beautiful.
Only then did her surroundings gradually begin to come into focus.
A green mist was slowly rising from the ground and creeping up her body.
âMy lady! Damn it, where did that confidence you usually haveâso much that youâre almost irritatingâgo? Why are you crying like that when it doesnât suit you at all? Wake up! It doesnât suit you!â
Along with those unexpected harsh words, his blue energy shot toward the green mist that had already risen to her chest.
The green mist seemed to reject his interference and released its own energy.
BANG!
His energy and the green force collided violently in midair.
BOOM!
Everything around them trembled from the impact.
The vibration of the ground traveled through the tips of her feet and shook her entire body from within.
Urgh!
A heavy pressure made a groan escape between her clenched teeth.
Her chest felt tightly constricted.
The stronger the pressure became, the more fiercely the green mist wrapped itself around her.
âMy lady!â
Concern and urgency filled the Second Imperial Princeâs voice as he called out to her.
âDamn it! Just hold on a little longer. Donât be afraid! Iâll get you out of there soon!â
The blue energy once again gathered around his sword, shining brilliantly.
Just as he was about to swing itâ
FLASH!
ââŠâŠâ
Her eyes opened.
âŠHuhâŠ
She blinked several times before quickly moving her eyes from side to side, taking in her surroundings.
She was in her bedroom.
ââŠHaaah!â
As though she had been holding her breath because of the urgency that had carried over into her body, she struggled to calm her rapid breathing and sat up.
âWhat⊠what on earthâŠâ
What did I just see?
Was it a dream�
It had felt far too real to be an ordinary dream.
Yet her mind felt strangely hazy.
She slapped her cheeks, trying to wake herself up completely from her half-asleep state.
Then Siri entered the room.
âMy lady, what are you doing? Why are you hitting your cheeks? Eek! Stop! Your face is turning red. Hit my cheeks instead!â
Siri hurried over, squeezed her eyes shut, and thrust her face toward her.
