BCOM 11

Chapter 11

Anes opened her eyes.

Startled by how abruptly they had sprung open, she quickly squeezed them shut again.

But then… what was she afraid of, that she felt the need to close them? With her eyes closed, all she saw was darkness, and before long she found herself wishing to see again the ceiling she had glimpsed when they opened. Carefully, she lifted her eyelids.

The familiar ceiling came into view, and only then did the breath knotted in her chest finally release with a soft thud.

“Ha…”

Letting out a sigh, she slowly turned her neck. Thankfully, her body moved well enough for her to look around the room.

In the past, she often had nights of restless sleep. Back then, her thoughts were too many, too tangled, and it felt as though her mind had forgotten how to rest, pushing away sleep.

But since coming here, she had never once slept poorly. No nightmares, no discomfort.

She was simply grateful to have a space where she could feel this at ease.

And yet, what was even stranger was that she didn’t know why her heart was now pounding so violently.

Aside from a slight tingling in her body, her breathing was steady and her mind was clear. Only her heart was thundering madly.

She pressed both hands to her chest, trying to calm it down. Thump, thump, thump—her heart beat fiercely, insisting on its presence.

“What is this… I feel like I had a dream.”

Only the odd sensation remained—just enough to tell her that it must have been something unusual. But the memory of the dream itself was completely gone.

The only thing she remembered clearly was that it had been terrifying. And she hadn’t been able to stop that terrifying situation; the dream had simply ended.

“Could it have been my power—the one that supposedly destroys the Empire? Ha… if so, I should’ve remembered it.”

Utterly frustrating. If the dream was meant to give her some warning, then surely she should have remembered it clearly.

Still lying flat on her back, staring at the ceiling, she pressed firmly over her heart, hoping that the unpleasant rhythm might subside.

Only when her heartbeat finally settled close to its normal pace did Anes rise. Her body felt lighter than expected, so much so that she sat up too quickly.

“Ah… Father must have left already.”

She had wanted to see him off, but because of Lord Rizern’s orders, no one had come to wake her. Since he didn’t forbid her from coming down on her own, if she wanted to bid farewell, she had to rise herself.

Judging by the brightness of the sun outside, he had already departed the mansion. That thought left her unreasonably downcast, as though each day were too precious to waste.

Knock, knock.

“Young lady, are you awake?”

A voice gently pulled her into the reality of morning. That careful tone belonged to Tarin. Since Anes, who always rose early, had not come down, the maid must have come up to check.

“Yes, Tarin. I’m awake.”

At least her voice sounded fine. But what on earth had happened to her last night? The sudden surge of fear made her shoulders flinch.

She even wondered for a moment if she should forbid the young maid from coming in, since she couldn’t seem to calm herself.

“Young lady, the marquis didn’t say anything this morning, but he seemed quite worried. Because you didn’t come down.”

“Ah…” Anes immediately pulled a pouty face. She was so upset—she’d been lost in some ominous dream and had missed the chance to see her father off.

“How long has it been…?”

“It’ll be lunchtime soon, young lady.”

With a long sigh through her nose, Anes got out of bed. She sat there blankly for a moment, unable to either lie back down or step away.

“Young lady, truly… you’re not ill, are you?”

Tarin, who had been standing at the doorway, hurried closer to the bed. Hearing her concern jolted Anes fully awake.

“Ah, no, I’m not sick. Don’t worry.”

Once she pulled herself together, she returned to her usual lively self. It would be such a waste to let an entire day slip away over a dream she couldn’t even remember.

Who knew when she might be dragged back into that other world—or when her strange nature might bring about the Empire’s downfall. She couldn’t afford to squander any time.

If, say, the date for her political marriage to the Crown Prince was suddenly set, then even her cherished moments with her father would vanish.

“Oh! You really do seem all right now, young lady.”

Seeing her climb easily out of bed, Tarin finally smiled in relief. The maid’s soft hair gleamed like morning sunlight, and just looking at her somehow gave Anes strength—not forced, but real.

“Would you like to go down for breakfast now? Or should I have it ready for lunchtime instead?”

As Anes walked toward her, Tarin was already asking what message she should pass to the kitchen.

Everyone in the household was anxious over her having skipped breakfast. Just yesterday, Anes had been smiling by the marquis’s side, brightening the whole house—so when she didn’t appear this morning, the staff had fussed that she must be unwell.

“Yes, let’s go eat right away.”

“Wonderful! Madam Belnaro will be so pleased.”

Belnaro, the head cook of the mansion, adored it when Anes cleaned her plate, since the girl had often eaten poorly in the past.

Tarin helped her change from nightclothes into simple loungewear and draped a gown over her shoulders. Even while guiding her downstairs, the maid kept stealing worried glances back at her.

“Really, I’m fine.”

“Yes, I understand. The young lady truly is fine now.”

Her evasive answer made Anes laugh aloud—it was exactly the kind of phrasing that the sharp-eyed servants would notice. But what mattered now was regaining her routine.

If she couldn’t remember, then perhaps it wasn’t worth remembering. Life was already wound tight enough; better not to let it snap.

Ruin was still a distant story. As long as she stayed vigilant and prepared, it could be avoided. She repeated that thought to herself for what felt like the hundredth time today.

“Young lady! Shall we go for a walk?”

“Mmm… No, Tarin. I’ll go up to my room today.”

After her early lunch, Tarin asked as usual if she’d like to take their morning walk, but Anes wanted only to rest.

Part of it was that she felt drowsy after eating between breakfast and lunch, but mostly, she felt as though she’d been worn down by something through the night.

Back in her room, she instinctively turned her gaze toward the window.

Of course, he wouldn’t be there—she had just come in from brunch, after all. The sun now hung high, flooding the bedroom with light.

“Starting tomorrow, I really need to wake up on time. What a waste… I could send Father off in the morning, eat breakfast, then lunch… and afterward, if I came up here to nap…”

Then the Crown Prince would see her sleeping, wouldn’t he?

That idea bothered her. Anes had finally grown into such a beautiful woman, and she wanted to show others only her best face.

Of course, once they were married, she wouldn’t be able to hide it any longer.

Just then.

A sharp sound came from outside the window. Snapping out of her thoughts, Anes saw someone climbing up onto the wide terrace.

Ever since the first time—when he had happily leapt up to meet her on the terrace and nearly sent someone to the next world—he only climbed up when she wasn’t there.

She had been keeping fairly regular mealtimes, and it seemed he knew it. While she ate lunch, he climbed up, and then waited for her return.

Today, the terrace window was closed. He confirmed she was inside, but instead of opening it, he simply pulled over a chair, set it before the window, and sat down.

Bathed in dazzling sunlight, Teowin was beautiful. He hadn’t dressed himself up, nor was he in his formal crown prince’s attire, and yet the clothes he wore seemed special, and the way he sat seemed extraordinary.

Teowin…!

Suddenly, she heard her own voice echoing in her mind. In last night’s dream, she had called that name.

Why had she called for him with such desperation? There had been no reason—nothing she needed from him.

The memory of last night pressed heavily on her chest. Still, like the day before, she climbed onto the bed and opened a book.

But today, her purpose in reading was different.

She pretended to read, though her eyes kept drifting toward the window. Her thoughts were tangled with him, sitting outside in the blazing sunlight.

A sigh burst out of her.

Why was the Crown Prince sitting there, enduring heat or cold, just to guard her solitary afternoon?

But wasn’t she doing the same? She could have spent the time with Tarin, doing this or that, but she had come up here instead… because he was there.

When he shifted his head, Anes quickly dropped her gaze to the page. The letters imprinted themselves on her vision, but no meaning formed. All she knew was that they were letters.

And then, for the first time, she considered it seriously.

Should she open that window and step outside?