MLHRGD 109

#109. Time to Wake from the Dream (1)

Naina smiled softly.
With that light smile, her face looked even more like Sasha’s—almost as if they were sisters.

“This face will be more useful to approach the new Grand Duke of Volkov.”

“Hmm…”

Chernomor nodded.
If she looked like his wife, Pavel would surely lower his guard.

He didn’t ask further about the new face. Instead, he changed the subject.

“So, when will you carry out this plan?”

“Don’t be impatient. You’ll meet him soon enough.”

Naina’s eyes drifted down toward the cliff below.
The wind howled from the place that had swallowed a man, echoing like a funeral song.

Meanwhile, inside the imperial palace of Kalita, in the Crown Prince’s relic chamber—

“Where I got this? Why do you care?”

In response to Ruslan’s question, Sasha explained what she knew about the dream magic.

“…That’s why the longer you stay addicted to the dream, the faster your health will deteriorate.”

Ruslan frowned in disbelief.

“Really? This thing is that dangerous?”

Sasha quietly nodded.

“Yes. That’s what it is.”

Irina, listening nearby, quickly believed it, even if Ruslan didn’t.
She had already thought his strange behavior since yesterday seemed unnatural—now it all made sense.

Irina glanced at Ruslan’s pale face and asked Sasha,

“Then what should we do? Leaving it alone will be dangerous, right?”

Sasha replied calmly.

“The side effects are severe, but it’s not impossible to cure. The difficulty depends on how deep the influence has gone.”

Irina turned quickly to Ruslan.

At last, he spoke heavily.

“It hasn’t been that long. I got this only about a week ago.”

“Then we’re lucky. It can still be treated without major problems.”

Both Irina and Ruslan looked relieved. Sasha smiled faintly, about to explain how to undo the magic—

But then—

“Kyaaah!”

“Count Volkov!”

The sudden noise behind her made Sasha whirl around.

She saw Pavel clutching his chest, bending forward.

“Pavel!”

She rushed to him immediately. His face was flushed red, dripping with sweat.

“Ugh…”

He gritted his teeth, trying to endure the pain, but faint groans escaped his lips.

Sasha’s face went pale.

“Pavel?”

At her desperate call, his unfocused red eyes turned toward her.

“…Sasha…”

His voice was faint, his vision blurry. The world spun, and his body wouldn’t obey him.

Sasha quickly caught him as he swayed.

Feeling her warmth against him, some of the strange dizziness lessened.

‘Is this what it feels like to be drunk?’

His body burned with heat, his clothes felt suffocating, and even soft fabric against his skin was irritating.

Both Pavel and Sasha realized something was wrong.

‘This isn’t just alcohol…’

Indeed—it wasn’t poison either. After checking carefully, Sasha realized what it was.

‘An aphrodisiac.’

And a powerful one at that. If not for his enormous mana resisting it, he would have either lost all reason or collapsed completely.

Even so, he was barely holding on.

“Just wait a little.”

She ordered an attendant to fetch herbs and swiftly prepared an antidote with skilled hands.

Meanwhile, Pavel gazed at her. His feverish body trembled, yet as he looked at Sasha, her blurred face grew clearer.

The heat from his lower belly spread upward, clouding his thoughts. Instinct gnawed at him.

Surrounded by other women earlier, he had managed to suppress it out of discomfort.
But now, with Sasha so close, his control crumbled.

“…Sasha.”

His faint voice didn’t reach her at first.
When she looked down at him, he tried again.

“…Sasha.”

He reached out a hand.

Noticing him, Sasha asked gently, “Do you want to say something?”

He gave the smallest nod.

“Wait, take this first.”

Sasha held the antidote to his lips. He obediently opened his mouth, swallowing it with difficulty. She gave him water to wash it down.

Only then did she breathe easier.

But Pavel called her again.

“…Sasha.”

She leaned closer, lowering her head to hear him.

Just before her ear reached his lips—

Pavel pulled her in and kissed her.

It was deep, desperate, burning.

Sasha tried to push him away at first, but he had no strength to hold her tightly. Realizing that, she stopped resisting.

As she accepted him, Pavel clung to her even more desperately.

Their lips parted only when he finally calmed, breathing heavily.

“…Thank you.”

Murmuring softly, he closed his eyes and soon drifted into steady sleep.

Sasha sighed with relief. Though his skin still burned, she knew the antidote would work with time.

‘Thank goodness… he’s safe.’

Her tension broke, and her face flushed as she recalled their kiss. But her thoughts quickly turned serious.

‘This was Ruslan’s doing.’

No solid proof, but she was certain. Only Ruslan had both the reason and the means here in Kalita.
And she had seen his face just before Pavel collapsed—Ruslan had looked disappointed when things didn’t go as planned.

If not for Pavel’s mana, tonight could have ended in a disastrous scandal.

Grinding her teeth, Sasha’s anger burned. She wanted to confront him, expose his scheme, demand punishment.

But in Kalita, Ruslan held power. With Natalya, the High Priestess, behind him, it wasn’t something she could reveal publicly.

If Dmitri were here, she could formally protest—but he was away at war.

‘I can’t just let this go.’

Sasha’s eyes glinted with resolve.

“An eye for an eye. I’ll return this to him exactly as he gave it.”