Chapter 108
I was panicking inside, but the Emperor stayed calm and confident.
“Today, I’ll read I’ll Never Eat Carrots. It’s perfect for you since you don’t eat carrots.”
As soon as the Emperor opened the book — which had a very familiar-sounding title — and laid me and my (former) sweet potato doll on the bed, I shot up like a spring.
“…Today, I want to read it for you.”
“I’m an adult. I don’t need anyone reading me a children’s book,” the Emperor said firmly.
But I ignored that, gently pried his fingers open one by one, and took the book from him.
He didn’t stop me, but in a serious tone, he tried again.
“Adults have a reputation to protect.”
“Well, listening to me read might help you assess my academic progress as my guardian!”
The Emperor’s eyebrows pulled together slowly. Then he smiled in surprise.
“You’re right. I should also pay attention to your education.”
I helped him lie down in my bed.
“Why do I have to lie down?” he asked.
“To fully understand the story from a child’s point of view—mind and body!”
He needed to understand just how boring these books could be.
I even tucked the blanket over him and sat on a chair to begin reading.
“Lula waited for dinner. Then she said, ‘I won’t eat beans, carrots, potatoes, or mushrooms.’”
“Oh no! Then what does Lula eat? Let me check the last page to make sure she doesn’t die. Maybe this isn’t for kids after all.”
At first, the Emperor reacted with strange comments like that, but I held onto the book tightly and kept reading.
“I’ll never eat carrots, no matter what.”
“You could change the name from Lula to Izana, and it would still make perfect sense.”
“Well… maybe I’ll try just a little bit.”
“What’s the point of eating just a few beans?”
Every time I turned a page, the Emperor either chuckled or asked questions seriously.
By the time I finished the last sentence and closed the book, he had fallen asleep like a child, breathing softly.
Seeing him like that, I smiled without even realizing it.
“Sst… No.”
I stopped my (former) sweet potato from chewing on the Emperor’s hair. But I soon gave up — I didn’t want to wake him.
Not long after, I also gave in to sleep, upset that he hadn’t spent time with me during the day.
***
Before sunrise, in the early morning darkness, the Emperor slowly opened his eyes and whispered,
“Oh no, I actually fell asleep here.”
It had been a sweet, deep sleep. Dreamless. Pure darkness. The kind of perfect rest he always wanted.
When he turned his head, he saw Izana and her strange spirit with a plant sprouting from its head, both fast asleep.
The Emperor carefully picked Izana up from on top of the blanket and tucked her underneath, pulling the covers to her chin.
Then he saw the book still sitting on the chair.
He tried to remember exactly when he had fallen asleep—but he couldn’t.
No one had ever read to him before.
His mother died early. The former emperor never read him a story.
Some of the emperor’s women had offered to read, but he refused.
The former emperor wasn’t cruel to him—but he was cruel to everyone else. He feared passing his own darkness on to the child, so he kept his distance.
Yet, in the end, he had spread that darkness throughout the empire.
If the former emperor had been cruel to him too, maybe he wouldn’t remember him at all.
The Emperor picked up the storybook and read it slowly.
“I won’t eat beans, carrots, potatoes, or mushrooms.”
He could still hear the soft voice of a little girl echoing in his head.
His eyes filled with tears. Before he could wipe them away, one slipped down his cheek.
He closed the book and placed it back on the chair.
Looking back at the sleeping girl, his lips lifted slightly — as if the sadness never happened.
“You’re too precious.”
This child had become everything to him.
He had never feared death… until now.
Just imagining losing her made his throat tighten and the ground feel like it was falling away beneath him.
Looking at her, the Emperor took a deep breath to calm his heart.
He stared at her peaceful face until he could erase all traces of sadness from his own.
Then, he opened the door and left.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Duke sleep before.”
Standing outside was the man who scared him the most — Duke Winter Orsheus.
Winter followed the girl like a shadow, always there. And that made him the source of the Emperor’s deepest fear.
The Emperor had never been scared by Winter’s terrible reputation. But now… Winter had become his living nightmare.
Winter bowed slightly.
“I rarely need sleep,” he said.
It was both painful and comforting to realize that Winter could protect her better than he could.
The Emperor nodded to him and walked down the dark hallway.
***
I had a very strange dream.
“Why didn’t you sleep last night?” My mother from my past life appeared in my dream.
It wasn’t unusual for her to appear in my dreams. But this time, she was shaking my shoulders and yelling.
“I told you to always sleep well! You’re already too skinny. If you don’t sleep, how will you grow?!”
Her speech was rough, almost gangster-like. I was so shocked that I answered back.
“You used to say I should study instead of sleeping!”
“Oh, did I? Forget that. Listen to me now. Sleep well!”
She suddenly looked frustrated but tried to act gentle — like it hurt her pride to be nice.
“If you don’t sleep, I get lost in your dreams! Last night, you didn’t sleep, and I saw something terrible.”
Terrible? What kind of dream?
“Anyway, make sure you sleep! Or else I’ll send you a nightmare with two thousand cockroaches!”
Then, fire shot out of her mouth. Like a dragon’s breath.
That’s when I realized:
“Ah, this is just a dream.”
Of course it was. My mom never told me to sleep well.
Then I realized something else.
I pointed at her with a shocked expression.
“Wait… Are you Ampelos?!”
Her face froze. Yes — that face.
“How did you know?”
Her face began melting, her features blending like slime.
“…Then what are you really?”
The slime moved by itself and started changing into someone else.
“I heard you’re the girl next to Igrio. Your dreams are weird. Full of things I don’t understand. That’s why I don’t get lost.”
Two purple eyes formed in the slime and slowly settled into place — it was forming into a slightly older girl.
“I need to learn more about you.”
I gritted my teeth and focused.
This wasn’t just a dream — it was a lucid dream. In this world, rules don’t apply.
A sword appeared in my hand. It looked just like Winter’s sword.
I pointed it at my neck and said,
“Ampelos, you must be curious. But I’m warning you now—”
I shouted at the slime, now looking like a young boy.
“Don’t even think about entering Igrio’s dreams.”
“What?”
“Things are different now. If you even peek inside, the memories will trap you. You’ll never wake up again.”
And before he could react, I slashed the sword across my own neck.
I had too many secrets. I wasn’t ready to face a dream thief like him yet.
***
“Gasp!”
I woke up, panting. Of course, there was no pain.
It was just a dream. I’ve never been beheaded, so I wouldn’t know how it feels.
It was just my instincts reacting.
Birds were chirping outside the window. Morning had come.
The Emperor was gone, and only my (former) sweet potato was still sleeping.
“Duke… Are you there?”
I called softly, and Winter silently opened the heavy door and came inside.
He had always been there since I arrived at the palace. It now felt natural to call him.
“Good morning, Izana.”
“I saw Noe Lustine in my dream.”
Winter paused.
“I’ve been having nightmares lately. I think I need herbs that help with lucid dreams.”
Ampelos.
His other name: The Dream Thief.
He was one of the three saviors, but he could control dreams — and use them to steal secrets.
And now… he had entered mine.
