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~Chapter 17~
Would pain feel so real even if you were caught by a monster in a dream?
Just before the monster’s tentacle touched Astia’s body—
Thunk!
“Pyu!”
A familiar sound reached her ears.
“Ruby?”
Astia’s eyes shot open. She saw Ruby slamming into the monster’s tentacle.
Ruby must have been hurt in the fight—there was blood on his pure white fur.
“Ruby! It’s dangerous!”
Astia cried out in shock, but Ruby answered bravely.
“Pyu! Pyu!”
It was like he was telling her not to worry about him. As Astia grew anxious, the monster’s eyes turned red with anger.
Kiieeek!
The monster seemed furious that its attack had been blocked.
Ruby bravely stood in front of Astia, shielding her from the huge monster.
But anyone could see they had little chance of winning.
The monster huffed out a breath and shot its tentacle at Ruby.
“No!”
Astia stomped her feet in panic, then grabbed a stone from the ground.
“Don’t hurt my Ruby! You monster!”
She threw the stone with all her might at the monster’s eye. It hit with a thud.
Kiiek!
The monster went wild, thrashing its tentacles even harder.
Kwaang—
Every time it swung its tentacles, the flowers in the garden turned black and wilted from its dark energy.
“Pyu!”
Ruby jumped and bit the monster’s tentacle with his teeth, dodging its sharp attacks as best he could.
But he couldn’t avoid everything—one tentacle scratched him and drew blood.
“Ruby!”
Hearing Astia’s voice, Ruby lunged even harder at the monster.
“Pyuuu…!”
And then, something incredible happened.
Where Ruby bit the tentacle, a pure white light burst out.
The weak light quickly grew bigger and started to cover the monster’s whole body.
Kiieeek!
The monster thrashed in agony, but it couldn’t stop the light.
Paat—
The light got brighter and brighter.
The monster’s body became unrecognizable and finally turned completely into light.
Like nothing had ever been there at all.
But the light didn’t disappear.
It spread out, filling the entire garden of the Rovellito Duke’s house.
All the darkness was chased away by the light, and Astia ran to the staggering Ruby.
“Ruby! …Are you okay? You’re okay, right?”
“Pyu…”
“Please tell me you’re okay…”
Tears flowed down Astia’s cheeks as she hugged Ruby tightly.
She was terrified that Ruby, bleeding from his wounds, might be seriously hurt.
Ruby trembled in her arms, then suddenly went limp.
“No!”
As Ruby’s eyes slowly closed, Astia was shocked.
All kinds of terrible thoughts raced through her mind, but when she heard Ruby’s soft breathing, she let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s okay now.”
With Astia’s words, the dream world began to crumble.
Astia opened her eyes.
She was covered in cold sweat, but that didn’t matter right now.
“Ruby?”
She looked around her room, searching for Ruby.
Not seeing him made her anxious.
Even if it was just a dream, Ruby had been hurt while protecting her.
That last moment in the dream felt so real that she couldn’t relax until she saw Ruby herself.
“Pyu…”
Then, from a corner, she heard Ruby’s weak little cry. He looked so tired and worn out.
“I had a dream, and you were there… It was just a dream, right?”
“Pyu. Pyu.”
“Please, just say it was.”
Her sad voice made Ruby come over and gently tap her with his paw.
“Pyu!”
“…I had a nightmare, and you saved me. Isn’t that amazing?”
Ruby hopped up and down as if to say it was true.
Astia felt relieved.
The Ruby before her wasn’t covered in wounds like in her dream. He was just as she remembered.
“Thank you for protecting me.”
Even if it was just a dream, Astia was so grateful to Ruby—and worried.
She never wanted to see him hurt, not even in a dream.
“Ruby, I’ll always protect you, too. I can protect you.”
“Pyu…”
“I may look weak, but I’m still the daughter of a duke. And… even if my body is fragile, I have enough strength to protect you.”
Astia hugged Ruby tightly, hoping he could feel her true feelings.
Ruby’s red eyes quietly watched her. Astia didn’t see his gaze, but she felt his warmth.
She made a promise to herself.
She would get healthy again.
So she could protect Ruby with her own strength.
She never wanted to be helpless like she was in her dream.
“Why is the magic detector reacting?”
In the Rovellito Duke’s mansion basement, a servant looked at the meter with confusion.
The magical device that detected unauthorized magic had never gone off in the well-guarded mansion.
But a few days ago, the meter began to show weak reactions. The servant came to check and found it strange.
“It’s not enough for an alarm…”
He thought he’d better report this to his boss.
“The young lady can’t be in danger.”
Like any loyal servant of the Rovellito house, he thought first of Astia.
He’d even joined the recent meeting for her safety, so he was sensitive to her wellbeing.
Unauthorized magic in the mansion could be very dangerous for Astia.
“I can’t waste any time.”
He slapped his cheeks to focus and rushed off to find Orland.
If the device was broken, they’d have to ask the Magic Tower for help.
The Rovellito family had many vassals.
Some had served for generations, while others joined for personal gain.
Because of this, after the late duke’s death and Damian’s rise to power at a young age, there was lots of gossip.
Some said it was too soon, others trusted his wisdom.
But—
[I wonder who dares to speak nonsense. Do you want to die?]
No one dared oppose him—he was the youngest swordmaster, with a chilling, inhuman charisma.
Just meeting his eyes made the boldest men tremble.
Any vassals who thought to rebel soon gave up hope.
Then their attention turned elsewhere.
“The princess with the incurable illness.”
Damian had no interest in marriage, and Astia could die at any moment.
For the vassals, this was a chance.
If they could get Damian’s attention, they could control the duke’s house for themselves.
One vassal, in particular, was eager for this opportunity.
“This visit is all for our future. It’s a chance for our family to become more powerful.”
A fat man in flashy clothes smiled greedily.
He was Viscount Castea.
When the late duke bought the diamond mine, Castea played a key role. That’s why he could stay at the duke’s mansion during the festival, along with his only daughter, Raniel.
‘I thought he’d refuse…’
Damian was so cold, Castea thought he’d say no, but Damian allowed it. He must have realized that losing all his vassals at once would hurt his standing.
‘He couldn’t ignore the vassals’ eyes. This is my chance.’
So, Viscount Castea decided to introduce Raniel to Damian during their stay.
Maybe, once she was an adult, she could even take the duchess’s place.
He pictured the Castea family’s dramatic rise, and the thought made him happy.
Even his nagging wife would be pleased.
“Raniel, your hair color is a lot like the duke’s. I’m sure he’ll like you.”
Opposite him, Raniel, with silver hair down to her waist, shyly covered her mouth and shook her head.
“I’m embarrassed, Father. What if the duke falls for me? I’m worried…”
“Haha, that would be great! You’re about to become an adult, so now’s the time to make a good impression.”
“Oh, everyone says I’ll be the belle of society. I’m sure the duke will like me.”
“Of course! You’re so beautiful and well-mannered.”
The carriage rolled along smoothly in this cheerful atmosphere.
Raniel looked out at the Rovellito lands and spoke.
“Father, I’m most curious about Lady Astia, who’s around my age.”
“The princess?”
A faint smile crossed Raniel’s lips.
“Yes. I met her once when we were little, and she looked half-dead. I wonder how pitiful she looks now… I want to show her how much better I am.”
“Of course, you’re the best. No one can compare to my daughter, especially not a sick princess.”
“Naturally.”
Raniel glanced toward the nearing duke’s mansion.
She was truly excited for the festival.
‘I’ll show them who I am.’
She pictured Astia, flustered and awkward around her.
If the princess, daughter of a duke (one of only two in the whole empire), was cowed by a mere viscount’s daughter, it would be hilarious.
‘I just have to approach the duke as sweetly as possible.’
Surely Damian would come to like her. Raniel smiled slyly.
