TVBO 42

Chapter 42

When I came to, it was still pitch-black outside — the sun hadn’t risen yet.

“Ugh…!”

A sharp pain struck my left chest, as if someone had gripped my heart tightly in their fist.

Cold sweat drenched my entire body.

I had forgotten how to breathe. The suffocating pressure made me writhe in agony.

I twisted and thrashed in an attempt to escape the pain, but nothing helped.

After the sensation of my heart being carved out by a blade, a greater wave of pain spread through my entire body.

“It hurts… it hurts so much… I think I’m going to die.”

My whole body felt as if it were freezing.

Shivering uncontrollably, I pulled the blanket tightly around myself, hoping it might bring warmth — but it didn’t. The chill refused to leave.

There was no one in the room. It was the middle of the night; the maids would all be asleep. I’d have to pull the bellcord to call for help.

But I didn’t even have the strength to do that.

All I could do was pant weakly, gasping for air.

“Haa… haa…”

The faint fluttering of wings reached my ears.

I wanted to see where the sound came from, but the searing pain gripping both my body and mind made it impossible to move.

And then a thought came to me — was this really just a dream?

It was far too vivid, too real to dismiss as one.

It felt like I had actually experienced it — as though I had truly lived through it myself.

I hadn’t seen all of Yulia’s life, but it wouldn’t be wrong to say I’d seen how it ended.

Because I now knew how she died. She had definitely died — and after death, there should be nothing.

Yet something felt cut off — like there was something important after death, but no trace of it remained in my mind.

“Hhk…!”

My body still throbbed in pain, but I forced myself to get out of bed.

I staggered toward the window, from where the fluttering sound had come.

Outside the window was a familiar sight — Chester’s carrier pigeon. I hurriedly opened the window and brought the bird inside.

“When did you get here?”

I untied the small note fastened to its leg and unfolded it.

{Yulia. I know how much you love sweet things, but to me, your health comes first. You’ve already collapsed once before, and I worry for you. Please, don’t be sick.}

As I read down the note, the last line caught my eye.

{And I love you. I miss you.}

The letter’s warmth stood in stark contrast to the nightmare I’d just had, leaving me strangely hollow.

In reality, Chester was someone who thought only of me. And yet, the dream — it was just a dream.

So why did these dreams feel like they were trying to tell me something?

I wanted to forget them, but I couldn’t.

“…Chester.”

My heart raced uncontrollably. I didn’t know why.

Cold sweat trickled down again, and a sharp pain pierced my head.

I had to send the bird back, but my vision was starting to blur. My body swayed, and I lost balance.

Thud—

My strength drained away completely, and I collapsed onto the floor. I didn’t even have the energy to crawl back into bed.

My eyes slowly closed.

* * *

The window creaked open, and a shadow slipped into the room. The bird, which had been fluttering anxiously beside Yulia, suddenly quieted down.

A dark figure loomed over Yulia’s unconscious form lying on the cold floor.

Black hair that melted into the night. Eyes red like blood.

The uninvited guest who had come in the middle of the night — was Chester.

He removed his black gloves and carefully lifted Yulia’s limp, sweat-soaked body from the floor.

“You’ll catch a cold lying on such a cold floor.”

He spoke softly to her sleeping figure — a sleep so deep she wouldn’t have stirred even if someone carried her away.

Her face twisted slightly, as though she were having a nightmare.

Chester gently laid her down on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her neck.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he gazed at her with unreadable eyes.

“Fainting like this again… How could I not worry about you?”

He brushed her damp hair back with his fingers, moving with such care it was almost reverent.

“Yulia… I wish you would come into my hands soon — so that you’ll never be able to escape.”

He whispered her name so quietly that it was barely audible. He didn’t mean to wake her.

His gaze was not that of tender affection — but of obsession and madness.

“I want you to live your life seeing only beauty — never knowing the filth and ugliness of the world.”

Though his words carried dark desire, his hands were gentle.

He brushed aside the strands of hair on her forehead and placed his palm lightly there, as if checking for a fever.

“I want your eyes to see only me. For you to know no one but me.”

He withdrew his hand and stroked her porcelain-smooth cheek with the back of his fingers.

His hand slid slowly down from her cheek to her neck, resting above her pulse.

Only when he felt the steady, faint beat beneath his skin did he stand up.

He put his black gloves back on and picked up the fallen note.

At his signal, the bird fluttered up to his arm, and together they turned toward the window.

Just before leaving, Chester paused and looked back at her sleeping form.

“I want you.”

The night breeze drifting through the open window stirred his hair and the curtains alike.

In the moonlight, with his crimson eyes glowing faintly, he looked every bit the alluring devil he was.

“Yulia… For now, I’ll be satisfied just seeing you today.”

Like a demon coveting a pure soul, Chester’s eyes gleamed with insatiable desire.

* * *

“Your Highness, please wake up.”

The sound of my nanny’s voice slowly pulled me from sleep.

I felt something soft beneath me — warmth surrounding my body — and it felt… strange.

“Nanny…?”

“I’ll bring your breakfast to your room.”

Why was I in bed?

Last night, Chester’s bird had flown into my room. I’d read the note… then collapsed on the floor.

I sat up.

“Nanny, did you move me to bed?”

“Pardon?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Had I crawled into bed myself without realizing it because the floor was too cold?

The nanny began setting up breakfast on the table.

“By the way… Nanny, did you see a bird in here?”

“A bird?”

She looked puzzled. So the bird must have flown away.

I searched around the room, but there was no sign of the note I’d read.

“Then… you didn’t see any paper lying around?”

“Paper? What kind of paper, Your Highness?”

“…Never mind. Maybe I was just dreaming.”

Was it really a dream?

I walked over to the table and started eating, one bite at a time.

“Your Highness, would you like to take a walk after breakfast?”

“I don’t feel like it.”

“Then perhaps an outing?”

“…Where to?”

“His Majesty said you may go anywhere you wish.”

“…Fine. Prepare for an outing.”

“Yes, Your Highness. A good choice.”

I set down my fork. I didn’t have much of an appetite anyway — perhaps going outside would help.

I’d been shut inside for so long. Maybe some fresh air would remind me that I was still alive — that I hadn’t died like in the original story.

“Somewhere quiet, with few people.”

“Understood.”

“And just simple clothes — nothing heavy.”

“I’ll have a carriage prepared without the royal crest.”

“Good.”

Once she left, I slowly walked to the window where the bird had come the night before.

There, lying by the sill, was a small feather.

I picked it up carefully and examined it closely. I was sure of it — it was from Chester’s carrier pigeon.

Proof that last night had not been a dream.

“…So it wasn’t a dream.”

But he said he missed me. He said he loved me. So why didn’t he come today?

Was it because I’d told him not to — and he actually listened?

“Your Highness, I brought a light yellow dress suitable for going out. Would that be all right?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

I changed into the lemon-colored dress, left my hair loose without any ornaments, and slipped into matching low-heeled shoes before stepping outside.

The carriage took me to the hill near the royal palace. I got off and began walking up slowly.

This was the place where, as a child, I’d once met that boy.

It was something that would’ve horrified my nanny, but I sat down on a tree branch.

“It’s been a long time.”

Closing my eyes, I let the drowsy calm wash over me.

The wind blew gently, making my hair dance across my cheek.

‘When I grow up, I’ll come for you.’

As that faint memory surfaced, a voice suddenly called from behind me.

“Your Highness, the Princess?”