《Feelings in a Dream》 Chapter 1 -Chapter 1- Prologue ¡°Yeah¡­ It¡¯s probably somewhere around here. Ah, found it!¡± After digging through several boxes in the attic, Lizen finally found the medicinal herb. It was the school supplies she needed for her Herbology class, but she forgot about it until late at night. She was at a loss as the neighbourhood herbalists were all closed, but it was at that moment that she thought of the attic. Although she had already passed, this attic was home to the items once owned by her Aunt Ruella, whom she lived with in the past. Ruella made a name for herself in the kingdom as a genius herbologist, but after developing numerous elixirs, she went crazy at a young age. Lizen, who was Ruella¡¯s only family, had been taking care of Ruella since she entered the Royal College. After Ruella¡¯s death in the year of her coming-of-age, she truly became alone. ¡°But there are all sorts of things¡­¡± Once she got the herb she was looking for, she noticed a lot of things. After coming of age, she began attending the Royal College, where a handful of elites working for the Royal Palace receive additional education. Now, after taking an incomparably high-quality Herbology class, she could finally understand just how valuable her aunt¡¯s belongings were. There were quite a few rare herbs, and many elixirs that had been aged for hundreds of years. ¡°¡­Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± Lizen forced herself to close the box, her eyes shining with curiosity. As she moved the box back to its original spot, a notebook fell out. Upon closer inspection of the notebook, she could make out Ruella¡¯s horrible handwriting from before she went crazy. ¡ª Transparent Reagent Ingredients: 100-year-old moonflowers, Parth¡¯s wing fragments, Torch¡¯s tooth, 500-year-old Cannolatin roots, 200g of Titan¡¯s claw powder, 4 lotus petals from Tarin¡¯s pond, 1L of lava from a dormant volcano Effect: Makes the human body transparent for 1 hour. Expected usages: camouflage, stealth, etc. Limitations: Physical mass is retained and cannot pass through walls or doors. ¡°Just how on earth did you develop this?¡± Initially, she was only going to read his aunt¡¯s handwriting for a while, but the more she looked through the notebook, the more mesmerised she was by the interesting contents. Almost all of them were far more advanced than existing herbology techniques. There were detailed recipes and instructions on how to make reagents that could bring repercussions beyond human comprehension. It wasn¡¯t for no reason that Ruella was nicknamed the greatest herbology genius in the history of the kingdom. In particular, Ruella had worked for the pharmacies of the Royal Institution, and developed elixirs for the purpose of the military and investigation. ¡°But, how do you get Parth¡¯s wings, and where do you get Titan¡¯s claw powder?¡± However, there wasn¡¯t much that could help Lizen now. That¡¯s because most of the herbs needed, required a ridiculously long time to ripen or were from creatures that were nowhere to be found. Some elixirs were even made from 2000-year-old dandelion roots. Lizen, who unknowingly began reading unrealistic recipes that were hard to manufacture, stopped at one particular page. ¡ª Dream Connecting Reagent Ingredients: 100g of butterfly sleeping flower, 200g of Tilda roots, a handful of Nagda¡¯s mud, 50g of Rata¡¯s claws, a strand of the contractor¡¯s hair Effect: Allows you to enter the dreams of someone who drank a reagent containing the contractor¡¯s hair. Memories are more vivid than normal dreams. Expected usages: Able to contact foreign spies without leaving behind evidence. Limitations: It is a one-time-use reagent, so for a lasting connection, you¡¯d have to continuously drink it. There are concerns of horrible side-effects when used by more than one person. ¡°Huh? Why are the ingredients to this so easy to gather?¡± No one else¡¯s house would have all these ingredients, but they were all in this attic except for Nagda¡¯s mud. For some reason, when Lizen searched through her memories, she recalled seeing Nagda¡¯s mud somewhere in the attic. She searched the attic as if she was possessed and finally found a dirty container of mud. ¡°I¡¯ve found Nagda¡¯s mud too¡­¡± She gulped. It only connects dreams once? She knew she shouldn¡¯t do it, but her heart raced. Ruella seemed to have developed this for military purposes, but¡­ If you think about it a little more romantically, doesn¡¯t it mean you can see the person you want in your dreams? Rizen pulled out one strand of her brown hair. All the ingredients were here. Furthermore, since no one knew about this reagent, she could keep it as her own secret even if she tries it out once. If she feeds it to Daniel tomorrow, she will be able to meet Daniel in her dreams. She took a deep breath, gathered the ingredients she needed and left the attic. She had prayed every night, hoping that she¡¯d appear in Daniel¡¯s dreams. Just once, Aunt, just once, I¡¯ll use your elixir in private. There¡¯s absolutely no chance it¡¯ll work out with Daniel anyway, so let me hold his hand for once, even if it¡¯s in a dream. That night, Lizen made a colourless, odourless reagent that was as clear as water and packed it in her bag. ¡°Daniel! Good job! Daniel!¡± Lizen gulped as she held a bottle of water in her hands while Ash¨¦ was jumping and cheering for Daniel. Daniel was in the middle of a sparring session with his blonde hair fluttering in the air. The third prince of the Kingdom of Ametan, Daniel Latanis Ametan III, was the longtime crush of Lizen. Lizen¡¯s best friend, Ash¨¦ Sainakara Ametan, was Daniel¡¯s younger sister of the same age. Lizen became close to the princess while attending Royal College and fell in love with her older brother, Daniel. ¡°Ahh! No! One more stab! Ah ah!¡± Daniel and Ash¨¦ were pretty close siblings, so conveniently, Lizen could stick to Ash¨¦¡¯s side whenever she went to find Daniel. However, it was clear that Lizen would never be able to confess to Daniel in her lifetime. This is because the majority of princes and princesses who aren¡¯t in the line of succession, have arranged marriages for diplomatic reasons. Daniel had already mentioned his engagement to the Imperial Princess, and Ash¨¦ was also getting married to one of the princes of Hanstim, a desert country. No matter how close you are as friends, the Royal Family is still the Royal Family. ¡°Ugh, I lost. I guess it¡¯s still too much to win against Kaiden.¡± Daniel¡¯s opponent was Kaiden, who didn¡¯t look tired at all compared to Daniel who was gasping for air. Seeing Kaiden with his short, dark hair help Daniel up, Lizen found the act rather cheeky. There wasn¡¯t a need to win in such a manner! Contrary to Daniel, who was always kind and friendly, Kaiden was blunt and difficult to get along with. Additionally, Kaiden and Lizen have been rivals since they were in Royal High School. They went back-and-forth between first and second place in school. Both of them wanted to work in the Bureau of Investigation, catching the attention of teachers and students alike. Lizen even heard that bets were going around to see who would become the Chief of the Bureau of Investigation. Now that college graduation is around the corner, it¡¯s time to start writing applications to decide which bureau to enter, so both Kaiden and Lizen¡¯s nerves were on high alert. Senior officers in the Bureau of Investigation are promoted quickly, Lizen didn¡¯t want to lose to her longtime rival, Kaiden. ¡°Lizen, he¡¯s becoming more and more like a monster. You¡¯ll have to work hard to be the Chief of the Bureau of Investigation.¡± Daniel snickered and approached Ash¨¦ and Lizen. While Ash¨¦ wiped Daniel¡¯s sweat, Lizen grabbed a bottle of water and drank nervously. Naturally, I have to tell him in a natural way¡­ That was when she reached out her hand as stiff as a machine and held out a bottle of water. ¡°Ah, Kaiden! What are you doing? Come here. You¡¯ve got to greet the audience.¡± Daniel called for his unsociable friend, Kaiden. Kaiden sheathed his sword and approached in a reluctant manner. ¡°D-Daniel, aren¡¯t you thirsty? Would you like to drink this?¡± ¡°Ah. Thank you, Lizen.¡± Daniel took the bottle from Lizen and opened the lid. Lizen¡¯s heart was racing. Now, she can meet Daniel in her dreams tonight. At least she can hold his hand and say ¡®I like you¡¯ in her dream. Perhaps his subconscious could even tell her what he thinks of her. It¡¯d be great if you could at least say I was pretty or smart¡­ Lizen gulped when at the same moment, Daniel casually said. ¡°Kaiden, you drink first.¡± Lizen¡¯s eyes widened at the unexpected development. Daniel handed the bottle over to his friend, Kaiden who was standing awkwardly. Before Lizen could do anything due to her embarrassment, Kaiden had already drank the water from the bottle Daniel handed to him. He refilled the bottle at the water dispenser before handing it back to Daniel. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you two? Is it because you¡¯re rivals?¡± Lizen, whose face had already turned white, couldn¡¯t bring herself to laugh at Daniel¡¯s joke. Kaiden pretended he had listened and answered brutely. ¡°What rival?¡± ¡°She¡¯s your rival.¡± Ash¨¦ replied as if she was having so much fun. ¡°Aren¡¯t you both after the Chief position of the Bureau of Investigation?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t exactly rivals as our electives are different.¡± ¡°Ehh, that¡¯s because of the gender difference, so it¡¯s inevitable. The rest of the criteria is the same, while the marks distribution is much higher.¡± Chapter 2 -Chapter 2- Lizen soon regained her composure. It was a one-time thing anyway. Kaiden would only appear in one night¡¯s dream. It wasn¡¯t anything serious, she just had to move on from it. Lizen entered the conversation with a nonchalant smile. ¡°I¡¯m just trying my best. What¡¯s the point of being rivals, if we¡¯re going to work as colleagues anyway?¡± She spoke like an angel because she was in front of Daniel, but inside, she was fuming with anger. If one were to repeatedly go back and forth between 1st and 2nd place, it¡¯s natural to become competitive. She had to become the Chief of the Bureau of Investigation to prove to people that she was better than Kaiden. Her heart was no different from that of Kaiden¡¯s, as her eyes glistened coldly. ¡°But, it¡¯s really unexpected. I thought Lizen would support the pharmaceutical empire.¡± Ash¨¦ nodded and repeated the story she had said at least a hundred times. ¡°You¡¯re really good at Herbology. You are Ruella¡¯s niece after all.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go crazy like my aunt.¡± Lizen shuddered and said. ¡°I¡¯ll clearly go crazy if I¡¯m alone in the lab all the time. I¡¯m good at sports and I¡¯m active, so the Bureau of Investigation fits better.¡± ¡°Wow, I¡¯m so curious as to who will be the top student. Why don¡¯t you two sparr in advance for us to see?¡± Daniel laughed playfully. When Daniel laughed, his blue eyes bent into a half moon shape, creating a beautiful curve. Lizen looked at Daniel¡¯s pale white face, fluttering blond hair and sparkling blue eyes, as if she was dreaming for a moment. Yes, today I¡¯ll just dream about Kaiden and then I¡¯ll try again tomorrow¡­ ¡°Why do you want to see the showdown of the century so soon? Ash¨¦ poked Daniel in the side and said. ¡°Neither of them will show their final move anyway.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so excited. I really don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I side with Lizen! I want Lizen to win!¡± ¡°Kaiden¡¯s like a monster. It¡¯ll be hard to win.¡± While the brother and sister duo were chatting away, Lizen and Kaiden remained silent. After all, it is only while being in the Royal College that they can laugh like that. After graduation, both Lizen and Kaiden will become employees of an affiliated institution that is loyal to the Royal Family. That night, Lizen was definitely going to dream of Kaiden, so she thought she wouldn¡¯t be able to fall asleep but to her dismay, as soon as she put her head on her pillow, she fell asleep. Her consciousness was getting fuzzy. She was unsure how much she drifted between consciousness and unconsciousness. When she came to her senses, she was at the sparring field she was in earlier in the afternoon. Kaiden was training. ¡®Woah, is this guy training in his dreams? What a tenacious guy.¡¯ Because it¡¯s a dream, the sparring field was strangely distorted from reality. According to her aunt¡¯s additional explanation, the space in the dream is entirely dependent on the unconscious mind of the person who drank the reagent. ¡®What techniques are you using? I will also prepare for the comprehensive exam.¡¯ Lizen sat down carefully in a corner of the training ground. There is a 1:1 competition in the comprehensive exam. This was because combat ability was naturally important due to the nature of the Bureau of Investigation. Due to the gender difference, Lizen could use magic, which was an optional subject, but at the same time, she needed to monitor Kaiden¡¯s movement as magic could not deliver the final blow in a 1:1 competition. ¡®Mmm¡­ Well done. There aren¡¯t any unnecessary movements.¡¯ She was watching Kaiden¡¯s movements avidly when Kaiden¡¯s dark eyes abruptly turned to look at her. Lizen, who made eye contact with him, was startled. ¡°Ah, Kaiden.¡± Lizen blinked and took a deep breath. It¡¯s okay, that¡¯s not Kaiden, that¡¯s his consciousness, it¡¯s just one night¡¯s dream anyway. Just act as natural as possible. Looking at her clumsy smile, he asked with a blank face. ¡°Lizen Hakart, what¡¯s going on here?¡± Wow, even in my dreams he¡¯s brutal. Lizen rolled her eyes and answered quickly. ¡°Sparring!¡± It¡¯s a little underhanded. I don¡¯t really participate in battles in fear that my killer moves would be exposed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to spar?¡± She was only ever active and outspoken when she wasn¡¯t around Daniel. Looking at Lizen smiling brightly, in his dream, Kaiden paused to think for a moment. ¡°Alright.¡± In the blink of an eye, the space was distorted. It seemed to be because they were in Kaiden¡¯s dream. Dreams change in an absurd manner depending on one¡¯s subconscious. Lizen shook her head in a moment of dizziness. ¡°H-Here¡­¡± It was a classroom. She wasn¡¯t sure why he¡¯d thought of it, but it was Kaiden¡¯s dream anyway. Before she knew it, her clothes had changed into that of her school uniform. Undoing one of the top buttons of her blouse, Lizen climbed onto the desk and clenched her fists. Kaiden was also in a fighting stance, preparing to fight with his bare hands. ¡®That¡¯s too much. There¡¯s nothing I can do about being a woman.¡¯ When a man and a woman compete against each other, the original rule allows the woman to use an extra sub-major to compensate for gender-specific physical disparities. In her case, she chose magic. However, seeing that she couldn¡¯t feel any magic, it was clear that magic couldn¡¯t be used in the dream. Then, the result was obvious. Of course, it is a fight against Kaiden. Still, it certainly would help to have a pure fistfight. Lizen kicked off the desk first and kicked Kaiden in the chest with her foot. ¡°Haa!¡± Kaiden¡¯s chest didn¡¯t move an inch, instead, he grabbed her shoulder in an instant and slammed it down into the chair. She turned around and jumped, standing on another desk. Even though it¡¯s a dream, she was quivering. She leapt incessantly and kicked hard, aiming at Kaiden¡¯s face. Kaiden dodged it easily, and shoved his fist into Lizen¡¯s stomach, which she managed to slightly dodge from. She was about to give a second blow to the jaw, when he conveniently stopped her. ¡°Ack!¡± Her foot was caught by Kaiden¡¯s foot. She turned for a moment, but her neck was still firmly held by Kaiden¡¯s arm. Kaiden kicked down one of the desks and sat on a chair. Once subdued, she could no longer beat the strength of a man. She struggled as if being hugged by Kaiden, who was sitting on the chair. One arm was wrapped around Kaiden¡¯s neck, the other was completely restrained and both legs were held by Kaiden¡¯s firm legs. ¡°Surrender.¡± His low voice rang in her ears. She struggled and grinded her teeth. ¡°Never.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just admit defeat? Even if you¡¯re on par with me for everything else, hand-to-hand combat just isn¡¯t it.¡± Lizen snorted her nose in anger. Yes, that was the truth. Those eyes that for some reason were ignoring me, had a kind of meaning to them. No matter how many times she ranked first in the women¡¯s competition at Royal College, Lizen was annoyed at the thought of his expression, for he didn¡¯t bat an eye at all. ¡°If I used magic, the results would be different!¡± ¡°You think it¡¯ll be different?¡± He laughed out loud. He loosened his right hand that was holding onto Lizen¡¯s shoulder and laughed as if he were making fun of her. ¡°I can hold you down like this with just one hand though?¡± His left arm completely encircled her arms and torso. She was so angry that she was on the verge of tears. She didn¡¯t expect to be overpowered this easily. She knew she was going to lose, but she didn¡¯t expect the fight to end so easily. She still had overwhelming physical skills compared to other women, and she easily won some battles with other men. Hence, she thought she¡¯d do pretty well¡­ ¡°Why don¡¯t you just admit defeat, Lizen Hakart.¡± ¡°No!¡± Lizen twisted her body with all her might. Still, he didn¡¯t budge. His hard chest was like that of a wall, refusing to move even an inch. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± ¡°How funny, I¡¯m not giving up.¡± ¡°Really¡­ Don¡¯t move. I can¡¯t stand it.¡± Lizen was startled by Kaiden¡¯s voice which seemed to have been locked up, and stopped moving. She didn¡¯t know because she was busy struggling, but his body was heating up. Also, she felt something under her buttocks. Lizen blushed. Since she was still a student and had no experience in dating, Lizen had no experience with men. And the same went for Kaiden. As long as one attended Royal College, dating and having relationships were prohibited so as to save energy. However, their current situation could be seen in books that the girls had read. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t stand it.¡± His lips touched her neck. Lizen was startled at the first touch of a man¡¯s lips. Suddenly, she felt a heavy pain and a hot breath on her neck, and a moan escaped. With his free right hand, he unbuttoned her uniform, button by button. Lizen struggled again, but still couldn¡¯t move because of his immense strength. In the classroom, sitting in a chair, she was stuck in that state! All the buttons on her blouse were unbuttoned, as his right hand moved towards her muscular stomach. Twenty-two is a great age. He had forced himself to endure all his desires so that he could take the elite course of the Royal Palace, but in fact, he did have a lot of dreams of women. However, Lizen was very embarrassed for she never expected that Kaiden¡¯s subconscious would approach her like this in private. She throbbed as her hands were still tied down. His hand slipped into her blouse and into her bra. ¡°No! Ah, no!¡± Her upper body was almost completely naked as her bra rose. Her blouse came loose, and her underwear humiliatingly raised. His tongue now swelled up and licked her tingling neck. Lizen was startled by the first sensation. And when his hand grasped her breasts, she clenched her teeth and moaned. ¡°Ah¡­ Don¡¯t do this¡­¡± She felt a tingling pain on her shoulder, in the area that his lips had bitten. Kaiden looked at his traces, which weren¡¯t red but instead purple, and then made eye contact with her, who managed to turn her head to look at him. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t like this?¡± Chapter 3 -Chapter 3- ¡°¡­You don¡¯t like this?¡± Kaiden¡¯s black eyes stared intently at Lizen. Lizen¡¯s tied hair had already unfastened and fell loosely. She gulped. She knew Daniel had always been handsome, however, she¡¯d never taken a close look at him. But looking at him up close, she noticed his really deep eyes and his rather high nose bridge. If Daniel is feminine and pretty, Kaiden is really manly, with thick lines and good looks. Even as Lizen was looking at him, his hands were fondling her breasts. He grasped them greedily, massaged them preciously and gently stroked the center of her chest. ¡°Ah!¡± She had almost got up, but couldn¡¯t move again because of his legs¡¯ tight grip on her. This was something unimaginable coming from Kaiden, who only showed a cold side of himself every day and was immersed in studying or training. Besides, this was a classroom where they had their classes together every day. To do such a thing in a place like this! His two legs were tightly wrapped around hers. He swung her legs open. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Relax¡± He placed his lips on her bare shoulder and spoke listlessly. Her legs stretched helplessly out of the chair and her skirt rose up her thighs. His hands slowly slipped into her skirt and up her thighs. ¡°N-Not there¡­ Ah, please¡­¡± [Rinnnnnnng! Wake up! Wake up!] Lizen jerked wide awake and sat up. She realised what happened in her dream. Her face was hot as she blinked, unable to tell if it was a dream or reality. She was now in her bedroom and not the classroom. She hurriedly took off her pyjamas and checked her right shoulder. Her shoulder, where a scar should¡¯ve been left behind by his lips in the dream, was white and smooth like a lie. Everything was a dream. ¡°H-How¡­¡± She was on the verge of crying as she pressed the alarm clock. ¡°How am I supposed to face Kaiden today¡­¡± ¡°You have till the end of next week to write down your choice of department from 1st to 3rd choice. Department assignments are announced on the 1st day of next month and the graduation ceremony is held on the 2nd. Next week is the comprehensive exam week, so study hard. That¡¯s it.¡° Hearing the teaching assistant¡¯s words of guidance, Kaiden began slowly packing his books into his bag. Last night¡¯s dream was so vivid that it remained as an afterimage all day. Since men were selected as royal talents at the age where they marry and have children, yet have to practice abstinence, it was natural to occasionally have dreams about women. However, it was the first time that such a specific and detailed person had appeared in his dreams. He had fixed his attention on the book, in an attempt to avoid eye-contact with the brown-haired girl in front of him. How could Lizen Hakart appear in my dreams? And in this classroom, in this chair, we did something really embarrassing. As it was a dream, there was no way Kaiden had any real memories of what happened. When he opened his eyes, all he could remember was a very vivid dream. The dream was so realistic, that he snuck a peek at Lizen¡¯s right shoulder at the cafeteria, but the mark that he made wasn¡¯t there. Lizen was a rather good girl with a pretty cute face and lively personality. A talented person competing against him for the top spot, but he hadn¡¯t thought of her that way since they were rivals. Besides, he could easily tell that Lizen likes his best friend, Daniel. To some extent, Daniel knows about it as well, but there were so many women around him that he didn¡¯t seem to care at all. Either way, his fiance had long been chosen. ¡°Lizen, Lizen. What are you going to pick?¡± Of course, Lizen and Ash¨¦ were sitting in the front row. That¡¯s because Ash¨¦ begged to sit near Daniel. Their conversation was being overheard without them even knowing. ¡°Your first choice is certainly the Bureau of Investigation. I don¡¯t know about the top spot, but you¡¯ll definitely get in. What are your 2nd and 3rd choices?¡± ¡±My 2nd choice is the Bureau of Information and 3rd is Medicine.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll enter the Bureau of Investigation anyway, so it¡¯s pointless, but you really aren¡¯t going to put Herbology as one of your choices?¡± At Royal High School, outstanding students receive additional education and are assigned to an institution of the Kingdom directly. Therefore, all the students of Royal Magic College now have to apply for the institution of their choice in order of their grades, but Lizen and Kaiden were 1st and 2nd place so they¡¯d enter their first choice anyway. ¡°Even though you got such good grades for Herbology?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t use it. I like to move my body. If I stay locked up doing research, I might go crazy like my aunt.¡± He¡¯d never thought that he¡¯d be so conscious of her after seeing her in his dreams just once. Fortunately, there weren¡¯t any strange encounters with Lizen. Usually, he would¡¯ve met her once or twice while hanging with Daniel, but today, even if they sat in front of him, he had his eyes glued to his books. ¡°What about you Ash¨¦¡­ are you going to get married after graduation?¡± ¡°Well, of course. I just hope it¡¯s not a royal family. I really want to go to the Bureau of Herbology. I just wish to live an ordinary life, doing what I want, in the nation I was born in.¡± Ash¨¦ sighed and muttered. The fate of royals that aren¡¯t in the line of succession is an arranged marriage. Daniel, who was sitting next to her, and rummaging through a book, was in the same situation. Although Daniel is the third prince and comes from the main line of descent, he cannot be considered as a possible successor to the throne. Ash¨¦ was in a worse situation for she had to marry off into another country. The current King initially had a queen and two concubines. From the main line of descent, the children who were born from the Queen are the first prince, William, and the third prince, Daniel. Then, the Queen died, and Tessti, who was originally a concubine, rose up the ranks. Her son is the second prince, Reuben. And the daughter of the other concubine, who had been living quietly without much greed, is Ash¨¦, who is the same age as Daniel. Members of the Royal Family attend Royal High School and Royal Magic College like ordinary students for the sake of future networking and exchanges with the elites, but after graduation, they are to only be addressed as royal princes and princesses. They may be close friends now, but in half a year, they¡¯ll only have a ruler-subject relationship. William was almost certain to succeed the throne, for he is healthy, kind-hearted, the first-born son and of the main line of descent. Neither Daniel nor Ash¨¦ had any doubts regarding the fact that they were being used as diplomatic tools in their arranged marriage. Which is why even though Lizen looks at Daniel with those eyes, she can¡¯t express her love for him. Kaiden¡¯s eyes turned towards Lizen¡¯s right shoulder again. Compared to yesterday¡¯s dream, it was white and smooth. He recalled the afterimage of last night, where his lips buried into her long fair neck, imparting a purple bruise, leaving a heavy feeling in his stomach. ¡°Kaiden, let¡¯s go.¡± Daniel tapped him and said. ¡°Ah, wait a minute. I just want to confirm one thing.¡± He hesitated, busily flipping through his books. Next to him, Ash¨¦ and Lizen passed by. Looking at Lizen¡¯s uniform skirt reminded him of when his right hand slipped into it, so he didn¡¯t raise his head. That evening, Lizen was studying in the library. The comprehensive exam was next week. Of course she would enter the Bureau of Investigation anyway, but she wanted to enter as the top scorer. Besides, her biggest competitor is Kaiden. He was boasting in the dream last night that she wouldn¡¯t be able to beat him. He¡¯ll have a harder time beating her this time, as she¡¯d be able to use magic for their sparring match. As she recalled her dream, her face reddened like that of a radish. Why did I have such a weird dream! As Kaiden thought it was a dream, he seemed to act unconsciously. What¡¯s worse was that she had a vivid memory of Kaiden¡¯s face which she couldn¡¯t bear to see properly. Lizen tried to divert her attention to other matters but eventually failed to. She didn¡¯t know if she was in her right mind. She just wanted to meet Daniel in a place other than reality. Lizen liked Daniel not because he was a prince. Rather, she wished that he were an ordinary man and not a prince. Even if he didn¡¯t enter the Royal College due to poor grades she would¡¯ve still liked him. If she got into the institute of her choice, she would have a high salary, enough to support both their daily needs. But, the fiance of a prince had already been decided. Of course, even if he had never met his fiance, it was enough reason for her to hide her feelings for him. In principle, only the heirs of the royal family are allowed to marry a domestic woman. Having a lover in the country is also implied as an open rebellion against the throne. She also knows that Daniel has no feelings for her. He is kind and friendly but it is just manners he bestows on all people as a prince. She never even had the desire to become a member of the Royal Family. it¡¯s just that she hasn¡¯t been able to calm down the feelings of her heart yet. She will be loyal to the Bureau of Investigation, an institution directly under the Royal Palace, and then she would be able to work for Daniel. She got up, her mind heavy with thoughts. She didn¡¯t feel like studying anymore. It would be better to do some physical training. Chapter 4 -Chapter 4- ¡°Your time to use this place has finished.¡± Kaiden was hitting a punching bag in the training room as he raised his head. Lizen, dressed in her sportswear with her hair tied up high, stood in front of the door with her arms folded. The personal use of the training room was two hours, but usually, no one came late at night so Kaiden would come in the evening and work out as much as possible. ¡°So I¡¯ll use it now.¡± Lizen said sternly. Kaiden¡¯s best friend was Daniel, and Lizen¡¯s Ash¨¦. Daniel and Ash¨¦ were close siblings. As a result, the four of them were sometimes together, but Lizen and Kaiden never became close with each other. It was entirely Kaiden¡¯s issue as he wasn¡¯t close with anyone besides Daniel. Perhaps it was worth thinking that his dreams were just dreams all day, or maybe it was because he had overworked himself while exercising all day. But as the evening came to an end, Kaiden was able to treat Lizen casually. ¡°You can just use the room next door.¡± ¡°This is the only place with sandbags.¡± Without uttering a word, Kaiden packed up his things and moved to the next room. This is because Lizen was right based on the regulations. However, all the fitness rooms were made of glass walls, so they could see each other exercising even if they weren¡¯t conscious of it. He grabbed a sword and hit a wooden doll before glancing at Lizen, who was hitting the sandbag in the next room. It was her first time coming to the fitness centre at this time, so it was his first time seeing her train. As he watched her punches and kicks, he bit his lips as it reminded him of his dream last night where he was fighting with her. In the meantime, Lizen wasn¡¯t feeling comfortable either. She was very concerned that the person she usually wouldn¡¯t care about, as if he were just like cows and chickens*, had appeared once in her dream. *TL/N: idiom that basically means the person doesn¡¯t care Looking at Kaiden¡¯s back, as he wielded a sword, she dazed at the thought of his broad shoulders causing her posture to be disturbed. She never thought that he¡¯d be in the training room at this time. Besides, why were there only the two of them again¡­ Thinking of Daniel, she managed to make up her mind. They, who were conscious of each other the entire time while training, met again at the only sink in the training room. Drenched in sweat, both of them slowly drank water. Lizen had intended to pass by without saying a word, but she cleared her throat because it seemed too unnatural for some reason. She hated to show that she knew what was happening in her dreams even if she died. It¡¯s so natural that their classmates don¡¯t say anything because it¡¯s funny. In addition, she had a lively personality and didn¡¯t mind talking to others. She chose her words carefully and gently started a conversation. ¡°Kaiden, you still wish to be in the Bureau of Investigation, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± In fact, it was such a pointless question. That was because it was a fact known by all students. Lizen responded slightly awkwardly to Kaiden¡¯s short answer. ¡°I see. My first choice is also the Bureau of Investigation.¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯ve heard it from Daniel.¡± Lizen took another sip of water and felt awkward for she had nothing to say. There was a reason why she couldn¡¯t get close to Kaiden. He didn¡¯t like to continue the conversation. He didn¡¯t even look her in the eye. He thought it was just a strange dream and had already forgotten it. He seemed more indifferent about initiating a conversation than usual, and for that, Lizen was relieved. ¡°It¡¯s nice to come to the training room late at night. It¡¯s secluded, comfortable, and quiet. Do you come at this hour every day? ¡°Almost every day.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t see you in the library. Then, when do you study? It was a question to keep him in check, but Kaiden didn¡¯t seem to care much about it. ¡°When you have time.¡± I remember the contents of the book after a few days, but exercise is different day by day.¡± But she had no luck. Every day is different if you don¡¯t look at the contents of the book. Lizen narrowed her eyes and drank all the water from her bottle. ¡°Then, work hard.¡± Lizen was smiling and about to turn around when Kaiden¡¯s low voice was heard. ¡°Lizen.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°If you go to the Bureau of Investigation, you¡¯ll have to see all sorts of things, so why did you apply there when the application rate of women is so low?¡± Lizen frowned at Kaiden¡¯s words. Since Lizen¡¯s aunt, Ruella, was a great talent in herbology, everyone recommended Lizen to the Bureau of Herbology. Lizen¡¯s herbology grades in her first year were exceptional, and women usually applied a lot to the Bureau of Herbology and Administration. However, no one stopped her when she said she would apply for the Bureau of Investigation. This was because she has excellent physical strength, was rather good at magic, active and daring. ¡°Just because I¡¯m a woman doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t handle seeing all sorts of things.¡± Lizen raised her eyebrows. ¡°Why? Do you think that if we work together, I¡¯ll be a burden to you?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Kaiden muttered without a change in his expression. ¡°There¡¯s no way a person who works as hard as yourself will be a burden to someone.¡± ¡°You say that as if you¡¯re not hardworking yourself.¡± Lizen, who had already lost her sense of sarcasm, responded back. ¡°Whether it¡¯s you or me, we both have similar grades.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hardworking though.¡± Kaiden grinned. ¡°I work out because I like moving my body, and my grades still come out great even if I don¡¯t work hard.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so irritating.¡± Lizen punched him on the shoulder. She narrowed her eyes, stood on her tiptoes, and looked up at him. Kaiden¡¯s black eyes were filled with her appearance. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the general exam. You know that only those who applied for the Bureau of Investigation are fighting, right? I¡¯ll do my best to survive and beat you then. Look forward to it!¡± Lizen¡¯s response was bold and lively. She rolled her eyes and headed back to the training room. Kaiden unknowingly looked at Lizen¡¯s high ponytail and sweaty tracksuit. Usually, she was just a pretty girl with a good personality and likes Daniel, and is in a rivalry relationship with himself. Perhaps it¡¯s because he had a strange dream, but he couldn¡¯t help but pay extra attention to her. ¡°Ha! Hyaa!¡± Upon arriving at the training room, Kaiden turned to look at Lizen, hitting the sandbag with much strength. How could so much energy come out of that tiny body? ¡°Right.¡± Kaiden muttered unknowingly. ¡°See you at the general exam battle.¡± Having not heard his murmur, Lizen exercised until she collapsed from exhaustion, then trudged back home. After Ruella¡¯s death, she spent most of her time in the school library or training centre. As soon as she got home, she washed up and fell asleep as soon as she entered her bedroom. Without a second thought, she lay in bed and fell asleep in an instant. Lizen stood alone in a place she had never seen before. There was a wide field, and a shining blue lake was seen in the distance. It didn¡¯t seem to be Ameniti, the capital of the Ametan Kingdom. When she looked around, she was surrounded by mountains, and in the distance, sheep meekly gathered and grazed. She walked around aimlessly. The pavement was pretty and the air was good, so it was like a picnic. The trail that Lizen walked on led to a sunny hillside. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now.¡± She could see someone¡¯s back. Lizen blinked. A strangely low voice was heard. A black-haired boy was sitting on his knees in front of two tombs. Lizen secretly sneaked up behind the boy. There was a tombstone in front of an old-fashioned tomb, although it wasn¡¯t glamorous. [Albert Ruth, Nation¡¯s Prestige 2132.10.10-2170.04.05] [Natalie Ruth, Nation¡¯s Prestige 2135.02.24-2170.04.05] Ruth was Kaiden¡¯s last name. Lizen approached the dark-haired boy with a large sword behind his back, staring at the cemetery without an expression. She glanced at his face. He looked much younger than his usual self, but he was definitely Kaiden. ¡°Please watch over me. I will certainly get into the Bureau of Investigation.¡± Lizen bit her lip. She heard that Kaiden had an older brother and that he had inherited the land. When she heard that, she naturally assumed that their parents had passed away. The cemetery must¡¯ve belonged to Kaiden¡¯s parents, who were the Lord and Lady of the Ruth territory. ¡°I¡¯ll find out everything.¡± Kaiden put a flower in front of the cemetery and carefully placed a piece of parchment. It was a graduation certificate from the Royal High School. If so, the Kaiden before her was 17 years old. Five years ago or even before that , he was already much taller than Lizen and had little to no facial expression. After staring at the tombstone for a while, he turned his head to the side and saw Lizen. ¡°Lizen?¡± She saw the tears flowing in his eyes. Lizen unconsciously raised her hands and gently wiped away his tears. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Lizen asked with some hesitation. Kaiden did not answer anything. Seventeen is younger than when she lost her aunt. Lizen slowly said, looking at his expressionless face, pressing down all kinds of emotions. ¡°I too¡­ Lost my aunt who was like a mother to me.¡± Kaiden glanced at her. ¡°Even if the world seems like it¡¯s collapsing¡­ Even if you¡¯re really suffering from a sense of loss every day, you have to continue living.¡± Lizen spoke slowly when she saw the deep sadness on Kaiden¡¯s face. She felt so bad for him. He was only seventeen and he lost his parents, looking so sad as if he had lost the world. She hugged him, who was taller than her, and patted him on the back. ¡°You¡¯ll definitely go to Ameniti and make good friends, and you¡¯ll also enter the Bureau of Investigation.¡± Kaiden closed her eyes upon receiving her hug, then slowly reached out and wrapped a hand around her back. His hand stroking her hair felt good. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Chapter 5 -Chapter 5- He buried his head in her neck for a while, then he raised his hands and wrapped them round her face. His hands were so big that her cheeks were cupped in one swoop. Then, their eyes met. Lizen¡¯s heart was beating fast. Why does he look like an adult at the age of 17? ¡°Lizen.¡± His face slowly approached her¡¯s. She couldn¡¯t move, as if she were nailed down. She could even feel the touch of his warm breath on her skin. A pleasant wind blew in the field, and Kaiden¡¯s lips brushed on her forehead very slowly. Feeling his lips pressed against her forehead, she closed her eyes. Upon receiving his adoring kiss, as he seemed to treat her as if she were the most precious thing in the world, her entire body felt sluggish and she wrapped her hands tighter around his back. [Rinnng! Wake up! Wake up!] Lizen jumped out of bed and sat down. For a brief moment, she was confused between reality and dream and blinked blankly. She bit her lips and held her head with both hands. Kaiden appeared in her dream again. It was definitely mentioned that the elixir only had a one-time effect. ¡°¡­Did¡­ Did Kaiden just show up in my dreams? My memory of last night is so clear¡­¡± Was it just a dream? It¡¯s probably just a dream, right? She struggled to get up, forcing herself to overcome the overwhelming sense of foreshadowing. The first time she met Daniel was when she was 13. Ruella, her aunt who worked at the Bureau of Herbology, was in charge of the Herbology education of the young royals. The Royal Family has to be wary of drug poisoning, so the young royals were educated about drugs and elixirs from an early age. The children whom Ruella was teaching at the palace were the same age as Lizen. Ruella once dressed Lizen up fancifully and took her to the Royal Palace. Contrary to Ash¨¦¡¯s slightly coquettish attitude, Daniel has been kind ever since he first met Lizen, who was a little timid. Lizen quickly fell head over heels for the prince with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing luxurious clothes, like in a fairytale. Once, when she fell while walking in the garden, Daniel even helped her up. Since then, while attending school, Lizen became bored of the other boys her age. After all, a kind prince with blond hair and blue eyes, who¡¯s the same age as her and wears luxurious clothes, lives in the Royal Palace! After that memory, Lizen met Daniel and Ash¨¦ for the first time when they were 17 years old at the Royal Academy. As she became close to Ash¨¦, she naturally bumped into Daniel. The prince, who used to seem distant when they were kids, now wore the same uniform as her and took the same classes. He was called ¡®Prince¡¯ regularly, but there was a regulation to address him by name and treat him like other classmates as long as he attended school with them. ¡°H-How¡­ Your Highness¡­¡± Seventeen-year-old Daniel smiled and closed the distance between his face and the hesitant Lizen. ¡°Daniel. Da. Ni. El.¡± ¡°Uh uh¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up and say it.¡± Lizen rolled her eyes and replied with a smile. ¡°Daniel, let¡¯s get along well.¡± ¡°Alright, Lizen.¡± Daniel stroked her brown hair once and ran away, saying he was playing basketball with his friends. Looking at Daniel¡¯s back, Lizen knew that her unrequited love had begun. The prince, whom she had admired from a young age as she found him different from other boys, was now her classmate. How could she possibly not fall head over heels for him? Either way, students from both Royal High School and Royal College were prohibited from dating unconditionally. So, there was no room for such thoughts, but when she saw Daniel, her heart fluttered. It¡¯s been five years since then. For five years, she had liked him without anyone else knowing. It was inevitable for her eyes and heart to fall in his direction. But in recent days, she often thought about Kaiden, because he kept appearing in her dreams. Next to her, as she was walking quietly while thinking of her dream the previous night, Ash¨¦ suddenly gasped and stopped walking. ¡°Oh no! I forgot to turn in my law assignment.¡± They were on their way to the dining hall. ¡°Hurry up and go. I¡¯ll save you a seat at the dining hall. Give me your bag, too. Come back quickly.¡± ¡°Thanks! I¡¯ll be back soon¡±. Ash¨¦ took out a file, left her bag with Lizen and ran like an arrow, disappearing into the end of the hallway. Lizen began trudging towards the dining hall with two bags in hand. All day long, she¡¯d been busy thinking about why she¡¯d dreamed of Kaiden. Was it really just a meaningless dream? As she was heading towards the dining hall, someone suddenly grabbed Ash¨¦¡¯s bag. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this Ash¨¦¡¯s bag?¡±¡± Her face seemed to be turning red. It was Daniel. He grinned as he picked up Ashe¡¯s bag. His white and elegant face smiled brightly. ¡°I¡¯ll carry it since it¡¯s heavy. Are you going to the dining hall?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Behind him, Kaiden stood with an indifferent face. She replied, trying not to look at Kaiden¡¯s face as much as possible. ¡°Ash¨¦ went to turn in her homework. She¡¯ll arrive at the dining hall soon.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s go together. We¡¯re on our way there, too.¡± ¡°Should we? There¡¯ll be a lot of people at the dining hall today. They said today¡¯s dessert is apple pudding and five types at that!¡± When Lizen stretched her fingers and spoke in an excited voice, Daniel laughed. She gazed at Daniel¡¯s smile as if she were possessed, and smiled to herself. All this while, Kaiden was observing her reddened face. ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t we run there? If we want to eat all five types of apple pudding, then we should probably leave early.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay! Ash¨¦¡¯s going to be late too anyways.¡± ¡°Then go stand in line with Kaiden first.¡± Daniel said sweetly. ¡°I¡¯ll go buy the meal tickets.¡± Lizen looked at his back for a long time. If one has unrequited love, they¡¯d often look at the back of their crush¡¯s head. Looking at the back is the only way to not get caught. One can repeatedly see it until one starts to miss it. He was friendly to everyone and nice to Lizen. Being a prince, she assumed that he¡¯d have an overbearing attitude. However, he was a person who was considerate of others. In fact, Lizen had already purchased a large number of meal tickets a month ago, but she was planning to keep the meal tickets Daniel bought for her by exchanging them slightly. She looked at the floor alone and smiled without realising it, as her mind seemed to fly away with the absence of the weight of Ash¨¦¡¯s bag. ¡°¡­It would be better if you gave up.¡± A low voice was heard. It was Kaiden. Kaiden must¡¯ve had the same dream, but he looked calmer than her. ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to get married next year.¡± ¡°W-W-Wha-What are you talking about?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not stupid, you should know.¡± Lizen swallowed dry saliva. Kaiden continued in a sullen tone. ¡°Make up your mind. It will only hurt your feelings.¡± Lizen shot glares at him. She indeed likes Daniel, and she also knows that he has a fiancee. This is why she didn¡¯t tell her best friend Ash¨¦ either. Kaiden sighed as he saw Lizen¡¯s expression. The embarrassing dream no longer came to mind. That¡¯s because the weight of reality was incomparably heavy. ¡°That guy has a fiancee, and since he has no interest in the throne, he won¡¯t take a lover either.¡± ¡°¡­I know.¡± ¡°If you know, then give up. He¡¯s not a guy worth loving to the point your eyes turn inside out.¡± ¡°What do you mean give up? It¡¯s not like I was going to try anything. Daniel doesn¡¯t even like me anyways.¡± ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡± ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m going to do nothing.¡± Seeing Kaiden¡¯s confused expression, Lizen quickly replied in frustration. ¡°What can I do when I just like him? What can I do when my heart doesn¡¯t want to give up? I just like him. It¡¯s not wrong to keep these feelings to myself. I won¡¯t do things to burden Daniel or become greedy. I¡¯m just- I¡¯m just going to treasure these feelings that¡¯s all. ¡°¡­Just treasure them?¡± I¡¯m fortunate enough to develop feelings for someone. I¡¯m satisfied by just spending my school years with Daniel. After graduation, when he disappears from my sight, we¡¯ll eventually grow apart, and I¡¯ll like other people too. Until then, I will remember and embrace this unrequited love. It¡¯s my personal feelings, it doesn¡¯t concern Daniel, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Kaiden was about to say something but shut his mouth when he saw Ash¨¦ running towards them. Seeing Lizen listening to Ash¨¦¡¯s story, who was recounting how she barely made the deadline for her assignment, he was just thinking about how he couldn¡¯t understand it. You¡¯re just going to treasure those feelings? It¡¯s your own business? Daniel¡¯s personal feelings don¡¯t matter? If you like him, of course, you¡¯d want to be with him. If you can¡¯t do that due to circumstances, wouldn¡¯t it be better to just give up? However, if it¡¯s Lizen, Lizen Hakart, who works hard in everything, she could have a crush like that. An unrequited love where she never shows her feelings to the other person and does her best in the shadows. From afar, Daniel approached with a bright smile. ¡°Lizen, you¡¯re going to the library again today?¡± After school, Ash¨¦ said while organising her bag in the classroom, that she, Ash¨¦, the Royal Princess, will not take the general exam because she will not be assigned to a department, so Lizen would almost always remain alone and study in the library. ¡°Take it easy. I¡¯m going to let loose once I¡¯m the top scorer.¡± ¡°After next week, I¡¯ll play harder than anyone else. You¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°I met Professor Saphael on my way to turn in my assignment earlier. The professor looked very disappointed.¡± Saphael was a researcher at the Bureau of Herbology and a Professor of Herbology at the Royal College of Magic. ¡°Not one out of the top five people who received A+ in their Herbology grades wants to become herbologists. They were flustered because this was the first time such an incident happened.¡± Chapter 6 ¨C Chapter 6 ¨C ¡°Five people? First is me, second is you, third is Kaiden, fourth is Eugene, and fifth is Daniel? Kaiden and I are applying to the Bureau of Investigation, you and Daniel are both royals so there¡¯s nothing that can be done about that, and I heard Eugene is applying to the Bureau of Administration. I think it really will be like that.¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s my first time in such a situation.¡± There¡¯s been a lot of chatter among students about their choice of department, but that didn¡¯t faze Lizen at all since she¡¯d already made up her mind about her choice ages ago. In particular, there were many cases of students with mid-range grades trying to secretly dig for information on the first choice of the top students. Professors from each department were also involved in the chaos as they were busy trying to get the outstanding students to join their department. As expected, Lizen also received her first offer from Professor Saphael to join the Bureau of Herbology. That was because she¡¯s the only niece of the reputable genius of the Bureau of Herbology, Ruella, and also because she had great talent in Herbology. However, she wasn¡¯t as talented as her aunt. ¡°Then, let¡¯s study hard today as well!¡± After watching Ash¨¦ disappear as she waved her hand, Lizen found herself a seat in the library. Once she sat down, she quickly finished her assignments, then slowly got up and headed on her way. There was something she had been wondering about all day. She strode across the library and entered the general archives, where there was no one but herself. ¡°Year 2170¡­ Year 2170¡­¡± The dream she had was so vivid that she couldn¡¯t get it off her mind all day long. It was also awkward and uncomfortable for her to dream of Kaiden two days in a row. She combed through the death registers, in search of the year 2170. ¡°¡±Here it is.¡± The records of the year 2170 were overwhelmingly thicker than those of other years. She coughed upon inhaling the accumulated dust and flipped through the pages one by one. ¡°5th April¡­ Oh?¡± Her pupils, which stopped on 5th April 2170, shook. On 5th April, a shockingly large number of people were listed. It was a list of only those who had the title of Lord or higher, so there were two or three people a day at most, but on 5th April, that number exceeded 100. ¡°Oh, this day¡­¡± It is the day Queen Suzanna, the biological mother of Daniel and Crown Prince William, died. It was the day of the completion ceremony of Hiram Palace, a villa on the western side of the Kingdom. Since the King was busy with his affairs, the Queen went as his representative. Lizen heard that all the lords of the west gathered to hold a banquet, where a fire broke out, causing everyone¡¯s death. She recalled that the territory of the Ruth Family is also located in the west, and a rumour suddenly came to mind; that Kaiden¡¯s parents had likely participated in the banquet at that time. ¡°Oh no¡­ What should I do?¡± When she saw the list of over 100 people, her heart sank. Her hands, which were pointing out the names one by one, stopped at ¡®Albert Ruth¡¯ and ¡®Natalie Ruth¡¯. She stood still for a moment before shutting the list with a thud. Once again, Kaiden was pitiful. Lizen¡¯s breathing trembled as the anxious thoughts rushed into her brain like a wave. She wasn¡¯t a prophet, she couldn¡¯t have known the exact names of Kaiden¡¯s parents from a dream she had by chance. All the circumstances indicated that she had once again entered Kaiden¡¯s dream yesterday. ¡°It¡¯s strange¡­¡± As she left the general archives, she nervously bit her nails. ¡°It definitely said that it was just for a night¡­ It said it was a one-time thing¡­ Did I add too much? So that¡¯s why it went on for two days? Since it¡¯s slowly wearing off? Then, tonight¡­ It¡¯ll be fine, right? ¡°It¡¯s you again?¡± Lizen was sitting on a bed. She was in the Royal Magic Dormitory, where students without homes in Ameniti stay. Kaiden was lying on the bed looking sluggish. Lizen took in a large breath. His upper body that wasn¡¯t covered by the blanket was undressed and exposed. Lizen had imagined it, but at this moment, she found the fine muscles of his strong body were beautiful. In the ancient continent, people thought that men¡¯s bodies were more beautiful than women¡¯s, and she immediately understood why. ¡°U-Uh¡­ Looks like it¡­¡± She answered awkwardly and looked around the room. ¡®Is this Kaiden¡¯s dorm room? As expected, I must¡¯ve entered Kaiden¡¯s dream tonight as well¡¯, she thought. There wasn¡¯t any smell in the neat and tidy room. His school uniform, sparring uniform, and sportswear were hung on one side of the wall, and major books were piled up on the desk. Lizen took a deep breath. It¡¯s a dream and not reality anyway. And Kaiden, who knows nothing, would think it¡¯s just his dream. Her gaze shifted to the side table next to the bed. Two framed pictures were neatly placed. One was a family photo taken with a young couple and a young man in a field, and the other was taken with Daniel at a training session in the Royal High School. ¡°That¡¯s Daniel from three years ago.¡± Kaiden, who was lying behind Lizen, muttered as he gazed at her looking at the picture. ¡°I thought that I wouldn¡¯t be able to get along with anyone, but it seems like I was able to get along with Daniel.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Well¡­¡± Lizen answered as her cheeks flushed unconsciously. ¡°Daniel is very affectionate and kind-hearted to everyone.¡± ¡°Affectionate? Kind-hearted? Is that how you see him?¡± Kaiden grinned. Sitting on the bed, she turned around. ¡°There was no other way for me, than to get along with that punk.¡± Kaiden, who was looking into Lizen¡¯s eyes, suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to his side with some strength. All of a sudden, Lizen lay motionless next to him. ¡°¡­My neck hurts from having to look up at you.¡± Upon hearing Kaiden¡¯s words, she gulped. The reason why she couldn¡¯t get up in anger was because he was talking about Daniel. Since Kaiden is Daniel¡¯s best friend, wouldn¡¯t she be able to hear stories about Daniel that she never knew about? She held her breath and lay down next to Kaiden, looking right at him. Lying on the narrow single bed, Lizen could even feel his breath. ¡°We were both in a state where our hearts were rotting away. But my situation was a little better. Since I wasn¡¯t a part of that damn royal family, I didn¡¯t have to try much to seem like I¡¯m alright.¡± Admission to Royal High School is in May. The fire broke out on 5th April. Kaiden¡¯s parents and Daniel¡¯s biological mother passed away. She was slightly surprised at the fact that she hadn¡¯t seen the connection. Both lost loved ones due to the same incident, and not too long after, they enrolled into the same school. ¡°There¡¯s nothing that time can¡¯t erase¡­ Now, I¡¯ve forgotten all those intense emotions and all that remains is cold rage.¡± His large hand stroked her wavy brown hair. Lizen was wearing a school uniform. Likely because that¡¯s what she was always wearing in Kaiden¡¯s memory. The bed was narrow, so when she moved slightly, it eventually resulted in her coming into close contact with Kaiden¡¯s body. Lizen¡¯s heart skipped a beat again. ¡®I don¡¯t have feelings for him¡­ Anyone would feel strange if such a handsome man was right in front of them. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the same for me when it comes to Kaiden. Besides, he¡¯s unconscious.¡¯ Lizen thought quickly and rolled her eyes. Kaiden, who was looking at her expression, smiled as his hand wrapped around Lizen¡¯s back. ¡°It seems like you turn into a mute whenever Daniel is brought up.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°If you were your normal self, you would¡¯ve thrown a fit.¡± ¡°If I throw a fit¡­¡± Lizen gulped. ¡°Would you let me go?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± He slowly climbed atop her. At that very moment, the blanket that was draped over him fell onto the floor. Fortunately, he was wearing underwear, but she could clearly see a huge bulge. He held her hands and pinned them to the sides of the bed. ¡®It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s a dream, right? It¡¯s just a dream anyway.¡¯ She looked at Kaiden, who was looking right at her. His eyes were half-open, and she thought they were a little cloudy. The weight of his body on her felt somewhat good. His face approached hers slowly. ¡°Y-You can¡¯t¡­¡± Lizen muttered unconsciously. ¡°This is my first kiss¡­¡° ¡°In any case¡­¡± His lips touched her own. Lizen shut her eyes tightly. ¡®It¡¯s a dream, it¡¯s just a dream. This isn¡¯t reality. But why is my heart beating so fast? Even breathing feels awkward.¡¯ ¡°¡­You won¡¯t be able to do it with Daniel.¡± She gasped and stopped breathing as his tongue pushed in. She couldn¡¯t wrap her head around the feeling she was experiencing for the first time in her life. What surprised her was that she didn¡¯t want to bite his tongue. ¡®It¡¯s a dream anyway.¡¯ After her clumsy attempt at rationalising her feelings, she lost all the strength in her body. She was curious about this feeling, this sensation and tickling she felt deep inside her. All of which she felt for the first time in her life. She was indeed curious when she secretly read books or looked at pictures with friends about the relationship between men and women. However, since it¡¯s prohibited, the thought of doing it herself never crossed her mind. So she didn¡¯t refuse even when his hands let go of her wrist and began unbuttoning the blouse of her school uniform. His tongue swept through her teeth and wrapped around her helpless tongue. His hand unfastened her bra and slowly climbed up to the tip of her chest. In anticipation, she shuddered. In fact, Lizen recalled every moment of him touching her chest the night before yesterday, especially when she was taking classes calmly in the classroom. She nearly stopped breathing just at the thought of it. His lips moved downwards. His mouth, which lingered on her white and smooth neck, bit the flesh hard, creating a mark with his teeth, then bit hard again, turning the flesh a glowing red. Chapter 7 ¨C Chapter 7 ¨C ¡°Ah¡­ It hurts, it hurts.¡± Lizen grabbed the bedsheet and muttered, but he didn¡¯t stop. His lips lingered at her neck for a long time, enough for multiple red hickeys to form as his hands gently stroked her breasts. Two large hands gradually descended and wrapped around her waist. His lips travelled further down and kissed her breastbone reverently. Lizen¡¯s fingers entwined into his hair when he lowered the skirt of her school uniform. She could feel his warm and firm skin against her as he reached to take off her top. Loving the feeling of skin-to-skin contact, tears welled up in her eyes. Her stomach tickled at the new sensation of sharing warmth with someone so naked. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± His lips held onto her nipples and wrapped them with his tongue for a while before sucking on them gently. Her waist rose slightly and the skirt of her school uniform fell to her knees as one of his hands gently came between her thighs. ¡®It¡¯s a dream, it¡¯s just a dream¡­¡¯ Lizen thought amid the chaos. ¡®I always only lived rationally¡­ In my dreams, I can just let myself go¡­¡¯ His fingers drew a small circle near her thigh. She felt her panties getting wet. ¡°It feels¡­ It feels¡­¡± Lizen muttered. ¡°It feels?¡± Kaiden asked whilst he nibbled on her nipples. When his lips moved, she felt a whole new sensation of tickles. ¡°¡­This feels strange.¡± He jumped up and planted a kiss on her eyelids. His fingers moved slowly along her womanhood. ¡°Ah!¡± It was the first time in her life that she felt these feelings as her toes instinctively curled. ¡°K-Kaiden¡­¡± His eyes turned blurry. ¡°Lizen Hakart¡­ I want you.¡± Her waist twitched slightly upon feeling his hand caressing her tiny bump. She felt a tingling sensation running down her spine. She couldn¡¯t stand it and hugged his head tightly. ¡°Kaiden Ruth¡­ You¡­¡± [Riiiiiiing! Wake up! Wake up!] Lizen¡¯s eyes opened wide as she looked around at her surroundings. Upon seeing the messy state of the room and the books scattered randomly on the floor, it was clear to her that she was in her room. She pressed the alarm clock and touched her lips with one hand as she recalled the vivid feeling on her lips. She quickly checked her right neck with a mirror, but it was white and smooth, like a lie. ¡°Because it was a dream¡­ Right, because it was a dream.¡± As she composed herself, she lay face down, slamming her face against her pillow. There was nothing more to doubt. She was now entering Kaiden¡¯s dreams every night. And things naturally happen when you spend time alone with a vigorous man in his dreams. ¡°Why¡­ Why doesn¡¯t it end after a day? What is this, Aunt¡­ What¡¯s going on?!¡± Lizen was barely awake when she suddenly jumped at the sudden recollection. Without even putting on her slippers, she hurriedly ran up to the attic. She was in such a hurry as she climbed up the stairs that she lost her balance and sprained her ankle. ¡°That time¡­ I¡¯m sure at that time¡­¡± She opened Ruella¡¯s notes again in the attic. ¡°100g of Butterfly Sleeping Flower, 200g of Tilda root, a handful of Nagda¡¯s mud, 50g of Rata¡¯s fingernails, and a strand of the contractor¡¯s hair¡­¡± Lizen¡¯s frantic hands headed for the table with random ingredients laid out all over the place. Since she had always been hopeless when it came to organising, she stayed at the same table where she got the ingredients when making the first reagent. Her heart sank as she checked the ingredients one by one. ¡°Ni-Nigda¡¯s mud?¡± ¡®Nigda¡¯s mud¡¯ was coldly attached to the material that Lizen added, thinking it was Nagda¡¯s mud. The name tag was so old and dirty. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be ¡®Nigda¡¯ and not ¡®Nagda¡¯. The name tag was dirty with dried soil, in addition to Ruella¡¯s atrocious handwriting. If not read clearly, it could be mistaken as ¡®Nagda¡¯. No wonder! She knew Nagda¡¯s mud was an extremely rare ingredient! ¡°W-What do I do¡­¡± As an outstanding herbalist, she knew. If one ingredient is wrong or the amount added is wrong, different symptoms or various side effects could appear. Now that she had put Nigda¡¯s mud instead of Nagda¡¯s mud, the one-time limit of the reagent seemed to have disappeared. ¡°No¡­ What do I do¡­¡± With her head in her palms, Lizen sank onto the attic floor. She couldn¡¯t even guess how to make an antidote for the reagent. But at the same time, it¡¯s not like she could enter Kaiden¡¯s dreams every night for the rest of her life. Her face quickly turned blue. ¡°Aunt, I¡­ What do I do¡­¡± Lizen remembered what Ruella told her while showing her various herbs before she went crazy. ¡°Lizen, for every reagent, you must create an antidote. Herbology is an artificial study, so the process is only complete when the user returns to their natural state. If it¡¯s an elixir, I can almost make it exactly as I envision it. However, we can¡¯t commercialise it because I couldn¡¯t make an antidote. Therefore, making antidotes is as difficult as making reagents.¡± There was a reason why these daring notes only remained as notes. Ruella had an abundant amount of ideas but couldn¡¯t create an antidote. So these must¡¯ve been notes of reagents without antidotes. How can she make an antidote for a reagent that she concocted inaccurately? Lizen¡¯s hands grasped her head as she felt an overwhelming feeling of despair. It was only one day that Lizen came to the fitness centre in the evening. As Kaiden hit the punching bag, he found himself secretly waiting for her. He had definitely heard her murmur that it was good to work out in the evening, but she never came since then. He worked out until he ran out of energy and collapsed against the wall. He¡¯d dreamt of Lizen for three consecutive days. Kaiden often dreamed of his childhood. The dream he had the most is when he came to the capital city, Ameniti, after saying goodbye to his parents¡¯ tombstones. He dreamt of it the day before yesterday, but strangely, Lizen appeared. It was a dream, so he recognised the 17-year-old Lizen who sincerely comforted and patted him. No one comforted 17-year-old Kaiden. The Ruth territory lost its owner in a flash, and Kaiden¡¯s brother took over the territory at the age of nineteen. Those were hectic days for everyone. No one had the spirits to comfort the 17-year-old boy who was still standing with a head full of thoughts. But Lizen appeared in his dream and hugged him. The comfort was somewhat overwhelming, so he kissed her forehead deeply. It was strange. Last night, she appeared again. He wondered if he was just frustrated with desire. He naturally dreamt of hugging a woman from time to time to time. But, there was never an instance where such a specific person kept appearing vividly. Lizen, who he assumed was an outgoing and cheerful kid, was almost silent in his dream last night. Once Kaiden started to become conscious of it, he kept seeing Lizen. She was bright and cheerful, but she didn¡¯t have many friends. She focused hard on all her classes and would study late into the night at the library. She was even a girl who pursued unrequited love. He washed up in the shower room, left the fitness centre a little early and headed to the library. It was already late into the night, yet among the few students in the library, he saw a wavy brown-haired girl. ¡°K-Kaiden?¡± As Kaiden chose a random seat, a girl approached cautiously. ¡°What brings him to the library?¡± Kaiden frowned at her whisper. He usually never came to the library. That¡¯s because he got good grades just by listening in class. Behind the girl who was curious about his sudden appearance, another girl also poked her head out. ¡°¡­Just because.¡± He gave a short reply and took out a book. Female students started to giggle as they slowly backed away. He was always popular with the girls in school because he studied well and was unmatched at martial arts. But he hadn¡¯t paid any attention to a woman in five years. Because he couldn¡¯t afford to pay attention to such things. However, because she appeared in his dreams for three consecutive days, she was the new target of his attention. Her wavy brown hair brushed across her back as she stretched her arms. Watching the sleeves of her white school uniform blouse, Kaiden¡¯s hand swiftly covered his face. There were piles of books next to her. They were all books regarding herbology. ¡®Those are books not in the scope of the exam though¡­¡¯ Those were in-depth books that covered topics well beyond the scope of the exam. Lizen¡¯s aunt was such an excellent researcher at the Bureau of Herbology. Lizen also showed excellence in Herbology, perhaps because she¡¯s from the same family. Of course, Kaiden¡¯s weakest subject was Herbology because there were just so many things to memorise. Not knowing that Kaiden was at the library, she diligently looked through the Herbology books that she brought from the library but couldn¡¯t find a single phrase mentioning reagents that linked dreams. This was the library of the Royal College of Magic which has the widest selection of books, leaving her with no need to visit other libraries. She delayed her preparation for the general exam and searched for books all day but to no avail. As she heard the announcement of the library¡¯s closure, she slowly stood up. ¡°What on earth- Why are there so many people?¡± She rubbed her eyes and looked around. Usually, there were only about ten people left at this time, but today there were more than thirty. Not to mention, almost all of them were women. Her indifferent eyes fell upon the unbelievable. It was Kaiden.