CH 7

Chapter 7: I think about nightmares

“I see nightmares through the sacred flower…”

Before the sun sets, I return home and can’t help but mutter to myself as I open the silver box in my room.

This beautiful black and blue confectionery.

From the taste, it feels like a candy, but I’m surprised that the sacred flower mixed into the candy was the cause of my nightmare.

If eating it will always lead to seeing a nightmare, I hesitate.

“But if I can have a connection with the Duke through this, I have no choice but to do it.”

Not only will the insults stop being heard, but I’ll also be able to keep Albert at a distance, but it’s still nice to have someone on my side, or at least someone who will look at me fairly.

I’ve heard that he is a relatively fair person. Sometimes he is said to be too fair and too cold to those who want him to favor them.

I think such a connection with him is necessary for me to lead a peaceful Academy life.

In addition, if I become close with Duke Svald, who belongs to the royal family, the people who openly speak ill of me will become fewer.

Even though I can’t hear insults, malice still gets through. I don’t want to be bothered and I want to live a quiet life. It’s a childish move to use my parents as a shield, but it’s very important to me to spend the next year and a half in a peaceful state of mind. That’s why I decided to quickly get ready for bed after dinner.

“Are you not feeling well?” My chambermaid, Katie, asks worriedly.

“I just feel tired because I went horseback riding today. Don’t worry about it.” If I smile and say that, Katie doesn’t pursue the matter further.

Before I go to sleep, I eat some of the flowers.

“Ah, I don’t feel like sleeping right away tonight.” 

Unlike yesterday, my consciousness doesn’t suddenly cut out.

I guess I was just mentally tired yesterday.

Even so, I had extinguished the light from the candelabra because I intended to sleep, and reading in the dark or doing embroidery would strain my eyes. I just close my eyes and think about theDuke and the others I met today.

“Duke Svald… now that I think about it, I’ve never had any dealings with him before.” 

My family, where my father has almost forgotten about my existence, rarely goes to parties where my father is involved.

My father goes to parties all over the place without accompaniment.

I have been accompanied by him once, after much fuss with the head of the house and Oji-sama. But that was a party for young ladies to greet His Majesty the King in society.

We just walked next to each other at the entrance, and there was no conversation.

Looking back, I regret not trying to curry favor with him… That might have made a stronger impression.

Perhaps because I was with my father, I was more deeply branded as the daughter of the evil Count’s family.

“Still, it’s a miracle that Albert’s family agreed to the marriage proposal despite the financial and tariff relations that started it all… Some people might say I’m not even a daughter. Well, the other party just remembered my existence and used marriage as a way to extract my father’s support.”

At the time of the engagement, Albert’s family was in a bit of a difficult situation. Suddenly, heavy rain and earthquakes overlapped, and the fields became rough, and there were many human casualties due to landslides.

When they looked for a helping hand, they happened to have a bait to eliminate tariffs on the commercial route that my father seemed to want, so they were able to contract in the form of an engagement.

“I… Still…”

I was happy because there was someone who thought my existence was important.

And I felt hope for Albert, who initially respected me.

That is why I cannot forgive him.

It is worse that he ignores me and treats me as if I am not needed than if he flirted with other women.

I don’t want to talk to him anymore.

“I don’t want to get married…”

As I whispered, my consciousness seemed to fade away.

***

“You’ve always hated Michelia, haven’t you?”

That was the golden-haired young man, Albert, who spoke.

I am being held by soldiers with my arms pinned and seated on the floor of some building.

“I didn’t do that! I just wanted to avoid the war and ran away!”

But the young man standing next to Albert looked down at me with a condescending gaze.

“What are you talking about. You must have leaked Michelia’s information. That sacred flowers would bloom in the territory where she originally lived. That she had magical talent… We relied on that and had a plan to push back the soldiers of the Kingdom of Walden.”

“I don’t know, I don’t know!”

As I shouted, I was suddenly trampled from behind.

“Ahh!”

I stop breathing due to the pain.

At that moment, various memories rampage in my mind.

The shadow of the conflict with the neighboring country becomes denser in my motherland.

In the midst of all this, I was desperate because I had been bullied, and I accepted an offer to study abroad in a neighboring country.

That was for the purpose of delivering a secret letter hidden in my luggage.

I knew that my father was in contact with the neighboring country, but I couldn’t do anything about it now, so I lived as if I was being confined in the neighboring country.

While I was doing that, I learned that the girl whom Albert valued had become able to use special magic and was called the “Maiden of Salvation,” and that the army of the neighboring country had been repulsed.

I told the general of the neighboring country about her.

There was also a reason that I was in their care. It was because that person was looking after my life in the neighboring country.

But more than anything, the general of the neighboring country sincerely agreed about the treatment that my former fiancé Albert did…

Based on that information, it is said that the general of the neighboring country directed assassins at her.

They seem to think that I, who supposedly harbored resentment towards her, personally sent the assassins.

I don’t have such power.

I was actually trying to tell him how terrible a person Albert is. I don’t want to be thought of as an aristocratic lady who is interested in a commoner’s mistress, so I only answered when asked about her.

Then someone standing above me, probably trampling on me, said, “There’s no need to confess. We have all the evidence we need. Just capture her and take her to the capital as punishment.”

Then, in a kind voice, the person continued, “That way, you can be at ease, Michelia.”

“Please, don’t do anything scary like punishment,” a thin woman’s voice responded.

It’s the unforgettable voice of the outrageous servant who openly stole my fiancé from me.

“In that case, let’s have her imprisoned forever.”

The future that was declared for me doesn’t seem to have improved at all.

***

“Eek!”

I jumped out of bed again today.