Episode 57. The Child in the Dream
Eric and Beliana, who had entered first, were walking side by side, shoulder to shoulder.
"Look at how he's trying so hard to look so affectionate."
Doana was deeply displeased with Beliana walking alongside his man.
And Eric's lack of attention weighed heavily on her heart.
He abandoned her while she was pregnant and was walking affectionately with his new wife.
A thousand fires welled up inside her.
"...He's probably too tired to care for me. It's just a marriage of convenience, after all. There's no need to rush."
Doana licked her lips and quickly caught up with them. Then, as if to show off, she stepped back between them.
"There's no place for you, Beliana."
Doana glared at Beliana with a cold gaze and then gently pushed her away.
Beliana didn't react to Doana's actions. Exhausted from the long journey, she simply wanted to sleep.
The servants frowned at Doana's behavior. And at the same time, a question arose.
"The new Countesses are surprisingly quiet."
"Isn't it because the Count is watching? I think she'll call her out later and not leave her alone. If she messes with his mistress right in front of him, it could cause problems in their marriage."
"I think so too. It's unlucky, but Doana is indeed favored."
The maids whispered, watching Beliana closely.
No one noticed that Beliana's fierce expression was simply a sign of exhaustion.
Doana linked her arms with Eric and snorted.
"It's too late for a walk, so how about we have a glass of wine and a chat?"
Eric glanced at her. Doana's secretive gaze was quite annoying.
"Didn't you hear that I'm tired?"
Eric's cold words made Doana's lips curl up. She felt bad for making a fool of herself in front of Beliana.
But Doana, still smiling, slowly withdrew her hand from Eric.
“I did it because I wanted my child to hear the Count’s voice,”
She muttered in a low voice, rubbing her stomach with both hands.
Eric wiggled his eyebrows and tugged at the cravat fastened around his neck. The tightly fastened cravat loosened.
He tossed the loosened cravat to the servant next to him. He then strode away.
The servant quickly snatched the cravat and followed Eric. As Eric left, the maid bowed to Beliana and spoke.
“I will show you to your room, Countess.”
Beliana nodded proudly and followed the servant.
Doana looked at Eric and Beliana with a puzzled look, then sighed in relief.
Eric and Beliana had each entered separate rooms.
'I don't have to worry tonight,'
Doana, who had been anxiously wondering whether Eric and Beliana would consummate their union. With a smile on her face, she commanded her attendant.
Eric and Beliana, who had entered first, were walking side by side, shoulder to shoulder.
"Look at how he's trying so hard to look so affectionate."
Doana was deeply displeased with Beliana walking alongside his man.
And Eric's lack of attention weighed heavily on her heart.
He abandoned her while she was pregnant and was walking affectionately with his new wife.
A thousand fires welled up inside her.
"...He's probably too tired to care for me. It's just a marriage of convenience, after all. There's no need to rush."
Doana licked her lips and quickly caught up with them. Then, as if to show off, she stepped back between them.
"There's no place for you, Beliana."
Doana glared at Beliana with a cold gaze and then gently pushed her away.
Beliana didn't react to Doana's actions. Exhausted from the long journey, she simply wanted to sleep.
The servants frowned at Doana's behavior. And at the same time, a question arose.
"The new Countesses are surprisingly quiet."
"Isn't it because the Count is watching? I think she'll call her out later and not leave her alone. If she messes with his mistress right in front of him, it could cause problems in their marriage."
"I think so too. It's unlucky, but Doana is indeed favored."
The maids whispered, watching Beliana closely.
No one noticed that Beliana's fierce expression was simply a sign of exhaustion.
Doana linked her arms with Eric and snorted.
"It's too late for a walk, so how about we have a glass of wine and a chat?"
Eric glanced at her. Doana's secretive gaze was quite annoying.
"Didn't you hear that I'm tired?"
Eric's cold words made Doana's lips curl up. She felt bad for making a fool of herself in front of Beliana.
But Doana, still smiling, slowly withdrew her hand from Eric.
“I did it because I wanted my child to hear the Count’s voice,”
She muttered in a low voice, rubbing her stomach with both hands.
Eric wiggled his eyebrows and tugged at the cravat fastened around his neck. The tightly fastened cravat loosened.
He tossed the loosened cravat to the servant next to him. He then strode away.
The servant quickly snatched the cravat and followed Eric. As Eric left, the maid bowed to Beliana and spoke.
“I will show you to your room, Countess.”
Beliana nodded proudly and followed the servant.
Doana looked at Eric and Beliana with a puzzled look, then sighed in relief.
Eric and Beliana had each entered separate rooms.
'I don't have to worry tonight,'
Doana, who had been anxiously wondering whether Eric and Beliana would consummate their union. With a smile on her face, she commanded her attendant.
"Hey, what are you doing? Why aren't you showing me around?"
Hearing Doana's sharp voice, the maid's expression turned sour.
‘You’ve got a face like a piece of iron.’
The maid grumbled to herself and gave Doana one of the guest rooms.
The room was quite spacious. Doana collapsed on the bed as soon as she entered.
"Ha... I'm sleepy."
Her eyelids fluttered heavily.
"I shouldn't be sleeping..."
She had to keep an eye on them to prevent them from spending their first night together, but she found it difficult to come to her senses.
Not only was she not alone, but she was also mentally and physically exhausted. She closed her eyes less than a minute after lying down.
***
Doana had a dream.
Whoosh.
The sound of gentle waves.
She stood alone on a pristine beach, devoid of people.
The emerald sea was incredibly clear and beautiful at first glance. The sand at the beach was exceptionally white.
It was a sea so beautiful that it reminded her of the white beaches of the Seychelles she had visited during her study abroad.
“It’s the sea!”
Doana exclaimed, beaming as soon as she saw the vast ocean before her.
The sight of the vast ocean was so refreshing that her stuffy chest felt like it had been cleared.
She carefully took off her shoes and placed them on the sand. Then she ran toward the sea.
Watching the waves crashing in, she gently dipped her bare feet in. The sensation of the water lapping against her toes was secretly pleasant.
“Ah, it’s refreshing.”
She walked gently on the sandy beach barefoot. The feel of the sand between her toes gave her a strangely ticklish feeling. The waves erratically brushed against the tops of her feet.
There was no one else on the vast beach but Doana. Perhaps because it was a dream, this situation didn't feel strange at all.
"Let's go for a swim."
Doana threw her outerwear onto the sand and dived into the sea.
The cool waters felt pleasantly wrapped around her. She swam through the sea like a mermaid.
After swimming for a while, she must have felt exhausted, so she lay down, looking up at the sky. The feeling of floating on the sea wasn't so bad.
The sky was clear, without a single cloud. Doana floated endlessly on the water, basking in the warm sunlight.
Whoosh.
The only sound in her ears was the refreshing sound of the waves. She closed her eyes and decided to savor the moment.
"Good."
It was incredibly peaceful.
But that peace didn't last long.
As Doana closed her eyes, a dark, swaying energy began to rush toward her.
The seawater, once a shade bluer than sapphire, had already turned blood red. The once pleasantly splashing water had become thin and spread out.
Completely oblivious to the transformation, Doana splashed in the blood-red sea.
At first, she had swum lightly, but somehow, the water felt incredibly sticky against her skin.
“What? Why is it so sticky?”
Doana opened her eyes slightly and looked around.
The once clear sapphire seawater had vanished, leaving only a sticky, red liquid.
“What, what is it?”
Doana looked around with wide eyes. Even the once pure white sand had turned black.
“This is annoying!”
Her legs couldn’t reach the shore. Doana splashed vigorously, trying to reach the shore.
But she couldn’t move forward as much as she wanted.
Strangely, her body gradually sank.
Her body, which had been submerged up to her shoulders, was now submerged up to her chin.
Doana struggled to escape.
Then, from somewhere, a child's cry began to ring out.
"Aaaah!"
It was faint, but clear.
The sound, which had been coming from far away, grew closer and closer, and before she knew it, it resonated from the very tips of Doana's feet.
"What is it?"
A tickling sensation rose up from her right leg.
"Gyaaaaak!"
Something grabbed Doana's ankle. Doana lowered her head and peered into the dark water. It was a blurry figure, but it was a person. The child, barely three or four years old, was sobbing and holding onto Doana's ankle.
Something grabbed Doana's ankle. Doana lowered her head and peered into the dark water. It was a blurry figure, but it was a person. The child, barely three or four years old, was sobbing and holding onto Doana's ankle.
"What, what! Let go of me!"
Despite its small size, the child violently pulled Doana's leg. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't dislodge the child from the water. Instead, she was dragged back. The chilling sensation made every hair on her body stand on end. She struggled to move her legs, but it was no use.
“Save me! Whoa! Please, someone, save me!”
Doana’s voice echoed loudly across the vast, deserted sea. There was no one here to save Doana. Doana’s lonely cries, exhausted as she struggled, lost all strength.
“Ugh, whoa!”
She was dragged helplessly into the depths of the sea... Just as she was about to lose consciousness, a chilling voice was heard.
“Mom, let’s stay together now.”
***
“Gasp! Gasp, gasp.”
Her eyes opened at the same moment she heard the strange voice. She hurriedly fumbled around, looking around. A pure white ceiling and luxurious bedding. It was the annex of Count Wence’s family.
“Haaak, haa.”
Doana let out a ragged breath, relieved.
“It was a dream.”
The sensations were too vivid to be a dream. She hugged herself and shivered. A chill ran through her body.
“This is annoying!”
Why was I having this uneasy dream?
The force that had grabbed her ankle and dragged me was so intense.
'But... what was the last thing I heard?'
She vividly remembered someone violently grabbing her ankle, but strangely, she couldn't recall what she'd heard at all. Doana immediately checked her ankle. She had a strange feeling that there might be a handprint on it. Even though she knew it wasn't, she examined her ankle with wavering eyes.
"Haa..."
She carefully examined her ankle and sighed in relief. There was nothing on it.
“Me too... What am I thinking?”
It was just a dream, yet she worried that there might be a handprint.
As she examined her ankle, Doana’s gaze stopped at the ankle bone.
“What is this?”
A large red spot was located on the ankle bone.
“I’ve never seen it before...”
Was something like this always there?
Normally, it would have been nothing special, but the dream was so intense that she was strangely concerned.
“Whew...”
Doana sighed, then picked up her dress and fluttered it around.
It was extremely damp, as if she had sweated so much.
“I didn’t bring any extra clothes.”
She had followed Eric by accident, so there were no changes of clothes.
She looked at her watch and saw that it was well past 4 a.m. The maids and the knights were all asleep.
“I can’t help it...”
Doana snuggled under the covers and closed her eyes. Was it because her dreams were so disturbing? Sleep wouldn't come easily.
She tossed and turned, forcing herself to sleep.
-Squeeze.
Just then, Doana's room opened with an ancient creaking sound. Doana rubbed her eyes and looked toward the door.
In the darkness, she couldn't tell who had entered.
A tall man approached slowly. Could it be Eric?
"Eric?"
The man paused for a moment, then cautiously approached Doana. Then, naturally, he burrowed into the bed next to her.
Doana, who had been thrilled that Eric had come to visit, suddenly hardened her expression.
"Huh, who are you?"
It wasn't Eric. It was a red-haired junior knight.
The knight casually stroked Doana's hair and said,
"I thought you were tossing and turning in your sleep, so I came to help you get to sleep."
It seemed like a kind word, but Doana saw through his dark inner thoughts.
As she had expected, the hand that had been stroking his hair now carefully brushed his shoulder.
"Should I let you sleep soundly so you wouldn't even notice if someone carried you?"
He whispered in her ear with a seductive look in his eyes.
She wanted to push him away, but perhaps because her sleep had been so disturbing, she didn't want to be alone. When Doana refused and remained still, the knight's lips quirked upward.
He hugged Doana and pulled the blanket over her head.
The rustling of the bed sheets accompanied his violent movements.
The faint moans finally subsided as dawn broke.
It was just a dream, yet she worried that there might be a handprint.
As she examined her ankle, Doana’s gaze stopped at the ankle bone.
“What is this?”
A large red spot was located on the ankle bone.
“I’ve never seen it before...”
Was something like this always there?
Normally, it would have been nothing special, but the dream was so intense that she was strangely concerned.
“Whew...”
Doana sighed, then picked up her dress and fluttered it around.
It was extremely damp, as if she had sweated so much.
“I didn’t bring any extra clothes.”
She had followed Eric by accident, so there were no changes of clothes.
She looked at her watch and saw that it was well past 4 a.m. The maids and the knights were all asleep.
“I can’t help it...”
Doana snuggled under the covers and closed her eyes. Was it because her dreams were so disturbing? Sleep wouldn't come easily.
She tossed and turned, forcing herself to sleep.
-Squeeze.
Just then, Doana's room opened with an ancient creaking sound. Doana rubbed her eyes and looked toward the door.
In the darkness, she couldn't tell who had entered.
A tall man approached slowly. Could it be Eric?
"Eric?"
The man paused for a moment, then cautiously approached Doana. Then, naturally, he burrowed into the bed next to her.
Doana, who had been thrilled that Eric had come to visit, suddenly hardened her expression.
"Huh, who are you?"
It wasn't Eric. It was a red-haired junior knight.
The knight casually stroked Doana's hair and said,
"I thought you were tossing and turning in your sleep, so I came to help you get to sleep."
It seemed like a kind word, but Doana saw through his dark inner thoughts.
As she had expected, the hand that had been stroking his hair now carefully brushed his shoulder.
"Should I let you sleep soundly so you wouldn't even notice if someone carried you?"
He whispered in her ear with a seductive look in his eyes.
She wanted to push him away, but perhaps because her sleep had been so disturbing, she didn't want to be alone. When Doana refused and remained still, the knight's lips quirked upward.
He hugged Doana and pulled the blanket over her head.
The rustling of the bed sheets accompanied his violent movements.
The faint moans finally subsided as dawn broke.
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