“……”

“……bel……”

A barely audible voice came faintly from far away.

Her closed eyelids tightened and her pink lips pouted as if trying to say something, but only shallow breaths escaped.

“……rabel……”

The voice that had been coming from far away in the thick dawn fog gradually drew closer,

“……Arabel……!”

Someone urgently called Arabel’s name. It was a clear youthful voice on the border between a man and a boy.

The dark surroundings brightened dimly with the owner of the voice. It was as if a soft light followed him, illuminating the surroundings.

His long lavender hair that fell below his waist was damp with sweat, and his large pink eyes were trembling anxiously. His skin, as white as snow on a mountaintop, sparkled faintly as if sprinkled with diamond dust.

Perhaps his bright skin color was the reason he was visible even in the darkness. Between the fine strands of hair, pointed ears were revealed, not properly hidden.

An elf.

Arabel’s head on the bed shook slightly, and her eyelashes cast shadows on her cheeks, creating small ripples.

Dream or reality. In a misty forest, Arabel stood face to face with a beautiful elf who was not obscured even by darkness. Her round, clear eyes opened wider than the full moon three days from now, taking in the beautiful young man before her.

As if in disbelief, her lips slowly opened,

“Ve…… Verul……?”

She softly called the elf’s name.

“Is it really Verul? How did you come?”

Unable to hide her joy, Arabel stepped forward and asked.

“What about Master? Did Master Esperel come too?”

As Arabel looked around eagerly searching for her master’s figure, Verul had suddenly approached right in front of her.

“Master couldn’t come with me. I can’t stay long either, Arabel.”

“Did Master read my letter I left in the cave?”

When Arabel asked with a disappointed look at Verul’s words that Master couldn’t come, Verul nodded.

“Master went to the cave to keep the promise to come get you 8 years ago. He knows you came to the capital with Emperor Maxwell. He knows everything about you staying in the palace as a candidate for empress.”

With her cheeks tinged pink, Arabel lowered her gaze and said,

“I’m sorry, Verul. I was supposed to help Master by time traveling together. I’m sorry I couldn’t… I wanted to tell Master directly, but I didn’t know how to contact him.”

Bringing her lowered gaze back to Verul, she added,

“I was planning to return to the territory after the competition and leave a letter in the cave. But to think he already knows everything… I miss him so much. Will he… be disappointed…? Will he come to see me?”

The space between Verul’s eyebrows narrowed and his glossy lips parted to let out a much lower voice than before.

“Arabel, you must listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

Arabel’s round eyes looked questioningly at Verul’s deep pink eyes.

“Master Esperel sent me into your dream. Right now, Master is in the middle of resolving a dangerous situation in the underground world, so he sent me instead.”

As Arabel nodded, Verul’s voice came with added weight.

“You must escape from the palace before the empress selection competition ends, no matter what.”

Arabel’s startled voice trembled,

“What do you mean?”

“There’s not much time. Come out of the palace and go to the Shylo Antique Shop in the capital market. If you say your name, they will help you escape the capital and join us.”

“Why… do I have to do that…?”

When Arabel asked, unable to calm her pounding heart, Verul answered.

“Arabel, Master said you must escape before you fall into irreversible great danger.”

“I, I’m doing very well right now. Of course there have been big and small commotions, but they were resolved well thanks to His Majesty and good people. His Majesty always protects me and keeps me from getting hurt. Verul, you would feel at ease too if you met His Majesty. Please tell Master that I’m safe and doing very well.”

Arabel shook her head and spoke in a strong voice.

Though I don’t know what danger might be approaching… I have faith that I’ll be safe if I’m with His Majesty. If Master knew how kind and excellent His Majesty is, he wouldn’t worry about me.

Looking at Verul with an unwavering gaze, Arabel spoke in a sincere voice.

“And I want to be here. I want to be where His Majesty is. I can’t even think of any other place where His Majesty isn’t. Even if I’m in danger, His Majesty will be by my side, so don’t worry, Verul.”

Verul looked up at the gradually brightening dawn sky with anxious eyes, and hurriedly grabbed Arabel’s shoulders with both hands.

“Listen carefully, Arabel. The greatest danger to you… the danger you must escape from is……”

Under the golden sunlight rapidly covering the dark sky above, Verul’s figure wavered and faded.

As soon as his voice, which sounded like sinking underwater, finished the last words, it disappeared.

“……Emperor Maxwell……!”

Flash, her closed eyes opened and looked around confusedly.

It was her bedroom where the morning sunlight gently entered through the curtains. Arabel got up, hunched her shoulders where Verul’s cool hands had touched, and sat with her knees drawn up.

It was a dream. It was just a dream.

Verul, the elf who became friends when she first met Master. Verul, who crossed the barrier with Master to the human world, often transformed into a white rabbit due to lack of energy.

She used to follow Master holding the white rabbit that kept dozing off powerlessly after breathing the air of the human world. She knew Master could enter people’s dreams, but Verul, who was still in training, couldn’t do it.

‘No matter how much Master teaches me, I won’t be able to move in dreams.’

She comforted the sulky Verul and shared carrots together.

Arabel wiped her forehead beaded with sweat with the back of her hand. The two elves, Esperel and Verul, who became her sanctuary when she was most sad and lonely the year her mother left.

If she hadn’t met the black panther, she would probably be traveling through time and space with Master and Verul now, saving endangered mythical creatures.

Although this moment with the emperor feels like a dream come true, a corner of Arabel’s heart always held regret and apology for not saying goodbye to Master and Verul in person.

Yesterday, when the cotton ball she hugged during the obstacle race somehow transformed into a white rabbit, it reminded her of Verul when he transformed, so she thought a lot about Master and Verul last night.

Is that why Verul appeared in her dream…

Arabel retraced the words Verul had left one by one. He said I was in great danger… no, that I would be in danger? He told me to escape from the palace before the competition ends. The danger I need to escape from… he warned that it was His Majesty.

It was unbelievable. Am I sure I heard correctly? Verul’s last words echoed in her ears, too faint to understand clearly.

Why did I have such a dream…? There seemed to be other words between [The greatest danger to you is] and [Emperor Maxwell]. Maybe Verul was trying to say [The greatest danger to you is such and such, but the person who will protect you is Emperor Maxwell].

She shook her head left and right, trying not to give meaning to a simple dream. For some reason, her wildly beating heart wouldn’t calm down, so she placed her hands on top of it and pressed down firmly.

Knock, knock.

“My lady, it’s Vera. Are you awake?”

Hearing Arabel’s answer, Vera and Dina entered the room.

“You’re going boating with His Majesty today. We’re here to help you prepare.”

The baskets in Vera and Dina’s hands were full of colorful bath products and glass bottles of perfumes and oils.

“Isn’t the boating this afternoon…? It’s still early morning…?”

“Oh my, even if we start now it won’t be enough. You’re going boating alone with His Majesty today, so we need to prepare even more specially. Ho, ho, ho.”

When Arabel tilted her head and asked with a face that had just woken up, Vera answered with her hand covering her mouth as laughter burst out.

As Arabel got up from bed with a blushing face, Rosa and Millie came running in. Carrying a long, large velvet box that looked heavy even for the two of them.

“His Majesty the Emperor sent this! He said to wear it for boating today!”

As Rosa spoke in an excited voice, Millie chimed in with sparkling eyes.

“There are five more boxes this size in the reception room! His Majesty said to wear whichever you like and keep the rest for when you go out!”

“Now, Rosa, prepare the bath water with hyacinth oil and freesia petals, and Dina, bring the porridge made by mixing milk and honey. To apply on the young lady’s face and body. Millie, bring breakfast. Remove all vegetables with too much fiber. We don’t want gas in the young lady’s stomach. We don’t have time.”

As Vera rolled up her sleeves above her elbows and assigned roles to each, the three maids moved in an orderly fashion according to her instructions.

Because of the ‘boating preparation’ by the three maids and Millie that continued from morning to afternoon, Arabel completely forgot about the dream she had at dawn.

After bathing and applying slippery and sticky porridge on her face and body, bathing again, washing and applying her hair with three types of oils, washing and applying again. It seemed like the morning had passed just with bathing.

Whenever Arabel’s lips pouted as if to say something, thinking it was a bit excessive, Vera said softly,

“My lady, this is a very important matter for us too. It’s an opportunity to prove our qualifications to serve you. The maids’ abilities also greatly affect the reputation of the lady who manages them.”

When the long bath was over, the real preparation for going out began.

After curling her fine, soft hair with long, round iron rods heated with charcoal, they let it fall below one shoulder.

They twisted the short bangs peeking out below her forehead with their fingers to make them look even cuter, and didn’t forget to curl the side hair down as well.

They placed a thick hairband studded with dozens of pearls and crystals on top of her head and tied it below the back of her head to secure it.

Among the six outdoor dresses sent by the emperor, they prepared a satin dress in the color of water-soaked rape flowers that matched well with Arabel’s light brown eyes.

The simple empire dress that gathered below the chest and flowed down accentuated Arabel’s slender and delicate fairy-like figure.

With skillful hands, Vera added ivory silk lace inside the neckline that was cut a bit low, revealing not only the collarbone but also a glimpse of cleavage, to show only the slender neckline.

Using lace like this to cover the cleavage during the day and reveal it at night for young ladies was the trend in high society.

The sensible Vera struggled not to sew the added lace too tightly so that it could easily come off by hand, her lips twitching.

Also, the three maids succeeded in persuading Arabel not to wear the light leaf-colored dress she had chosen first.

Of course, the green dress also suited Arabel well, but compared to the yellow dress that could be easily taken off just by untying the ribbon tied in front and lowering the puffy sleeves below the shoulders, the green dress had the inconvenience of having to untie two strings tied in a zigzag pattern from top to below the waist one by one to take it off.

They couldn’t cause such inconvenience to ‘him’. The ‘him’ the three maids were thinking of was not Arabel, but ‘him’ who would be waiting for her on the boat.

Since her skin was so clean and clear like white jade, they didn’t apply skin makeup but dabbed rouge made by crushing and grinding pink coral and scarlet peony petals in the center of her cheeks and lips.

After all preparations were complete, Arabel put on pointed ivory Mary Jane shoes and twirled in front of the mirror.

The three maids clasped their hands together with motherly smiles, as if looking at a daughter going to her debut.

When they first saw her at Count Laurel’s castle, she looked even younger than her age and hadn’t shed her girlish appearance. Even then, they were surprised by how unexpectedly beautiful and lovely she looked when dressed up for the first time.

But now… Her clear and youthful face was still the same, but now the image of a pure and elegant woman overlapped with the lovely girl’s appearance, creating an attractive harmony.

It seemed true that a girl in love is most beautiful and alluring when she blossoms into a woman, as the poet said.

“Oh my, we almost forgot the accessories. Which accessories do you think would suit her?”

As Rosa and Dina brought out and spread the jeweled accessories gifted by the emperor when he returned from his last secret journey, Vera shook her head.

“His Majesty’s secretariat sent not only the dress but also matching gloves and shoes, so why wouldn’t they send accessories?”

When Arabel and the maids stared blankly at Vera, she grinned and answered.

“His Majesty intends to gift the jeweled accessories to you in person, my lady. I think it would be best if you go boating without wearing any accessories.”

Dina, Rosa, and Millie looked at the future empress’s head maid with eyes full of admiration.

Under the parasol held by the tall Millie, Arabel walked towards the dock by the lake.

The 2nd Imperial Guard escorted her in front and behind, and twelve members stood holding flagpoles on either side in front of the dock. The long flagpoles rose one by one as if clearing the way as Arabel moved forward.

As the guards escorting and guiding the way in front of her parted to the sides… A tall and slender man standing alone on a simple red gondola-shaped boat filled her view.

The man wearing a navy uniform darker than the lake and wearing gold insignia symbolizing the empire and emperor on his shoulders and chest extended his hand politely towards Arabel.

Looking at the ruby-like sparkling red eyes that held only her and the charming smile that only his lips could create, Arabel realized in that moment.

Even if the emperor was the greatest danger to her, she would never be able to escape from him. No, she would not escape.

Arabel’s hand was placed on the emperor’s large palm.