“That’s right, Shione. Actually, during the picnic, I ran into Lord Raven. It’s rare for him to come out for a walk to the lake… It turned out that way.”

“Met Lord Raven? What does that have to do with Princess Bella’s swollen eyes?”

Ah, my maid is really oblivious.

Shione completely excluded the fact that I cried, suggesting that if I catch a cold, it would be a big problem and advised me to go to bed soon.

Forced to take a nap like that, I completely turned the blanket over and fell asleep.

Maybe I had to sleep deeply to forget what happened earlier.

‘Dad, I hate you… I won’t let you make me cry like this.’

Why did tears suddenly burst out there?

In fact, I couldn’t understand it myself.
“I only miss one person. And that person is no longer in this world. Is that your answer?”

I had already guessed that Dad lost Mom because of me.

And I thought he would resent and hate me for that reason.

Being a mate meant that much to a vampire.

But just now, when I met Dad, it wasn’t that kind of hatred I felt.

Perhaps it was because a lot of time had passed since the first meeting where we exchanged heated words.

Even though it was just a moment, in Dad’s gaze calling me his daughter, there was undoubtedly affection.

Maybe because of that, I had secretly hoped that Dad missed me.

It was a desire to grasp emotions that weren’t mine.

‘Ugh, I won’t do that again!’

While regretfully tugging at the blanket and rolling on the bed, Raven’s voice came after a firm knock on the door.

“Bella, are you sleeping? Can I come in for a moment?”

“…Not yet.”

“Then, excuse me for a moment.”

I roughly loosened my messed-up hair with my hand and pulled the blanket up to my chin.

I didn’t want to show my appearance to others, both mentally and externally, in this messy state.

“Heard you met your father. Are you okay? It must have been awkward.”

“Not really. Just… I was a bit surprised. As you know, I don’t have many chances to meet Dad.”

“People said you cried, so I came to see. It’s rare for you to show such a side.”

Raven, finishing his words, picked a cup from the tray he brought and handed it to me.

In a thick pottery mug that required both hands to hold, warm milk was filled to the brim.

The scent, comforting and warm, as if soothing the heart, made me feel like crying again.

“Drink that. It will calm your mind a bit. Plus, warm milk helps with a good night’s sleep.”

“…Thank you. I’ll drink it well.”

Gulp, gulp.

Carefully sipping the milk to avoid burning my tongue, the sharp pain in my stomach eased comfortably.

Regaining composure, I put down the cup and took a deep breath.

“I don’t know why I acted like that earlier. I thought it would be fine to just have a superficial relationship with Dad, but for some reason, seeing his face made me feel complicated.”

“I’ve never seen my father since I was born, but I might feel a similar way. Even though the person who abandoned me and my mother is terribly detestable, sometimes I felt I missed him for no reason. I don’t even know what denial is since I haven’t experienced it.”

“Raven, you’ve been through a lot…”

“I used to think I was the most unfortunate guy in the world. But now, everything has completely changed. I’ve started to think that I might be the luckiest guy in the world.”

I didn’t bother to ask what luck meant.
After coming to the kingdom, Raven thought it was returning a favor to him who learned reading and swordsmanship, and furthermore, gained the opportunity to become a knight officially.

Even for me, who was unfamiliar with life outside the royal palace, it seemed like a remarkable achievement.

“Anyway, if you ever want to give your dad a good punch, let me know anytime. It’s absurd for a daughter to directly hit, so I’ll help you come to your senses in his place.”

“Pfft, what’s that? The funniest thing I’ve heard recently. I don’t know if I can succeed in hitting our dad, but if I do, you might end up in prison too, you know?”

“How about experiencing that petty prison? As long as the food is good, it’s fine.”

“Then I’ll treat you to the most expensive royal palace food for prison. Let’s have a party in the prison. How about that?”

“That sounds interesting.”

Afterward, Raven spent time with me, telling silly stories.

Since he knew better than anyone that he was busy preparing for exams lately, I was pleased that he came to see me intentionally.

“It’s time to sleep, and I feel like I’ve disturbed you too much. Rest well now. Forget about what happened earlier.”

“Thanks, Raven.”

“It’s just something trivial.”

Raven closed all the curtains of the window and quietly left the room.

Since I had been dealing with a tight schedule recently, a nap that I usually didn’t take was poured out comfortably.

I had a long and sweet nap.

And that day.

I had a strange dream.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Huh, where is this?

When I woke up, it was a strange ceiling.

Usually, these kinds of phrases are often found in novels.

But my current situation was exactly like that sentence.

I distinctly remembered taking a nap in my room at Rose Palace. But now, I was trapped in a completely white room with nothing.

‘Ah, this must be a dream.’

Dreams usually end when you open the door and go out, right?

Rising from the bed covered with fresh white bedding, I found a wooden door appearing on the plain patterned wall.

‘But this dream feels more vivid than usual. The sensation is so clear.’

The tactile sensation of the air touching my cheek, the feeling of my hair tickling the back of my neck.

Every sense was so vivid that it felt strangely uncomfortable.

“…Let’s get a grip. It seems like this is the shape of the dream today.”

After muttering to myself in the empty space, I twisted the squeaking handle, and the dazzling sunlight poured into the room.

In a refreshing landscape filled with endless green forests and blue skies.

A woman was walking toward me with brisk steps.

“You’re Bella. Nice to meet you, my daughter.”