Suddenly, the surroundings spread white and I arrived in a strange space.

‘What on earth is happening? Do such things also happen in a runaway state?’

A creepy, cold wind passed by, as if it was scratching my whole body. I stroked my goosebumpridden arm and looked around.

It seemed like a prison. The structure was similar to the prison I saw when I visited the Duke and Duchess of Libertan.

As I moved my steps to look around, the guards suddenly jumped out from the opposite side.

‘What should I do about this?’

There was no place to hide. But strangely enough, the guards seemed unable to see me, even when they were looking straight at me.

“Ha, that guy is still holding up fine? He didn’t even beg until he fainted today. He really is stubborn.”

As soon as I heard that talk, my heart thumped strangely.

“That guy is stubborn, so is Libertan. I don’t understand how such guys can be together. Torturing family in front of a young child, not only that, but burning them alive. But they said they have to keep the heir alive, so they torture him inconspicuously at night, and during the day they make him work as a coal mine slave.”

“How long will he be able to hold on?”

The guards, who did not recognize my existence, continued their conversation among themselves.

“Honestly, even if he was a slave, he wouldn’t be able to withstand this situation for long. And it’s not like he has good meals either.”

“I think he’ll die within a month. The Duchy of Libertan is notoriously cruel. He’s enduring with willpower, but can that be done just by will?”

Apparently, they were talking about Johan.

‘Was this when Johan was being tortured by Libertan?’

Especially since the guards weren’t recognizing me, it wasn’t a normal situation.

‘Could this be something like a dream of Johan’s past?’

For now, I went straight in the direction the guards came from. Then, I saw a young boy bound in chains.

Black hair, a boy leaning against the wall as if he had fainted.

Young Johan.

‘It seems I’ve entered into a dream of Johan’s past.’

Despite severe torture and harsh treatment, his exceptional looks were instantly recognizable.

‘But…..’

The moment I saw him, the state of young Johan was very serious, it hurt my heart.

Both arms were tied and fixed to the wall, and chains were worn on his feet like a slave. There was a huge weight hanging to prevent him from running away.

‘How did this happen.’

I didn’t know because I didn’t know much about rebellion or laws. But no matter what, how could they do this to a child.

‘They said they didn’t hurt him because he’s the heir to the Duchy.’

There were wounds visible on his bare feet. Small wounds were visible even between the tattered clothes.

‘Did they mean it was enough to just keep his limbs intact?’

Johan’s past, which I witnessed with my own two eyes, was much more brutal than I thought. What I saw in the original couldn’t contain all this pain.

For a moment, I fell into shock and couldn’t say anything.

‘How hard must it have been?’

It was really impressive that Johan survived here.

‘It’s harder to resent this.’

How much pain would a child have been in? I thought the abuse I experienced at Libertan was severe, but Johan must have had it harder than me.

“I’m sorry.”

The fact that I could do nothing while a child was going through such brutal things right now made me sad.

‘Anyway, this must be a dream of Johan’s past. There’s nothing I can change.’

Feeling guilt inside, I approached the faint young Johan.

There was a prison cell, but since it was a dream, I could pass through. I squatted down in front of Johan, examining his wounds, and brushed back his severely tousled bangs.

“You must have been in a lot of pain.”

Of course, my hand passed through, unable to actually brush his bangs.

“Are you having a really hard time right now?”

I talked to him, who was unconscious, even though my words wouldn’t reach him.

Suddenly, young Johan’s eyelashes quivered and his vivid red eyes were revealed.

“Ugh…..”

It seemed to be so hard for him to even open his mouth, perhaps due to the pain. I tried to wipe the cold sweat off his forehead by pulling my sleeve up.

“……What……”

Young Johan opened his mouth with a confused voice.

“But there’s nobody here……”

Since it was a dream, my voice might be heard. Or maybe he was intuitively feeling something.

Even if it was a meaningless action, I didn’t mind. I just wanted to do it.

“Even if you can’t hear my voice, even if nothing changes by talking like this, I still want to say something just in case.”

I swallowed and laid my hand over young Johan’s hand.

“Are you having a really hard time? There will be moments when it’s hard to endure, when you want to give up.”

Strangely enough, it seemed like Johan’s red eyes were looking at me.

“But still, hang in there. You can do it. If you endure now, you can definitely succeed in your revenge. You can bring down the grand looking Libertan Duke and do what you want.”

Of course, that would lead to my death. But, funnily enough, I was serious.

“And when you get out of this prison, there’s someone who will help you. Someone who will care for you, stand by you, and be loyal to you. So, it will be tough, but hang in there.”

Tears welled up in Johan’s eyes, who until now seemed to not feel anything. He swallowed his tears and bowed his head.

“Don’t cry, Johan. Why are the tears suddenly flowing?”

“Ah…… You can’t hear my voice, after all.”

My voice wouldn’t be heard when even physical contact didn’t work. I couldn’t hide my disappointment as I tenderly cupped his gaunt cheeks with both hands.

“It would be nice if my warmth could reach you.”

In Libertan, I had nobody around and it was too tough. The thought of being alone was unbearable.

“Of course, Johan, you’re amazing and splendid, you don’t need something like my warmth. But I want to help you, even if just a little.”

As I stroked his cheek, I slowly brought my lips to his forehead.

Just like Johan had kissed my forehead to comfort me before. Then Johan shuddered and asked.

“Is there someone there? Why is there warmth on my forehead……”

Tears began to well up in young Johan’s eyes. I hugged him tightly with a surprised look on my face.

“Can you hear my voice by any chance? Or can you feel my warmth?”

Maybe, just maybe, there might be something I can do. Holding Johan for a moment, I abruptly stood up from the spot.