The pain, as if her heart were shattering, struck her when the expression that had been reserved for her alone was directed at Erje.

Trying to approach them, she moved her legs, but she couldn’t move a single step, as if held back by an invisible force. She had no choice but to watch them without being able to intervene.

“This isn’t real…”

The laughter of a woman and a man blended together.

They wore happy expressions.

“Stop!”

Khalid looked at Erje with a loving gaze. Bashfully smiling, Erje grabbed Khalid’s finger, and their faces drew close.

“No!”

They continued their deep kiss.

“Khalid!”

As if nothing could be heard, their actions, concentrated on each other, abruptly stopped with Valia’s scream.

Even the strong wind, the flow of air, everything stopped, making everything surreal.

At that moment.

Khalid and Erje’s pupils rolled round, and then they stared intently at the despairing Valia.

Those gazes held no emotions to the point of being cruel.

“Ah…!”

Startled, Valia woke up from her dream.

Her entire body was soaked in cold sweat. The sensation of clothes sticking unpleasantly to her skin was discomforting. The breath that escaped from the tip of her lips trembled thinly.

“Haah.”

It was a nightmare.

Certainly, the anxiety seemed to have been resolved.

Valia covered her face with her hands. It was a dreadful feeling.

‘Why did I bring Erje into the palace so recklessly?’

Since starting a new life, had there ever been a moment when she regretted her actions so much?

She couldn’t erase the thought that she should have just pretended not to know Erje.

But she had already committed the act, and now, in this space, she actually existed.

‘…No, it’s a dream. Just a dream.’

Khalid wouldn’t do that.

Valia removed her hands covering her face and turned her head, looking at Khalid, who was peacefully asleep beside her.

It felt like receiving a punishment.

For doubting him. For testing him. For not being honest with her emotions. Therefore.

Somehow, tears seemed to come for no reason.
Valia bit her lip and nestled into Khalid’s embrace. As she did, Khalid, who had been holding Valia in his sleep, asked with a hoarse voice, the sleepiness apparent in his tone.

“Why are you awake already?”

“Just… I had a nightmare.”

There was no response, but Khalid, out of habit, gently patted Valia’s back. Then, his touch gradually subsided, confirming that he had fallen back asleep. Valia let out a small sigh.

Khalid was so affectionate.

To forget the scenes from the dream, Valia quickly cleared her mind and sought sleep.

The dressmaker and his assistants, responsible for creating the dress, swiftly arranged items inside the reception room. Various fabrics, dresses for reference, shoes, gloves, and more were neatly organized.

The designer and assistants carried various tools to measure the waist directly and awaited Valia.

Before long, Valia entered the reception room with her maids.

“Thank you for your hard work today.”

Valia was dressed very lightly.

From now on, she would decide how to create the dress by layering various fabrics and materials.

“It’s an honor to create the wedding dress for the princess.”

“I’m delighted to be able to create the dress at the most popular dressmaking studio in society these days. Although it seems ample until next spring, I hope there won’t be any disruptions in the schedule.”

“Of course.”

Afterward, everything proceeded very smoothly.

The designer took out several designs he had personally created and discussed them with Valia. Being a renowned designer in society, his designs were innovative and beautiful.

“I like this. However, for the shoulders, it would be nice to incorporate the shape from this design.”

“Understood.”

After determining the form of the dress, they went on to decide on various fabrics by presenting them to Valia. Then, they discussed the use of jewels for decoration.

“How about using many small diamonds instead of large ones?…”

“That’s fine. Using a greater number of small gems will make it look more dazzling when it catches the light, compared to using large gems.”

“And for this part, it would be nice to weave gold thread to create a pattern.”

The designer quickly grasped Valia’s preferences and proposed several alternatives accordingly. Valia was satisfied with the suggestions.

“Alright. Let’s proceed like this for now. Once the necklace and tiara I’ll be using are decided, we can make detailed modifications then.”

“Yes. We will start working as soon as we return.”

Valia nodded with a smile.

After that, to make it easier for the designers to tidy up, Valia left the reception room first.

“I need to go back to my room and finish writing the invitations.”

Valia had been personally writing each invitation with great care. Therefore, she had anticipated that it would take extra time.

However, the invitations to be sent to Shinkoku and Ronika had to be finished by the end of this month. Since these needed to be completed quickly, Valia hurriedly headed back to her room.

And when she arrived at her room.

Several unfamiliar boxes were neatly arranged on the desk.

“What is this?”

As Valia expressed her curiosity, one of the maids who remained in the room opened her mouth with an uneasy expression.

“…The First Prince has sent tiaras.”