Before he could finish his sentence, Belia hastily withdrew her hand that touched his face.

Something felt strange all along.

A subtle discomfort that seemed off had now solidified into certainty.

Her reason had turned cold.

“…Why did you reveal that even Her Majesty had a ‘dream’?”

It would have been more advantageous to hide it and exploit it in reverse.

Belia threw a valid question.

“How much time do you think I’ve endured patiently to separate Khalid from you?”

Raul, once again, gently held Belia’s hand.

Belia forcibly shook off the dreadful feeling.

Just a bit more. Just a little more.

“To confess the truth just because Khalid disappeared. You’ve become quite dangerous. It’s not wise to reveal weaknesses to the enemy.”

“Enemy? Haha. Belia, how could you be my enemy?”

Raul affectionately touched Belia’s hand.

“I spent a long time gathering fragments of short memories and consolidating them into a single narrative. You and I are the only ones who share those memories, confirming that we truly have a connection. With that in mind, how could we be enemies?”

“Your Highness. Just as you said, it was just a dream, and I’m already married to Khalid. Moreover, you are about to marry Lady Canterbury. Please refrain from talking about that guy! From the beginning, being by your side was my place!”

Belia pushed Raul’s hand away gently and stood up.

“So, please stop. Even if that really happened, the memory of you being my companion should be left as a dream.”

“Belia.”

“I will wait for Khalid, and I have decided to spend my life with him.”

As Raul stood up, he grabbed Belia’s shoulders.

“Don’t talk about that guy! From the start, being by your side was my place!”

Belia lowered her head.

But unlike before, she didn’t look at him with contempt.

Suppressing her anger, she cooled her head.

First, she needed to go back to the palace and organize her thoughts.

“That statement should be addressed to your fiancée, Lady Canterbury.”

“….Belia.”

“I will take my leave now.”
As Belia turned to leave, Raul grabbed her arm.

“Stay here. Instead of living in an ownerless palace, come to my palace now.”

“Are you trying to say something unfavorable to Lady Canterbury if I stay here?”

“Lady Canterbury couldn’t possibly oppose my decision.”

Belia sighed and pushed Raul away again.

“I don’t want unnecessary rumors. Just spending time with you here today is enough to create plenty of stories. So, please let me go now.”

Then, with a faint smile, she said, “Why did you act like this, even though it was Erzhe, not me, in that dream from the beginning?”

“That was a misunderstanding! I dreamed it to make you realize that it must be you!”

“Then, do you know what I did for Erzhe?”

“Locking you up in the palace…!”

Again.

Belia tried to suppress the smirk forming on her lips.

“Even if you dismiss it as just a dream, I feel all the emotions vividly, as if I experienced it myself. I can’t casually hold your hand like nothing happened.”

Without hesitation, Belia turned away and walked towards the First Prince’s Palace.

It was a long distance through the imperial gardens, but Belia’s steps somehow looked light.

There was an uncontrollable sneer on her lips.

‘Raul hasn’t regressed.’

Just confirming that fact made her feel like half of her worries had disappeared.

It was just a dream.

She was merely recalling memories as a dream.

Moreover, Raul was unaware of the fact that he had destroyed the Ronica Kingdom and personally killed Belia. She was worried that he might be hiding it, but that wasn’t the case.

She couldn’t imagine that Belia had regressed. He thought that she, like him, was merely recalling her past life in a dream.

‘I need to probe a little more. I have to find out how much information he knows.’

Belia hurried her steps, eager to get to the Second Prince’s Palace.

“I can’t forgive…!”

Watching Belia walking towards the Second Prince’s Palace, Elin shouted in anger.

As her silver hair fluttered in the wind, her heart sank even deeper.

She had gathered her courage to visit the First Prince’s Palace today, and here she was seeing Belia again!

“Lady… ”

“Why did His Highness ask me to come today?”

“Lady…”

“What does he want to show me…?”

Tears fell from Elin’s eyes as the gentle breeze made her delicate shoulders tremble.

‘What I saw yesterday was undoubtedly that woman…!’

As usual, Elin had come to visit the palace to meet Raul, but the sight she accidentally witnessed in the garden was unforgettable.

It was just a day like any other, but when she raised her head to look at the beautiful sky, she accidentally saw Raul’s face from a window. To confirm it again, she approached the second-floor window.

Raul was kissing someone.

They were so close that it was unmistakably a kiss between lovers.

Moreover, the other person was fluttering silver hair. It was only the back view, but there was no way not to recognize those distinctive silver strands.

Elin clenched her fist.

‘Belia Ronica…!’

It was clear that the person Raul was kissing was Belia.

Elin wiped away the tears on her cheeks and stared at Belia’s retreating figure towards the Second Prince’s Palace. Then, as if nothing had happened, she entered the First Prince’s Palace.

However, her eyes were filled with a previously unseen resentment.