Riena fidgeted with her feet back and forth for no reason, and Cassel, who was watching, asked.

“Is your foot uncomfortable? Are you injured or something…?”

“No, it’s just that these are new shoes, so I think my heel is a bit chafed. It’s also been a while since I’ve worn party shoes like these. I think I’ve rested enough now, so we can go back.”

“Before that, may I take a look for a moment?”

“…Pardon?”

Cassel knelt down on one knee in front of Riena before she could give her permission. Riena looked at his eyes gazing up at her and nodded reflexively.

He carefully took Riena’s left foot and removed the shoe. His eyes carefully examined her foot.

“There’s definitely a small wound here. Fortunately, it’s not serious, but let’s have a doctor look at it when we return.”

“No, if it’s not serious, just applying some ointment will do. It feels a bit embarrassing to call a doctor for something so minor.”

“Still, it might get infected, so I think it’s better to get proper treatment. We pay the doctor a sufficient salary, so don’t hesitate to call them.”

His attitude was so firm that Riena didn’t object any further.

Taking her silence as agreement, Cassel, instead of trying to persuade her more, now examined her right foot.

Similarly, he removed the shoe and checked for wounds. Unlike the left, there was no wound on the right foot.

Although he had clearly checked both feet, Cassel didn’t let go of her foot. Just as he had done once in the night garden, he couldn’t take his eyes off her foot.

His eyes didn’t contain the same sinister desire as before. Rather, it was the opposite. His gaze was pure, and in a way, it even felt a bit sorrowful.

It was a situation that gave her déjà vu.

‘I had something like this in a dream too.’

To be precise, there were some differences from the dream she had last time. First, the clothes they were wearing were different, and while the landscaping of the garden was similar to the dream, the sense of season was different.

In the dream, it was a garden with light green buds and flowers, but now there were many trees with deep colors.

Above all, Cassel didn’t get angry while examining her ankle. Johannes’s name didn’t come up either.

But maybe it was because he was sitting in front of her in formal attire.

His image kept overlapping with the one from her dream.

Perhaps that’s why. Riena unknowingly opened her mouth.

“You know, Cas.”

His gaze, which had been fixed on her feet, moved up to her face.

“Actually, I knew you even before I met you again. I mean, how should I explain this. Not just knowing about Duke Winckler, but I knew your face.”

Cassel made an expression as if he didn’t understand. It was natural. Even Riena herself still didn’t fully understand the mysterious events that had happened to her.

She smiled awkwardly and explained in a bit more detail.

“I know it’s a strange story. Honestly, I don’t know why this happened either. But…”

Cassel listened to her words seriously. She had a groundless expectation that he would believe any story she told.

“Ever since my father passed away, you kept appearing in my dreams. At first, I thought it was just a common dream, but I had the same dream five times over two months.”

Cassel’s face stiffened a little. However, it was barely noticeable, so Riena didn’t realize it.

Cassel swallowed dryly and asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

“What kind of dream was it?”

“You were kneeling on one knee in front of me in a garden, just like now. I thought that garden was an imaginary place, but now that I’ve come to the imperial palace today, I understand. The place where you and I were was right here, the imperial garden.”

“…”

Cassel’s lips moved slightly before he asked again.

“Can you tell me more details?”

“Of course. It’s not really something I need to keep secret. I couldn’t tell what the situation was, but you were looking at me with very sad eyes.”

Riena tried to recall her memory.

“In the dream, you… asked me to leave with you.”

“…”

“You said you couldn’t leave me like this, and that if I refused, you’d even kidnap me to take me away. I…”

Riena frowned slightly.

“Every time I woke up from the dream, my heart felt heavy. I felt sad and regretful that I couldn’t say I’d go with you in reality, and at the same time, I wished for your happiness. Sometimes I cried when I woke up from the dream. My heart felt so heavy.”

“…”

“I wondered why you didn’t exist in reality and only in my dreams. I felt resentful too.”

Thinking about the sense of loss she felt then made her heart ache again.

She tried to compose herself as she looked at Cassel in front of her.

“But then you came that day. When I first saw your face, I was really surprised. Although your expression was different, you were clearly the same man I had seen in my dreams. I can’t tell you how happy and glad I was.”

Cassel continued to listen to the story without saying a word.

“After hearing that you were called ‘Coward Cas’, well, I thought maybe I could imagine what you’d look like as an adult because I knew your face from childhood. Besides, even though the face was the same, I couldn’t be sure that the man I saw in my dreams was really you. But after I came to the capital with you…”

When Riena hesitated, Cassel finally spoke.

“What happened after that?”

“Instead of the dream I kept having repeatedly, I started having different dreams. Dreams that were strangely similar to reality but also different.”

Riena realized she had been too serious and smiled brightly.

“I’ve talked for too long. Now that I’ve said it, it doesn’t seem that special. Is it boring?”

“No, not at all. I’d like to hear more about what happened after that.”

“But it’s such a long story.”

“I can listen for as long as you want.”

“Well, if you insist…”

Just as Riena was about to speak again, a commotion was heard nearby.

Cassel turned around briefly, then helped Riena put her shoes back on. Then he stood up and offered her his hand.

“The night air is cold, and I’ve kept you sitting for too long. I think we’ve shown our faces enough, so we should head back now.”

“Yes, I’m feeling a bit tired too.”

“And.”

Cassel said as he naturally escorted Riena.

“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to hear the rest of the story when we get back.”

Riena nodded readily.

“Alright. If it’s okay with you, let’s do that.”

The two left the imperial palace and got into the carriage. Throughout the journey back to the mansion, Cassel didn’t say a word.

Because his expression was serious, Riena couldn’t say anything either.

“Did you have a good time?”

Amy greeted her as she entered the room.

“You’re still awake?”

“How could I sleep when you hadn’t returned yet, my lady? You must be tired. I’ll prepare your bath water first.”

Riena took off her dress with the help of Amy and other maids. The multi-layered skirt for a voluminous appearance took quite some time to remove, just as it did to put on.

After taking off the heavy dress and even the corset, her body felt lighter.

When she immersed herself in the bathtub filled with water mixed with rose-scented bath salts, she felt her fatigue melting away. Her injured heel stung a bit, but it was bearable.

Amy skillfully removed her makeup and tidied her hair.

After receiving such luxurious care, someone came to visit. It was the doctor sent by Cassel.

Riena put on a robe and greeted the doctor in the living room.

“I heard from the Duke that you injured your heel.”

Amy was surprised.

“My lady, you’re hurt? When? Where? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I just got a bit of a blister from my shoes. It’s barely even worth calling an injury. Don’t make such a fuss.”

“Still, just in case, I’ll disinfect it and apply some ointment.”

The doctor skillfully treated the wound. After finishing the treatment, he gave Amy some ointment that helps prevent scarring. He left after instructing that it should be applied twice a day.

“It looks like it won’t leave a scar since the wound isn’t too big. That’s a relief.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“The night air is chilly now, so if you sleep without drying your hair, you might catch a cold. I know you’re tired, but please bear with it a little longer.”

Amy only left with a satisfied face after completely drying Riena’s hair.

Riena looked at the bed Amy had prepared for her and pondered for a moment.

‘He said he’d listen to the rest of the story when we got back to the mansion…’

She couldn’t tell if that meant tonight or another day.

‘It must mean another day, right? Cas must be tired too.’

Just as she was thinking this and lying down on the bed, she heard a faint knock from somewhere.

Riena didn’t have as keen hearing as Cassel, but because it was so quiet around, she could hear it.

At first, she thought she had misheard, but soon there was another knock.