Because she had realized where she was.

‘Here… this is the place I dreamt about yesterday.’

Looking around, she saw a forest. Yesterday she had run in that direction and had been captured by Duke Hart, who had transformed into a gigantic snake.

She had almost been eaten, but she had woken up from the dream.

Nelia looked around cautiously. She was worried that another furious snake might appear and attack her.

Then, far away, she noticed the shiny silver scales.

Beyond, an entity radiating a mysterious light was unmistakably a silver snake.

Though the snake, sprawled in a thousand curves, didn’t look angry like the last time, she couldn’t let her guard down.

She considered running back into the forest, but she knew if the snake wanted to, it could easily chase her down. So, Nelia approached the snake.

At least this is a dream; it wouldn’t hurt even if she got eaten.

Despite her presence, the crouching snake did not open its eyes.

It looked somewhat pitiful with its eyes shut, perhaps in pain.

Driven by a sad emotion, Nelia, as if entranced, reached out to stroke the snake.

Her hand glided smoothly along its elegant curves.

“Your Grace.”

At her calling, the snake’s eyelids trembled. Soon, its silver pupils were exposed.

The pupils were no longer cloudy; they were brilliant and mesmerizing.

Nelia felt strange.

The giant snake she encountered earlier was almost like a monster that had lost its sanity and attacked people, but now, it seemed like an aweinspiring entity.

It reminded her of a viscount with a dual personality.

[Nelia, I’m sorry for hurting you…]

Duke Hart’s voice rang in her ears. The moment she realized the snake harbored Duke Hart’s consciousness, she felt relieved.

“It’s alright. You didn’t mean to.”

[Even so…]

“Let’s talk about the future, Your Grace.”

At Nelia’s resolute voice, the snake drooped its head weakly.

[I’m not sure… what to do next.]

“I said I’ll break the curse. I’ll help you find the heart.”

[How will you, Nelia…?]

Nelia smiled at the snake’s despondent voice.

“It’s a secret.”

She knew about the heart of Siegfried, the core of this world.

Finding the heart was another story, but her chances were better than the duke’s alone.

Perhaps infected by Nelia’s laughter, the shadow in the snake’s eyes lifted a little.

Then the snake slightly lifted its head, showing more vigor than before.

[You don’t have to do anything, Nelia. Just being by my side feels like I haven’t lost you…]

Nelia thought she saw Duke Hart in the snake’s calm yet tender tone.
But that was merely a thought.

Now, it was clearly a dream. So, this snake wasn’t the real Duke Hart.

Nelia stared quietly into the silver eyes.

‘Since it’s just a dream, maybe I should talk about the Emperor.’

The closer she got to the Duke, the more her chest felt stuffy from time to time. The reason she felt this way was because she knew the revenge Duke Hart was planning.

This man, who was kind and affectionate to her, subtly tormented her with the fact that he was plotting to kill someone.

It wasn’t that she was scared like the first time she met the Duke.

If she had to define this feeling, perhaps it was a dissonance about the Duke’s duality.

She’d always been bothered by this issue, but she never dared to pretend to know, so she kept her mouth shut.

So, even if only in her dreams, she wanted to talk to the Duke about the Emperor.

“Duke.”

His noble silver eyes turned towards Nelia.

[Yes, Nelia.]

“Do you really have to take revenge on the Emperor?”

The snake suddenly stopped moving. Nelia slightly tensed up at the changed appearance of the snake.

[Nelia, how do you…]

The Duke seemed quite shocked that Nelia knew he was planning revenge on the Emperor.

Seizing the opportunity in his flustered voice, Nelia clenched her fist and spoke.

“I wish you wouldn’t harm anyone, Duke.”

[But, I…]

“I know why you’re doing it. But… revenge only begets revenge.”

Nelia stared directly into the Duke’s eyes.

Revenge begets revenge.

It might sound like a line from a movie, but if it followed the original story, it would definitely go that way.

Once Duke Hart had his revenge, Carlos would sharpen his blade of revenge against the Duke.

It was something you could know even without reading the book to the end. But even in a dream, it was hard to accept.

[Nelia… I…]

The snake’s eyes that had been hardened were beginning to crack.

“Du, Duke…!”

Suddenly, the silver eyes shattered like glass fragments. Although Nelia shook the Duke, there was no response.

“Duke…! Duke…!”

Only Nelia’s desperate voice echoed.

(This is a time marker.)

“Duke…!”

Nelia sat up in bed, calling for the Duke. Her hand touched the soft blanket.

Realizing that what had happened was a dream, she thought, ‘It was just a dream after all…’

Why did it feel so precarious, knowing it was a dream?

Looking around, she was in her room prepared in the Duke’s residence.

The last thing she remembered was a strong light emanating from the Duke, but fortunately, he seemed to have not died.

As her groggy head gradually cleared, Nelia became curious about what happened to the Duke.

As she was about to get up to go outside, the door opened first.

It was Duke Hart, now in human form.

“Duke!”

Nelia exclaimed in surprise and joy.

The Duke had safely returned as a human! It was news enough to completely forget about the unsettling dream.

But something was off.

She had thought he would stride up and hug her tightly, but the Duke just stood there, looking at Nelia.