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The dream fades as time goes by when you wake up. But my dream, on the contrary, came clearer and closer.
When I just woke up, I was so distracted that I didn’t even think about it, but now I know for sure.
The sealed Darkness, the curse that engulfed the man, and the test of Obelus that called Father.
‘The dream was the story of the first Saintess.’
In the past, what she had experienced at that time was realized in my dream.
The question is, why did I have that dream?
Because I read her diary?
No. It won’t be just for that reason.
Because this isn’t the first time I’ve had that dream.
I certainly had a similar dream in Wilhelm.
Ariana, the owner of the castle, and the man she saved.
Their first meeting and farewell.
It was an extension of the dream I had back then.
On the last page of the diary, the name written at the end and the name that was called by the man in the dream.
‘I want to ignore it even though I know that Ria is Ariana’s nickname, but it’s not a simple problem.’
She wrote her last words not to someone who would open the diary in future generations, but to herself.
And she felt confident that she would open it again.
The following dream, the same name, and me who read the diary.
What is the probability that all of this will overlap?
When a coincidence repeats itself, then it is destiny.
At the words, I recalled Aaron’s voice I heard.
‘Ria-nim is the child of destiny.’
Right, I wanted to deny it, but all the circumstances pointed to one.
That dream was my previous life, and I am the reincarnation of the Saintess.
If I think that way, maybe I am right.
The reason the Darkness is obsessed with me, the fact that I can wield divine power more than Aaron and Aina, and the fact that Nathan knew my name.
‘It was all because I was the reincarnation of the first Saintess.’
When we first met, Nathan certainly told me this.
That he has been waiting for me for a long time.
In addition to that, I couldn’t deny it anymore when the divine creature who was exceptionally friendly to me came to mind.
‘Everything is to protect that person.’
The last sentence I saw in my diary clung to my mind.
“Ha.”
I couldn’t believe it and burst into laughter.
I thought I was just an ordinary extra, one of the villagers, but I was the reincarnation of the first Saintess. Isn’t that crazy?
“Miss Ria?”
I was taken out of my thoughts by Dillian’s voice.
He suddenly called out to me as if wondering because maybe he felt weird that I was laughing out loud while eating.
“Is it because of your dream?”
He had a worried face like he was bothered by me, which was different from usual.
I stared at such Dillian.
‘The Duke was born with a curse from birth, so someone from his predecessor may have made a contract with the Darkness.’
Aina was right. Although it was not a contract, it was certain that it was passed down to future generations.
So, was the man in the dream Dillian’s predecessor?
‘Come to think of it, I think they kind of look a bit similar.’
The hair that was as black as ebony and the eyes which were bright and red like ruby were very similar.
It was then, when I looked at the face while comparing its features with the face in my dream one by one.
Dillian, who was looking at me with a strange expression, put a hand on his chin and smiled.
“Do you like my face that much?”
“Pardon?”
“I know you particularly like my face, but how about eating first?”
“Ah
.”
“If you don’t eat, I will feed you myself.”
With a smirk that longed for it from within, I called him impulsively.
“Sir Dillian.”
“Yes.”
“Call my name please.”
Dillian, who had blinked his eyes because he did not understand the reason, gently called my name.
“Miss Ria.”
I shook my head at the sweet voice that melted my ears.
“Just my name.”
“Ria.”
It felt different from what I had in my dream. Unlike the dull and suffocating breath, it was tickling and bubbling.
‘Well, it’s not even the same person in the first place.’
Perhaps he’ll still be trapped in hell
.
If I don’t pass this test, he won’t be able to get out of there forever, right?
When I thought of it, my heart sank.
Dillian, unable to understand my actions, looked at me and smiled broadly as if he realized something.
“Then can I call you by name from now on?”
“No, I prefer you to call me the same as before.”
I immediately declined the offer.
Aside from the dream, the sweet voice on that face was so detrimental to my heart.
To the extent that my normal heart suddenly beats.
‘As he who usually talks while using honorifics suddenly spoke informally, I really feel embarrassed.’
Maybe my face would turn red if I heard it one more time.
“That’s too bad. It was an opportunity for us to get closer.”
“It’s strange. I think we’re close, but I guess it’s not for sir Dillian.”
“Yes. I want to get closer both physically and mentally. Close enough to fit a single sheet of paper.”
After the confession, Dillian, who began to express his affection without hesitation, seemed like a person without a break.
“Then I can’t breathe.”
“It’s okay. No matter how, I will let you breathe.”
I pushed aside the approaching Dillian, but he didn’t lose a word.
“Miss Ria, please call my name too. Take off the title and just call me by my name.”
“I will decline. The Confucian girl inside me doesn’t recognize it.”
“Confucian girl, you mean?”
“There is such a thing. Anyway, sir Dillian is older than me, so I can’t.”
Of course, I spoke informally and swearing inside, but I refused, using my age as an excuse.
Hearing he calls me with just a name once makes my heart beat this much, so what if Dillian also feels this feeling? Certainly he can never stand still.
There are times when I can’t handle it, and it’s difficult if it exploded more here.
But Dillian doesn’t know how to step down.
He constantly teased me throughout the meal. So that his name comes out of my mouth.
“
 Dillian.”
Am I really weak against Dillian?
I always felt like I was giving him what he wanted, even though I said I didn’t like it.
“This is how it felt.”
Between the hands covering the corner of his mouth, I could see the lips rising out of his mouth. He was about to fly through the sky.
“
 It is not.”
But the words of denial only gave him confidence.
“I will try to shake miss Ria by calling you often from now on.”
“I will refuse.”
“Ria, would you like to go for a walk together today?”
“I’m going to do it alone though!”
I screamed at those words, not sure if it was a temptation or a joke, so I got up and ran away.
Dillian’s laughter echoed through the door.
***
I thought I would go back to my usual self, but I couldn’t get out of the aftermath of the dream the next day or the day after.
Even though I live my days with a smile, when I remembered that dream, my heart sank infinitely.
So for me, Dillian invited a special guest to the duke’s mansion.
“Ria!”
After watering the garden, I went out and raised my head at the familiar voice.
“May?”
A large figure rose behind her.
“Candy, your brother is here!”
“Stop that disgusting noise!”
Schumann, who was staggered by May hitting him in the head, was also there.
“Schumann? What’s going on with you?”
Surprised by the unexpected appearance of the two, I blinked blankly.
“Why, after hearing the news that my cute little sister is dying, I can’t stay still as an older brother.”
“It’s funny. Did Ria ever invite you?”
“You’ve never been invited either, have you?”
As I approached the two of them who were bickering, Schumann suddenly poked his face.
“What’s wrong with your complexion? Is the duke starving you?”
“No, I eat well.”
I’m saying this because it seems they don’t know how sincere Dillian is about the meal. He came to pick me up when it was time to eat.
In addition, the chef walked with both arms and provided everything from snacks to late-night snacks.
I’ll just gain weight then, there’s no way I could lose weight.
“I get it. You missed me so much that you became sick.”
As if he understood everything while talking with his nonsense, he patted my head.
It was a rough hand, unlike his soft-looking face.
My neck was twisted and my hair was in a mess.
“Let go of this!”
I swung my arms to strike Schumann, but he had already disappeared.
My face was buried in firm arms so I blinked blankly.
When I lifted my head, I saw a jaw which was stiff and stronger.
“It’s not enough to come in without permission, you also have a bad hand habit.”
“Duke. Isn’t the greeting too harsh? That’s rude.”
As if he had slapped Schumann’s hand, he frowned as he brushed off his sore hand.
“Who is rude? You’d better refrain from excessive contact with my fiancĂ©e. Intruder.”
“Intruder you say? Before she was the Duke’s fiancĂ©e, she and I were brothers and sisters.”
“Whoever sees you, would think that you’re real siblings.”
The two of them didn’t back down.
In the meantime, I asked May and Nathan for help, but they both looked at the place with interest.
Dillian, who lightly ignored Schumann’s irritation, cleaned my messy hair.
“No, it’s ok
.”
As I pushed out Dillian’s hand, I calmly entrusted my head to a surprisingly delicate gesture.
‘
 It’s not that bad though.’
Then Schumann’s face was dyed with shock.
What should I say
. That face is like the face of the cat’s owner who saw the cat that was only usually just looking at the owner then running to other people and acting cute
.
‘It’s annoying. Really.’
Dillian pointed at Schumann with his chin.
“Miss Ria, where else did that thing put its hands on you?”
That thing
. He wasn’t even referred to as a human.
“Ria, how can you happen to be engaged to weird thing like that. Look at those eyes I’m going to be ripped.”
Weird thing
. It was the same with Schumann who didn’t treat him like a human being.