The Dream's Cruel Awakening
After the intense passion of the night, Lisbel fell into a deep sleep as if she had fainted. In that unconscious state, she had a strange dream. Lisbel was being led by someone's hand through the dense forest, running mindlessly. But something felt off. In front of her, she saw her own figure running with ragged breaths. Only then did Lisbel realize that she was viewing this scene not with her own eyes, but through someone else's gaze.
'Liz, run a little more. Are you in a lot of pain?' 'Heup, hah... I-I'm fine.' Looking at herself struggling, he pulled Lisbel tightly into his arms. From the voice, tone, and clothing, Lisbel could immediately tell that the man hugging her was Hendrick. 'I can't explain it properly, sorry. But I don't want to fail this time.' In Hendrick's voice that wrapped around Lisbel's cheeks, there was a resolute and solemn air.
At that moment, 'There!' The shout of unfamiliar men echoed through the forest. Hendrick gripped Lisbel's hand and began to run again. 'Aaah!' But Lisbel couldn't keep up with his swift pace. The moment her legs gave out, she collapsed forward. 'Liz! No!' The image of herself falling, the pursuers approaching, and Hendrick's desperate cry calling her name filled her ears.
"Haah!" At that instant, Lisbel woke with a sharp breath, as if from a dream. When she opened her eyes, the ceiling of the barracks they had constructed with the knight order before entering the ruins for exploration came into view. "Hah." Startled, Lisbel tried to rise urgently, but the dull pain pressing down on her entire body prevented it, and she collapsed back onto the bed with a thud. Her waist and hips throbbed as if they would break. The cry she had heard in the dream was so vivid.
Because of that, tears had gathered wetly at the corners of her eyes. "I need to meet Hendrick." The dream she had just experienced was just a dream, but the hot sex from last night and the sight of Hendrick gently embracing her lingered like a phantom in her mind. Even in the hazy memories wrapped in fever, his figure occasionally surfaced, and it was so similar to the Hendrick she knew. Why had the man who had treated her only as a heretic plotting the empire's collapse hugged her so tenderly last night? She had to confirm it.
"Ah..." Driven by the rising impulse, she barely stood up, guiding her body that felt like it would shatter. The sensation of the fluids still inside her slowly dripping down was felt. Ignoring even this uncomfortable sensation, Lisbel jumped out of the barracks.
The battle cries and clashing of swords from the Grandia Knights echoed through the quiet jungle, making it easy to find where Hendrick was. "Next!" "Um, please take care!" Estel's cautious suggestion that they skip training here because they might provoke the ferocious monsters in the jungle was simply ignored. Hendrick was, as always, coldly pushing the knights training with a blank face. At first glance, he looked no different from usual. But the loosely dressed appearance, disheveled hair, and the slightly faded coolness in his eyes suggested a small change had occurred in him.
"Hendrick..." A delicate voice pierced through the noisy training sounds. It was a small voice that wouldn't be out of place buried in the heavy battle cries, but Hendrick reflexively recognized Lisbel's voice calling him and turned his head towards her. There, Lisbel, who had clearly just woken from sleep, stood with a desperate expression, breathing roughly. Just from her pale face and unstable gait, it was clear she had run too hard. She probably hadn't had time to steady herself properly.
Instantly, his feet moved as if instinctively to approach her. But Hendrick clenched his teeth and stopped his steps. "I... I have something to say to you..." After their reunion, Lisbel had always looked at Hendrick with eyes filled with resentment and hatred. But now, in her eyes, no negative emotions could be read. 'Could it be that she remembers last night?' Having unconsciously released the rationality that was squeezing her heart and body, she hugged Lisbel as impulse dictated. Believing that the memory of that night would fade as she watched her in fever, not even realizing her actions. Despite that, there was still anxiety in a corner of her heart. If she remembered everything from that night.
Hendrick, hiding his agitation, opened his mouth with his usual blank expression. "What's the matter." A cold, cold voice. Facing that voice and blank face, Lisbel froze as if struck by a great shock. Like someone thrown into reality from a sweet dream. "Ah..." She was confused. She didn't know if the Hendrick from last night she remembered was real, or if it was an extension of the dream. But what was certain was that the man in front of her now was very different from the one who had gently hugged her in her arms last night.
"If there's no special business, go inside and rest. We have to resume the exploration we couldn't finish yesterday." After speaking, Hendrick no longer looked at her. If he kept his gaze on her, he might approach her again. The impulse to reach out again after touching her once burned, but now, there shouldn't be the same deviation as yesterday. "Hah..." In the midst of this, Lisbel felt anew the feeling of being abandoned by Hendrick, which was pitiful. A calm yet cold attitude. The way he acted as if last night's events didn't exist at all was too cold. Yes, this was Hendrick these days. The betrayer who had abandoned her miserably and left. Although they ended up overlapping bodies, his attitude hadn't changed at all.
Lisbel bit the soft flesh inside her mouth hard, suppressing the surging emotions. At least, she didn't want to show tears in front of him, even if she died. "I must have made a mistake. Sorry for interrupting the training." Lisbel slowly turned her body and walked towards the barracks. The returning footsteps felt more pathetic than possible. She had called his name loudly enough to make the training Hendrick turn around, and said she had something to say in a familiar tone like three years ago. Yet, instead of the expected reaction, she turned her tail and left.
"Still can't wake up from it, Liz." A self-deprecating mutter leaked out with a bitter laugh. "Sister, are you okay?" In this pitiful moment, Isaac approached like a ray of salvation. "Priest..." "I'm sorry about the exploration yesterday. It seems my help didn't end up being useful." The reason Lisbel was depressed wasn't that. But it was rather comforting that Isaac misunderstood like that. "No, it's fine... hah..." At least, it would look like she had broken down from the despair of not getting the desired results.
The moment she was far enough from the training ground and had someone to lean on without worry, Lisbel finally burst into a pitiful sob. "Sister. I'm really sorry. I don't know much about the ancient curse either..." "Hah, no. I... had unnecessary expectations. I knew it was all over already... Idiot..." The reasons for crying and comforting were different. Isaac, who didn't know that, tried hard to console her. He took out a handkerchief of the same color from his white robes and handed it to Lisbel. Lisbel took it and buried her eyes in it. If only she could shed all the lingering attachment and expectations along with these tears, it would be good.
Meanwhile, Lisbel's sobbing from a slightly distant place faintly reached the training ground. Hearing that sound, Estel approached Hendrick and said quietly. "Squad Leader, what are you doing now." The dense jungle carried the sounds from quite a distance clearly. "Nothing special." Everyone at the training ground had heard Lisbel's sobbing, but there was no change on Hendrick's face. "I don't know why you're trying to sever your ties with Liz..." Estel, who was in charge of carrying out Hendrick's secret orders, knew his every move better than anyone. "Don't be too merciless. The child has already suffered many misfortunes." Even though she knew it was an overstep, Estel said what she had wanted to say all along. Despite the somewhat excessive interference, Hendrick turned his body without answering. Clearly, Estel would never know until she died. The reason he was turning his back coldly now was to protect Lisbel from the greater misfortune that would come. And the person who knew that truth would be Hendrick alone from now on.