Chapter 3.2

Chapter 3.2

Her sweat-soaked body gradually cooled. Even after breathing in the damp, dew-laden air of dawn for a long time, the dream was so vivid it was indistinguishable from reality, and the lingering effects of the nightmare wouldn’t easily disappear.

Even the memory of Theodore’s sword, emanating a sharp aura within his tent just recently, resurfaced and made her even more terrified.

She was just having a meaningless dream due to anxiety, knowing she would soon leave her hometown. Rosette tried to rationalize her thoughts and gently stroked her perpetually dry throat, calming her mind.

Rosette’s face was noticeably drawn and pale from not being able to sleep a wink all night due to the dream she had the previous night. Queen Isis, who had been dining with her every day since her journey to the Empire was decided, looked at her with a worried expression.

“Why aren’t you eating more? Do you not have an appetite, Rosette?”

At her mother’s concern, Rosette sliced a large piece of the steak she couldn’t bring herself to eat and pushed it into her mouth. She didn’t want to worry her parents before she left, so she tried to force the steak down, but for some reason, it wouldn’t go. Rosette ended up coughing repeatedly and quickly drained the glass of water beside her.

“You’re not chewing slowly and thoroughly.”

At Isis’s worried advice, Rosette flinched as if she had heard something she shouldn’t have. It was because of a strange sense of déjà vu. But she forced herself to act composed and replied to her.

“Yes, mother.”

This time, she placed a slice of bread, which was easier to swallow, on her plate. She intended to eat it with shredded meat and cooked vegetables. Rosette picked up the knife beside her and began to slice the bread.

“Ow!”

Throughout the meal, she had been so distracted, as if her soul was gone, that she finally drew blood. Rosette, who had cut her own hand instead of the bread, immediately clutched her wounded finger, and bright red drops of blood dripped onto her white dress.

“Good heavens! Are you alright, Rosette? Healer… quickly, call the healer!”

At the same time, Rosette’s face turned ashen.

‘You’re not chewing slowly and thoroughly.’

Her mother’s worried words, the injury on her finger, and the bright red blood spreading on her white dress—all matched the scenes she had witnessed in her dream last night.

Rosette’s heart began to beat faster and faster.

“Quickly, for the treatment—”

“Mother, I’m going to my room for a moment. I need to check something.”

“The healer will be here soon, so get treated first… Wait, Rosette—!”

Rosette dashed up to her room like a madwoman. The injury on her finger was of no concern to her. Her heels clattered loudly down the palace corridor, as if she didn’t care about the bleeding.

She ran towards her room.

Inside, Rosette frantically opened the luxurious velvet box on her bedside table. It was an item her mother, Isis, had given her just last night.

‘This is a family heirloom passed down through the royal family, a precious artifact. Only those with the blood of the Hersia royals can possess it. Be sure to keep it with you in the Empire. This will protect you, Rosette.’

The small dagger, which seemed impractical, was said to have a sheath made entirely of pure gold and was adorned with various dazzling jewels. Her mother had also said it was an invaluable item. Its unfamiliar extravagance and peculiar appearance had captivated even Rosette for a while, showing how painstakingly it had been crafted. She remembered taking the dagger out of its golden sheath only to quickly put it back, as the blade inside was fiercely sharp.

“Rosette, what in the world is happening—”

Rosette asked Isis, who had followed her after her sudden disappearance, in a trembling voice.

“Mother, this dagger. You said it was a royal heirloom, right? That it would protect me.”

“Yes. I heard it’s a precious artifact made by the first King of Hersia.”

“So, does this item have magic, or some mystical energy?”

“Well, I can’t say for certain, but it’s definitely an old legend that it will protect us Hersians. But why are you suddenly asking about that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, mother.”

After hearing her mother’s words, Rosette couldn’t help but be even more convinced. What if all the events and tragedies she had seen in her dream were not just a simple dream? What if it was meant to show her the future of Rosette and the Hersia Kingdom and warn her?

If not, this situation she had just experienced couldn’t be explained.

Soon after, the healer entered her room and treated her cut fingertip. The bleeding from her hand didn’t stop until quite some time later, indicating it was a deeper wound than she had thought.

Rosette’s expression during the treatment was like that of someone whose soul had left their body, but Isis merely watched her daughter with a worried gaze.