Chapter 3

“Who is it?”

Bella’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

She couldn’t help but wonder who the Crown Prince of the Empire would personally recommend.

But that anticipation lasted only a heartbeat.

“Me.”

…Huh?

Did he really just say—

“The decent man you’re looking for is standing right in front of you. Why am I not even a candidate?”

“Wait. Hold on… just a second.”

“Let’s be honest. Looks-wise, I’m better than most. My personality… well, maybe not exceptional, but at least above average. I’m richer than anyone you’ll ever meet. And we’re even the same age.”

Evan spoke hurriedly.

The sincerity in his voice sounded almost like a confession.

Bella forced an awkward smile.

But it wasn’t the bright smile she’d intended.

Because she knew…

He wasn’t joking.

In the end, she let out a long sigh.

“Your Majesty—I mean… your father—would never approve.”

She understood her own position better than anyone.

There was no chance the Emperor would hand over his precious only son to the daughter of an insignificant count.

“And if I married you, those foxes would drain us dry the moment they got the chance.”

“But—”

“I couldn’t stand watching that happen. I’d rather marry some old grandfather instead.”

Bella shook her head without hesitation.

Those foxes would sell their own souls for money.

If she became the Crown Prince’s wife, she couldn’t even begin to imagine the chaos they would cause.

“At worst… I’d only have to endure it for ten years.”

Every single day of those ten years would be miserable.

But after that…

Her elderly husband would likely pass away, leaving her a widow.

Now that I think about it… that’s a pretty pitiful future.

A bitter smile crossed Bella’s lips.

For a fleeting moment, she felt sorry for herself—for calmly calculating the years until her imaginary husband died.

She was just about to resume her serious search for a suitable groom when—

“Your Highness.”

She had sensed someone approaching.

Turning her head, she saw a neatly dressed attendant standing respectfully nearby.

The man bowed deeply.

“His Majesty requests your presence.”

“…I understand. Tell him I’ll be there shortly.”

Evan’s face darkened even further.

He sighed heavily, clearly annoyed that he couldn’t have a single moment of peace.

Watching him, Bella quietly stepped away.

“You seem busy, so I should get going.”

“Already?”

“There aren’t many guests on the first day anyway.”

Although it was the Founding Festival, the opening day felt more like an eve celebration.

Few people attended.

The true festivities began on the second day, when the Emperor and the high-ranking nobles appeared, drawing crowds from across the empire.

“I’ll walk you to the entrance.”

Even with the attendant urging him to hurry, Evan insisted on escorting her.

As they walked together, he spoke quietly.

“I’ll do everything I can about Viscount LeBlanc. If I speak to Father, he’ll take action. He thinks of you like a daughter.”

But there was little confidence in his voice.

Bella felt the same.

After all…

When her parents had died, the Emperor had done nothing but watch from afar.

When Bella was little, he had always welcomed her warmly whenever she visited the Imperial Palace with her parents.

But after her mother—the Empire’s only prophet—passed away…

The Emperor’s attitude had turned ice-cold.

“Try to understand,” Evan said with a bitter smile.

“Everyone’s on edge right now.”

“It’ll soon be thirteen years since the Fourth Morpheus disappeared, yet no new successor has appeared. Thanks to that, the priests opposing the Imperial Family have become even more arrogant. They keep claiming that Lord Morpheus refuses to answer because the people lack faith.”

He sighed again.

“I suppose so. If a new prophet appeared soon, the people of the Empire could finally stop living in fear.”

Bella answered absentmindedly.

Argent had an ancient legend.

Long ago, humanity had lost a war against the gods.

As punishment, the gods stole away mankind’s dreams.

Dreams became a realm forbidden to mortals.

No human was ever allowed to dream again—

Except for seven children born from the God who ruled dreams and a mortal woman.

According to legend, those seven children had lived in this very land: Argent.

Perhaps because of that ancient bloodline, seven children capable of dreaming were always born somewhere within the empire.

The people called them Morpheus, believing they had been chosen by the God of Dreams.

Each Morpheus inherited a different power according to their order, and because of their extraordinary gifts, they were known as the Empire’s Jewels.

Bella’s mother had been one of them.

She possessed the power of the Fourth Morpheus—

The ability to see the future through dreams.

But after her mother’s death, the seat of the Fourth Morpheus had remained empty.

Without a prophet, both the Imperial Family and the people lived in constant anxiety.

For thirteen long years, the Emperor had searched obsessively for the successor to the Fourth Morpheus.

“I wish you were the Fourth.”

“…”

Bella froze just as she was stepping into her carriage.

She slowly turned around.

Those blue eyes…

They shimmered strangely.

She couldn’t answer.

No…

She didn’t dare.

“Bella.”

If she said the wrong thing now…

“…You’re not hiding anything from me, are you?”

Her throat tightened.

The years she’d spent living among those foxes had been a living hell.

But she’d gained one invaluable skill.

“…Hiding something? Of course not.”

She could lie now…

Without feeling even the slightest trace of guilt.

“You know as well as I do that just because someone’s parent is a Morpheus doesn’t mean their child inherits the power. The odds are incredibly small.”

The blessings of Morpheus passed randomly among the people of Argent.

According to legend, the gods had made it that way so that no single family could monopolize divine power forever.

At least…

That was what Bella had always believed.

“I suppose that’s true.”

Evan smiled bitterly.

Maintaining a perfectly calm expression, Bella climbed into the carriage.

Outwardly, she looked composed.

Inside…

Her heart was pounding so violently it felt ready to burst.

“And besides…”

“I hate being a Morpheus.”

“Why?”

He blinked in surprise.

“People respect them. And if you were one, you wouldn’t have to marry that disgusting old viscount.”

He sounded convinced.

Bella wasn’t.

“Morpheus belong to Argent.”

To the Empire.

Not to themselves.

The Imperial Family never regarded them as living human beings.

They were possessions.

Treasures.

They were stripped of every freedom and forced to live beneath constant Imperial surveillance.

Always watched.

Always guarded.

As though they were priceless jewels locked away inside the Emperor’s treasure vault.

“Still… that’s got to be better than marrying that perverted old man, isn’t it?”

“That… is true.”

She nodded.

Compared to becoming the wife of that disgusting old noble…

Living as one of the Empire’s treasured jewels almost sounded preferable.

“But I’d still hate it.”

She smoothed the folds of her dress after sitting down and answered firmly.

Evan looked at her for a long moment before giving up with a small smile.

“If you hate it that much… then that’s all there is to it.”

“You do realize we’ve been having a completely pointless conversation, right?”

After all, the entire discussion had begun with a simple what if.

Why had they both taken it so seriously?

Evan chuckled, apparently thinking the same thing.

He nodded before gently closing the carriage door himself.

“You’re coming again tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

Bella clenched a determined fist.

“My hunt for a husband isn’t over yet.”

A faint spark returned to Evan’s gloomy face.

“Travel safely.”

“I will.”

After exchanging their farewells, Bella signaled the coachman.

The carriage jolted forward.

Gradually picking up speed, it rolled away from the Imperial Palace.

Time passed.

“I’m sorry, Evan.”

Staring blankly out the window, Bella finally spoke the words she’d been holding back.

The palace, which had seemed so enormous moments ago, had already shrunk into something no larger than a toy house.

“Haaah…”

She let out a weary sigh and flopped sideways across the carriage seat.

Stretching her legs out, the tension in her body finally began to ease.

She lay there in silence, staring at the ceiling.

Slowly…

She closed her eyes.

Her exhausted consciousness drifted.

Then…

A familiar voice echoed through the darkness.

“Bella, listen carefully.”

It was an old memory.

A woman cradling a little girl in her arms smiled with heartbreaking warmth.

“Never let anyone discover your power.”

“If they do…”

“You’ll only become miserable.”

“…”

“But don’t worry, Bella.”

Those had been her mother’s final words.

“You will be happy someday.”

“Promise me you’ll believe that.”

Even as death claimed her, Bella’s mother wished only for her daughter’s happiness.

A daughter born bearing the very same curse.

But contrary to her mother’s hopes…

Bella had never been happy.

Sometimes she thought it would have been better if she had died alongside her parents that day.

Reality was nothing but a filthy swamp.

“What’s so special about this stupid power anyway…?”

Bella possessed a gift.

The very same gift her mother, the Empire’s prophet, had once carried.

The power…

To see the future.

But seeing the future wasn’t as miraculous as people imagined.

She couldn’t choose what she saw.

Nor did she know when those events would happen.

Yet every dream she experienced came true…

Within one hundred and ninety-nine days.

Compared to her mother’s flawless prophecies, Bella’s ability was only a pale imitation.

Even so…

Merely possessing the power of Morpheus meant living every day in fear that someone might discover the truth.

She had reached her limit.

She was exhausted.

She wanted it all to end.

“They say every dream I see becomes reality…”

Still gazing at the ceiling, Bella murmured softly.

As though speaking to whatever god might be listening somewhere above.

“Then why don’t you take me too?”

She had no attachment to life anymore.

If the gods truly existed…

Then let them take her life as well.

After venting her resentment toward a being she wasn’t even sure existed, all strength left her body.

Her eyelids grew heavy.

Maybe it’s because I haven’t been around so many people in a while…

She blamed the fatigue on the party.

Home was still several hours away.

She decided she might as well sleep until they arrived.

Darkness slowly swallowed her consciousness.

Before she realized it…

Bella had fallen asleep.

And she dreamed.

Inside a room built entirely of gleaming white marble…

A man stood alone.

She had never seen him before.

His black hair was as dark as night.

His crimson eyes glowed with an eerie, almost supernatural intensity.

In his hand…

He held a sword dripping with blood.

Scarlet drops struck the marble floor one after another, gathering into a crimson pool around his feet.

Within that pool…

Lay a woman who looked exactly like Bella.

She didn’t need to step closer.

She already knew.

The woman lying there…

Was dead.

She wasn’t breathing.

Her heart had long since stopped.

Bella stared in silent horror.

Then the man’s blazing crimson eyes slowly turned toward her.

They burned with murderous fury.

“I will never forgive you.”

His cold voice echoed through the room.

The gleaming blade rose high into the air.

Then…

It came crashing down.

In her dream…

Bella was witnessing her own death.

A brutal execution at the hands of an unknown man.

And one day…

That future would become reality.

Because every dream she saw…

Was destined to come true.