Chapter 82

In the dimly lit underground prison, a lantern faintly flickered.

Without realizing it, I covered my mouth with both hands. Barat turned to look this way.

“!!”

Lirika examined the bell. After ringing three times in succession, the bell had stopped.

‘It’s okay, it’s okay.’

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of my mouth.

“Isn’t it quite amusing?”

It seemed he was talking to me, but Lirika didn’t move at all.

“Everyone is fooled by appearances, thinking Rizelt is you. He’s a foolish child, but there’s something endearing about his foolishness.”

It was a harsh way to speak about his daughter. But if Barat was talking like this...

‘He must not have seen me.’

The faint ringing of the bell was still producing three notes. I was too scared to take my eyes off Barat.

Lirika swallowed.

With great effort, she turned her gaze from Barat to the bars of the cell.

“!!”

Fjord! She barely managed to suppress the urge to shout. Fjord was lying in the prison, looking pitiful.

In front of him was an incense burner, from which a pale pink smoke was rising. Whatever it was, it didn’t look good.

She had to muster the courage to approach, but she couldn’t.

‘I can’t keep wasting time...’

Ding

The bell rang again. It seemed that the bell would run out quickly if they continued like this.

Now only three bells were left.

Barat turned his gaze to the prison and then looked back at her. It felt like he was looking directly at Lirika, which sent shivers down her spine.

She couldn’t see his eyes behind the lace, so she couldn’t tell if he was looking at her.

Barat slowly approached. Lirika placed her hand on the pendant hanging from her leather belt.

If, if he really had noticed her.

Three steps, two steps, one step.

As Barat passed by her, Lirika quickly turned to look behind her. When Barat turned the lantern on the wall, the passage she had just come through closed.

Lirika almost jumped. Barat turned the lantern once more, and the passage opened again.

A rumbling sound came from inside.

“Then enjoy your time.”

Barat said and disappeared into the passage. Lirika let out a long breath and immediately ran to the prison.

The prison door was no problem for her.

She pulled Fjord towards her. It pained her to lay him on the stone floor, so she placed his head on her lap.

“Fjord? Fjord.”

At first, she called softly. She was afraid that a loud voice might use up another bell.

She took a vial from her leather pouch and poured the contents into Fjord’s mouth. She was glad she had prepared it in advance.

While thinking this, Lirika sighed. She gently shook Fjord.

“Fjord, wake up. Fjord Barat.”

Fjord was sinking to the bottom of a lake.

Into the bottomless darkness, all the way down. He was being pulled into a place where no light could reach.

She couldn’t tell how much time had passed in the darkness. Everything was vivid, even the sound of air bubbles rising.

Into the dark bottom, the bottom.

But strangely, the edges of her vision began to brighten. Confused, she opened her eyes and found the light was bright.

The light was coming from below. The sand on the floor was glowing white.

Surprised by this unexpected situation, a voice faintly echoed from the water. It was a voice he would never forget, even if it was muffled.

“Fjord, snap out of it, Fjord Barat!”

Instantly, his senses returned as if someone had pulled his head out of the water.

He took a deep breath and exhaled. In his blurry vision, the lake he had just sunk into was visible.

His turquoise eyes.

“Fjord! Are you okay? Can you understand me? Do you know who I am?”

Fjord blinked his unfocused crimson eyes.

‘Wow.’

What could he say?

It felt like he had eaten too much sweet and was now in pain.

‘This must be a dream.’

He was having a convincing dream, thanks to the incense. The thought made him laugh. It was such an obvious dream.

He always had terrible dreams, so what was going on?

The frankness made him feel embarrassed. Or rather, the frankness was so extreme that it made him feel less ashamed.

Did he really wish for Lirika to come and save him? For her to come to this terrible place and take him away, a dream that resembled self-indulgence.

The small back supporting him and the desperate steps.

The hands that held him tightly to prevent him from falling. The princess who walked with his feet dragging on the floor, looking apologetic, was so cute and lovable that she seemed like a manifestation of his desires.

He found it laughable how shallow he was for having such thoughts, and he laughed. Lirika, looking flustered, asked:

“Fjord? Are you okay?”

She could feel her voice trembling. Even if it was a dream, this place felt real.

She didn’t say it, but she was worried about him, and it was all right.

“Lirika.”

“Yeah?”

“I really like you.”

“!!”

Her small back stiffened. In her limited vision, she could see her ears turning red.

“Really, Fjord, at a time like this, ah, really.”

She grumbled and then answered.

“I like you too.”

If she didn’t like him, she wouldn’t have come this far, right?

She wanted to ask Fjord, “How many times have you said this?”

But since it was a dream, she feared the answer, so she remained silent.

Lirika looked at the underground passage. If they encountered Barat on the way...

The two bells would ring simultaneously, and the game would be over. Lirika gritted her teeth.

“Fjord, what’s up there?”

“It’s the study.”

“Is there anyone in the study? I don’t think Barat would keep people around...”

“No one is allowed in the study. We can escape through the study window.”

She readily provided the escape route. Lirika’s eyes widened.

“Of course. Then let’s go.”

Let’s head to the study. Before Barat returns, we’ll go to the study and escape through the window.

It was a bold decision.

She began to climb the stairs of the underground prison, stumbling.

Her breathing became rough. She knelt once halfway up the stairs. Sweat poured down her face.

“Fjord, you look slender, but you’re heavy.”

Her grumbling made him laugh. The Barat mansion was eerily quiet. Was this also an effect of the dream?

Even though it was a dream, it hurt her heart.

“Lirika, I’m fine.”

“I’m not fine.”

She grumbled.

“I promised I would find you, no matter how far away you were.”

“Yeah...”

“So, phew, Fjord, just rest. When you wake up, it will definitely be over.”

Her voice was also a way to encourage herself. If she fell asleep now and woke up, would she be back in that underground prison?

She didn’t want to fall asleep, but being carried like this, she couldn’t have a dream of wandering the Barat mansion forever.

Fjord closed his eyes.

Lirika swallowed, feeling Fjord’s body go limp.

‘He’s heavier now.’

Indeed, there was a difference between when he was awake and when he wasn’t.

Glancing at the two remaining bells, Lirika opened the passage door.

Barat’s study.

Fortunately, as Fjord had said, no one was in the study. It was a relief to have made it this far safely.

Two bells were still left.

She opened the latch of the window and stepped out onto the balcony. She was drenched in sweat.

She climbed over the balcony railing and fell into the shrubbery, flattened by Fjord’s weight.

A tear trickled down her cheek.

“Yah!”

She shouted and tried to get up again. But, but what should she do now?

Which way should she go?

‘Fjord, I shouldn’t have told him to rest.’

She regretted her bravado. When she gently called Fjord, he didn’t respond.

‘Let’s hide for now.’

Barat’s garden was a maze, perfect for hiding two people. She hid in the shrubbery, laid Fjord down, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Thanks to the medicine, Fjord’s condition was much better than before. She wished she could heal him with magic, but she couldn’t use magic while the ‘Seven Bells’ were active.

She gave Fjord another dose of medicine and rolled up her sleeves.

‘Let’s explore on my own, huh? Huh?’

She almost shouted. Fjord had somehow gotten up and was hugging her from behind.

“Fjord, you’re awake?”

But she was happy, so she spoke to him softly.

Fjord was still hot. No, he had been fine a moment ago, but it seemed his fever had returned.

He tightened his arms around her and rubbed his cheek against hers.

“Hey, Fjord, what are you doing?”

It was more ticklish than unpleasant. She was worried because he didn’t seem to be in his right mind.

Lirika turned to meet his gaze.

“Waking up to find it’s just another dream. I would have hated it before, but... hehe, it’s an amazing dream.”

Whispering, Fjord kissed her cheek. Lirika’s cheeks turned red.

“This isn’t a dream.”

“Is it?”

His eyes, which were smiling, were unfocused.

‘Ah, this.’

There was no hope. He was like a drunkard or someone who was high on drugs, who could talk and move normally but would likely wake up the next day with no memory.

She could only hope he wouldn’t remember anything.