“Why are you the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes, Richard…?” I asked.
“Well, you wouldn’t open your eyes no matter how much we tried, Miss Monica, so I decided to stay until I was sure you were fine. Besides, I wanted to relax as well, and this is as good a place as any. When I’m outside, someone inevitably wants me to do something, you know?”
“In short…you used my room as an escape, hm?” Though I felt bad about worrying him, I was also relieved to see Richard acting like his usual easygoing self. “Ummm, let me see… I remember we arrived at Viscount Telestraza’s castle then I took a bath and that’s where my memory stops… How long have I been asleep?”
“Three days.”
“Th-That many?!”
“Yes. Proof of your exhaustion, eh? But I suppose I should be glad you can eat this much after waking up. Your strong stomach makes you even cuter, Miss Monica.”
I accepted Solarus’s offer of a shawl and placed it around my shoulders before standing up. For some reason, I felt embarrassed about Richard seeing me in my comfortable lounging clothes.
It was quite sunny outside. A warm, peaceful day.
“What happened to the purified land afterward?” I asked.
“Your attempt exceeded expectations. Evidently, burning the weeds growing profusely there now thanks to you would make the soil even more fertile. I’m currently building a base there now for the Flame Corps, but eventually, we’ll be able to construct a new village.”
“Good, I’m glad.”
I felt relieved. Maybe the reason the villagers and my family appeared in my dream was to encourage me. Optimism filled me.
“I’m going to change. And then I’m going to eat. After that, I need to express my greetings to everyone.”
Solarus curtsied in acknowledgment and started preparing to help me dress. Richard ate the remaining pastries on the table with his hands. Licking crumbs off his finger nimbly, he commented like he remembered something.
“Oh, right, question for you. Who were you marrying?”
“Ngh!”
“You were talking in your sleep, you know. Asking about who you were marrying.” He walked toward me and stooped down, peering into my face. The gesture was so much like Richard-the-groom in my dream that my cheeks immediately caught flame.
“Um… Uhhh… It… It was just a dream. Ah-ha! Remember how I tried on the wedding clothes and you asked me about weddings in my village, so um—”
“Miss. Monica. Who. Did. You. Dream. Of?”
“Your face…is…too close…so I can’t…say it…”
“Well, I sure hope it was me. Surely you wouldn’t think of any man except me, right? Surely.”
When he tilted his head thoughtfully, a wonderful scent floated from him. It wasn’t cologne but Richard’s unique scent itself. The peculiar, unrestrained emotions rioting inside me sent my pulse racing.
“Aaabooout…thaaat…ummm…”
I couldn’t look at his face, not with my own on fire. I tried to cover it with my shawl, but he just simply tugged it off. I shrieked softly.
“Don’t hide your face. Clearly, whoever it is, it’s making you not want to look at me. Which makes me want to hear the name of the man even more.” He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand. The stimulation was so overpowering that I almost swooned right then and there. Before I could though, Solarus cleared her throat loudly.
“Your Highness. You heard everything she said in her sleep, so perhaps refrain from coercing an answer from her?”
“But I want Miss Monica to say it when she’s awake.”
“Don’t make me…say it…you……odious man!”
“Pleeeease. Pleeeease, say it. I’d love to hear it from your lips. Think of it as my fee for performing in your dream~♡!”
“Good grief.”
“Ummm… Well…” A few words. I just needed to say a few words, but my voice wouldn’t come out. It was embarrassing to feel like I was the only one who was so aware. “I saw…you…in my dream… I saw you, Richard… You were the man, so…”
“Excellent. If it had been any other man, I would have been forced to hunt him down and kill him.”
“Even though it would have been just a dream?! Even though the man wouldn’t have been at fault at all?!”
“Heh. I’m joking.”
“Except it doesn’t sound like a joke to me,” I retorted.
“Madam Monica, follow me to the room next door please. I’ll help you change after you take a warm bath.”
“Then I’ll be seeing you soon, Miss Monica.” He placed a kiss on the crown of my head.
“Eeek!”
I just realized I hadn’t bathed in three days since I’d been asleep for that long, and I did not want him doing that to my unwashed hair. So I practically fled from him to the room next door.