Chapter 4

Asla was honestly exhausted, and she wished she could simply fall into a deep sleep. 

But contrary to her desire, Asla found herself in a summer garden drenched in intense sunlight.   

Around her, red roses gave off a strong floral scent, and the shrill chirping of summer insects tickled her ears. 

‘A dream.’  

She had never experienced a scent this vividly in a dream before, but since she usually dreamed vividly anyway, she didn’t question it too much.   

With a dry sigh, she shook her head.   

Dreams this vivid often left her waking up with sore shoulders and a heavy head.   

Still, she smiled.   

It had been a long time since she last saw the summer rose garden, and it brought her comfort. 

‘Was it because Enoch mentioned the place where we first met?’ 

To think she would even dream about it.   

As she looked around the neatly maintained summer rose garden, a wave of intense longing swept over her.   

This place was located in the southernmost part of the continent, in the royal palace gardens of the now-destroyed Holy Kingdom of Sherita.   

It was where Princess Asla Sherita had grown up—her homeland.   

Now, likely consumed by rotting decayed land, her rose garden had vanished without a trace. 

The devastation of her homeland, which she had tried not to recall, came back to haunt her.   

But at least in her dreams, the place still shone brightly, and for that, Asla offered a bittersweet smile.   

The moment she reached out toward a large red rose, a familiar and deeply missed voice struck her ears. 

“My goodness! How rude can someone be? Our princess offered her hand first!” 

It was the voice of her nanny. 

Her eyes widened.   

The beloved nanny who had raised and cared for Asla from birth until her marriage. 

‘My dear one, whom I can never meet again.’ 

She had longed to see her, but the nanny had rarely ever appeared in her dreams.   

Now, swept up in overwhelming emotion, Asla felt her nose sting.   

Longing surged within her. She wanted to see her nanny right away and turned toward the direction of the voice—but stopped in her tracks. 

She lowered her gaze, puzzled by an unfamiliar sensation, and her lips parted in shock. 

‘Pants?’ 

Instead of the usual trailing skirts she always wore, she had on straight-cut trousers.   

And that wasn’t the only strange thing. 

“Calm down, Nanny. Maybe he didn’t see it… Besides, Duke Ventus has no reason to pay attention to a powerless princess like me.” 

Asla’s own voice came from elsewhere—not from her mouth, but from the voice of a fifteen-year-old girl.   

It was the delicate voice of her younger self—Princess Asla Sherita as a girl. 

‘That’s my voice.’ 

Asla swallowed hard, amazed at the strangeness of the dream.   

As she listened to the conversation between her younger self and her nanny, her astonishment deepened.   

Because it was exactly the conversation they had on the day she first met Enoch Ventus. 

‘How can I be dreaming this so precisely?’ 

Asla shook her head slowly, thinking how terrifying her subconscious could be. 

She completely forgot the strange situation of wearing pants and carefully parted the rose vines to make a gap.   

She missed her nanny—who rarely appeared even in dreams.   

In such a vivid dream, maybe she could actually talk to her. Her heart pounded at the thought.   

Even if they couldn’t speak, she just wanted to see her nanny’s face to her heart’s content. 

When she finally saw them through the rose vines, the corners of Asla’s lips began to lift. 

‘So that’s what I looked like at fifteen.’ 

Though she was happy to see her beloved nanny again, she also felt a quiet joy seeing her younger self.   

Her long pink hair fell in soft waves down her back, and her mint-colored eyes sparkled beneath lashes like butterfly wings.   

Her nose was slender, the nape of her neck strikingly pale, and her lips were a deep red like ripe fruit. 

Asla felt a twinge of sorrow in her chest.   

Seeing a version of herself from the past—so much brighter than who she was now—left her with complicated feelings.   

Even the faint blush on her cheeks looked as sweet as a summer peach. 

‘Was it because I’d just fallen for Enoch then?’ 

A sadness welled up in her.   

Was she really that beautiful back then?   

Even though she hadn’t felt particularly happy during those times, she still seemed somehow… better than now. 

“Your Grace. Do you really like the Princess that much?” 

“…?” 

Asla flinched at the sudden voice of a man behind her, but she turned her head slowly and gracefully, just as she had been taught. 

‘Who is this…?’ 

He looked vaguely familiar, though she couldn’t place him.   

The young man had a beauty mark beneath one eye.   

With such a distinctive feature, there was no way she wouldn’t remember him—so she tried to recall who he was.   

His gaze, full of disapproval, struck her as rude.   

But this was all just a dream anyway.   

She resolved not to let it bother her—just as the man let out a long sigh, clutching his forehead. 

“You shouldn’t go around promising such absurd sums of money, Your Grace.” 

Asla couldn’t make sense of his grumbling words and clicked her tongue in confusion. 

‘Your Grace? Is he talking to me? But I’m right there—Asla Sherita.’ 

Even if this was a dream, things were becoming a mess.   

She turned her gaze back to her younger self chatting with the nanny, and just then, the man scratched the back of his head and stepped closer. 

“That king is a real snake. It’s called a holy kingdom, but what’s the difference between him and a thief? Good grief.” 

“What are you talking about?” 

Asla frowned and questioned him—but was immediately startled by the sound of her own voice and brought a hand to her lips.  It was a man’s voice. Without a doubt. 

“Enoch…?” 

“Why are you suddenly saying your own name, Duke Enoch Ventus? Are we really going through with this?” 

It was true.   

The voice was unmistakably Enoch’s—just slightly younger.   

Asla looked down at her hands.   

Large hands in white gloves. A deep navy jacket, the kind Enoch always wore, even in summer.   

To be dreaming as Enoch—it was ridiculous. She murmured under her breath, “This can’t be happening.” 

Never before had she had a dream like this. 

Not even during her teenage years, when she had loved Enoch with all her heart, had she ever dreamed she was him.   

She had admired him, envied how flawless he seemed—but she’d never wanted to be him. 

‘…Did I actually want to be Enoch all along?’ 

Dreams often reflect deep, hidden desires.   

Asla let out a quiet, foolish laugh.   

The man beside her raised both hands in surrender, as if giving up. 

“You’ve made your decision, so of course we’ll go through with it. But it’s maddening. Even if you don’t reveal the donation publicly, shouldn’t you at least try to gain a bit of favor from the Princess? You’ve made it very obvious you’ve fallen for Princess Asla Sherita—so why haven’t you said a single word to her?” 

“…What are you talking about?” 

As she blinked at the man’s rapid-fire words, Asla furrowed her brows.   

There was no way Enoch had fallen for her.   

If Margo heard something like this, she’d probably come charging with a spear and skewer her on the spot.   

Even if it was just a dream, it was ridiculous—and made her face burn with embarrassment.   

She had given up on loving Enoch.   

She was ready to let go of those feelings, to abandon all hope, and seek a divorce.   

So why was she dreaming like this? 

‘Seriously, stupid Asla. You’re such a fool.’ 

Consumed by self-loathing, she bit down hard on her lower lip. 

“Pretending not to know won’t work, Your Grace. I’ve served you for years… Anyway, I’ll follow your orders. I’ll prepare ten million Luan for the donation to purify the Holy Kingdom of Sherita.” 

‘Ten million Luan?’ 

The surreal-yet-realistic nature of this dream made Asla feel faint.   

As far as she remembered, that sum far exceeded Sherita Kingdom’s entire annual budget.   

Heart dropping, she blinked rapidly before shaking her head in disbelief. 

‘No, that can’t be. It’s just a dream.’ 

But then—   

A memory surfaced in Asla’s mind.   

Seven years ago, when the Empire and foreign envoys had gathered in the Holy Kingdom.   

It was also the first time she had met Enoch. 

‘Father was thrilled about a large donation and said it had helped start the purification of the contaminated land.’ 

She remembered because there had been a massive summit spanning several days, with all the High Priests in attendance to plan the grand-scale purification effort.   

She had asked who the donor was, but her father—Walter Sherita—had dismissed her curiosity, saying the identity would remain confidential. 

‘And Mother… what had she done?’ 

The Queen had merely looked at her with a face even sterner than the king’s, gesturing silently for Asla to return to her chambers.   

She hadn’t intended to dig deeper at the time… but she never knew the donation had been ten million Luan. 

‘No, this is just a dream…’ 

Her throat was so dry it stung.   

The so-called purification process… was nothing more than burying consecrated relics in the tainted soil while offering prayers.   

Unbelievable—but if the donation had been that large, then where had all the money gone? 

An absurd dream—yet somehow it felt too close to the truth.   

A chill ran down her spine. 

“The donor’s name…” 

Asla managed to ask in a trembling voice.   

The man replied flatly: 

“As per Your Grace’s instructions—anonymous. It’s far more than the amount that old island king was going to pay in exchange for marrying his daughter, so I’m sure that plan’s off the table now.” 

‘What…?’  

Thud. Thud. Thud.  

Before Asla could fully process his words, the dream world began to twist and lurch violently. 

‘What is this… what is he talking about?’ 

Things she had never heard, events she had never known—why was she dreaming about them? 

As the tremors grew stronger, the dreamscape began to collapse.   

Then, a wave of blue surged over her. 

Asla’s eyes flew open.   

It was the divine symbol—the blue tide. 

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆       

“Asla!” 

Asla felt someone firmly wrap their arms around her trembling body.   

She had been floundering in the blue waves, but she finally managed to open her eyes. 

‘Why… does he look so shocked?’ 

Her gaze met Enoch’s, his face tense with worry.   

He opened his mouth to say something, but she couldn’t make out the words.   

It felt as if all the blood was draining from her body, and she lost consciousness on the spot.   

Even as her mind faded into darkness, one thought lingered: 

‘There’s no way he could ever fall for me.’