Chapter 1

‘Did I put on this kind of music when I went to sleep?’

The sound of classical, sweet music echoed in my ears, and I groggily opened my eyes. But the light that seeped through my half-open eyelids made me furrow my brow.

‘It’s blinding.’

Rubbing my eyes, I widened them and let out a gasp.

“Wow, what is this?”

A vast ballroom with a splendid chandelier hanging from the ceiling unfolded before me, decorated with pure white marble. Around me, women in beautiful dresses and men in sophisticated suits were dancing to the music. As they moved, the lace-trimmed dresses fluttered as if catching the wind. The scene was like a party from a movie. I clapped my hands with a smack.

“This must be a dream!”

I confirmed, checking the clothes I was wearing. The full skirt was adorned with straps set with jewels that sparkled unusually even in the ballroom light. It was a pale sea-colored satin dress with a flowing sheen. I cautiously lifted the hem of the skirt with my fingertips. The smooth, soft satin material felt delicate on my skin.

“The sensation is too real for a dream, though?”

Someone once said that if you pinch your cheek in a dream, it doesn’t hurt. But the sight unfolding before my eyes was so surreal that I had no choice but to believe this was a dream.

‘When will I ever get to have such a vivid dream again?’

If I couldn’t enjoy this dream, I would surely regret it bitterly. Because once I woke up, things I didn’t want to face would be waiting. The thought of reality made me frown even more.

‘But that’s for after I wake up from the dream. I don’t need to stress about it now, do I?’

I clenched my hand tightly, looking at the mesmerizing scene.

“I’m going to get my money’s worth out of this dream.”

***

“When will I ever get to eat such delicious food and drink such exquisite wine? I hope this dream never ends!”

I sipped the wine in the glass, a rich red. The wine was sweet, but I immediately felt my face flush. A light feeling made a smile involuntarily spread across my lips.

“Oh? That’s a dish I haven’t seen before? It looks delicious.”

The ballroom was so vast that even after circling it several times, there were countless dishes I hadn’t seen yet. I looked at the food on the table, my eyes sparkling.

‘Wait for me! Big sister is coming to eat you.’

I hummed a tune and headed toward the table with the appetizing food.

“But why does the table keep moving?”

With the table constantly shifting its location, I focused my eyes, trying to align my sight, and stared intently at it. When I saw the silver-haired man standing behind the table, a feeling of anxiety crept over me.

“Gasp. Could he be trying to eat all that delicious food by himself? No way!”

Feeling desperate, I quickened my steps toward the table. As I got closer to the silver-haired man, I couldn’t help but stare at him. That man looked exactly like Freyer Lundberg, the secondary male lead from the novel I loved, <The Duke’s Daughter Has Returned>.

“Nah, he must just be someone who looks like Freyer…”

With a flicker of hope, I narrowed my eyes and looked at him.

Even in the dimly lit corner where the light didn’t reach, his silver hair was like the stars of a night sky, and his long, slender eyes, harmonized with lush eyelashes, made him look sharp yet soft at the same time. Deep within his eyes were green irises like a lake reflecting a clear forest. The dark shadows emphasized the line dropping from his nose bridge and lip line, highlighting a solitary atmosphere. Perhaps because of the shadowed space, or his grayish skin tone, his aura seemed poignant.

A slender, long-knuckled hand wrapped around the transparent glass on the table. The dark red wine went straight to his mouth, wetting his lips as it went down.

His Adam’s apple, moistened by the wine, bobbed like a surging wave. He wiped the wine from his lips with his thumb, but his lips were still a mesmerizingly red coral color.

“It’s Freyer!”

He was definitely my favorite character, my ultimate bias. A question someone had asked me once came to mind.

“Who is your favorite character, by the way?”

To that, I had answered without a second of hesitation.

“Freyer!”

That’s how much affection I poured into Freyer.

‘But how could I not recognize Freyer right away…’

The wine I drank earlier must have had a higher alcohol content than I thought. Otherwise, I would have recognized Freyer instantly.

“It’s such a shame that this is a dream.”

I gazed at Freyer, trying to etch him into my memory. My heart fluttered like waves at the sight of him being alone and lonely in the darkest part of the brilliant ballroom.

“I wish you could be happy, even just in my dream.”

I always felt sorry for the pathetic outcome he suffered.

Freyer, the secondary male lead in the novel, was a perfect person in every way, from his looks to his personality. But there was just one thing he couldn’t achieve: his unwavering love for the female lead. In the end, his situation, where he could only watch the love between the female and male protagonists, was pitiful.

The thoughts I had while reading the novel resurfaced, making Freyer’s image look even more shadowed. I pursed my lips and rolled up the sleeve of my dress.

“I have to give him a hug.”

I put down the glass I was holding and tried to approach Freyer.

‘That’s strange? I was closer to that spot a moment ago.’

I blinked blankly, looking at where Freyer was. Freyer wasn’t that far from where I was currently standing.

‘It can’t be that he deliberately avoided me…’

If Freyer had seen me, our eyes would have met at least once, but there was no such moment in that brief time. Suddenly, seeing him drinking wine made the reason for my misperception click.

‘…Am I slightly tipsy?’

Shaking off that thought, I smiled goofily and approached him cautiously. Then, while Freyer was distracted by the wine, I burrowed into his arms and hugged him tightly.

“Huk.”

I felt the sudden movement of my diaphragm as I gasped for air.

“Wh-What are you doing?”

I felt his voice transmit through my arms as a vibration. How could even his voice be so sweet? I felt like I was melting.

“Freyer. I’ll hug you.”

In his embrace, which I hugged even tighter, I smelled a clean, refreshing scent like a deep forest.

‘How can his arms be so broad and his scent so good?’

I felt like a fish swimming in a hot spring. I blinked as I carefully looked up at him while holding him in my arms.

‘Wow, he’s really handsome.’

Would a living, breathing David sculpture feel like this?

‘This is a moment to be preserved forever!’

As I was inwardly marveling at Freyer, he frowned and bit his lip. Seeing that, I instantly blurted out a commentary.

“Sexy…”

“If you need assistance, I can call a servant—”

How could such a perfect person only end up having an unrequited love for the female lead? If I were the author, I would make Freyer the male lead and finish the novel with a happy ending with the female lead.

“Because you’re my favorite… Hmm…”

Was it his warm embrace? Suddenly overwhelmed by sleepiness, I slowly blinked my eyes. I buried my face in Freyer’s wide chest and closed my sleepy eyelids.

“L-Lady!”

I felt Freyer’s urgency as he seemed to shake me awake. But I didn’t have the strength to open my closed eyes again.

***

Freyer gently placed the golden-haired lady, who reeked of alcohol, onto the bed. Freyer tidied his clothes, which had been messed up from holding her, and immediately tried to leave the bedroom. But he couldn’t take a step; he realized the golden-haired lady had gripped the hem of his clothes.

“Don’t go, Freyer.”

How did she know his name, and since when did she drop the formalities with him? There were many things he wanted to question. Freyer let out a big sigh.

“Hoo… What’s the point of talking to a drunk person.”

Freyer immediately tried to free his clothing from her small fingers.

Just then.

His hand was captured by the golden-haired lady’s hand, and a warm sensation was transmitted.

“Freyer, I want you to be happy.”

At her words, Freyer tightly closed his eyes. The words spoken by the drunk golden-haired lady were the same words his now-late mother had always told him.

‘I thought I would never hear those words from anyone again in my life.’

He lived without expecting or hoping to hear those words again. Because such words were undeserved for him. He never imagined he would hear these words, which he felt were too much for him, as drunken ramblings.

Freyer, lost in thought, was suddenly pulled by his hand and fell onto the bed.

Thump-

Freyer looked at the source of the commotion with startled eyes but quickly closed them.

‘She was groaning. Was that her undoing her dress?’

The undone dress exposed her delicate shoulders and collarbone line. Even the hem of the skirt was placed above her calves, revealing her unblemished, pure white legs.

“Freyer, you absolutely must be happy! So I’ll hug you!”

Living a life that was only royalty by name, he had never once succumbed to the temptations of women who approached him only because he was of the imperial family. Normally, he would be wary, asking, ‘What is your reason for approaching me?’

But for some strange reason, he wanted to open his eyes, look into hers, and ask. Why do you want me to be happy? Why are you saying such words? The questions were pushing at his throat.

‘I’m not drunk, though.’

For what reason would he feel such an emotion toward a lady he had never seen before? Just then, a warm body temperature and skin were felt in Freyer’s arms.

‘She hugged me.’

Freyer slightly grimaced and opened his eyes. His gaze met the woman’s violet eyes. Her pupils reflected his silver hair and green irises.

Misfortune had followed his life ever since he was revealed to be the hidden prince. Strangely, in her eyes, he looked comfortable. Calming the surging emotion he was feeling for the first time in his life, Freyer spoke.

“If you keep holding me like this, I don’t know what I might do.”

Wrinkles crinkled around her eyes. He felt the sensation of her patting his back.

“I clearly warned you.”

Freyer slowly undid the buttons constricting his neck, and his shirt opened. Shadows fell across his thick chest and the valley of his abs beneath the white shirt. Her violet gaze, which had been looking into his eyes, moved down, starting from his Adam’s apple.

“Wow, look at those abs. So detailed…”

Her eyes sparkled, and she carefully placed a hand on his chest. Freyer caught the lady’s small, warm hand.

“I’ll take that as consent.”

Freyer buried his face into her slender, pure white shoulder. Just then, the magic lamp that had been giving off a small light on the wall flickered, and the room was instantly plunged into darkness. The air, which had been chilly, suddenly became muggy. In the space where only exclamations had been heard, a voice echoed.

“This isn’t even an R-rated novel…? This dream is the best.”