# 6
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Dana had a dream.
The dream appeared in the north, where she suffered for a whole year.
The place where monsters attack several times a day, the place where blood and endless pain ooze, where Dana was on ambulance duty.
It was called a medical mission, but the substantive treatment was the province of doctors.
Dana's job was to wash blood-stained towels and change bandages for patients.
One day, as she was going to throw away the worn bandages, black smoke suddenly approached her.
It was thick, suffocating smoke as if it was coming from a fire.
But the strange thing is that Dana did not feel afraid of that sight.
On the contrary, I felt comfortable and smiled spontaneously.
Smoke asked her.
"Why are you laughing?"
"nothing."
“Where are you going?”
“To get rid of the bloody bandages.”
Before she could continue walking, she heard a harsh voice behind her:
“...Be careful.”
Dana laughed out loud at that word.
Then she tripped over a stone because she wasn't looking in front of her.
Oh...huh?
Her forehead was about to hit the ground.
"Yes!"
Dana woke up from her dream with horror.
She quickly got up and the blanket that was covering her fell off her.
"Are you well?"
Dana flinched at the sudden sound.
When she looked to her side, Edwin was staring at her worriedly.
'Oh, right, I was on night shift.'
When she realized the situation, her fear eased.
Edwin approached her and gently placed his hands on her face.
“It looks like you had a nightmare.”
While asking if she was okay, he started checking her face here and there.
Dana had been feeling for a while that Edwin was suddenly confusing those in front of him.
'It's so close...!'
He suddenly brought his handsome face closer without any warning.
“I'm fine, don't worry.”
Dana said as she gently pushed his shoulder.
But Edwin, as if he was still unsure, brushed away her scattered locks of hair.
Then he ran his hand lightly over her back.
Dana blinked.
'Does he have a lot of brothers? Why is he so cute?'
Because Edwin's face while checking her out looked serious, she began to tell him about her dream.
“It was nothing important. I was blowing away black smoke and tripped because of it.”
“...Black smoke?”
“Yes, I suddenly remembered my work in the monster spawn area...”
Edwin laughed faintly when he heard the content of the dream.
“So it wasn't a nightmare.”
“Huh?”
“It was a beautiful dream.”
His face was bright as he said that.
Dana laughed in return and replied.
“True, it was a beautiful memory that I will never forget as long as I live.”
Edwin was silent for a moment.
An unforgettable memory...
As if a warm breeze from an internal spring blew on his chest.
A warm, overwhelming and painful feeling all at the same time.
His red eyes stared at her more deeply.
His thirst for her increased more than ever.
“Oh my God, did you accomplish all this yourf?”
At that moment, Dana's sweet voice lifted the fog from his mind.
Edwin closed his eyes tightly, then opened them.
Soon a soft smile appeared on his face as if nothing had happened.
“Yes, it happened suddenly.”
“I'm really sorry, I fell asleep the whole time.”
Dana sincerely apologized.
Edwin began rearranging the papers as if it did not matter.
“On the contrary, I enjoyed it.”
“Have fun?”
Because I could look at your face carefully...
Edwin huffed and smiled faintly.
“I enjoyed it because I learned the tasks well.”
“Excited new employee, huh.”
Dana nodded.
“You're leaving now, right? Let's go out together.”
Turn off the magic lamp.
In the completely dark office, Dana felt the walls.
Then she felt warmth touching the back of her hand.
In a darkness where nothing could be seen, Edwin's fingers passed over her hand.
“Hold my hand.”
His large, gentle hand gently took hers.
The sudden touch felt strange and tickled her a little.
In the quiet, desolate office, Dana could only feel the heat of Edwin's body.
Edwin walked slowly out of the office.
Thanks to him, Dana was able to finish her night shift easily.
Neither of them said a word until they reached the side gate of the headquarters.
Dana watched Edwin with sideways glances.
'Why doesn't he let go of my hand?'
Outside the office, the light was dim compared to inside.
A cluster of stars was shining above the dark sky.
Along the path from the garden to the palace, magic lamps illuminated the path.
“Uh, Edwin? I guess you can let go of my hand now...”
“Really? But it’s still dark.”
And with those words, Edwin gently released her hand.
But Dana did not see the sadness that appeared on his face as he left her hand.
Did we walk a lot? Edwin wondered to himf.
'Where on earth is the carriage?'
No carriage that came to pick up Dana appeared.
It was dangerous for Miss Nabila to wander around alone so late at night.
Since she worked late every day, he thought her family would definitely send her a cart….
'Isn't this extreme neglect from her parents?'
Edwin was angry with Dana's parents, even though he had never seen them.
He held back his anger and decided to ask her nicely.
Maybe he was just assuming, and he could be wrong.
'But how do I ask her?'
Edwin, despite being of the imperial family, was not skilled at social conversation.
He never cared to consider other people's feelings.
‘What are your parents doing that won’t send you a carriage?’ Does this work?
No, he seems too aggressive.
‘Do you like to walk?’ Is that better?
No, it might be taken as sarcasm.
As Edwin struggled for the first time in his life to formulate a sentence properly, Dana opened her mouth.
They have reached a crossroads.
“I'm going to walk from here to the house. And you, Edwin?”
This meant that they would part ways if the path was different.
‘So, she was really going to walk.’ Edwin frowned.
He regretted not sending someone to protect her secretly.
'Or should I send her a cart?'
He quickly hid his gloomy expression.
“It looks like we're going the same way.”
“Really? Then we can get back together whenever you're late for work!”
Dana smiled deeply and looked at him.
The word “together” penetrated Edwin’s heart deeply.
'Walking with her every night… doesn't seem so bad.'
Thus all thoughts of protection and chariots disappeared from his head.
As for Dana...
‘He seems to be from a social class close to mine.’
Dana added new information about Edwin.
The higher the rank of the nobles, the closer their residence was to the imperial palace.
As for lower-ranking noble families, they often lived far away from him.
But Edwin accompanied her as far as her house.
“Is your house near here too?”
“Yes, but I will continue walking further.”
Edwin pointed beyond the road.
Dana breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that.
She had feared that this kind new employee had only accompanied her to drop her off.
“So, I'll go in now. Sleep tight and see you tomorrow!”
"Good night."
Dana waved her hand and entered her house.
Edwin looked at her turning back and muttered softly.
“Good night, Dana.”
***
The next morning, at dawn.
Edwin woke up early as usual, he doesn't sleep much.
He got up from his bed in the prince's suite, completed his sword training, and then opened a cookbook.
But even after browsing through hundreds of recipes, he wasn't satisfied.
All the foods seemed below Dana's level.
'I should ask the head chef.'
Edwin was one of those people who immediately implemented what he put his mind to.
Without hesitation, he headed to the kitchen of the Imperial Palace.
The door suddenly opened, and the main chef gasped in surprise.
“So…n…have a good day?”
Edwin did not care about the strange greeting, but asked directly:
“I want simple, luxurious, delicious food.”
The chef started thinking quickly.
“How about a fresh omelet?”
Then Edwin rolled up his sleeves.
Then he began to cook quietly as the chef instructed, and cast a preservation charm on her to keep her warm.
He didn't forget the fresh apple juice either.
He imagined Dana eating and humming happily, and he felt his mind becoming clearer.
And so, he entered the magic department with a lunch box.
He was excited to see Dana Hartwin so quickly.
Just before he entered the office, Dana went out into the hallway.
She was accompanied by her colleague Kira.
Edwin smiled and was about to call her.
But Kira's words stopped him.
“Dana, there is a guy I would like to introduce you to.”
The air around Edwin suddenly froze.