Then I felt a touch on my cheek. “Tsk” – the sound of a kiss echoed softly, and I opened my eyes.
"EH?"
Cesar just kissed me on the cheek. A strange feeling made my cheeks hot. Soon, he placed his lips on the other cheek again.
“Er… er…”
I realized I must have looked extremely foolish when I saw Cesar smiling brightly. So last time I only taught him how to kiss on the cheek, but I was imagining something?
“Er… er…”
Đầu óc tôi quay cuồng, hỗn loạn đến mức không biết rằng chính từ miệng mình lại phát ra những âm thanh ngốc nghếch ấy.
“Hehe.”
“Ha, phuhat.”
We both burst out laughing. Laughing loudly, looking at each other, our whole bodies seemed to go limp.
We collapsed on the bed, pressing our faces into the pillows. Both shoulders shook with each continuous burst of laughter.
“Ren…”
Maybe because I cried and laughed at the same time, I looked really strange. Cesar also lay down next to him, his face worried.
A mischief arose, I gently pinched his nose.
“Uh…”
Cesar wrinkled his nose, so cute that I burst out laughing again.
Since then, I have had nightmares many times. Nội dung mỗi lần khác nhau, nhưng đều thống nhất ở một điểm: tôi, ứng viên Hoàng tử phi, đã bị ai đó sát hại.
“Pant… pant…”
Her breathing was rapid, her mouth was wet like a noose was tightening around her neck. Feeling horrible and uncomfortable.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah… it's okay.”
It was Cesar waking me up again. His red eyes appeared in my vision, and looking at them, I immediately felt reality. This is my dream, and this is where I belong.
Cesar always runs to me when I'm bothered by nightmares, pulling me out of my fear. Maybe that's why I gradually got used to this workshop.
"Thank you."
"YES."
After waking up, he always hugged me tightly. And it didn't stop there, his lips were on my cheek again. It seems he misunderstood the meaning of "cheek kiss" that I once taught.
Perhaps because he made a mistake from the beginning, he thought that if he woke me up, he would have to do this. Even though I tried to explain many times, it's not easy to change.
This action was somewhat shy, but when her cheeks touched his lips, all uncomfortable feelings disappeared.
“Thank you, I'm calm now.”
But Cesar seems to have no intention of letting go. I had to lie still in his arms. The smell of sweat that once worried me disappeared with the rhythm of common breathing. The troubled breathing gradually returned to normal, the pounding heartbeat also subsided.
“…Why do I have these dreams.”
I muttered. Is the dream real or just my illusion?
The question doesn't stop there. How did Cesar know to wake me up every time I had a nightmare?
“Every time, you know?”
I turned around in his arms, my eyes fixed on him.
"Eh? How did you know to wake me up?"
Am I talking nonsense? But Cesar just smiled innocently. He paused for a moment and then said:
“Just… know.”
“Just… know?”
I asked again, and he smiled again and nodded. It's hard to understand, how could he "just know"?
Just looking at him smiling, I sighed, telling myself I was taking things too seriously.
“Ah, maybe just knowing.”
I closed my eyes, letting the fatigue build up. Lately, I'm even afraid to sleep. The constant nightmares kept me from sleeping deeply, so during the day, just laying my head down made me sleepy. But fortunately when Cesar is by my side, I feel somewhat reassured because there is hope of being awakened.
However, the cold feeling running down my spine was still there. It reminds me of the weight of dreams. Only one thing I realized:
“I was killed…”
If I wasn't crazy, and the dream like last time helped me find the treasure thief, then... perhaps all the Prince Consort candidates were killed by someone else's hand.
The dream showed me that process: from the hand pressing my face into the pillow, to the cruel pushes, to pressing my head into the lake, and to the fist offering poisonous food.
Death… a series of deaths, unspeakable pain. There's no way to avoid it.
“Who would do such a disgusting thing…”
They are the same age as me. Same situation. Had dreams, ambitions... but died prematurely, because of the hands of a bad person. Who? For what purpose?
“There is probably no more evidence now…”
If so, the palace would have found the culprit.
“Maybe everyone just calls it a curse…”
Even I believe so. There was nothing to do but call it a curse, so the truth was hidden.
“If only there were witnesses…”
And suddenly, a thought flashed: witness. It's the person in front of me.
I quickly looked up at Cesar. He just looked at me silently.
“Hey, Cesar?”
"YES?"
“Do you remember?”
He tilted his head and said nothing. I have to change the question:
“I mean… the previous prince concubine candidates.”
He still smiled and did not answer.
But if the dream is true, the person standing next to them when they die is none other than Cesar.
"I mean... someone died here. Cesar also knew. The Prince Consort candidate."
He slowly asked:
“Is it a girl?”
A cold current invaded my spine. I nodded slightly in confirmation.
"Yes, daughter. Remember?"
“Are you dead?”
It seemed like his words were no different from the way he closely followed my words before. But I didn't miss the opportunity and urged him to continue speaking.
“Yes, killed by bad people.”
“Bad?”
"Yes, very bad. Really evil."
When I thought I got nothing, he suddenly said:
“It's no different than… dipping into water.”
A shiver crept up my neck.
“Yes, yes, get in the water!”
My voice is naturally loud. Does Cesar know that the girl drowned in the lake?
"Immersion."
He half smiled. Perhaps he witnessed the moment they died. I then grabbed his hand and urged him to continue talking.
“The ducklings splashed in the water, squawking after their mother.”
"……EH?"
At this moment, the words he said appeared in the fairy tale I once read to him.
“Quack quack.”
Then he smiled brightly. So perfect and proud. I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
“Haha… duckling.”
The heavy expectations suddenly disappeared. My voice trembled.
“Ah, it's just a matter of ducks.”
How stupid. What do I expect? But contrary to my disappointment, Cesar still diligently read each paragraph of the story.
“The ugly duckling looked at his face reflected in the water and sighed and lamented.”
Just now he read the first page, now he read the middle paragraph, the order was messed up. Looking at that, perhaps we cannot expect a complete answer from him.
Then Cesar put his head on my chest, rubbing.
“What did I do wrong to be born this ugly?”
His voice vaguely blended into the hem of my shirt. It's just a quote from the story but it sounds like his inner voice. I was uncomfortable, but had to respond.