But Sophia gathered her courage and continued speaking.
“I see the Duke… and myself in my dreams. Sometimes there’s a strange man too. And strangely, after those dreams, I wake up in the middle of the night and wander around. Yesterday, I don’t even remember it, but the maid said I yelled at her not to come in. She swears it was my voice… And when I woke up, there was a chair in front of the door, and the door was locked… Once, I even woke up hanging off the balcony like I was about to fall. If I had taken one more step…”
“Oh dear…”
The Duke gave a low murmur in an eerie tone. But when she looked at his face, it was the same as usual. He pulled her close. Only when his hand touched her cheek did Sophia realize she was speaking while out of breath.
“That must’ve been scary. How many times has this happened?”
“…As far as I know, twice.”
“Then it’s not many yet.”
“But…!”
Sophia raised her voice, thinking maybe he didn’t see it as serious because it hadn’t happened much.
The Duke gently kissed her cheek, as if trying to calm her down. The sudden kiss startled her, and she flinched.
“Don’t worry, Sophia. I understand how serious it is and how scared you must have been. I just mean it’s lucky it’s only happened twice. Has anyone else heard about this?”
“No, no one yet.”
“Good. It’s not something others should hear.”
The Duke casually referred to even her parents as “others.” Although Sophia had chosen to tell him and not them, something about him dismissing them made her feel uneasy.
While she stood quietly, the Duke seemed to recall something and looked serious as he asked,
“Did your actions while asleep connect to the dreams? Like, doing something in real life that you did in the dream?”
“Uh… I don’t think so…”
But now that he mentioned it, there was some connection. Sophia said,
“Now that I think about it, after I almost fell off the balcony in real life, the next dream I had was about falling off a cliff. Maybe it’s just coincidence…”
The Duke raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“You dreamed of falling off a cliff?”
It was too embarrassing to mention she had fallen into the flames of Hallas in the dream, so she left that part out. Even so, the Duke seemed to understand something. With a stiff face, he muttered,
“Oh, that’s why you mentioned the ‘strange man.’”
Then he turned and started walking ahead. Sophia stared blankly at his back before hurrying to catch up and asked,
“Do you know what kind of dream I had?”
She became curious—how did he know? Was the dream not just a dream?
But as soon as she caught up and saw his face, all those thoughts vanished.
The Duke had dropped all pretenses.
A face full of deep boredom and slight annoyance.
It made her realize how much comfort his usual kindness had brought her.
“I know. Saying I didn’t would be a lie.”
He answered quietly. Sophia slowed her steps. Something told her not to push him any further right now.
But then he turned and looked at her. Staring at her slightly frightened face, he reached out and grabbed her chin.
As he sharply lifted her head, Sophia gasped in fear.
“You lied to me.”
His piercing gaze and cold, calm voice gave her chills.
Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong, her hands started to tremble.
“L-Lied…?”
“I’m tired of human excuses. I asked you, didn’t I? If you had dreams. You acted like you didn’t know anything. Even though you clearly did.”
“That’s because…”
She tried to explain, but the Duke’s hand tightened.
“How dare you.”
His anger settled low and deep.
“You lied to me again?”
The cold fury in his voice made Sophia tremble in silence. She couldn’t even resist—just stared at him as if begging. She couldn’t move, as if nailed to the ground.
“…I…”
Only the beginning of an excuse came out. The Duke didn’t want to hear it. He pressed a finger to her lips. Sophia closed her mouth and tried to calm her shaking body.
‘Think of a play, Sophia. Think of Oresse when he faced Hetan, who turned his crew into snakes. You must be brave and calm like him.’
She repeated it to herself over and over. But it didn’t help. Her body trembled like prey before a predator.
The Duke looked down at her and asked,
“Are you scared?”
His tone carried more annoyance than sympathy.
But yes, she was scared. It felt unreal that she used to speak so freely to him.
She now fully understood his words: “If I were ever angry at you, Sophia, you’d know right away. I’m the type who shows it clearly.”
He didn’t raise his voice or get emotional when angry. He became something else entirely. Like a god who loved humans but turned cruel when angry.
He made her feel alone and terrified.
“Tsk.”
The Duke clicked his tongue at the trembling Sophia as if disappointed. But he didn’t let her go. He moved closer, examining her face, then softly called her name.
“Sophia.”
“…”
“You don’t need to be scared. I wouldn’t hurt you. I’m just curious. What did Ezekiel say to you?”
His gentle tone sounded just like before. But Sophia felt that if she didn’t tell the truth now, she might actually die.
“H-He said… I had to die…”
“Die?”
“He said if I died… the Duke’s power would weaken. And if I was scared, he’d… die with me…”
“But that worm is still alive, isn’t he? Oh dear. Sweet little Sophia, you believed him again, didn’t you? So, you died alone for him?”
His grip on her chin tightened, and it began to hurt. Sophia frowned from the pain and nodded.
The Duke gave her cheek a small kiss, as if telling her to endure it.
“So… how did you feel, seeing Ezekiel again in your dream?”
“H-He looked big… and a little scary…”
“And?”
“I didn’t understand… why I chose him over you…”
“Haha. Sweet words, even now.”
The Duke laughed smoothly. He sounded like a pure-hearted young man. But then the laughter faded, and he looked at her with cold eyes.
In those eyes, Sophia saw something icy.
Hatred? No, it wasn’t burning like that. It was something much older and more decayed.
“I couldn’t understand it either. But the one who threw her life away for him… was you.”
“Kh…”
Her toes barely touched the floor now. Her neck was turning red from lack of air. Just a few more seconds, and she would faint.
The Duke looked at the fading flame of her life without any emotion. A small spark that could disappear with a flick of his finger.
So easy. Too easy.
He could kill her right here. Just like he’d imagined many times when seeing her. It might even be more comfortable that way.
Of course, that wasn’t allowed.
“No, I can’t. Not this time either.”
That was the most frustrating part. The Duke whispered and kissed Sophia.
Their lips met. As he loosened his grip, Sophia gasped for air. The Duke shared her breath and bit her lips.
Their damp lips pressed together in a mix of seduction and rescue. Sophia couldn’t believe she was being kissed by him while hanging limp in his arms.
Like a doll, she was stiff and dazed.
The Duke breathed into her, warming her with his touch.
He bit and licked her lips. The touch of lips and tongues created strange sensations—wet, and unbelievably soft friction.
Her heart raced as if they were connected. Heat rose to her palms, her neck, even her stomach. Sophia quickly became dazed.
She couldn’t tell what was happening anymore. One moment he was choking her, the next, breathing life into her.
It was just like the dream she had.
Sophia, once again like a doll owned by the Duke, didn’t resist and accepted his kiss—until eventually, she fainted.
