I Tamed the Monstrous Prince - Chapter 93

Schedule: Wed and Sun

“I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other. This is going to be a problem.” The immediate issue was this: if she aligned herself with the Empress, we were bound to clash. I’d seen how she treated Cesar. Giovinetta had a nasty streak, particularly enjoying tormenting those weaker than herself. What if she decided to target Cesar? “I won’t let that happen.” With that resolution, I flopped onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. I closed my eyes, wondering what Cesar was doing, what kind of person the physician was. Or rather, I tried to close my eyes.

At that moment, something flickered before my vision. A dark blotch spread, quickly engulfing everything. “What?” I blinked several times, but it remained. I rubbed my eyes, but it was no use. A wave of fear washed over me. Was something wrong with my eyesight?

I couldn’t understand what was happening. Something shimmered before my eyes, like a heat haze. It was a very familiar scene. “This is… no way…” I realized that what I was seeing was a scene from the nightmares that plagued me every night. I had them so often that I could predict what would happen next, even from just a fragment. But why was I seeing this vision while I was awake? Had the nightmares I’d experienced all this time actually been waking dreams?

I continued to blink. A lakeside scene materialized before me, only to flicker and disappear again and again. “What is this?” Fear gripped me. I had a terrible feeling that something was seriously wrong. I felt I could escape this unsettling waking dream if I could just move. I struggled to sit up, but my body was unresponsive, as if I were sleepwalking. The vision intensified. My bedroom blurred, replaced by a new, shimmering image.

Cold sweat trickled down my skin. Scenes unfolded as if time had stopped, and I was forced to witness them, powerless to look away. Information flooded my mind, like water rushing through a channel. This time, I saw the location. My perspective shifted, rising higher and higher, as if I were soaring through the sky. I felt dizzy and wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn’t. I gasped inwardly. It felt like I was a bird, taking flight. The entire Imperial Palace spread out beneath me, under a wide-open sky. The pond was located not far from the Emerald Palace.

I somehow understood which paths to take, how to move stealthily, avoiding the guards. I didn’t know what this was, but information continued to pour into my mind, overwhelming me. It was so much that my head felt like it might explode. “…Ugh.” I groaned, my mind reeling from the onslaught of information. In the distance, I saw the pond where the young lady had drowned.

Come to think of it, I had only asked the servants about it; I hadn’t visited the site myself. Delfina had dissuaded me. She had warned me of the dangers—perhaps she thought I was harboring some foolish notion—and refused to tell me where the pond was. But this waking dream, this vision, insisted on showing me the location, as if to emphasize its importance.

Finally, my vision returned to normal. I blinked a few times and wiggled my fingers. Thankfully, I could move again. I sat up abruptly and exhaled, releasing the breath I’d been holding. I coughed, struggling to breathe properly. I felt drained, as if I’d run a marathon. I wiped the sweat from my brow and gradually caught my breath. These dreams had always shown me the truth. The message this time was clear. “I have to go there.”

Delfina was away, attending to Cesar on my orders. This was even better. I had a feeling that I might discover something new at the pond. “Peep! Cheep!” Ab erupted in a flurry of chirps. “What’s wrong?” The little chick was frantically pecking at my sleeve. “Are you worried I’ll leave you alone?”

“Cheep! Peep, cheep!”

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Peep!” He seemed to pout, but a chick with an expression? Was I imagining things?

I couldn’t leave him fluttering about, demanding attention. If I left him alone in the room, chirping his head off, the other servants might find him and throw him out. “Will you stay put in here then?”

“Peep.”

I quickly opened my pocket. He flapped his wings in a disgruntled manner, then hopped inside, settling down with a dignified chirp.