‘Did I set classical music to wake me up?’
The sound of soft, sweet classical music drifted into my ears as I groggily fluttered my eyes open. But the sudden brightness forcing its way through my half-closed eyelids made me wince.
It’s blinding.
Rubbing my eyes, I forced them wide open and let out an involuntary gasp.
“Whoa, what is this?”
A breathtaking ballroom with soaring white marble pillars and a magnificent crystal chandelier stretched out before me. All around the room, women in exquisite dresses and men in sharp suits were waltzing gracefully to the music. The lace-trimmed gowns fluttered in the air, creating a scene straight out of a high-end period film. I clapped my hands together in sheer delight.
“This has got to be a dream!”
I looked down at my outfit to confirm it. My pale, sea-colored satin gown shimmered with an inner glow, adorned with delicate jewelry straps along the tiered skirt. I cautiously lifted the hem between my fingertips; the fabric felt impossibly smooth and luxurious against my skin.
“Then again, this sensation feels way too real for a dream, doesn’t it?”
Someone once said that if you pinch your cheek in a dream, you won’t feel pain. But the surreal spectacle unfolding right in front of me left me with no other explanation.
When am I ever going to have a vivid lucid dream like this again?
If I didn’t make the most of it, I’d kick myself later. Once I woke up, all the harsh realities I was trying to avoid would be waiting for me. Just thinking about the real world made me frown.
Well, that’s a problem for after I wake up. No need to ruin the moment now!
I clenched my fists in excitement, grinning at the glittering scene.
“I’m going to squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of this dream.”
“When on earth will I ever get to eat food this gourmet and drink wine this exquisite? I genuinely hope this dream never ends!”
I took a slow sip of the deep red wine in my glass. It was sweet, and a pleasant warmth immediately spread through my cheeks, bringing a giddy smile to my lips.
“Oh? What’s that dish over there? I haven’t tried that one yet.”
The ballroom was so massive that even after walking around several times, I kept spotting untasted delicacies. My eyes sparkled as I stared at the buffet tables.
Just wait for me, delicious food. Big sister is coming for you!
Humming a happy tune, I made a beeline for the nearest food table.
“Wait, why does the table look like it’s moving?”
The furniture seemed to shift slightly out of focus. I blinked rapidly, trying to steady my vision, and locked eyes with a figure standing quietly behind the display.
When I caught sight of the silver-haired man standing alone in the shadows, a strange wave of protective anxiety washed over me.
“Gasp. Is he trying to hoard all that amazing food for himself?! Absolutely not on my watch!”
Determined, I quickened my pace. But as I drew closer, my steps faltered. The man standing there looked the spitting image of Freyer Lundberg, the tragic secondary male lead from my favorite novel, The Duke’s Daughter Has Returned.
“Nah, he’s probably just a guy who happens to look like Freyer…”
Hoping against hope, I narrowed my eyes to get a better look.
Even in the dim, shadowed corner far from the glittering chandeliers, his silver hair caught the light like starlight against a midnight sky. Long, elegant lashes framed sharp yet remarkably gentle eyes, and deep green irises—resembling a forest lake reflecting the trees—held a quiet, haunting sorrow. The shadows emphasized the clean, aristocratic line of his nose and lips, casting a deeply poignant aura around him.
A slender, long-fingered hand wrapped around a transparent glass on the table. He took a slow sip of the dark red wine, his lips parting as the liquid slid down.
His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed softly as he swallowed. He brushed a stray drop from his lower lip with his thumb, leaving his mouth a striking, mesmerizing coral red.
“It’s really Freyer!”
My ultimate bias, my absolute favorite character. Someone had once asked me:
“Who’s your favorite character out of all the novels you read?”
And I hadn’t hesitated for even a millisecond:
“Freyer!”
That was how deeply invested I was in him.
How on earth did I not recognize him right away?
The wine I’d chugged earlier must have had way more alcohol content than I realized, or my brain was completely fried.
“It’s such a tragedy that this is just a dream.”
I stared at him, desperate to commit every detail to memory. My heart ached just looking at him standing all alone in the darkest corner of such a brilliant, bustling room.
“I wish you could just be happy, even if it’s only inside my dream.”
I had always resented the miserable, unrewarded fate the author forced upon him.
Freyer was practically perfection incarnate—flawless in both appearance and intellect. Yet his one unyielding flaw in life was his hopeless, one-sided devotion to the original female lead. Watching him suffer on the sidelines while the protagonists got their happy ending always felt like a cruel injustice.
All those pent-up feelings rushed back, making Freyer look even more heartbreaking. I pursed my lips, rolled up my sleeves with grim determination, and declared:
“Screw it. I’m giving him a hug.”
I set my wineglass down on a passing tray and marched right toward him.
That’s odd. Wasn’t I standing a lot closer to him a second ago?
I blinked in confusion. Freyer wasn’t actually that far away.
Did he… did he deliberately walk away to avoid me?
If he had noticed me approaching, our eyes surely would have met. Suddenly, a suspicious warmth bloomed in my chest.
…Am I way drunker than I thought?
Shaking off the wandering thoughts, I flashed a goofy grin and crept up behind him. Before he could react, I threw my arms around his waist and buried my face into his back.
“Hk!”
Freyer let out a sharp gasp, his chest instantly rigid.
“Wh-What are you doing?!”
His deep, resonant voice vibrated right through my arms. How could even his voice sound this unfairly gorgeous? I felt like I was melting into a puddle.
“Freyer. I’m hugging you because you deserve it.”
Clinging even tighter to his broad torso, I inhaled deeply. He smelled wonderfully clean and refreshing, like a crisp pine forest after a rain.
How can his shoulders be this wide and his scent this heavenly?
I blinked lazily, tilting my head back to look up at him.
Wow. Is this what standing next to a living Greek god feels like?
This was a core memory that needed to be preserved forever! As I stared up at him in pure awe, Freyer visibly frowned, biting his lower lip. Seeing that expression, my filter completely vanished.
“So sexy…” I murmured out loud.
“If you require assistance, I can summon a servant immediately—”
Why did such a wonderful man have to suffer through unrequited love? If I were writing this book, I would’ve made Freyer the main lead and given him a happy ending with the heroine.
“Because you’re my absolute favorite… mmmh…”
Was it the wine, or was his embrace just too comforting? A heavy wave of sleepiness crashed over me, making my eyelids droop. I pressed my forehead firmly against his solid chest and let my eyes slide shut.
“L-Lady?!”
Freyer’s voice sounded genuinely panicked as he tried to shake my shoulders awake. But my batteries were completely dead. I didn’t have a single ounce of energy left to keep my eyes open.
Freyer gently carried the intoxicated, golden-haired young lady over to the nearest guest bedroom and laid her carefully down on the mattress.
He brushed off his jacket, fixing the clothes she had managed to rumple during her sudden ambush, and immediately turned toward the door to leave. But he couldn’t take a single step forward.
The golden-haired lady had instinctively gripped the hem of his sleeve in a tight, unyielding fist.
“Don’t go… stay here, Freyer.”
How does she know my name? And when did she drop all formal pleasantries?
A mountain of questions crowded his mind, but Freyer only let out a heavy, exhausted sigh.
Hoo… What’s the point in interrogating someone who’s completely plastered?
He reached down to pry her small fingers loose from his fabric.
Just then.
Her hand suddenly shifted, catching his wrist with a warm, undeniable grip.
“Freyer, I just want you to be happy.”
Hearing those words, Freyer froze. His eyes snapped shut. The exact phrase muttered by this drunken stranger were the very last words his late mother used to tell him.
I honestly thought I’d never hear anyone say those words to me again.
He had long since stopped expecting kindness, let alone hope. Affection and well-wishes felt entirely foreign, like luxuries meant for someone else. Never in a million years did he expect to hear such a heartfelt sentiment tossed out as drunken rambling by a woman he had never met before.
Lost in a sudden vortex of painful memories, Freyer didn’t react fast enough when she gave a sudden tug on his arm.
Thump—
Off-balance, Freyer tumbled forward, landing right on top of the mattress beside her.
He caught himself with a start, quickly opening his eyes—only to freeze again.
During the tumble, the neckline of her satin dress had slipped off her shoulder, exposing a smooth, flawless collarbone. The hem of the skirt had ridden up past her calves, revealing pale, perfectly unblemished legs.
“Freyer, you have to be happy! That’s why I’m going to make sure of it!”
Living as an outcast prince with a royal title in name only, he was constantly swarmed by manipulative women seeking status and power. Usually, his walls shot up instantly with cold suspicion: What is your hidden agenda? Why are you approaching me?
Yet right now, for reasons that defied all logic, he wanted nothing more than to cup her face, look straight into those violet eyes, and ask: Why do you care if I’m happy? What makes you look at me like that?
The questions burned hotly in his throat.
I’m not even drunk, he thought with a self-deprecating smirk.
Why was he experiencing such a violent rush of emotion over a lady he’d never laid eyes on until tonight? Before he could process it, her warm arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him down.
“You finally hugged me back.”
Freyer grimaced slightly, leaning back on one elbow as his gaze locked onto her striking violet eyes. Within her clear pupils, the reflection of his silver hair and green irises stared back.
Misfortune had shadowed every single step of his life ever since his identity as the hidden prince was exposed. Yet, looking into her eyes right now, he felt an unfamiliar, strange sense of peace. Fighting down the turbulent emotions surging inside him for the first time in his existence, Freyer spoke in a low, dangerous tone:
“If you keep provoking me like this, I honestly don’t know what I might do to you.”
A soft, sleepy laugh crinkled the corners of her eyes as she sleepily patted his back.
“I told you so… I warned you.”
With a slow, deliberate movement, Freyer reached up and unbuttoned the top collars of his shirt, pulling them apart. The harsh shadows in the room emphasized the thick muscles of his chest and the sharp line of his abdomen. Her violet gaze, previously locked onto his eyes, slowly drifted downward, tracing the motion all the way from his Adam’s apple.
“Whoa, look at those abs… so detailed…” she whispered in awe, her fingers instinctively wandering up to press softly against his chest.
Freyer caught her small, warm hand in his, his expression turning resolute.
“I’ll take that as your consent.”
Freyer lowered his head, burying his face into the crook of her slender, pale shoulder as a heavy, intoxicating heat settled over the room. At that exact moment, the wall-mounted magic lamp flickered once, plunging the entire bedchamber into deep, absolute darkness.
The cool night air instantly turned humid and thick with tension. As the quiet breathing of the two filled the quiet space, a drowsy, satisfied voice drifted through the dark:
Wait… this isn’t even an R-rated book, is it? Best dream ever.