Chapter 18: The Dream Story — Part Four
“Lately you haven’t seemed normal at all.
So even if you start saying something abnormal, it feels believable… like it could really happen.
Well, I’ll go look.”
“Then do you know a place like this?
There’s a narrow alley surrounded by brick walls, with a sign bearing a picture of a chicken, and a thick wooden door with a yellow lantern hanging beside it.”
“Ah, that’s probably a popular tavern.
It’s in the lower district—not the safest area.
You’ve never been there, have you?”
“In my dream, I saw Merry speaking with a man in that alley.
And beyond the alley, in a small shack, she was lying there.”
My brother placed a hand to his chin and thought for a moment.
“If I go now, I can check that area and be back within two hours.
I’ll head out.”
With that, he left.
Lloyd followed him, apparently explaining the details about the missing box.
Left behind in the room, Bell hugged herself tightly.
“My lady… was that the dream you had this morning?”
“In part.
Merry’s death—I saw that just now while dozing.
I don’t understand why I keep seeing such dreams.
What could it mean?”
“I hope the dream is wrong.
Even if she was a wicked woman… it’s still frightening.”
Eric had said two hours.
Yet evening came, and he still had not returned.
Restless once more, I paced about my room, waiting.
“Sir Eric is late returning.
I wonder if something happened.
Could it be… that the maid’s body was truly found?”
Bell voiced the thought timidly, then shuddered.
That night, quite late, Lloyd came to my room.
“My lady, Sir Eric requests to speak with you.
However, if you are unwell or not in the right state of mind, he says it may wait until tomorrow.”
“I’ll go.
I won’t be able to sleep if I don’t.”
Bell and I went together to Eric’s room.
Lloyd knocked and announced, “Lady Maria has arrived.”
“Enter,” came the reply.
Bell swallowed audibly.
I too was tense, clasping my hands tightly in front of me.
I wished I had my fan with me.
Then I remembered—it had been in the missing box.
My brother seated me and stared into my eyes.
This was… likely—
“We found her.
She was lying exactly where you said.”
“I see.”
I had prepared myself, so I managed to answer calmly.
Beside me, Bell visibly trembled.
“And beside her was your small box.
At a glance, it seemed everything except the accessories remained.
I want you to confirm it tomorrow.”
“I understand.
Where is it now?”
“In the Royal Guard’s confiscated goods storage.”
“You returned quite late.
What happened?”
Eric asked Lloyd and Bell to bring tea.
“This may take some time.
Have them bring something light to eat as well.
I haven’t eaten at all.
Are you hungry?”
Come to think of it, I had only nibbled two cookies all day.
“I haven’t eaten either.
I would like something.”
Lloyd stepped forward smoothly.
“Then something light and…”
He glanced at my brother and corrected himself.
“I shall bring something simple and easy to eat.”
He left with Bell.
My brother turned back to me.
“I went straight to the place you described.
I found it almost immediately.
The place you saw is called Coq au Vin—a tavern famous for chicken stew.
Beyond its alley stood a ramshackle shack.
I went inside.
How much did you see?”
“She was lying on the floor.
Her neck was bent at an unnatural angle.”
My brother folded his hands and looked down.
Then he exhaled.
“So you really did see it.
That’s right.
Her neck was broken.”
I pressed a hand over my mouth to keep from crying out.
“After that, I went to Jason.
I punched him once.
Then I told him I had seen someone resembling Merry in that alley.
We went to search for her together.
I led him to the shack and had him be the one to ‘discover’ her.”
Ah.
That explained the delay.
“You created a reason for the discovery.”
“Yes.
I can’t very well say my sister saw it in a dream.
And I’ve been to that tavern several times.
I saw her face only once two years ago, but I’m good at remembering faces.
Neither he nor the others will likely doubt it.”
“Thank you.”
“After that, I reported the matter to the Royal Guard.
It will likely be investigated internally.
Are you willing to explain what this means?”
“Truthfully, I don’t understand it myself.
But since the wedding, I’ve gradually begun having these dreams.
And today, I saw her being strangled by that man.”
At that moment, my stomach gave a small, pitiful growl.
“Hungry,” my brother muttered.
Embarrassed, I pressed a hand to my abdomen.
Just then, Lloyd and Bell returned with a cart bearing steaming dishes.
When the silver covers were lifted, two large skewers of meat and vegetables lay beneath, along with fresh bread and cups of soup.
“As expected of Lloyd.
Let’s eat first.”
Lloyd removed the meat from the skewers and cut it into manageable pieces.
My brother sandwiched the meat between bread and took a hearty bite.
“Delicious.
Tell John I apologize for the late hour.
Maria, you’ll like this.”
He ate with such relish that I followed suit.
I had Lloyd cut my portion smaller to avoid spilling sauce.
Bell suggested mustard, and added a little mustard and onion sauce.
When I took a bite, it was incredibly good.
“Brother, it’s wonderful with mustard and onion sauce.”
“Is that so?
Cut me another large piece.”
We ate in silence for a while.
When my stomach was full, I felt strangely relieved.
“Being able to enjoy good food as delicious… that’s happiness, isn’t it?”
I said it without thinking.
“What’s that supposed to mean?
You talk as if there was a time you couldn’t eat.
Was there?”
“If I told you there was, would you believe me?”
He wiped his mouth with a napkin and stared at me.
“You pinpointed a maid’s location in a dream today.
At this point, I’d have to believe anything.”
I turned my gaze to Lloyd, who stood quietly aside.
He nodded slowly.
“Lloyd, do you know something?
I don’t understand what has happened to me.
If you know anything, please tell me.”
“It is not that I know anything for certain.
However, I once heard the late Madam gave you a charm.
She said it possessed great power—but would only work if the bearer truly wished for it.
I do not know what she meant.”
The meaning behind Merry’s actions suddenly became clear.
She had been searching for that.
If so—
“Brother, then the events of my first life and what I’ve learned in my dreams are connected.”
“What?
What are you saying?”
“I have died once before.
What I said at the wedding…
I experienced it myself.”