Chapter 38: The Dream I Saw That Day

What changed my life, the life of Electra Vent, was a “dream” I saw one night.

At the time, I was scheduled to marry Harid Carlson, who was both a baron and a knight.

Around the same period, a royal order was issued to deal with the monsters overflowing into the territory of the Grandra Margrave, and knights from various regions were dispatched to the frontier.

Harid was one of them.

With no time to hold a wedding ceremony, we had to prepare to head to the frontier.

We did not hold a ceremony, there was no vow-kiss, and we were married by paperwork alone.

And then… on our wedding night, I asked him for a white marriage.

The reason was a dream.

A dream that could be called a prophetic dream.

In that dream, Harid grew close to a woman he met on the frontier and returned home with her.

For me, who was waiting for Harid’s return in the territory, it came out of nowhere.

No, perhaps there had been ominous rumors even before that… but it was a dream, after all.

He told me that he had fallen in love with that woman, Lady Livia, and demanded a divorce from me.

I was divorced, forced out of the mansion, and fled as if being chased away.

After that, I took refuge in a church.

However, the church I sought protection from seemed to be the worst possible place.

It was probably a church located slightly away from Carlson territory.

I think it was a church in a territory on the opposite side from my family home, the Vent Viscounty.

I was cornered even within the church… and then came pursuers.

In short, I dreamed of a miserable “future” awaiting me.

That was why I asked Harid for a white marriage.

And sure enough, just as in the dream, what reached me from the battlefield was news of my husband’s infidelity.

The tale of “Hero” Harid and “Saint” Lady Livia, spoken of as if it were a beautiful story.

Even more ominously, a fake version of me appeared and began spreading malicious rumors about me…

I decided to divorce Harid of my own will and flee from Carlson territory.

At that time, I did not even speak to them, nor did I meet them face to face.

In my own way, I tried to fulfill my responsibilities.

What would happen to the servants’ futures, and how the lives of the people of the territory would be supported.

What kind of situation would arise when an unfaithful husband and his mistress came to live in the mansion.

Before they returned, I had the servants prepare themselves and think through how to act.

I also prepared letters of introduction for everyone, so that they could leave at any time.

The head butler Said, who had long served the Carlson family, and the head maid Saria would surely not abandon Harid easily.

They had spent far more time with Harid than the two years they spent with me.

Even with letters of introduction, there were those who could not leave so easily.

Some had homes and families within Carlson territory.

So rather than being angry or disappointed because of me, I told them to prioritize thinking about their own futures.

Whether that ultimately worked out well or not, I do not know.

What I did to escape from the Carlson household also included making my whereabouts difficult to track.

I left behind multiple false eyewitness accounts and had it made to look as though I was staying at my family home.

And if even then they sought me out, I asked that a “stand-in” be hired to act as me.

In the end, I only saw Livia in the prophetic dream, and I have never met or spoken to the real Lady Livia.

Based on the dream, I thought she would act that way.

On top of that, when I heard that a fake version of me had appeared in the territory, I thought it was a good idea and entrusted it to Said.

After all of that, I fled.

I was taken in by a place different from the corrupt church of my dream.

There, I was cared for by Father Ryuse and Sister Angela.

I learned healing magic and engaged in charitable work.

It was there, at the church, that I met Richard, whose right arm was injured.

When I used my healing magic with all my strength, his arm, which was believed to be beyond recovery, was completely healed.

From there, I ended up heading to the territory of the Grandra Margrave and traveling together with him.

Of course, it was not just the two of us, but a journey alongside a small trading company.

Little by little, I came to realize just how unusual my healing magic was.

I also came to know Richard’s strength.

He was a warrior worth a thousand men.

After arriving in the Grandra Margrave’s territory and continuing our activities…

He and I slowly closed the distance between our hearts.

After learning of Harid’s subsequent situation from the margrave, I decided to start moving.

To gain fame, and to prepare for the ominous future that might one day come.

As the catalyst for that decision, I confessed to Richard.

Thankfully, he shared the same feelings as I did.

Richard and I became formally engaged.

…Up to this point, that has been my somewhat unusual life.

Richard cares deeply for me, but…

I feel that there is still a bit of distance between us.

That is probably because he is a knight to his core.

I had sensed it faintly before, but Richard seems to feel a sense of “indebtedness” toward me that is equal to, or even stronger than, his affection.

He believed his right arm would never heal, and I was the one who healed it.

Within Richard, that feeling of “loyalty” appears to be quite strong.

A desire to repay the benefactor he owes his life to.

That might not have been romantic love, at least not entirely.

But it is not that there is no romantic feeling at all.

We confessed, and we became engaged, but even so, we will probably deepen our relationship slowly from here on.

…Will I never see that dream again?

The prophetic dreams I saw several times before my marriage.

It was not a once-in-a-lifetime miracle.

I have seen prophetic dreams twice.

The contents were similar each time.

I had almost forgotten, distracted by the peculiarities of my healing magic, but…

In the end, what exactly were those dreams?

Were they also a blessing born of my strangely powerful magic?

The second time I saw one, I wondered if I might have returned through time.

The dream was that vivid.

But in terms of actual sensation, it did not feel like that at all…

Prophetic dreams that throw one’s life into turmoil are not something I want to see often.

But if, someday… a future of great misfortune awaits me,

Then I want to be told about it.

That is what I think.

Still, one cannot live relying only on miracles like that.

For now, I can only do what I am able to do, right in front of me.

“Ellen, I can see it now.”

“Yes, Richard.”

Richard and I were riding together in the same carriage.

It was the type with a window that could be opened toward the driver’s seat.

And beyond that window, what came into view was… the royal capital of the Kingdom of Lance.

“It is thriving.”

“Yes, it really is.”

I thought the city in Grandra territory was prosperous, but the royal capital is on another level entirely.

The carriage carrying us moved onward toward the splendid royal capital.

“Richard.”

“Hm…”

I placed my hand over his, as he sat beside me.

On my finger was the engagement ring he had given me.

“Hehe.”

I leaned closer to him, feeling happiness.

Touching the man I have feelings for, my heart fluttering.

Ah, I…

I never spent time like this with Harid.

In the end, the only time Harid and I were ever truly like husband and wife was during the period when we were preparing for our wedding.

I do not want that kind of relationship with Richard.

So, from now on, I will do my best to be happy.

With that warm feeling in my heart, I made that vow.