NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3
This was a dream.
Yu Ye-Seong couldn’t help but think like that as he looked at the small scenery unfolding beneath his feet.
Below is the castle’s bright and luxuriously decorated interior.
Looking at the sofa, table, and show-off interior, it looked like a parlor or a place to welcome guests.
The people, probably the owner and his wife, were sitting and drinking tea, and the servant poured the tea with restrained movements.
In a corner on the floor, Arenheit was lying down, drawing a picture, creating an image of a perfect family enjoying their daily activities.
Except for the fact that Arenheit, who is drawing the picture, appears to be at least a teenager rather than a 5-year-old.
“It’s clear that it was a failure this time too.”
“Don’t say that. There must be places you haven’t found yet.”
“But is it really meaningful to pour money into something like this?”
The middle-aged man looked distressed.
In front of him, a slightly younger woman sat elegantly, placing her teacup gently on the table.
“There is no need to rush. If we can’t find it, it means that others can’t find it either.”
“I am…”
“I can sense it. ‘It’ is still somewhere asleep, untouched by anyone. It’s just not the right time yet. It takes time for the stars to align correctly.”
‘It?’
Yu Ye-Seong thought deeply.
The people who were with Arenheit were probably the former Duke and Duchess, but there was no scene of them having this conversation.
This is because the couple was dead when the novel began to unfold in earnest.
“I won’t give up. If it’s for Hartman’s dream, money is trivial and insignificant.”
“The longer time passes, the harder it might be for Arenheit.”
“This is a child who I gave birth to. Have I ever complained about it being difficult?”
The woman snapped her fingers.
It was as if she was calling an animal.
Despite being a seemingly trivial action, Arenheit, who was clumsily drawing, quickly rushed over to her.
Her hand, adorned with thick pearl and emerald rings, gently caressed the child’s pale, white, soft cheek.
“Tell me, Arenheit. Is your mother giving you a hard time?”
“No, mother.”
A prompt response.
Arenheit, who didn’t hesitate for a second, smiled abnormally brightly.
The woman smiled and continued to ask questions.
“Then have I ever asked you to do something unreasonable?”
“No, Mother. I’m trying hard to be a good child. It’s not difficult at all.”
“That’s right. You will grow up to be a part of a great plan. Perhaps you will become even greater than what your mother has shown you.”
“What if I become a good child?”
“Yes, if you become a good child. Now, go pick up all those scattered papers over there. We have many guests coming today.”
“Guests?”
“You know what to do, right?”
Arenheit rolled his light brown eyes.
“What kind of guests? Are they ‘bad guests,’ or are they ‘good guests’?”
Yu Ye-Seong felt uncomfortable for a moment.
“If they are bad guests, what should you do?”
“It’s a bug! Get rid of bugs before they lay eggs!”
“What if they are good customers?”
“Behave nicely; smile at them!”
“You know very well. There, you. Come here, take the young master, and dress him up.”
The maid ran over and bowed to the duchess.
Arenheit, who was slightly taller than the maid but still childlike, held onto her apron and followed her.
It was a strange sight.
Yu Ye-Seong was honestly speechless.
It is not normal for a parent to treat a grown child like a baby.
And the child displaying behaviors inappropriate for their age indicated an abnormal stage of development.
What kind of family was the Hartman family?
The view shifted as if through a camera lens.
The three people inside the shabby cabin were people I knew well.
Arndt was kneeling in front of Arenheit.
“Young master, please try just one bite. Please?”
“I have to go to Mother.”
“You can’t go now. I’ll take you later, I promise.”
“I have to go to Mother.”
“Young master!”
Arenheit mumbles like a broken doll.
It was clear at a glance that something was not right.
Arenheit’s gaze wandered aimlessly around the room before briefly shifting to Leandros.
“Leandros. You know.”
“…”
“Take me there.”
“It’s not time yet.”
“Why?”
“That was the order the Duchess gave.”
Arenheit’s vacant expression overlapped with Leandros’ clenched fist.
Yu Ye-Seong was taken aback by the scene he had never witnessed before.
Why do I see this?
As soon as I thought about that, a thought came to mind.
【Plunder. Robbery. Memories. My body. Possession. Omnipotence. Opportunity. Future. World. Mother. Stars. Orbit. Me. My body. Rights. Loss. Defeat. Powerlessness. Cruelty. Hope.】
Thoughts that were not mine came flooding in at the same time.
A small boat in the open, stormy sea.
That’s how I feel right now.
Just before being swept away by such overwhelming thoughts, someone whispered.
“If you’re going to handle my body, you must also handle my fate.”
Who was it?
Scattershot scenes fell like shattered glass, accompanied by wonder.
The largest fragment brushed past in front of my eyes.
A large candlestick.
The piercing scream of a sharp piece of metal.
A man collapsed, bleeding from his head.
A hand reached out, offering comfort.
Yu Ye-Seong took a deep breath in surprise and opened his eyes.
* * *
“Young master!”
“Duke is the right word, Arndt.”
“Does that matter now?”
I blinked and immediately saw the gently brightened ceiling and the faces of two people.
“I was worried because you collapsed in the courtyard. You almost got hurt from what you were holding.”
“Did I?”
“Perhaps it was because you recently overexerted yourself. Your health hasn’t been good even in the capital city.”
“Ah, I see.”
Arenheit had suffered from anxiety even during his short stay at the palace.
For some reason, I had a strange dream.
As I buried myself in the musty bed, Arndt brought me a meal, as if he had been waiting for me.
It was a simple boiled meat soup served in a worn, rustic bowl.
“Arndt.”
“Yes, Duke.”
“That is…”
Would anything change by saying such a thing?
It’s just a dream.
In the end, I swallowed what I was trying to say and accepted the bowl.
“I’ll eat well.”
Arndt’s proud smile followed behind the spoon.
Yeah, that’s all it takes.
I accepted Arndt and Leandros’ advice and decided to refrain from going out for the time being.
This body’s physical strength may have decreased significantly.
In the end, the hunting was left to Leandros, and Arndt and I walked around the castle and carried out repairs and maintenance.
The only way to maintain it was to walk around with Arndt, and he asked for my advice.
Arndt did all the actual work, so I was free.
That was the day Leandros went on his second hunt.
Arndt and I were renovating the Duke’s banquet hall.
“What do you want to do with the hall?”
“I don’t think there will be any future use.”
“But we don’t know what will happen in the future.”
“It would be okay to just clean up the broken things.”
I answered Arndt’s words half-heartedly and looked around the hall.
The hall was also empty, and there were several tables with unknown uses.
I’m sure this is the end of the fallen aristocratic family.
‘Shit. There’s nothing to make money from.’
The problem was that even though it was empty, it was too empty.
Since it was a castle, I thought there must have been something I could sell, but it was all a mistake.
People cannot live by eating only meat.
How many necessities do you have to use and consume?
However, the primary plan to prepare it completely collapsed.
“Ah, my head… ”
“Pardon? What did you just say?”
“Nothing.”
What should I do with this?
Even while I was worrying, Arndt was moving steadily, cleaning up dust, wood chips, and fallen stones.
The banquet hall is so large that it would be too much to clean up alone, but what a sincere move.
It’s a collapsed castle anyway; should I tell him not to overdo it?
This was the moment when I turned around to look somewhere else.
A strange sense of déjà vu.
I looked at Arndt again as the force held my ankle tightly.
Arndt was removing dust and debris from the crushed window frame.
At first glance, there was nothing strange, but my gaze went higher than Arndt.
Candlestick.
A candlestick hangs precariously on the wall.
Although many years had passed, the candlesticks packed into the walls and pillars of the hall were shining brightly.
Why did that dream suddenly come to mind?
Why did you think the man in your dream was Arndt?
“Arndt!”
“Yes, Duke. Is there anything you would like to tell me?”
“Well, the banquet hall seems too wide, so let’s start with a smaller room.”
“But you said earlier that you wanted to see a large place first.”
“I changed my mind.”
Arndt seemed at a loss to my whims.
Arndt eventually couldn’t resist my stubbornness and came out and started locking the hall door again.
“There’s nothing special in the hall, so I don’t think there’s a need to lock it.”
On the other hand, it was an attempt to joke around.
But at that moment,
Bang!
A crash sound was heard.
When Arndt opened the door in surprise, candlesticks were rolling around on the floor of the hall.
At first glance, the heavy candlestick was sharpened and crafted, so it was likely to cause a big problem if you got stabbed.
Arndt sighed with relief that it was not an intruder.
But on the contrary, I felt a chill down my spine.
This is a candlestick that was right above where Arndt was standing.
If it had hit Arndt in the head, he might have been seriously injured.
“It’s no big deal. I should fix the candlestick more firmly when I repair it.”
“…”
“If the Duke hadn’t called me, my head would have been torn. I was lucky.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes?”
“It’s not luck. I saw it somewhere.”
My mouth was dry.
Arndt’s eyes widened little by little.
“Where did you say you saw it, Duke?”
“In a dream.”
What on earth is that dream?
Although the contents of the dream were now blurred, the horrified and surprised feelings remained clear.
It could only be explained that it was really crazy when someone heard it.
I am.
What did you see in your dream?
“Duke.”
His voice was slightly trembling.
Arndt was pale.
But his face was painted with colorful emotions.
Fear.
Awe.
Suspicion.
Boundary.
Guess.
Arndt’s hands were shaking slightly.
His voice came out muffled.
“For the first time, you dreamed of a revelation…!”