Returning to Reality

On a silent night where darkness settled over the sky and not even insects cried, a man held his breath and opened the terrace door.

Slipping inside like a snake, he sharpened all his senses.

The room was utterly silent.

The man approached the bed step by step, carefully.

Fren was asleep beneath a thick blanket.

After handling that much work without resting even for a moment, it was only natural that he was exhausted.

‘So even the great Fren can’t help it when he’s tired.’

The man raised his dagger high.

And just as he was about to bring it down—

A pure white arm shot out of the darkness.

Threads that glimmered like spider silk between both arms tightened around his neck.

The man’s eyes bulged as if they might pop out.

Bernessa, the owner of those arms, pulled the threads even tighter.

The man’s body, which had been twisting desperately, soon went limp.

As Bernessa was about to drag him out immediately, Fren, who had apparently been awake for some time, gave an order.

“Just kill him.”

“Yes.”

An assassin skilled enough to infiltrate this place would never easily reveal his affiliation, so it meant not to waste time.

After dealing with the man outside and returning, Bernessa sat on the edge of the bed.

She had regained consciousness quite a while ago, yet it still felt like she was inside a dream.

“I’m wide awake now.”

Fren wrapped his arms around her waist and smiled softly.

At that lovely sight, Bernessa’s expression, which had been blank, naturally softened.

“There doesn’t seem to be much wind outside.

Shall we go out?”

Bernessa stood up.

However, the arms firmly wrapped around her waist did not loosen.

Resting his chin naturally atop Bernessa’s head, Fren smiled again, and Bernessa carried him along as she went out onto the terrace.

A magnificent space spread out before them, as if a piece of forest had been transplanted whole.

It was clearly something newly arranged while Bernessa had been half like a corpse.

True to an elf who loved forests, Fren smiled the moment he stepped onto the terrace.

“It’s so nice.

I should’ve decorated it like this earlier.”

Fren lay down with his head resting on Bernessa’s knees, where she sat on a simple bed.

“Should I just decorate the indoors like this too?”

“You wouldn’t be able to focus on your work.”

“That’s true.

I’m already sleepy, and if I relax, I’ll get even sleepier.”

With that, Fren’s eyes closed completely.

Bernessa stroked Fren’s head at a steady pace.

Still, everything felt like a dream.

Being shaken by Nepher treating her like a living being instead of an object.

Hoping that the siren statue seen in the ruins might have been made by humans.

Even feeling that Fren’s affection was overwhelming.

‘I must have really been out of my mind.’

She didn’t know how a mere s*ave could dare to harbor expectations or feel burdened by her owner.

‘Of all things to be sad about, why was I sad that I couldn’t go back to that time?’

She really had it too good.

If she went back to that time, it wouldn’t be a comfortable space like this, but a cramped prison, living again with her neck and back bent.

She would definitely die of discomfort.

‘If it weren’t for Fren-nim, I would have died long ago.

A life saved by Fren-nim should be used however Fren-nim wishes.

I’m truly an ungrateful, thankless wretch.

Maybe it’s a good thing I was found out early.

If I hadn’t been, something truly irreversible would have happened.’

The thoughts were somewhat extreme, but Bernessa didn’t stop thinking.

Because she had realized what it was that had been weighing on and tormenting her all this time.

‘What could a mere human possibly change.

A powerless human like that.’

It was nothing other than reality.

A past where she had been so weak she would have died without Fren, and a future with a predetermined ending, mixed together to form a reality that pressed down on Bernessa.

She hadn’t known it was heavy, because she’d carried it naturally since birth.

But because of recent events, she had become aware of just how heavy it truly was.

She had to return to that time again.

Before she drowned, crushed beneath reality.

Thinking that way made her mind feel a bit clearer.

Even so, she couldn’t help feeling a little wronged.

‘If humans had never existed in the first place, I wouldn’t have been born, and I wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.’

Bernessa’s complexion darkened.

‘Honestly, humans…

I wish they’d all just die.’

At the moment that long-forgotten thought took over her mind, Bernessa was seized by a premonition that she might truly be able to return to the past.

But the ache in one corner of her chest was unavoidable, and Bernessa stared endlessly up at the darkened sky.

After resting without separating from Bernessa for even a moment over several days, Fren threw himself fully into preparing for the royal祭 ceremony.

The royals consulted only Fren alone about every schedule, and thought—

That the old way had been less insulting to their pride.

Compared to the past, when power had been shared among multiple elders, it was only natural that Fren monopolizing it all now felt worse.

‘At this rate, we’ll just become a laughingstock.

We need to make them choose another elder as soon as possible!’

Growing anxious, the royals drafted and submitted lists of elder candidates again and again, but nothing changed.

Because Bernessa found the candidates’ flaws and spread them as rumors.

Tormented by shame, they gave up their candidacy on their own.

When it became difficult to even find candidates, the royals ground their teeth.

But they couldn’t openly suppress Fren.

“Silvia, it’s been so long!”

“You’re still so beautiful, princesses.”

“As if anyone could be as beautiful as you.”

The princesses were deeply infatuated with Silvia, Fren’s mother.

The division within the royal family had effectively been happening for a long time already.

Watching the princesses stare obsessively, as if to engrave even Silvia’s smallest movements into their eyes, Bernessa couldn’t help but wonder—

‘Do you have to like women to become a princess?’

The princesses took turns kissing Silvia’s hand in a gesture of respect.

“They really like her.”

“They do.”

“It feels like something might happen, but…

If it’s Mother, it’ll be fine.”

It was just then, as Fren and Bernessa watched the princesses giggling in the distance—

“Wow…!

It’s like a flower garden!”

A painfully oblivious prince passed by and spotted the princesses.

Seeing the princesses smiling so beautifully, his eyes completely glazed over.

“What’s so fun?

Let me join you too—!

Mmph!”

That place was practically a women-only zone.

From behind, Bernessa gagged the prince’s mouth with cloth and dragged him into the bushes.

Fren followed them into the bushes as well, smiling sweetly at the women.

“Please don’t worry.

We’ll take care of men who try to butt into women’s spaces without reading the mood.”

“Oh my, Silvia really raised her son well.”

“So reliable, truly.”

The princesses, who had no interest in princes, would tacitly keep this incident secret.

And the prince…

“Are you going to talk, or not?”

“I won’t!

I swear I won’t say anything!”

He would keep his mouth shut on his own.

Bound tightly and being whipped, the prince’s thighs had long since grown damp.

Holding a whip modified for bedroom use, Bernessa once again couldn’t help but fall into serious contemplation.

‘Do you have to like men to become a prince?’

She’d thought this prince at least preferred women, but apparently not.

After striking the prince a few more times as he reacted, Bernessa chased him off.

Then, avoiding the princesses still gathered around Silvia, she returned to the estate with Fren.

Upon returning, they noticed a letter the head butler had left on the desk.

Fren handed the letter to Bernessa and sat down in a chair.

Bernessa hesitated with the letter in hand, then carefully sat down on Fren’s lap.

“Sit more comfortably.”

“…It must be heavy.”

“I’m not that fragile.”

Fren pulled Bernessa closer so she leaned against him.

Pretending to be calm, Bernessa carefully opened the letter and read it aloud.

“The autopsy results are out.

Just as you said, Elder—”

At that moment, a cold hand slipped inside Bernessa’s clothes.

Bernessa wavered for a moment, then continued reading.

Fren stroked her flat lower abdomen and listened to her voice.

“There are no bite marks or claw marks, but it does seem to be the work of a single individual.

For now, we suspect a Hakan residing in this area—”

Fingers pressed against a nipple wrapped in rough fabric.

Bernessa’s voice faltered again.

Fren spoke.

“Keep reading, Bernessa.”

Covering her reddened face with the letter, Bernessa continued.

“What should we do?

As you know, Elder, we’d like to handle this ourselves.

If the royal family investigates, it will surely come out that we violated Father’s will over such a trivial sum of money…”

Fren lowered his head and bit her reddened earlobe.

Bernessa’s hand holding the letter trembled violently.

After biting her ear a few more times, Fren took the letter from her hand.

Skimming the contents, Fren turned Bernessa so she sat facing him.

Having grasped the contents instantly, Fren slowly looked Bernessa over again with a licking gaze.

Bernessa, her face flushed bright red, could only watch Fren’s expression.

Finding that 모습 truly adorable, Fren spoke softly.

“Lift your clothes.”

“…….”

Bernessa’s hands began trembling even more than when she’d been holding the letter.

But unable to disobey the order, she slowly pulled her clothes up.

Lace underwear covering her flat chest was revealed.

The black color made her skin look even whiter.

Fren leisurely admired Bernessa’s upper body.

Her nipples were faintly visible through the lace, giving off an even more alluring air.

Fren praised her.

“It really suits you.”

“Th, thank you.”

“Bernessa.”

Fren loosened Bernessa’s fingers that were gripping her clothes.

Then, placing the fabric between her lips, he said—

“You’re much prettier like this.”

“…….”

“Never let go.”