The sunlight was radiant, and the breeze, laden with the scent of flowers, was blissfully warm. "Where am I?" Elaina wondered aloud, sitting beneath a tree and looking around. But no answer came, and she instinctively stood up. She then realized her right leg, which had felt as heavy as a burden, was now moving freely. That’s when Elaina understood this was a dream. "Elaina." The voice came suddenly from behind her, making her slowly turn her head. There, shimmering in the sunlight as if woven from melted gold, was the face she had long forgotten, or rather, tried to forget. His hair was radiant blonde, and his eyes, a jewel-like golden color, matched his hair perfectly. His skin was as fair as Elaina's, and his features were striking, filling his small face. "…Ren," Elaina murmured hesitantly, saying his name for the first time in ages. I never thought I’d speak your name again. You have no idea how much I’ve resented, hated, and… missed you. Lost in her thoughts, Elaina stared blankly. "…" Ren, the boy, reached out slowly and with a tender touch, began to tidy Elaina’s disheveled black hair. "You still require a lot of attention, Elaina." "Still…?" "Yes. Still." Ren smiled. "See? I’ve come to take you away again. Like before." …Taken away? To where? Elaina looked at him with wavering eyes. "Don’t you remember?" Ren chuckled to himself, as if finding Elaina's confusion cute or amusing. "We agreed to leave together." "…" "To a faraway place." Yes, there was a time we made such a promise. Before everything fell apart. Before all dreams shattered like sharp pieces of glass. When I could move as freely as I can in this dream. "I was to leave the Aswell house… and you were to abandon your family name…?" "Yes." Ren answered brightly, smiling. "It’s all okay now, Elaina." He continued to stroke her hair. "Once we leave this place. Once we get out of Edenvale… nothing will be able to torment us." "…" "You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll keep watching over you, as I always have."

At Ren's words, Elaina wore a look that was neither a smile nor a tear. But you left me. You just watched as I fell apart. You left me behind and never came back, even though I waited for you here. The rotten stench of festering emotions struck at Elaina’s heart, climbing up her throat. However, Elaina swallowed the dagger-like words she had almost let slip and moistened her dry lips slowly. "Yes." I still wanted to leave with you, as we had promised. "We’ll do that. We’ll go together." Even if it’s only in this dream… Elaina's blue eyes became clouded with poignant emotion. "…" Ren gave no reply, only flashed a smile as bright as the sun and firmly grasped Elaina’s small hand, as if vowing never to let go again. "Let’s go, Elaina." "Yes." Suddenly, Ren’s warm and affectionate voice echoed as if from a distance. Elaina clasped his hand just as firmly, but the warmth she had felt moments before slipped through her fingers like sand. No, don’t leave me again. Despite her efforts to hold on, Elaina’s vision began to blink out to white. "We won’t part this time." Even as everything gradually scattered, Ren's whisper was faintly audible. "No matter what happens, we’ll be together. I promise you, with everything I have." Do you understand… Elaina? Elaina struggled to respond, but all that escaped was a cold breath. …And that was the end of the dream.

*** Her eyes snapped open. "Gasp…" Elaina involuntarily took a sharp breath as she regained consciousness, feeling as though someone was still covering her nose and mouth with a handkerchief reeking of a strange drug. After several deep breaths, Elaina quickly regained her bearings and looked around, only to realize with a delay that she was in a place she had not anticipated. ‘A carriage…?’ Elaina found herself in a splendidly opulent carriage. More accurately, she felt trapped. ‘Where exactly…’ She tried to look outside urgently, but the windows wouldn't open. Peering out, she noticed a few nails hammered in, probably Melvin’s doing. What about the door? If the carriage slowed down, even just a little, perhaps she could jump out. As she was contemplating this, Elaina made a subtle move toward the door.

Startled into stillness, Elaina looked down at herself with a vacant expression. Her attire was scandalously sparse, hardly better than being undressed—a garish dress wrapped tightly around her body like shackles with dazzling adornments. But the most absurd part was yet something else. "Shoes…?" Even Leila, who favored extravagant attire, had never worn shoes like these. The heels were perilously high, as if her ankles could snap at any moment, and the shoes were made of red leather that stood out starkly against her black dress. Elaina, who could barely walk even in comfortable shoes, found it almost laughable that Melvin would put her in these. It was clear he intended to make her a spectacle, to incite vile desires in those who watched. Was she any different from an animal being led to slaughter?

Suddenly, a remembered phrase crossed her mind. "As I said, this is the most suitable place for you. Duke Hank will take great care of you." "Ha…" "He has a bit of a peculiar taste, you see. He was quite pleased to hear you couldn't move properly."

Now she understood where she was being taken—or rather, sold to. Perhaps they feared she might accept Sinclair’s proposal. They must have been terrified. So they resorted to this. No matter how she thought about it, it was absurd. This way, she would be delivered to Duke Hank like a sacrificial lamb, and once there, escape would be impossible. She felt utterly trapped in a dead end.

"…" A slight moisture gathered in Elaina’s blue eyes. She had thought herself through so many adversities that she was beyond fear. "You don’t have to worry about anything," the kind and gentle voice of Ren in her dream echoed, making it all the more poignant. "I’ll always protect you, just as I have been."

But now, there was no one to protect her. She couldn't afford the luxury of waiting for someone's help. Elaina was all too aware of her predicament. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears. 'I have to get out of here somehow.'

She reached out to open the door, but, like the windows, it wouldn't budge. It wasn’t nailed shut, but it seemed to be locked from the outside; despite her desperate efforts, it wouldn’t open. 'The coachman…' Quickly, Elaina turned her head and looked towards a small window that connected to the coachman’s seat. It wasn’t locked. Initially designed for communication with the coachman, it seemed Melvin hadn’t considered she might escape through it. "Excuse me!" she called out, forcing her voice to be loud to mask her trembling tone.

"Just a moment, please stop the carriage. I'm feeling very unwell." Elaina pleaded through the small window.

"What?" The coachman’s voice dripped with annoyance. "I need a break! It’s too enclosed in here, I can barely breathe…"

"Well, the count didn’t give me any orders like that," the coachman retorted.

"…"

"He said whether you're dead or alive, it doesn’t matter; just take you to Duke Hank and then open the door."

Damn it. Elaina gritted her teeth in frustration.

"He said you’ll be fine once you get to the duke’s. Basically, whether you feel sick or can't breathe, you won't even have time to care about such things." The coachman laughed crudely, as if he knew all too well the grim future that awaited Elaina.

"Just bear with it a little longer…" His voice suddenly cut off as if by magic. "Aagh! What, what is this?!"

Seconds later, the only sounds were terrible screams. Simultaneously, the carriage that had been speeding wildly came to an abrupt stop in the middle of a forested path. Could it be robbers? What was happening?

Elaina didn't know the cause, but she knew this was her only chance. "Help! Someone is trapped here!" She pounded on the carriage door desperately, not feeling the blood seep from her bruised knuckles. "Please, open the door…"

At that moment, the door that seemed it would never open burst off its hinges with a loud crash. "Good evening, Elaina Aswell."

A familiar voice landed softly in her ears. "I said I would give you time to think, not time to marry another man," Sinclair said, almost amused, as he stepped in front of Elaina.