Curing the Nightmare
After being summoned by three women and getting a massive earful, I trained with a deeply cluttered mind.
'Somehow, Act 4, Chapter 1 has come to an end, but...'
The events that followed had left my head in a complete spin. There was so much to do moving forward, yet problems kept cropping up in the most unexpected places.
"If your conscience is pricking you, you might want to wipe that look off your face."
At that moment, I looked up toward the voice. Hania was standing there, acting as my sparring partner.
She and I were in a relationship—a fake one, but a relationship nonetheless. Because of that, we tried to stick together during classes whenever possible. Of course, neither of us harbored even a shred of genuine feeling for the other.
Hania's devotion belonged entirely to Iris, and I had lost the capacity for love due to the Bandage of the Veil. The probability of us ever becoming a real couple was absolute zero.
"I see you're at least aware that Princess Iris found you out."
"It was a force majeure on my part. But you can't blame me for the other two, can you?"
Well, to be fair, I had brought that upon myself.
"...Hanon, I believe Princess Iris needs you."
I blinked, staring at her.
"Princess Iris has lived a life of profound loneliness. It's a sad truth, but the title of Third Princess is a melancholy one."
In the Haishirion Empire, there were four princes and three princesses. In order of age, starting from the eldest:
1st Prince > 1st Princess > 2nd Prince > 3rd Prince > 2nd Princess > 4th Prince > 3rd Princess
As the Third Princess, Iris was at the very bottom of the imperial hierarchy. However, her maternal grandfather was a man driven by the ambition to swallow the imperial family whole: Duke Robliaju.
Duke Robliaju had gone so far as to strike a contract with Akjon to ruthlessly drag Iris up the ranks. As a result, Iris trampled over her older brothers and sisters, rising to contend directly with the 1st Prince for the throne.
She had climbed from the position furthest from the throne to the one closest to it. In the process, she earned the moniker of 'The Ultimate Villainess,' and no one dared to stand by her side.
To make matters worse, even her mother—the only person who had ever shown her warmth—had passed away due to the nightmares. Iris had no family left to stand by her.
"I can serve her as a loyal subject, but I can never be family to her."
Hania let out a soft, regretful sigh.
"But you can, Hanon."
She locked her clear eyes onto mine.
"Because you are the only one who can ease her insomnia."
She was wrong. I had only provided a temporary band-aid for Iris's insomnia. Until the root cause—her nightmares—was resolved, her sleeplessness would never truly be cured. That was why I still had so much work ahead of me.
'And above all, I'm not her real family.'
I had spun a massive lie to Iris. Because of that, I had no right to approach her under the guise of family.
"That's not true, Hania."
I shook my head, refuting her words.
"You are the most important person by Princess Iris's side. You're the one who has supported her and watched over her more than anyone else."
I would absolutely cure Iris's nightmares. But as for everything else, Hania was far better suited for the role than I was.
"After all, you're her friend, aren't you?"
When I offered her a gentle smile, Hania stared at me in silence. Then, for some reason, her brow furrowed deeply.
"Don't tell me this is how you seduce women?"
What on earth was she talking about? I stared back at her, utterly dumbfounded.
Hania wrapped her free arm around her torso defensively.
"Don't even think about adding me to your fishing net, Hanon."
"...I've never once thought of doing that."
"Does that mean you find me unattractive?"
Was this the Demon Palace? No matter what I said, a blade came flying back at me.
Seeing my flabbergasted expression, Hania let out a dry chuckle.
"I'm joking. I know very well you have no such intentions. The way you look at me is different from other men."
"Hania, I'm a man too."
For some reason, Hania smiled warmly.
"Yes, of course you are."
Why did that smile feel so pitying? A sudden pang of sorrow struck my chest.
"Actually, maybe this is exactly why you're always surrounded by women."
Hania pondered the thought with genuine seriousness. For me, it was a rather bitter pill to swallow.
To be able to get along with women only because I couldn't view them through a romantic lens... what a tragic existence.
'This is basically being psychologically impotent...'
I'm sorry, my boy. Once I save the world, I'll find a way to bring you back. Until then, you must remain asleep.
"Opening!"
The moment my focus wavered, Hania lunged inside my guard. In the end, I allowed her a clean hit and went rolling across the floor.
That night. I visited Iris's room disguised as Hania, just as I had done before.
By now, sneaking into the girls' dormitory had become second nature. I slipped past the entrance with ease and made my way toward Iris's room.
I even casually greeted the girls passing by, fully embodying Hania's persona. Is this really okay? The thought crossed my mind, but since Iris had summoned me, I had no choice.
Swallowing a sigh, I climbed the stairs, only to realize someone was standing at the top.
I slowly raised my head. My eyes locked with a girl standing there, her hair a warm shade of honey-blonde.
She was staring down at me, her arms crossed over her chest.
"...Isabel?"
"Hmph. So that's the look you've been using to sneak in."
Leaving only those words behind, Isabel turned on her heel and walked away.
Had she been waiting here for me to arrive? No, more importantly, how did she see right through my disguise?
The Bandage of the Veil was flawless when it came to physical appearance, if nothing else. Unless someone possessed Sharin's Mirinae, there was no way they should have been able to recognize me.
Was it just a coincidence? Or was she testing me?
I stared blankly at Isabel's retreating back, utterly dumbfounded. She truly hadn't said another word.
Feeling a lingering sense of unease, I knocked on Iris's door.
"Come in."
At her permission, I opened the door. Iris was sitting by the window, quietly gazing up at the sky.
The night sky was heavily overcast, completely obscuring the moonlight. Perhaps because of that, the room, lit only by a single small lamp, felt incredibly dark.
"Princess Iris?"
When I called out to her, she turned her head toward me.
"I heard you helped with the recent boycott."
So she had summoned me to interrogate me about this. I closed the door behind me with a bitter smile.
"Yes, I did."
"And your reason?"
I didn't know what kind of answer Iris was looking for. I only knew that she wouldn't want some sugarcoated excuse.
"It was necessary to achieve my goal."
It was a vague answer. But since it was the absolute truth, I stood there calmly, prompting Iris to tilt her head.
With the movement, her pitch-black hair cascaded down her shoulders. Though it was still autumn, her thin nightgown offered fleeting glimpses of her pale skin beneath.
In the darkness, only her ruby-red eyes shone with vivid clarity.
As the future vessel of Akjon, her gaze held an inexplicable, mesmerizing magic.
"And that goal of yours is?"
"To graduate from Jerion Academy in one piece."
The moment Jerion Academy ended would mark the conclusion of the Flame Butterfly Chapter.
From that point onward, even I had no idea what would become of this world. That was why I intended to use my knowledge to survive as best as I could.
'Or perhaps, once I reach the ending, I'll be sent back home.'
I didn't hold out much hope for that. By then, returning to my original world would probably feel even more foreign.
Iris slowly tapped her fingers against the table. After repeating the rhythmic motion for a long while, she looked back at me.
"So, this incident was related to your graduation?"
"During my time on the student council, I discovered that there were corrupt individuals among the faculty. I decided that for Jerion Academy to move forward smoothly, they needed to be removed. That is why I acted."
"Then what about Senior Nikita's situation?"
"That was no different."
It was a necessary step for Jerion Academy to progress. Therefore, I took it.
"I see."
Yet, a fleeting shadow of disappointment crossed Iris's eyes. Noticing this, I tilted my head slightly.
Was there a specific answer she had been hoping to hear?
"So, it wasn't for my sake after all."
Immediately after, I read the profound loneliness dwelling within her eyes.
Hania's words from earlier today echoed in my mind. The loneliness that defined Iris was something she was powerless to escape on her own.
'...The one who was supposed to liberate Iris from her loneliness was Lucas.'
Forced by Duke Robliaju to pursue the throne like a puppet, Iris had found Lucas to be an incredibly unique presence in her life.
He was a man who could never tolerate injustice, always the first to step forward when danger loomed. Even if it meant bringing harm upon himself, he would gladly sacrifice his own body.
Thus, Iris had once harbored a faint interest in him.
Though it was an interest so fragile that it vanished upon his death, at the time, Iris had undoubtedly found Lucas intriguing.
Lucas, possessing the Flame of Fighting Spirit, was the key to curing Iris's nightmares. For the sake of the girl who could not sleep at night, Lucas would stubbornly remain by her side.
Through that process, Iris would gradually find comfort and solace, opening her heart to a warmth she had never experienced before.
And finally, on the day Lucas saved her from the nightmare, Iris would truly fall in love with him.
That was the story of the heroine, Iris Haishirion.
It was a tale entirely out of reach for someone like me, who lacked the Flame of Fighting Spirit. I could never play the leading role that Lucas had.
But leaving things as they were would never resolve Iris's fundamental loneliness. Her isolation would continue to gnaw away at her, directly feeding into her nightmares.
'And I...'
I had entered her life under the guise of her cousin, Hanon Airey. And Iris yearned for a human connection she had never once felt.
'I can do this.'
If it would make Iris whole, I was more than willing to play the part of her cousin, Hanon Airey.
But was that truly acceptable? Was it right to let Iris find solace in a fabricated familial bond?
No. Absolutely not. That wasn't doing her any real favors.
What I wanted wasn't some hollow, decorative happy ending. I wanted a true happy ending where everyone could be genuinely happy.
"Princess Iris."
"Yes?"
"Starting tomorrow, you're training with me in the mornings."
"What?"
To hell with fake familial bonds.
"Your nightmares."
Iris's shoulders flinched.
Everyone knew she suffered from insomnia, but not a single soul knew she was plagued by nightmares.
Her eyes widened in sheer astonishment, her face flushing with panic.
Watching her reaction, the corners of my lips curled upward.
"I'm going to cure them for you."
I will personally drag you into a life free of insomnia.