102: 102 It's You

102 It's You

Delia's POV 2

Prince Kral's commitment sounded enchanting, and I wanted to trust him. However, considering the recent string of events — the enigmatic figure in gray, the pilfered pearl necklace, and the intermittent dreams— all of this cast a heavy weight upon me.

Unless these matters were resolved, even if Prince Kral arranged the most extravagant wedding ceremony, my heart would remain unsettled. Despite these thoughts, facing Prince Kral's earnest promise, I hesitated to dampen his spirits. Hence, I merely nodded and replied, "Your Highness, I'm eagerly looking forward to that day!"

"Delia…"

Prince Kral seemed on the brink of saying more, but at that very moment, a light knock sounded on the carriage door.

"What is it?" Prince Kral turned his head, his impatience apparent.

"Your Highness, there's a matter I need to report to you…"

Recognizing the voice as belonging to a soldier, I seized the opportunity and gave him a gentle nudge. "Your Highness, you should attend to your duties. I can manage my meal on my own."

Prince Kral gazed at me intensely and murmured, "You can ask Vivian to keep you company." With a nod from me, he turned away, pushed open the carriage door, and exited.

As he left, the carriage felt more spacious. Breathing a sigh of relief, I straightened my clothes and realized I was hungry. Extending my hand, I began to partake of the food on the plate.

Before I could finish my meal, a soft tapping once again graced the carriage door. The sound was delicate, distinctly unlike Prince Kral's habitual knocks.

"Who is it?" I inquired, my voice projecting into space outside.

"Delia, it's Vivian," the voice outside responded. "May I enter?"

Hearing Vivian's voice, a wave of relief washed over me. I approached the door and opened it, saying, "Of course, Vivian, come in!"

Vivian swiftly entered the carriage and closed the door behind her. Once she confirmed the door was shut, she let out a long sigh, seemingly releasing a burden.

"Vivian, has something happened?" Seeing the weight of Vivian's demeanor, I inquired.

"It's not a big deal, really. Alen said he wanted to speak to me privately, but as soon as he found me, Prince Kral appeared. He asked me to come and accompany you, so here I am," Vivian sat beside me, looking at the food on the plate. She asked, "Delia, have you finished eating? Did I interrupt your meal?"

"No, you didn't interrupt me. Vivian, have you had dinner yet?"

"Not yet."

"Then let's eat together. This plate is for you."

Prince Kral brought two plates over, one of which I had touched and the other remained untouched. I placed the untouched plate in front of Vivian, and we began eating together.

"Delia, we're on our way to the battlefield. How are you feeling about it?" During our meal, Vivian asked, "Our conversation was cut short by Alen last time. Are you still not considering changing your mind and leaving with me?"

"Vivian, I've been having strange dreams recently." Instead of addressing Vivian's question directly, I began talking about my dreams. "There's a woman who has appeared in my dreams twice now, and she addresses me as 'Pearl.' I sense that she and I have some kind of connection, although I'm not sure what kind of connection it is."

"'Pearl,' could that be your nickname?" After listening to my words, Vivian pondered for a moment before asking, "For instance, when you were younger, did your family's elders use that to address you?"

"I don't know. All I know is that my elders have always called me Delia. My wolf's name is Pearl, but hardly anyone knows that." I reflected on the woman's words in my dream, then mumbled to myself, "She said I lost her and that I should find her. I also faintly heard someone mention something about a 'guardian spirit.' I can't remember much else."

"That's indeed a peculiar dream. Perhaps someone is giving you some sort of revelation," Vivian's emerald eyes also held a hint of puzzlement after hearing what I said. "Delia, don't worry. I'll help you search for clues. If you dream of that woman again in the future, remember to tell me."

"Okay." I nodded, agreeing to Vivian's request. "Thank you, Vivian."

"Don't mention it. We're good friends, and good friends should help each other."

After sharing my recent dreams with Vivian, I felt much more at ease. We chatted while eating, and as bedtime approached, Vivian reluctantly left my carriage, bidding her farewell.

Vivian's POV

After leaving Delia's carriage, I returned to my own. Feeling a bit tired, I laid down to sleep. However, I had consumed quite a bit of food in Delia's carriage, leaving my stomach feeling a bit bloated. I couldn't fall asleep at all, tossing and turning as I sought the most comfortable position.

Yet, before I could actually drift off, an unusual sound echoed in my ears. In the stillness of the night, the sound was exceptionally clear, impossible to ignore.

Sitting up, I strained to identify the source of the sound. After a couple of minutes, I discerned it was a melody, possibly played on a flute or a similar instrument. The tune sounded somewhat familiar. Oh, I remembered. This was a tune my mentor used to play for me.

I opened the window of the carriage, hoping to see if others had also heard the music. However, there was no movement from the others, as if they hadn't heard the music at all.

I contemplated for a moment, wondering if this might be my imagination. Just then, the music grew much louder than before, too loud to be ignored.

"Since I can't sleep, I might as well see what's going on!"

I muttered to myself and then opened the carriage door, hopping down.

Once on the ground, I gauged the direction from which the music came. If I wasn't mistaken, the music should have been coming from the nearby forest.

Although the forest wasn't far from the camp where the carriages were stationed, it appeared dark and daunting. I was unsure whether I should venture in.

I turned my head and spotted a group of soldiers patrolling the camp. The leader of the group looked somewhat familiar. After a moment of thought, I realized he was one of Alen's warriors.

"Vivian." As I saw the warrior, he also noticed me. He halted the patrol and walked up to me, asking, "Why aren't you resting at this late hour?"

"I heard a melody," I gestured towards the forest, "did you hear it too?"

"A melody?" The warrior repeated my words, looking puzzled. He tried to listen for any sounds coming from the direction I pointed, but his expression turned perplexed. "I'm sorry. I didn't hear anything."

"I see. No worries," I smiled at him and watched as he returned to his patrol.

Once the warriors were out of sight, the music continued. I stared at the forest for a while, conflicted within myself. Eventually, curiosity triumphed over fear. I took steps towards the forest, attempting to find out who was playing the flute.

As I entered the forest, I caught a faintly familiar scent. Even though it was subtle, I immediately recognized it. It was Albert's scent!

I followed the scent to the center of the forest, where I saw Albert, dressed in gray, leaning against a tree, playing the flute.

At the sight of him, I blurted out, "It's really you, Albert! You're here playing the flute. What exactly are you trying to do?"

"Of course, I wanted to lure you to come see me," Albert stopped playing when he saw me, speaking in his ever-graceful and seductive tone, "Lovely Vivian, we will meet again."

Recalling the previous encounter with Albert, I was seething with anger. While I remained unfamiliar with his background, I could discern that his power far outweighed mine. As a result, I had no intention of recklessly confronting him.

"I've no desire to lay eyes on you!" I huffed, irritation lacing my words, "We're in need of rest. Don't create a ruckus and disrupt our repose. I'm heading back!"

I pivoted to depart after uttering my words, yet before I could take a single step, Albert's voice reached my ears, "Vivian, you misunderstood. My flute's melody is exclusive to your ears and the werewolves cannot perceive it."

Albert's statement kindled my curiosity, prompting me to swivel back around and inquire, "And why is that?"

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