Chapter 60: Awakening in the Dream’s Embrace

In the tent, Bai Yu lay upon the bed, her eyes sealed shut.

Her long, silver hair cascaded behind her, the delicate girl reposed upon the bed, as serene and still as a flawless statue.

Beside her, Cecilia, now fully recovered, gently caressed Bai Yu’s face, her eyes swirling with a myriad of thoughts.

In that moment, a torrent of memories surged through her mind; she recalled everything—all that had transpired before her arrival here, every detail of the real world.

Could the Princess, who had irrevocably altered her life, and all the myriad experiences they had shared, truly be nothing more than phantoms within this dream world?

Cecilia felt a tremor of doubt; perhaps this was the Outer God’s true design—to ensnare her irrevocably within this dream world, preventing any escape.

Abruptly, the girl’s eyelashes on the bed fluttered.

Cecilia, keenly attuned, did not overlook this subtle movement; she immediately leaned in closer, scrutinizing Bai Yu’s condition.

Once she had been freed from that agonizing state, Bai Yu had completely collapsed, and it was then that Cecilia had regained all her lost memories.

Cecilia continued to caress Bai Yu’s cheek, her heart yearning for her to awaken.

“Your Highness…”

Even armed with the knowledge that these were merely fabricated memories within a dream, she found herself unable to entirely dismiss their profound impact.

Moreover, reflecting on her earlier conversation with Bai Yu in the palace, she realized Bai Yu appeared to possess no recollection of these events at all; it seemed to have been nothing more than Cecilia’s own ephemeral illusion.

At last, Bai Yu’s eyes fluttered open, her silver-white pupils seeming to contain an entire galaxy, reflecting the world around her.

She blinked, her gaze fixed on the tent’s ceiling, lost in contemplation.

“Your Highness… Bai Yu, how are you feeling now?”

Cecilia hesitated for a moment, then subtly corrected herself.

After all, despite any lingering fondness for this illusory world, she knew she had to confront reality; escaping this place, extricating herself from the dream fabricated by the Outer God, was paramount.

“I feel…”

With Cecilia’s support, Bai Yu sat upright, her mind reeling as a colossal influx of memories bombarded her brain.

The entirety of the dream, a lifetime of experiences, now flooded into her being, causing a dull ache to throb within her head.

It seemed Lili’s dream creation had been incomplete, given that these memories were only now truly stirring within Bai Yu.

“Still, this feeling isn’t bad at all…”

Bai Yu murmured, acknowledging that while it was merely a dream, it had nonetheless granted her a rare and invaluable experience.

Most importantly, Bai Yu glanced at Cecilia, a faint smile threatening to break through at the sight of her fidgeting unease.

“What’s this? No longer calling me ‘Your Highness’?”

Bai Yu rose to her feet, a playful smile gracing her lips as she addressed Cecilia.

Cecilia’s face instantly contorted into an expression of profound surprise, a sight Bai Yu found rather amusing.

“Your Highness, do you truly remember what transpired before?”

Cecilia uttered in utter disbelief, leaving Bai Yu utterly exasperated; she truly believed she couldn’t rely on Cecilia’s intellect.

“If your memories have returned, why wouldn’t mine have as well?”

Bai Yu replied, thoroughly exasperated, sensing that Cecilia’s mind had truly become muddled since entering this dream. ‘Could her former persona as the aloof campus beauty have been a facade,’ she mused, ‘and her true nature that of a naive, sweet girl?’

“Oh, is that how it is?”

Cecilia’s expression seemed to clear with understanding, leaving Bai Yu utterly speechless.

It was likely due to the incomplete nature of the dream world’s creation that both she and Cecilia had suffered partial memory loss, though the specific fragments they each lacked differed.

“By the way, Your Highness, are you feeling alright physically?”

Cecilia leaned in, her voice tinged with concern as she questioned Bai Yu.

“Oh, no, I’m fine, and please, stop with ‘Your Highness, Your Highness.’ Don’t let the memories of this dream world influence you too deeply.”

Bai Yu sighed, a note of resignation in her voice. After all, her dominant memories diverged from Cecilia’s; for someone like Cecilia, whose real-world memories had only resurfaced later, there was a significant risk of personality alteration.

It was as if her dream-world persona had become her true self, which was precisely the original intent of this dream realm—to ensnare individuals in its depths.

Bai Yu, however, harbored no such worries; her dream memories had been introduced later, meaning they amounted to little more than additional experiences, unlikely to significantly alter her core self.

In essence, Cecilia’s predicament was akin to becoming too deeply absorbed in a role.

“Alright, Your Highness.”

Cecilia promptly sealed her lips, her face flushing with embarrassment.

Witnessing this, Bai Yu could only sigh in resignation, knowing she would have to gradually reorient Cecilia’s understanding once they escaped this place.

Bai Yu stepped down from the bed, stretching her limbs as her mind began to sift through the flood of incoming memories.

What she truly sought were those so-called magical abilities; if her calculations were correct, these spells would manifest as secret arts, accompanying her once she departed this realm.

[Indeed, what an unexpected boon! This is tantamount to knowledge freely bestowed upon you. Your fortune is truly remarkable, though it undoubtedly stems from the Outer God’s particular interest in your person.]

Moweila’s voice resonated within Bai Yu’s mind, effectively answering the question she had silently posed.

“Just as I thought!”

A surge of excitement coursed through Bai Yu; these could well be considered her innate secret arts. To take them all with her would be nothing short of extraordinary—to acquire dozens, even hundreds, of secret arts in a single stroke, felt no different from outright cheating.

Indeed, Bai Yu’s fortunes were about to take a turn for the better.

Once they were out, she would “borrow” Cecilia’s entire swordsmanship repertoire without a second thought, basking in her newfound delight.

Her gaze fell upon Cecilia, and she felt an undeniable pull, as if Cecilia’s entire being radiated an irresistible allure.

After all, within her recovered memories, it was clear that following their bloodline resonance, Cecilia’s inherent talent and aptitude had fully awakened. This not only rectified her previous lack of magic power but also significantly amplified her strength through their shared connection.

In the aftermath, Cecilia’s power had surged by leaps and bounds; she had not only become Bai Yu’s personal knight but had also risen to the esteemed rank of Knight Captain, even refining the Morning Glory Family’s Starlight Swordsmanship.

Bai Yu sensed the profound connection she shared with Cecilia, understanding that it was this very bloodline resonance that had triggered the recovery of both their memories.

Yet, when she had been training swordsmanship with Cecilia in the palace, she had felt no such resonance. Bai Yu strongly suspected Lili was somehow responsible for this discrepancy.

Given that this entire dream world was her creation, it was hardly surprising for unusual events to occur within it.

Cecilia, realizing Bai Yu’s gaze was fixed upon her, felt a blush creep across her face, and a subtle tremor ran through her body.

Bai Yu began to delve into her memories, recalling that her relationship with Cecilia had long since transcended the simple bond of knight and liege; it was, in fact, something far more… intimate.

Bai Yu swallowed hard, then began to draw closer to Cecilia.

In that moment, Cecilia was clad only in thin garments, utterly devoid of her usual armor.

“Your Highness… you…”

Cecilia offered no resistance, simply allowing Bai Yu to do as she pleased.

After all, as Bai Yu’s personal knight, she supposed anything was to be expected.

Though, truthfully, what Bai Yu requested of her had long since surpassed the bounds of her official duties.