Chapter 117: A Nightmare’s Embrace

Wade looked up, his gaze meeting Lamia’s.

Her crimson eyes fixed on him, while Lamia’s face was reflected in the blue depths of Wade’s own.

“Are you alright now?”

Lamia blinked. Her question, seemingly innocent, held only concern for Wade’s state.

Yet, to Wade, it carried an inexplicable awkwardness.

No, it wasn’t inexplicable at all. He knew precisely why; his actions today had been perhaps a little too intense.

“Mm.”

He nodded stiffly, releasing Lamia from his embrace. Lamia, in turn, gently lowered her arms from around him.

“I’m fine now.”

But the moment their embrace broke, Wade felt a pang of unfamiliarity.

The warmth that had enveloped him vanished. Lamia’s temperature, her softness, the very sound of her breathing near his ear—all were gone.

It was unsettling, this sudden absence.

The sensation of an embrace… it had indeed become quite foreign to Wade.

Throughout his childhood, he had been alone. Even after Osias adopted him, Wade was already in his teens, nearing adulthood, when he officially became part of the family.

It was hardly the time to idly hug the old man.

Reflecting on it, aside from the friendly embraces and back-pats exchanged on battlefields or training grounds, Wade had never truly held someone like this.

The feeling, however… was rather pleasant.

To completely relax his mind, to think of nothing, simply to embrace, to be stroked, to be gently patted, with only soft words of comfort whispered in his ear…

…It truly… wasn’t bad at all.

Wade thought this, turning his head to look at Lamia. She was still turned towards him, leaning against the headboard’s soft cushion, as if waiting for him to explain.

“…I… uh… I’m sorry. Did I disturb your sleep?” Wade’s words, after some thought, still felt a bit clumsy.

“It’s fine. I get plenty of sleep usually, so missing a little now is no big deal.”

‘What? What happened? Did you have a nightmare?’

…Mm.

Ultimately, Wade reluctantly conceded. There was no escaping it now; his mind offered no plausible excuses.

“What kind of nightmare? Can I help?”

Lamia genuinely seemed worried, not teasing.

“It’s nothing serious, just—a small thing. It was a bit troublesome, so… well, anyway… it’s nothing.”

“…” Lamia blinked. “Really nothing?”

“Nothing.”

Wade’s denial remained firm.

Yet, he couldn’t possibly explain. How could he? Tell her he dreamt of her dying, that he killed her with his own hands? And then he cried like that?

He couldn’t bring himself to say it… not in any sense of the word.

Lamia still looked puzzled. Wade’s words hadn’t convinced her. Her lips pursed slightly, as if she were trying to guess what had truly happened.

She recalled Wade’s sudden struggles in his sleep just moments ago. Suddenly, something clicked in her mind. Her attention had been so focused on him that she had overlooked it.

“—You were calling my name?”

“What?”

Wade froze, looking at Lamia.

“When you were having that nightmare… you were calling my name. That’s why I woke up. You were shouting all sorts of things, I almost forgot about it.”

“—?!”

Wade’s face flushed instantly.

Nervousness, panic, and a touch of shame washed over him.

If he had indeed cried out in distress, then yes… he had called Lamia’s name.

His dreaming self had been beyond thought; apart from shouting Lamia’s name, he seemed incapable of doing anything else at that moment.

Ah…

Mm.

Wade quickly turned his head, scrambling for an explanation.

‘It was… uh… a very troublesome dream. A war. Since you’re my wife, you… were affected. I… I went to find you, so… I called your name.’

Even after all this, Wade was unwilling to admit that he had cried in his dream from seeing her die.

‘Oh? Is that so?’

Lamia looked at Wade, her eyes suddenly sparkling.

It wasn’t an illusion; they truly brightened, showing even a hint of excitement.

‘Was I hurt in your dream?’

Her tone was exceptionally animated, a smile gracing her lips as she shifted closer to him.

“Hurt?”

‘Yes, since I was caught in it, was I injured? Was I badly hurt? Did I look okay? Did the house collapse? Was I crushed inside? Or did I fall while escaping? Did you find me? Did I die?’

Lamia immediately became enthusiastic, barraging Wade with several questions about her injuries, the cause of them, and whether she was still alive.

All of these things could serve as reference points for her.

‘If I died there, would you be sad?’

It was all about the future; she needed references for when she would eventually die.

Since Wade was so nervous now, it meant that when this scene played out in the future, it could make him just as nervous. It was a perfect preliminary answer.

‘Wade, did you cry for me? Just like that dream I had—did you cry for me?’

Wade opened his mouth, suddenly unsure how to answer.

What was she so cheerfully talking about?

Just moments ago, she had held him, telling him not to be nervous, not to be scared, assuring him she was there.

But now—what was this?

What was she expecting?

Expecting… to leave him?

“You…”

Wade’s mouth hung open, the scene from the nightmare flashing before his eyes once more.

Lamia, in his arms, was covered in blood, barely breathing, yet speaking words of comfort to him.

Sophia, before him, laughed, radiant and excited, asking if she had died.

“—What kind of talk is that?!”

“—You, why would you say such a thing…?”

Wade’s voice began to tremble, the fear rising from deep within him causing his breath to hitch.

“You… you’re not afraid of getting hurt? Not afraid of pain?”

He knew she wasn’t afraid.

It was even ironic that her tolerance for pain was something he had inflicted.

But—

“Pain? I—”

“—”

Wade reached out and covered Lamia’s mouth. His grip was gentle, light, meant only to stop her from speaking further.

‘I’m not afraid of pain! I didn’t even feel pain when you cleaved me, so what’s getting crushed by a wall?’

—But her thoughts still echoed in his ears.

For the first time, he found inner voices so incredibly loud.

‘But did I really die? Is that why White Knight is so nervous because I died?’

‘No way~ Does White Knight care about my life and death?’

‘Hehe… I knew it. He’s starting to care about me. If this continues, by the day I die—’

“Lamia—!”

Wade didn’t know how loud his voice was, only that Lamia instinctively widened her eyes.

“…”

“Don’t die… Lamia.”

His hand, covering Lamia’s mouth, trembled slightly.

“Don’t die.”