"Ah!" Ash bolted upright gasping for breath as cold sweat ran down her forehead.
Her heart was beating fast and her throat ran dry as she clawed around her waist trying to feel if it's still there.
Feeling the resistance of her skin and muscles, she finally started to calm down. Looking around herself she saw multiple servants surrounding her with agitation. Clearly worried about her.
Finally calmed down, she started to look for someone desperately before noticing a middle aged man hurrying his steps into her room.
Lunging at her without giving any time, he tightly hugged her to his chest. "Ashley! Are you okay?! I just heard that you were dead cold and muttering something to yourself!"
Even as no reply came, he hugged her tightly for a while before letting her go. Wiping the cold sweat on her face, she looked at the middle aged man.
His form was degrading with his age. But even then he still had his clear blue eyes and dark hair if one were to ignore the strands of grey hair that came from age.
He wore a simple dark green suit over a grey shirt and his hat on his hand. An eyeglass and that's really all for a baron like him. Too simple clothing. Someday, it really will bring him trouble.
"Did you gain more fat around your chin? Or am I just imagining things?" She said with a grin on her face.
Staring at her, Kent let out a sigh of relief. Standing up and turning his back, he announced. "Come to the dining room, you woke up pretty late today. We will talk about what insane dream you had this time in there." As he walked away.
Staring at the door from where he left, a maid called out. "M-My lady. Are you okay?!" Breaking her daze.
"I'm fine. In fact, today might be one of the best days that I had." She said with a light smile.
After that all that happened is the usual morning stuff. Brushing teeth and washing your face while some maids hold all the essential things for one.
Then came the most annoying part, sitting in front of a mirror and getting groomed by maids for a long time. Although for her, it didn't take as much time as others, since she cared less about the dressing etiquette, she still had to anyway.
She sat in front of the mirror and stared at herself while the maids brushed her hair. Deep violet soft wavy hair and bright blue eyes. Light and fair skin, almost like they have never known any struggle.
And just like that, time passed as they groomed her and dressed her with the morning gown while her stomach only growled for food.
Just as all the things were done, she headed straight to the dining room where Kent was already waiting for her.
"Sit down, you are late already."
Sitting down, she leaned back on the chair, staring at him. "Uncle. Are you still worried about what I could have dreamed today, huh?"
Looking at her, he nodded affirmatively as he said. "Yes, I am. And by the way, how many times do I have to tell you to fix your behaviour? You are growing up."
"Precisely. I am growing up. You know, the rebellious phase. It just so happens to start around fifteen." She scoffed.
Hearing her reply, Kent could only sigh. "So. What happened in that dream of yours for you to be in such bad shape for me to be called over?"
Just as she was about to reply, the breakfast was served by some servants. "Eat up as you tell me about it." Kent said.
"Before eating, I will give a brief. I think that dream was the last dream." She said before picking up a grape.
Even as Ashley was stuffing grapes in her mouth, all Kent could really think was. 'Did it… really end?"
Kent was confused, confused as to how Ash is so sure that the dreams would end after today. What exactly could have happened for her to be convinced that something that has been there for four years would suddenly end.
Interrupting his thoughts, Ash asked. "By the way, what did you mean by me being dead cold and muttering to myself that time?"
"That? Well, I was just in the office, doing the usual work. Then a servant came running and said that you were dead cold, sweating, seeming to be feeling uneasy as the complexion of your face changed and you became pale, muttering to yourself. All while sleeping."
Ash– still eating, quietly heard what Kent had to say. And her response simply was. "Didn't expect the effects to be that bad."
"By effects, do you mean something happened in the dream?" Kent asked, raising an eyebrow.
After finishing chewing her food and shallowing them. "Hm. Yeah, something really bad happened. Remember that I just told you that this is definitely the last dream?"
"...Yes."
"The reason I suspect that is because Ethan died at the end of the dream. Honestly, the worst feeling I ever had." She said as she paused eating.
Kent just simply couldn't make a word for what he should say after hearing that. Hearing that her niece apparently died in her four year long continuous dream was just something he could not quite… explain to himself.
Seeing him all quiet, she looked at the side. There was bacon. Staring at it for a while, she looked towards Kent.
"Uncle. You do know that I don't like pork."
Just as Kent heard her talking about that, he tried to refute. "That's–"
Interrupting him, she said. "Pigs. Are. Disgus–"
And again, Kent interrupted her as he finished her sentence for her. "Pigs are disgusting. I know, I know how much they disgust you. Those are for me. Myself."
Seeing him worried and annoyed at the same time, she let out a faint grin. But after that, all that was left was awkward silence as Ash just kept eating.
"Ha… well, you still haven't told me what happened in the dream. I mean, what could have happened for Ethan to die?"
As she gulped down what she was eating, she got a stare from Kent, clearly telling her that goes against etiquette of any noble lady.
"Uhm. Forget etiquette for now. As you know, each dream lasts for nearly four days, so I will keep it short.
It is simple, Ethan has been slacking off at home ever since his half a month vacation started. After it ended, both him and his maternal cousin, who was also the assistant of his late father, departed–"
"By maternal cousin, do you mean that one girl who can teleport?" Kent asked, interrupting her.
"Uh, Yes. It's called blink. Then you can guess what happened. They rode in a futuristic car for the entire night in a row… I think so at least. Ethan was asleep at that moment.
Then after he woke up, they rode it for another while till they reached a city, but there was a traffic jam, which was why they couldn't move further."
"Wait. What is a traffic jam anyway?" Kent asked with curiosity in his eyes.
Staring at him for a few seconds, she face palmed as she muttered. "Right, right… they wouldn't know.'
Looking at him, she said. "It's when way too many cars get stuck in a place and can't move forward for some reason."
"Too many cars getting stuck? Just how rich are the people in that time to have so–"
Cutting him off mid sentence, Ash asked in a mildly annoyed tone. "Do you want to hear me out, or not?"
To her question, Kent simply kept his silence as he pretty much could guess that the tantrum thrown would not be easy to deal with.
"Anyway, what I was saying. After that, he came out of the car using her ability, somehow squeezed through all those cars and saw that some guys were partying in the middle of broad daylight.
And what did he do? He acted in the best possible way at that moment. He simply beat one of them up and threatened them with legal….."
Even as Ashley was babbling about all the things that had happened, all Kent could worry about at that moment was. 'She… has been influenced too much by the mentality of that guy.'
It was true that Ashley would live as Ethan in her dreams and repeat the same actions and thoughts he would as well as see everything from his lens.
But that was where the problem came. In her first three years of seeing all these, everything was relatively normal except the fact that Ethan's personality was leaking into her.
But just a few months ago, near the end of the fourth year of these dreams. Ethan's parents died and he awakened his special ability, the same one as his late father.
After that, Kent didn't know in detail, but Ethan later joined an organization that had a five year training programme, training people to fend off the rifts that are somehow really close to how dungeons are like.
During that time, Ethan was going through some rigorous training, which further affected the mentality of Ashley and her behaviour.
But finally, just when he thought Ashley was about to get a few days of rest after she said that he got a vacation. This happened to her.
"And when he tried to protect the children and jumped in front of them, he felt his lower body going numb. Most likely got cut in half.
That is when I woke up… but thinking about it, weren't the children still in danger? He only managed to stall their death." She muttered to herself as she fell into a deep contemplation.
It did and also didn't matter to Kent that his niece had to experience the things she experienced today. But he was still relieved at the very least that these dreams have come to an end.
And even as he was worrying about her, she was only muttering to herself, thinking about other things. "Well… I guess Ethan is never getting any better in the usage of winter. His applications are just too bad considering its versatility."
———————————————————
"I feel so bored." Ash muttered to herself as she stood in a handstand.
At that moment, she was utterly bored, having nothing to do. All that was left was dinner, which still had some time left.
Shifting from a handstand, she stood upright, stretching her body and thinking what to do when an idea suddenly struck her.
"Ah. Right~ I think I can execute that plan today. Even better now that the dreams are gone, my focus should also be better!" She muttered to herself in excitement.
But just then she remembered the things she had to prepare, and it was about to be really hard if she had to be honest.
Laying down on her bed, she started to think through all the things she needed to do in order to execute her plan.
'First, there is the gun… right. Why did I need it again? Then there is that and that and that…'
Just as she jumped off from the bed and stood upright, she raked through her hair thinking of all the things she needed to prepare.
It has been a plan that has been on her mind for quite some time already and all she needed was the perfect time to execute it.
Well, more like perfect timing along with the fact that she also needed proper preparation and luck, which she most probably doesn't have except the timing.
"Well. I will see what I can do when I get there."
As she rushed to the door and opened it, she had mostly mapped out her plan and the things she needed. 'First of all. Let's go to the storage room!'
The one where they keep important items related to the family, that is.