Arata was now in the master's bedroom of a grand bedroom. Ornate furniture, intricate designs traced across the walls and the floor. Arata sat up as Selena watches him, standing right next to his bed.

  “Ah, sir Arata, you're awake. Please, if you’d come to the dining hall with Lady Selena?” She bows, grabbing a suit to help him fit into it. Arata declines her, simply making his way out. Various Selenas move down the hallway as he looked out the windows.

  The mansion was suspended in the air, the infinite expanse of space appeared right outside the window. Arata makes his way into the dining room, sitting down at the table. Across from him is Selena. She has an unusual look of emptiness.

  Behind her stands a giant figure, peering into the room as if it were a dollhouse. The titan had removed the wall behind Selena so that he could watch her. Cayden looks down on her as she takes a slice out of her steak. His smirk piercing Selena’s back to prevent her from ever enjoying another moment.

  This place is like some sick dollhouse?

  She tries to speak through her shaking, “Y- you probably guessed by now… this dream, it’s more than just surreal. What you’ve seen are the various parts of me. One more thing, about the murde-”

  Arata sighs, letting off a warm smile, “I know, your father, he faked his injury to lower Cayden’s guard. He wanted to get close to Cayden in a murder attempt.”

  I can’t tell her Ravenna told me that part, though; she’s already shocked enough. Keeping quiet about the existence of angels, he notices Selena begin to shake and break down.

  A tear drops down her eye, “Then why? Why work with Clemence to convict a man of a crime he was never guilty of for my sake?”

  “None of that ever mattered to me. This isn’t about him, even if he does deserve to see justice, whether he does or not… I saw your face during the trial, regardless of the outcome, was seeing him face justice truly what could’ve fixed you?” Arata looks down at his food as he explains, pushing it away. After the tea party, he lost his appetite for dream world food.

  Arata continues, “I want to see him suffer not for what he did to your father but for what he did for you. Clemence is really the one who has a vendetta with that Cayden guy, the fact that you’re choosing to stick around for the case is amazing. I get why Madam Kovalenko said you've got to have guts.”

  Selena is now speechless. Arata had come out of nowhere, convinced her to cling onto life and now revealed just how much he’s actually come to know her. She feels flustered but also a bit moved by such behavior.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Arata lets out a sigh, “This trial is a useless remedy, provided by misguidance. It’s hard reaching out to someone whose struggles you fail to relate to. Yet it’s not a prerequisite either.”

  “I guess… hey, Arata, if I may. I want to leave this city, a new beginning feels like what I need. I know Clemence would come with me. Even if we lose the trial once they figure out the lie, I want you to come too.” Selena has a new look, a peace in her eyes.

  Arata chuckles, “It’s not a bad idea, I’m not really tied down here myself.” Yeah… no, I’m not even sure if I could do that. It’s possible at least. Even though I don’t know if I want to save this world… I at least want to protect the friends I make here.

  Even if it was a rash decision in Arata’s eyes, it was better than giving up. Selena says something else, “That thing behind us, it’s quite ugly to look at.” She turns to the giant Cayden, looking down upon the house. “Luckily, this is my dream, as long as I collect myself, it can all go away, unlike real life.”

  Variations of Selena arrive from the various parts of the house, doors opening to the mental asylum, the maids, even the knight from earlier. They all look rabid, staring at their abuser, their observer and the scumbag who killed their father.

  They all rush out, charging at Cayden, climbing their way up to stab, punch or kick. Anything that could do damage to the giant, they all seemed to have adopted the new mentality of Selena. They didn’t want to live under his eye anymore.

  The knight leaps into the air on her horse, jumping further than she had before, penetrating through the eyes that bore their way through Selena’s body. Cayden’s massive body doesn’t just collapse to the ground; he loses his footing. Falling backwards, his silhouette slowly vanishes into the infinite abyss below the mansion.

  Arata smiles. “Well, we should be waking up soon. Even if our accusations are fake, I have no plan on losing the case.” Even if she doesn’t care about the trial, I worked too hard on this.

  With that, their bodies begin to grow translucent. Arata feels his vision fade. Arata feels himself waking up. Getting dressed into his suit and grabbing Selena’s sword, he had taken it out with him from the dream world. Back in the storage room early in the morning, he decides to make his way to the staff room. His eyes feel tired; last night wasn’t the greatest sleep he had ever experienced.

  Something in the kitchen smelled good, eggs in the morning. A comfort he thought he’d have to say goodbye to. Entering the kitchen, he finds Selena next to a really tired Clemence.

  “Morning, it’s day two of the trial so why don’t you two eat something before you go? The case might last into lunchtime.” Selena explains, giving off a smile with emotion that clearly wasn’t a common sight.

  Arata takes a seat next to Clemence at the table. Selena was a proficient cook. Even a simple breakfast, just eggs and bread, managed to feel satisfying.

  Clemence asks, “Arata, why do you have that-”

  Selena chuckles, making a morbid joke, “I gave it to him as plan B if we can’t convict Cayden.”