Intruding the Dreams of a Knight - Chapter 4 - You pig!

Once again, I had a dream.

In front of me, the landscape of the courtyard of the Knight’s Order spread out.

(I guess it’s no wonder that I dream of the courtyard so often; after all, this person seems like a knight.)

As I was thinking such things, a beautiful woman with chestnut-colored hair approached from beyond the garden trees.

“Irene.”

The man possessed by Irene called out her name. In response, the beautiful woman, Irene, beamed with a smile and rushed over. Today, she’s wearing the uniform of an office clerk.

The man easily embraced the running Irene and said something, to which Irene blushed and nodded.

“Yes, I saw it!”

As I wondered what they were talking about, Irene buried her face in the man’s chest and whispered, “Congratulations on your victory, Camille.”

***

“What the heck!?”

Due to Irene’s scream, the small birds gathered by the windowsill all took off at once. Their panicked flight seemed to say, “There’s something dangerous in this room.”

Irene woke up, breathing heavily. Her body was drenched in sweat, and her hair wet, making her feel uncomfortable.

“…This can’t be true.”

Irene covered her face with her hands. The scene from her dream was still vivid in her mind.

In the dream, “Irene” called the man she was talking to, “Camille.” Camille was a relatively common male name in the Kingdom of Froiselle, but there was supposed to be only one young member in the Knight’s Order named Camille.

That means, the person in her dream, the person whom Irene had possessed, was none other than Camille Gresler.

(No way, no way! no way!? The great Gresler is dreaming about me!? H-He’s got a crush on me!?)

Irene wanted to catch that self-proclaimed fortune-teller old woman and ask her about the situation, but she had no idea where she could find her.

(Um, um… Why would Gresler have a crush on me?)

As Irene became somewhat calmer, she spread open the sweaty nightgown and let the air in while she pondered.

That old woman had mentioned something about catching sight of the wishes of a man secretly in love with Irene. With events where Irene let down her hair or Camille won in a mock battle, the contents of the dream were updated.

So, could this mean that it’s Camille who’s having these dreams? Since there are days when I don’t dream at all, maybe Irene only appears in Camille’s dreams when he’s dreaming about her.

(…This isn’t dream interpretation; this is more like a supernatural phenomenon!)

…Come to think of it, the old woman said it was a thank you for saving her.Maybe, just maybe, maybe she’s the reason I can see these dreams? (Although I don’t know why that old lady would connect my dreams with Gresler’s dreams, that seems to be the only explanation.)

However, since there wasn’t a way to find the old woman, there seemed to be no solution. There was a possibility of going to the place where they met the old woman, but somehow, Irene had a feeling that she wouldn’t be able to meet her no matter how hard she tried.

(But what should I do… Should I tell Gresler about this?)

As the time to wake up approached, Irene sluggishly got out of bed, deep in thought while taking off her clothes. There weren’t many servants serving the Baron Lancel household, so Irene and the others usually changes clothes by themselves for daily activities.

(No, no. How should I explain this? If I say something like “I’m sharing the dreams you’re having,” I’ll be considered crazy.)

Besides, even if she were to share the details of her dreams and somehow convince Camille, what would that change? From Camille’s perspective, having someone else—especially the person he’s dreaming about—knowing dreams that should be private would be something he wouldn’t want to know.

“If it were me, I’d keep it to myself and take it to the grave,” Irene mumbled.

Moreover, what the old woman mentioned was glimpsing the wishes of a man who secretly loved Irene. So, if Camille lost interest in her—although she had no idea why he would have feelings for her in the first place—the dream-sharing would likely end.

And if Irene acted in a way that deterred any romantic interest from men, the phenomenon of intruding into others’ dreams might cease to occur in the future.

(…Yes, that would be best.)

Apologizing internally to Camille, who seemed to have feelings for her, Irene gently placed her hand on her chest.

There, her heart was undoubtedly beating faster than usual.

Now then, with that in mind, Irene began her “Let’s Make Camille Dislike Me” plan.

(Ugh… Even if I have a reason, I can’t be too cold…!)

In the morning, Irene coincidentally bumped into Camille in the corridor of the Knight’s Order building. Irene involuntarily tensed up, but Camille greeted her with a smile, saying, “Good morning, Miss Lancel.” In response, Irene gave a somewhat gloomy bow and walked past him.

This kind of interaction was a common occurrence. Camille seemed aware that Irene wasn’t particularly friendly towards him, but he didn’t seem to mind and just passed by.

(In times like this, if I act more bluntly or say something hurtful, maybe he would dislike me… But it’s still difficult.)

After all, Camille was a member of the Knight’s Order—a colleague of Irene in a sense, and moreover, he was the son of Earl Gresler.

If she were to be a little cold, it might be fine, but if she were to outright show animosity, it could be seen as an insult to the Gresler family. In that case, the Lancel family, a weak, minor noble house, would be crushed in no time.

Moreover, Irene had been somewhat distant with Camille from their first meeting. She didn’t understand what made him like her in the first place, so she had no idea how to make him dislike her in return.

(I wonder if Camille-sama is the type who enjoys being treated coldly…?)

It was during lunchtime that Irene suddenly realized this, and she decided to discreetly consult with Doris.

“Hmm, there are indeed people of that type. My husband once told me about friends who get excited when their wives whip them and say things like ‘You pig!'”

…Doris’ husband was supposed to be the heir to a reasonably prominent merchant family.

Irene decided not to dwell on it too much.

“So, I wonder what happens if someone like that is treated kindly by their spouse?” Irene asked, and Doris blinked in response.

“Well, I guess they’d still be happy. Isn’t it a different thing from getting excited by being called ‘you pig!’? In the end, it’s about being happy with any words their spouse says. Like saying ‘thank you,’ or ‘I love you,’ those simple expressions would genuinely make them happy, while ‘you pig!’ might trigger a sexual excitement, you know, a different kind of ‘joy.'”

“I see…”

Irene felt like she was peering into an abyss.

(So, that means even if I change my behavior and become closer to Gresler, it doesn’t guarantee that he’ll dislike me.)

On the contrary, he might be delighted by the kindness and even have those expressions reflected in his dreams. It could backfire.

“By the way, does Doris’ husband have such preferences?”

“Oh, it’s quite the opposite for us. When I cuddle up to him and act sweet, he seems really happy and indulges me.”

“Oh, I’m envious of that.”

If Irene ever got married one day, she would want her husband to pamper her like that.