Chapter 218

The interior of the golden palace truly boasted the pinnacle of flamboyance. Golden symbols were engraved on a l.u.s.trous marble background, and even the windowsills had a gold outline.

And with all sorts of decorative items placed everywhere, the palace reminded everyone of Frances Palace of Versailles, which was known for its marvelous beauty.

I am very pleased that you think so highly of this poor palace.

A soprano-tone voice, like that of a skylark, rang out in everyones ears, and their eyes naturally headed forward.

A throne made of gold was standing at the end of the vast hallway, which extended like a corridor. And there was a woman slowly standing up from this throne, looking down amiably at the expedition team.

The figure looked young and frail, and didnt seem to even reach 150 centimeters. Her blue hair was slicked back and tied into a bun, emphasizing her small, white face even more.

Indeed, rather than a woman, it seemed more proper to call her a young lady.

Clack clack

Seol Jihu snapped out of his daze hearing the clacking of heels. The young lady was walking down the stairs with modest steps, her hands clasped over her bellyb.u.t.ton.

As she came closer, her attire became easier to see. The top of her clothing was a black, gothic lolita-style dress, which stuck to her body and outlined her alluring curves, and the bottom was a wide, bell-shaped skirt that reached her ankles.

Thank you accepting my invitation.

After reaching the bottom of the stairs, she lightly held the hem of her skirt up and bowed politely.

Welcome to the PaG.o.da of Dreams, Legitimate Visitors.

She scanned the expedition team briefly. Then

And Awaited Experts.

She smiled at Seol Jihu and Teresa. Her smile was so captivating that she grabbed everyones attention instantly.

However, Seol Jihu didnt let his guard down. The young ladys mouth was curled into a smile, but her clear, ocean-like blue pupils were serene like ice.

In the first place, Seol Jihu felt a strong sense of incongruity the moment he entered the place. A single young lady was the only one in such a huge palace? He felt like he was dreaming.

Youre right. My reception hasnt been the best, even though such honored guests accepted my invitation. Please forgive this ladys lack of thought with magnanimity.

Seol Jihu was taken aback. He hadnt said anything, yet the young lady seemed to have read his thoughts.

Her eyes then gently curled into a crescent shape as she raised both her hands.

Clap!

She clapped.

Tutururu~!

Seol Jihu almost fell backward in shock. It wasnt just him, but everyone in the expedition team.

People filled up the palace instantly. They circled around the expedition team, sang, played music, and threw flower petals into the air.

Dont be so surprised.

A m.u.f.fled giggle rang out.

This is the world of my mind.

A dreamy voice flowed out rhythmically.

Since this is a dream world, everything I wish for comes true.

Roselle flicked her hand like the conductor of a symphonic orchestra, and the people disappeared in an instant. The palace regained its serenity.

Did you like my welcoming show?

She asked, her head slightly tilted.

Seol Jihu couldnt say anything, setting aside whether he liked it or not. He had experienced all sorts of things thus far, but this was the first time he was experiencing anything similar to what he was experiencing today.

Now.

Roselle clapped again, and the scenery changed. The expedition team was now standing in the middle of a beautiful garden.

A white, round table was placed in front of them, with pretty steaming tea cups placed on top of it.

Though its a little late, let me introduce myself.

The young lady gently placed her hand over her chest.

My name is Roselle La Grazia.

Seol Jihu barely managed to eke out a few words.

The Witch of Dreams[1]

Yes, I was once called by that insignificant name.

Roselle smiled brightly before sitting down on a chair elegantly. She then opened her palm and pointed at the other chairs.

Please, sit.

Seol Jihu hesitated for a moment, but soon steeled his resolve. The Witch of Dreams was treating them properly both as the master of this place and as the one who had invited them.

As such, it was only proper that they treat her with the same level of respect as her guests.

Do unto others as they do unto you.

Thank you!

Once Seol Jihu sat down, his comrades began to sit one by one. But when everyone sat down, there was one seat left open.

Will the lady inside the pendant not sit?

Roselle spoke with a dreamy voice.

[!?]

She knows?

Seol Jihu opened his mouth in a fl.u.s.ter.

Ah, shes not good with strangers she gets a little shy.

Eh? The esteemed daughter of the Rothschear House is shy?

Roselle looked surprised.

I see I was hoping to talk about all sorts of things with her

Just as she reached out to the table with a slightly disappointed look

[Did Grandpa come here?]

Flone hurriedly asked. Roselle didnt say anything. She only stared at the pendant with a smile on her face.

[Ah, um]

Flone must have made a mistake as she stuttered. She continued hesitantly.

[Excuse me I subconsciously blurted out]

Flone spoke with an elegant mannerism, which wasnt like her normal self.

No, its completely fine.

Roselle spoke without losing her smile.

Both you and I are already dead. Theres no reason to upkeep customs from when we were alive.

[.]

Also, I heard that the youngest daughter of the Rothschear House is a pampered tomboy.

[!]

Pampered? Tomboy?

The pendant shook like a flailing flounder. Roselle stared at it as if it was cute before clearing her throat.

To answer your question, yes, the head of the Rothschear House has indeed visited the PaG.o.da of Dreams. Realizing the greedy emperor was eyeing him, he requested that I hold onto a portion of the Rothschears inheritance. Although this happened hundreds of years ago, I remember it clearly.

Seol Jihu didnt miss Roselles eyebrows turning sharp when she mentioned the emperor.

To be honest, I wasnt a huge fan of the Spear of the Empire either, but since I hated the emperor more, I accepted the Rothschear Heads request.

Then

Yes, I am still safekeeping the inheritance.

Roselle answered as if she knew what Seol Jihu would ask. Then, she paused in the middle of elegantly raising her teacup. An intrigued smile bloomed on her face.

Roselle opened her mouth.

Ah, f.u.c.k.

Seol Jihu doubted his ears.

This is getting boring. Just give us our s.h.i.+t and let us go. Why did this b.i.t.c.h even invite us in the first place?

Roselle spoke monotonously.

Hiiiiiik!?

Maria screamed.

Seol Jihu exclaimed inwardly.

No way.

Maria slammed her head down and pleaded.

Im sorry! Please dont kill me!

No.

Roselle covered her mouth, smiled, then shook her head.

I would have picked fault with it if you said it out loud, but you only thought it. Its my fault for reading your mind without permission. Its a bad habit of mine, you see.

Maria stealthily raised her head.

I can give you the Rothschear Houses inheritance whenever. If youd like, I can give it to you this instant.

Roselle took a sip of her tea, then carefully put the teacup down.

But I would be extremely grateful if you all would listen to why I invited you.

Seol Jihu opened his mouth.

Of course. By the way

Yes, as I said before, I am someone who died hundreds of years ago. My body most likely turned to ash and scattered away, so not a single piece of it should remain in the world. The person you are talking to now is

Seol Jihu closed his mouth, not being able to finish saying You said you died in the past.

An existence that is a mere remnant thought.

For some reason, this woman

is full of herself. Its something I heard a lot when I was alive because of my habit of reading other peoples thoughts. Please excuse my behavior.

Ah, yes.

You dont have to worry about it now. I can hold myself back if its just for a little bit.

Seol Jihu let out a dry cough.

When I looked at the historical records, everything regarding the PaG.o.da of Infection, or rather Dreams, was erased.

Yes, it was a rather effective measure.

Roselle replied firmly.

I dearly wished that the dream infection would reach the emperor, but I never imagined he would respond so strongly as soon as it began to spread.

Roselle then added, He had many enemies, so he was always in a hurry to protect himself.

There wasnt much I could do back then. I formed a powerful curse around the paG.o.da so no one could approach it, but I also couldnt step a foot outside of it.

Seol Jihu examined Roselle closely. This witch had once planned to overthrow the Empire. But setting aside how incredible she was, he questioned her methods. Strictly speaking, the PaG.o.da of Dreams infection would have negatively affected the Empires innocent civilians.

Youre right. Because of my paG.o.da, countless good, law-abiding citizens died.

Roselle admitted without reserve.

But I dont regret it. Because many followers of the emperor also died. And those people all deserved death.

Seol Jihu became a bit afraid, hearing how she made it seem like it wasnt a big deal. He interlocked his fingers and asked.

Id like to know why you went so far.

Isnt that obvious?

Roselle spoke in a singing tone.

To eliminate the war-crazed emperor

Her tiny shoulders trembled faintly as she clutched her hands.

And the tyrannous followers, who support him in his madness!

Seol Jihu instinctively shrunk back as chills suddenly ran down his spine and gooseb.u.mps spread around his entire body.

A bitter coldness shot out of Roselles body like thorns. It was so cold that Seol Jihu imagined himself being in a large -40 degrees freezer. That was how enraged Roselle was.

What power

The energy she was giving off far surpa.s.sed that of Flone. Seol Jihu finally caught a glimpse of how powerful this witch was. She might be evenly matched even against a Parasite Army Commander.

Roselle took a deep breath, then soothed her energy.

Excuse me.

Gasps flowed out from all directions.

Anyway, after this decision by the emperor, I made every effort to strengthen the curse. But there was an undeniable limit with a mortal body. Even after painstaking effort, all I obtained was the qualification to pursue the origin

Roselle blurred the end of her speech, trailing into a hard-to-understand concept.

There is one reason why I invited you all.

After a brief moment of silence, Roselle took a sip of tea and spoke again.

Although the curses power has weakened immensely due to the pa.s.sage of time, I spent my lifetime creating it. Since two of you were able to escape this curse through your own power, you must have strong willpower.

Thats not really it.

Seol Jihu scratched his head.

I will be open and honest. I am looking for someone who can fulfill the wish I failed to achieve in my lifetime.

Seol Jihu furrowed his brows. Roselles wish had to be the collapse of the Empire.

I know. The tyrannous emperor and his followers must have all died, and many things must have changed from the pa.s.sage of time. Still my desire to get revenge has not changed nor has it diminished. Going back to its founding, the Empire took root on a rotten ground, so it ought to be overthrown. Even if hundreds of years have pa.s.sed since then.

She must have misunderstood Seol Jihus expression.

Of course, I dont plan to force this task onto you.

And she really must have stopped reading others minds.

And I am not requesting that you do something about it either.

Or perhaps she didnt know anything about the outside situation due to being stuck in this place.

But if you do accept my request, I will also help you to the best of my abilities.

No matter the case, she definitely had a huge misunderstanding.

This PaG.o.da of Dreams also has my inheritance. Its scale and importance are incomparable to that of the Rothschear House.

Roselle spoke proudly as she strutted out her small chest.

Seol Jihu blinked.

This person isnt normal either, huh.

Resentment that remains even after hundreds of years It was hard to understand where her thirst for revenge was coming from. Although it was only a guess, it didnt seem like Roselle wanted to topple the Empire purely because of a war.

Theres another reason.

There had to be a more certain reason that she hated the Empires origin so much.

In any case, Seol Jihu decided that it wasnt something the expedition team should be involved in. No, even if he wanted to help her out, her wish was no longer fulfillable.

If there was one thing he could tell her, though

That was to tell an important truth to the young lady, who had been living in a dream for hundreds of years.

Roselle asked, her pupils sparkling.

So? What do you think? Ah, you can take your time before answering.

Next, she raised her -full teacup.

.

In a way, what Seol Jihu was about to tell her was cruel. So, he hesitated a little bit before speaking.

It may be presumptuous of me, but there is something I would like to tell you before saying yes or no.

Roselle nodded her head, gesturing at him to go on.

The Empire

With a short breath, Seol Jihu spoke firmly.

Has already fallen.

Pfft!

Tea gushed out of her small, cherry-like lips, splattering everywhere.

Roselle went stiff and stood in place holding the teacup as if time had frozen for her. The only thing that showed she was still conscious was her busily blinking eyes.

Seol Jihu opened his mouth and put the nail in the coffin.

It collapsed more than 10 years ago. Its people were killed regardless of their social status, and not a single tuft of gra.s.s remains on the Empires territory.

Slowly, very slowly, Roselle raised her head.

.

Silence descended once again. The fall of the Empire, which stood strong at the peak of Paradise for a long time, must have come as a huge shock because she only stared blankly without even thinking to put down her teacup.

Ah.

Roselles tightly shut mouth opened slightly.

No.

And Seol Jihu

Um

Was able to witness

Excuse me???

Her ever-smiling face crumble down in an instant.

1. This t.i.tle is slightly different from what the mechanical voice said in the last chapter. Last one specifically said The Dreaming Witch while this one says The Witch of Dreams.