Chapter 35 - Sweet Dreams

I had decided to return back home after I was full. Father was busy, as was Duke Camellia. The only person I could think to bother was Raphael and he was currently struggling to entertain the noble ladies that finally decided to swarm him.

His eyes cried for help and nobody took notice as he was eventually lead to the dance floor. It seemed like the other alters also enjoyed watching him be dragged around and react in a flustered manner, otherwise they would've reacted.

It was a shame that his original personality became dormant in the book because it would've gave the book a nice slice of comedy. Instead, the comedy was when Mallory was dragged away to her fiancé, Raphael, and away from her beloved Edmund who couldn't care less about her.

When I told Edmund that I planned on heading back I expected him to follow. He didn't and said he had plans with his father to which I gave him a careful nod and pet his shoulder. Its the only part of him I could actually reach.

"Be careful and don't hesitate to use my name if you need to", I reassured him, but he just gave me smile and ruffled my hair. His gaze was strangely affectionate and he even booped my nose after a moment of staring.

"Like I'll need any help from a shrimp like you", he teased while waving at me.

I gave him a pout in return and remembered the scarf around my neck.

"Thank you for the scarf Edmund! I'll take care of it!" I shouted as I headed to the door confidently.

I had forgotten about Luka and Lance who gave me betrayed looks as they blocked my way. Both faces looked hurt beyond measure.

"You forgot me!" Lance glared.

"You don't even plan to say goodbye to me?", Luka gave me a dejected face.

"Why should she say goodbye to you! It's me who she really likes!", Lance snarled at him, Angelic appearance shattered long ago.

"Princess…" Luka ignored the little demon in disguise and pouted at me. He suddenly looked like a puppy and those eyes really made me falter.

"Okay!- okay! I'll see you guys tomorrow!" I said, but that didn't cut it.

"I want to go to your house!" Luka grumbled.

"Take me too!" Lance added.

Ugh…

"But… Edmund won't be happy", I couldn't find a decent excuse.

It looked like Luka's eyes became even bigger and When Lance joined him the force was too overpowering. I had no strength to object either of them and just sighed.

"Why do you want to go to my house? It's late right now and I just plan on going to bed so it'll be boring", I felt like I had aged while I was at this long banquet and unfortunately banquets here last at least a week.

I knew mother and Victor would be staying at the palace, most high ranking nobles tend to since they're present for everyday and they only deserve the best accommodation. That made me even more eager to go home and sleep peacefully, knowing I wouldn't be tackled away by a boy twice my size and profusely glared at by my own mother who blamed me for her sons incompetence.

"I want to sleep too!" Lance yawned and raced to the door.

Luka however stumbled in his step. His face looked flustered as he looked from Lance to myself.

"Princess… you can't mean that Lance is allowed to sleep by you?"

His words made me cough on nothing.

Who said that?!

"Where did you hear that?!" I gave him a wide eyed look of shock.

"Eh?- he- he isn't?" His face became very red and he looked away with an embarrassed laugh, "that was silly of me to say, um- but princess would it be alright if I stay at your house? I only know you here and I feel more comfortable with you", he was acting so shy that it made me feel guilty.

"Of course you can. You're more than welcome to stay at my house. It's not like you haven't been there before", I laughed at him and the three of us headed towards my house. Luka somehow remembered the way and insisted on going through the gardens, which unlike before bloomed beautifully.

"What happened here?" He said with a surprised face.

The flowers in the garden, although it was dark and the sun had set, glowed a bright blue under the moonlight. It was a mesmerising sight that mysteriously appeared a few years ago.

Nobody tended to the garden, yet the garden bloomed flowers and was somehow well kept.

I assumed it was a bored maid and even kept an eye out for her, but I never saw them.

"They're called Sweet Dreams", I said as I plucked one and bought it to the boy. His gaze shone with a childlike innocence, making me chuckle. "There's a story behind their glow, you know? Want to hear it?"

Without looking away from the flower he answered with the profuse nodding of his head.

"If you beat me to my room I might just tell you!" I ran with a laugh for the door. There was no way he'd win. After all, I had a head start.

But Boy was I wrong…

While I panted and ran up the stairs, taking three steps at a time. Laughing at the very thought of the two boys trying to catch up. Well, you can't imagine how embarrassed I was when I made it to my room and both Luka and Lance gave me smug smiles as they leaned in boredom against the doorframe of my room while I tried to comprehend what had just happened.

"What??!- how??", I sputtered.

They didn't pass me in the hall?! Did they transport?!!?? What happened??!?

This whole time I was enjoying myself, I had forgotten something very important.

These kids were not normal children.

They were male leads in a fantasy romance.

"So… what's the story?" Luka's childlike smile had never made me want to hurt him until that very moment.

I opened my bedroom door with an annoyed huff, going to the bathroom to change before getting out and handing the boys some of Victors more comfortable clothes.

"You can't go to sleep in those clothes", I pointed to what they were wearing.

Both of them wore tunics that were laced in armour. It didn't look comfortable and the boys took the clothes with what looked to be embarrassed faces.

When they had finally changed out of their clothes they came back to my room to find three cups of warm milk that Martha had left for us. She somehow sneaked it in while I was looking the other way according to Ruby, who had also joined the sleepover. He opted for the sweet box over the milk though.

"Alright kids, let me begin the story of how the Sweet Dream flower got its name".

It all began with a beautiful princess. The youngest of seven brothers and seven sisters. She was always overlooked as a child, even her mother took no notice of her. On her birth, which was only attended by a nurse, her mother gave her a name that meant unfortunate child as who would notice a child of so many sibling bore to a nameless woman in the kings harem.

As her namesake the princess was very unfortunate. Maids mistook her for a common child often and she was made to work from a young age. Nobles ridiculed her dirty and unkept appearance and her siblings rarely took notice of her. Her father didn't even know she existed and her mother had also long forgotten about her.

The princess, who doubted she truly was a princess at all, dreamt that she finally found her true family. A family that loved her and found her worthy. However the dream only lasted a single night.

It was such a sweet that she stayed awake night after night trying to dream it. She never could. Eventually she decided if she couldn't have that dream again then she may as well never sleep.

So she didn't.

She lay awake every night awaiting the dream that never came.

You see, children of this particular country were all born with a gift and children of royal blood were not excluded. Among the generation of royals a single child would be born with the power to make dreams reality. For that generation it was the child's third sister who had this power and when the girl heard of it she sought her sister.

The third princess, Olivia, was sick of hearing the greedy demands of the court and her family that when her eight year old sister that no one paid mind to appeared she took great interest in it.

"You wish you weren't of royal blood then?" The third princess frowned after she heared the child's request. "Why not simply wish to be loved?" She asked as that would make more sense, but the young child shook her head as she was adamant the family in her dreams were her true family.

The third princess agreed to her youngest siblings wish and gave her a family that loved her. The very same family she dreamed of and the youngest princess was gone forever.

Just as the princess had left, her father the king had remembered his last child and her mother who birthed her had also recalled a child she birthed long ago. Their hearts were suddenly overwhelmed with the love that should've been received over the course of eight years, but when they sought the princess in her castle, once forgotten, They only found a blue flower, glimmering in the moonlight, residing on her bed.

"That doesn't make any sense though? Why would her parents suddenly care now that she was gone?" Lance furrowed his brows, he was quite invested in the story.

"Well, the origin behind the flower is a lot sadder than what the story lets on you see. The truth was, the princess didn't dream new parents. She dreamed about the king and queen, but she wasn't in her dream. Just her parents who realised they loved her so very much and now that she was gone they had no reason to…" I stopped myself before I ended the story.

It ended in a couples suicide, but I couldn't say that to kids now could I.

"No reason to what?" Luka pressed.

"No reason to not search for her. So they spent the rest of their years searching for their daughter", somehow that sounded sadder than the original.

"And they never found her?" Lances lower lip quivered making me flustered.

"H-Hey now! It's only a story! The moral is to love people while you can not when it's too late to", I was starting to feel like a very bad adult. I hope they don't have nightmares or anything.

"I don't like that story…" Luka laid down and crawled under my blanket. I could hear a sniffle come from him.

Are you serious?

"Luka you aren't crying are you?" I laid next to him to get closer to his balled body.

Lance somehow attached himself to my back, he was also sniffing. His body shaking a bit.

"What is going on with you guys? It's only a story!" I regret ever bringing up those damned flowers.

"Is it real?" Luka asked, revealing a face that donned trembling lips.

"Uhh- no! No it's not! It's fake!"

It actually wasn't. But it was now.

After that, the two of the relaxed and began chattering away much to my grimace. I was already tired and the last thing I remembered before I fell asleep was the two of them bickering about which of them likes me more.

It was cute to hear that when you weren't sleep deprived and stuck between them.