The Novel's Extra-Chapter ss45.1: Side Story 45.1 – Dream in a Dream (45)

Rachel went to work the next day.

The guild hall grew crowded and bustled with people early in the morning after the English Royal Court became the center of attention.

The guild members filled the hall with journalists looking to score interviews, students on a site visit, etc.

Rachel composed herself and fixed her clothes before walking into the guild hall.

“Hello, Vice Leader!”

“It’s… It’s an honor to meet you!”

“W-Wow! I’m a huge fan!”

“Yes, yes, thank you very much. Good day to all of you,” Rachel replied while waving to all of them.

She tried her best to reply to everyone while heading to her office and wasn’t used to such attention.

However, Fermin kicked open the door and barged in as soon as Rachel sat in her office.

“Vice Leader, there’s an emergency!”

Rachel was going through the stack of documents on her table when she stopped and looked at Fermin like a deer caught in headlights.

“What happened?”

“Look! Look at this!” Fermin exclaimed and projected a hologram from her smartwatch.

[EXTRION Hathshire CEO Attends a Han River VIP Yacht Party.]

The news article claimed that EXTRION Hathshire’s CEO, Kim Hajin, had attended a yacht party at the Han River. It was already ten in the afternoon in England, which meant it was six in the evening for South Korea. He should still be at the party.

“What about it?” Rachel asked while tilting her head in confusion.

“Ah, what do you mean? What about it?!” Fermin shouted in frustration and projected another hologram.

The picture showed various women wearing extravagant dresses around Kim Hajin. They tried wooing him to the best of their abilities.

Only then did Rachel finally realize the meaning behind Fermin’s words.

“W-What is this?! Are you sure this isn’t photoshopped?!”

“What else could it be? Also, it’s real. Look, they’re flirting with your precious CEO left and right as we speak. Looks like he put something in his shoes to look taller too…”

Kim Hajin was already taller than the average South Korean male, but his shoe heels made him look even taller and nearly flawless when it came to looks.

Rachel frowned and asked, “Should I go there right now?!”

“Yes! Of course, you should!” Fermin fanned Rachel’s jealousy without hesitation.

Rachel stood from her chair and ran to the London portal with Fermin cheering her on from behind. She traveled from London to Seoul in less than three minutes through a VIP portal thanks to her royal status.

The article said he was at a yacht party on the Han River, right?

Rachel used her wind spirit to zoom through the air at a tremendous speed. She spotted the bodyguards guarding the perimeter.

The bodyguards immediately tried to stop her and felt surprised when a blonde woman wearing blue leather armor popped out of nowhere.

However, one of them recognized her, “Huh? Isn’t that Princess Rachel?”

They immediately stood down and thought she had also been invited to the party as a VIP guest. It wasn’t strange for them to think so given her royal status and fame these days.

“I wish to enter,” Rachel declared.

The bodyguard scanned her from head to toe and awkwardly scratched his neck, “Yes… but you are violating the dress code, Your Highness…”

“No way. This is an excellent piece of equipment,” Rachel replied and proudly puffed out her chest to emphasize her leather armor.

The bodyguards inspected her leather armor and noticed that it was indeed an excellent piece of equipment. The leather armor exuded a powerful aura that they had never seen before.

The bodyguards looked at each other before sighing in resignation and nodding.

“Yes, you may enter, Your Highness.”

It was a tough decision for them since this was a VIP party, but it also didn’t make sense to deny a royal at the door because of the dress code policy.

Rachel boarded the yacht that was the size of a cruise after the bodyguards gave her permission.

She stood out like a sore thumb among the crowd wearing luxury dresses and tuxedos, but their gazes didn’t bother her as she walked around looking for Kim Hajin.

Soon, she found him in the distance when a waiter suddenly passed her a tray. The waiter seemed to have mistaken her for a fellow staffer.

Anyways, she found Kim Hajin surrounded by a crowd. Some were very famous people that even Rachel recognized. They included famous European heroes, Yi Jiyoon from Essence of the Straits, and even Jin Seyeon from the Temple of Justice.

Only then did Rachel finally realize EXTRION Hathshire’s greatness.

She put down the tray and walked over to him.

Some of the men and women in the area noisily chattered among themselves.

“Somebody call the guards! Some woman wearing leather armor is here!”

“…”

However, Rachel ignored them and only looked at Kim Hajin with several women surrounding him. Anger welled up inside her and she thought it was rude of him to attend a party without informing her.

“Hmm?” Kim Hajin also spotted Rachel.

She pouted when she knew that he saw her.

“Ah, she’s here just in time,” Kim Hajin brightly smiled as if he had been waiting for her all this time.

He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into his embrace. Rachel flinched in surprise at the sudden turn of events.

“Let me introduce her,” Kim Hajin said to the people around while tightly holding her with one arm.

“This is my beloved,” he publicly declared to everyone.

Rachel felt like she would have a heart attack. She literally felt like her heart would burst and stop at any moment from how fast it beated.

“Ah, no wonder. I thought that would be the case. It was from during that time, right?” Jin Seyeon asked with a smile.

The women flirting with Kim Hajin a moment ago clicked their tongues in disappointment.

“Would you like to greet them as well, Rachel?” Kim Hajin asked.

“…”

Rachel slightly trembled in his embrace.

The confidence and bravery she came with to make a scene had long disappeared. She looked at Kim Hajin and flashed an awkward smile as her cheeks blushed from embarrassment.

“Yes… Hello, it’s nice to meet all of you. My name is Rachel…” she introduced herself to the VIPs gathered around.

She barged in like a tank armed in leather armor, but now shyly introduced herself while awkwardly touching her hair.

Some of the VIPs looked at her in disbelief because of her actions.

***

Rachel diligently prepared dinner on a peaceful evening.

She made kimchi stew, egg rolls that were Evandel’s favorite, and steamed rice. She hadn’t prepared a lot of dishes, but did her best.

“Hmm…” Rachel scanned the dining table one more time.

She nodded in satisfaction after thinking this would be more than enough and called Kim Hajin.

“Hajin.”

Kim Hajin and Evandel were playing video games in another room and came waltzing out.

“Come and eat.”

Rachel looked nervous as she watched them lift their spoons.

How would it taste? Would they like her cooking? Or would they find it disgusting and horrible?

The two of them took a bite before their eyes shot wide open.

“Wow! It’s delicious!”

“Yeah, this is really good.”

Thankfully, their reactions weren’t bad. Rachel sighed in relief and took a seat to eat as well.

“Yum.”

She came to the same conclusion after taking a bite.

“Fortunately, it came out good,” she said with a smile.

“Yes, it’s quite good,” Kim Hajin replied.

“Hehe…”

The three of them finished eating dinner.

Rachel took a bath with Evandel and helped to dry her hair. Then the three of them watched TV in the living room until Evandel fell asleep.

They carried Evandel to her room and lay with her in bed. Kim Hajin and Rachel patted her head while watching her sleep.

“Yawn…”

Both of them felt sleepy too and hugged each other with Evandel between them.

Rachel watched Kim Hajin fall asleep and found it quite cute. She mischievously poked his cheeks a few times.

Poke… Poke… Poke… Poke…

“It’s a relief…” she muttered.

She wanted her final days to be normal and everything seemed to be going according to her wishes.

Rachel got up from the bed and stretched. She quietly walked over to the balcony and made sure not to wake them up.

“Haa…” she sighed while leaning on the rails and looked at the night sky filled with stars.

What was she thinking and feeling? Even she wasn’t sure. Was it anxiety, regret, or just wishful thinking? She had no clue.

However, she didn’t let it sway her and already made up her mind. She decided to treasure the memories from this world no matter what.

“Rachel?” Someone called her from behind in the most gentle and warm tone.

“Ah…”

That person walked over as she leaned on the rail and warmly hugged her from behind. She could feel her heart fluttering.

Rachel bitterly smiled at his sudden show of affection. She wanted to be alone right now and always hesitated whenever he did something like this. She kept delaying the choice she already made whenever he made her heart flutter like this.

“What are you doing?” Kim Hajin asked in a warm, yet slightly drowsy voice.

Rachel tried her best to act as normal as possible.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“I was…”

Rachel turned around and buried her face in his chest. She looked up and smiled at him before continuing, “I was getting ready to wake up.”

“Wake up?” Kim Hajin asked while tilting his head in confusion.

“Yes,” Rachel nodded, “I’m going to wake up.”

She wondered what would happen after she woke up from this dream. Would I be able to see you again after I wake up? Can I still be with you? Even though you won’t love me like right now…

Rachel wrapped her arms around Kim Hajin’s waist and buried her face in his chest again.

“Still, I’m not going to give up.”

Did Kim Hajin know what she was talking about right now?

“Yes, don’t give up,” he gently said with a smile.

Rachel looked into his eyes and saw the stars reflecting in them. She smiled without even realizing it.

They watched the night sky in each other’s embrace. It felt as if every star in the world was shining down on them. She took in every bit of this scenery while in his arms.

The sun began to rise and lit up the horizon.

It was time for her to wake up from this sweet dream now.

However, Rachel wanted to whisper something to her beloved in his embrace for the last time… before she woke up from this dream.

She decided to keep the words she whispered a secret for the rest of her life.