The sunlight struggled to penetrate the narrow alley, landing on the ground in a thin line.
Crows and stray dogs lingered nearby, and the air was thick with an unsettling scent of blood, hard to ignore.
Following the smell, Luo Wei peered inside, only to be met with a pair of wary, azure eyes staring back at him.
Like a trapped animal, her gaze was tense, yet she couldn't help but bare her teeth in a feeble threat, like a pitiful puppy caught in a snare.
Luo Wei was startled and stopped in his tracks.
It was a little girl, leaning against the wall, her body covered in blood. The thin beam of light fell on her arm, which was shockingly thin and pale, devoid of any color.
What surprised Luo Wei wasn't the girl's condition, but the fact that...
He seemed to recognize her...
She was...
The name was etched deep in his mind, as if it were on the tip of his tongue, yet when he tried to speak, it eluded him.
He clutched his forehead, feeling a searing pain each time he tried to recall.
Her name was... what was it again?
The girl's originally tense expression softened slightly, now mixed with confusion.
Finally, Luo Wei decided to stop trying to remember. It was as if a wall was blocking his thoughts, so he simply stepped forward, heading deeper into the darkness.
He decided to ask the girl directly.
However, the moment this thought crossed his mind...
The world around him suddenly changed. The alley, the buildings, were collapsing, and the entire city vanished in an instant.
Luo Wei's eyes snapped open.
For a moment, everything was blurry, but soon he focused, and Caroline's face came into view.
Seeing him awake, her expression faltered for a moment before quickly returning to normal.
Luo Wei couldn't shake the feeling that she was acting suspiciously.
"You had a nightmare. The princess and I were a bit worried, so we came to check on you..."
She said this casually.
Luo Wei glanced to the side and saw Ophelia's pale eyes filled with concern.
Her complexion was not good, somewhat pallid.
Upon seeing Luo Wei awake, Ophelia stepped closer, her soft palm resting on his forehead.
"Another bout of insomnia, and now nightmares."
"Why has your sleep quality deteriorated so much... Isn't Caroline's bedtime massage effective anymore?"
She immediately turned to Caroline, instructing, "Go fetch some incense and those sleep aids, bring them all over."
Luo Wei quickly sat up, refusing, "No need this time, I can fall asleep on my own."
He had always suffered from insomnia, a condition he didn't know how he acquired. That's why Ophelia had always had Caroline help him with sleep aids.
Caroline possessed some strange, mysterious abilities. While she called it a sleep aid, it was practically a form of hypnosis.
However, Luo Wei trusted her and didn't think much of it, as it was for his own good.
But today, something felt off. He felt a strange resistance to Caroline's hypnosis.
Once doubt crept in, it spread like a plague, making it hard to quell. Luo Wei suddenly found himself distrusting her.
Even distrusting—
His gaze slowly shifted to the beautiful face of Ophelia.
Luo Wei had never imagined that the emotion of "doubt" would ever be directed at his childhood friend, Ophelia, who had grown up with him.
He even felt a bit guilty about it.
After all, she had been taking care of his life, with utmost care and tenderness.
Moreover, she held such a noble status, yet she had chosen to stay with him in this remote place...
She was too perfect, so much so that Luo Wei sometimes felt like he was living in a dream, an unreal fantasy.
So when doubt collided with Ophelia, it created a complex, conflicting emotion within him.
Seeing Luo Wei's resolute expression, Ophelia sighed.
"Alright, if you're unwilling, then tonight we'll skip it."
She stood up and left with Caroline in haste.
"Goodnight, have a good dream."
"Goodnight," Luo Wei replied.
The door slowly closed, and the night returned to silence.
After leaving Luo Wei's room, Ophelia's steps grew more hurried.
She and Caroline arrived at the office. Once seated, Ophelia leaned back, weakly massaging her forehead.
"Your Highness, are you alright...?" Caroline immediately asked, concern evident in her voice.
Ophelia, however, didn't answer the question. Instead, she muttered to herself.
"This shouldn't be happening..."
"Why couldn't I control my emotions today..."
Luo Wei had been staying in her manor for over a week, and her plan had succeeded from the very first night. She had used her abilities to trap Luo Wei.
Over these days, Luo Wei's nights had belonged to her.
But Luo Wei was sharp. He quickly noticed something was amiss.
Therefore, she had to accelerate her plan, using his sleeping hours to double the speed of the "miniature Dreamland."
Thus, although only a week had passed in reality, it felt like a decade had gone by in their dreams.
Of course, it wasn't a real decade. The human brain thinks quickly, and Ophelia only needed to adjust a few key moments to make Luo Wei's memories develop according to her imagination.
She was almost there.
From the start of the plan:
On the first day in reality, he didn't remember the recent airship explosion.
On the second day, he forgot he was a student at Callen University.
On the third day, he lost all memory of his vampire teacher.
On the fourth day, his memories of Helena were completely erased.
On the fifth, sixth, and seventh days...
He even forgot where he came from, his abilities, the powers of the old mansion—he had truly become an ordinary person.
Ophelia no longer had to worry about the threats from Luo Wei's past lovers, as he no longer remembered them.
She also didn't have to fear him using the old mansion's powers to "control" her.
In a sense, Luo Wei was about to truly belong to her, and only to her.
The thought brought a mysteriously pleasant smile to Ophelia's lips, despite her discomfort.
Such a wonderful beginning.
There were occasional waves, but the subsequent progress was astonishingly smooth. The delicious fruit was within reach.
This was her plan, a perfect plan.
Thinking of this, Ophelia couldn't help but look eagerly at Caroline.
"He's developed resistance to hypnosis now. Use medication directly tomorrow night."
"Yes, Your Highness..." Caroline replied, her worry growing as she looked at Ophelia, who was visibly weaker, her cheeks slightly hollow.
"Your emotional loss of control today might be due to overexertion of your powers, causing difficulty in concentration..."
She hesitated, adding, "Perhaps we should pause for a day or two. If you continue to exert yourself at this intensity every day, I'm afraid..."
"No!" Ophelia cut her off without hesitation.
"That tentacle monster and the vampire are still searching for him. The Saint Callen Police Department is also causing me trouble. We can't stop!"
Caroline wanted to say more, but Ophelia's resolute expression silenced her.
"If there's nothing else, you may leave. I'll need you tomorrow."
The maid bowed her head silently, "Yes."
She exited the room, closing the door gently.
The office returned to its initial silence.
Ophelia leaned back tiredly in her chair, sighing deeply.