"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah," Ard woke up in his bed, panting and immediately sitting up. His breath was ragged. "Caw... caw," he looked up to see his Garuda circling and flying above him.
"Ard!"
Ard turned to see Alicia, Milia, Beatrice, Rosalind, and Patricia in his room, along with their respective familiars. He looked at the window and saw that it was already daylight. Alicia, Milia, Beatrice, Rosalind, and Patricia were shocked to see Ard, because tears kept streaming down his face. Ard tried to wipe them away, but the tears wouldn't stop and only flowed harder. His thoughts and feelings were in complete chaos. He covered himself with the blanket.
"Are you okay, Pr- ah, I mean, Ard?" Alicia asked anxiously.
"Please tell me, what did you dream about?" Milia asked.
"What happened, Ard?" Beatrice asked.
"Ard," Rosalind murmured, touching Ard's leg.
Patricia was silent and didn't speak, but her face showed she was extremely worried and sad to see Ard.
"Get out... please get out... please... I beg you, get out," Ard muttered faintly from beneath the blanket.
"Gasp," Alicia, Milia, Beatrice, Rosalind, and Patricia were startled. They turned to look at each other, then looked back at Ard.
"Alright, we'll leave. We're sorry, Ard," Beatrice said.
Without another word, they all immediately left Ard's dorm room. When the door closed, Ard pulled back the blanket. Tears still flowed relentlessly, soaking his face. His hands were clenched, gripping the blanket. "Clang," Ard's Garuda landed back on the side of the bed and tilted its head, looking at Ard with its round eyes.
"I-I'm okay... all of Ashton's feelings rushed into me... I-I'm a mess... my thoughts and feelings are chaotic... I'm hurting... deeply hurting... I hate humans," Ard mumbled.
"Caaaaawk," the Garuda cried out again, spreading its wings.
Ard turned to look at the Garuda, which immediately folded its wings back and tilted its head once more, staring at Ard. Then the Garuda looked at Ard's two hands and back at his face. Ard looked at his own hands and instantly gasped because his two hands, gripping the sheet, were emitting balls of black and white light on his right and left.
Ard closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. Slowly, his thoughts began to organize themselves again, and his feelings started to subside. In his mind, he replayed his dream step-by-step to absorb everything, and this time, without emotion. He could clearly see what had happened. He could also clearly see the faces of the people in the town square, the executioner's face, Esmeralda's final expression, and finally, the face of Jourell, the young king who looked to be around 30 and seemed to be the same age as Ashton and Esmeralda.
When he looked closely at Ashton's face once again, he suddenly realized that Ace's age on Earth when he died, Ashton's age on the execution stage, and his own age when he was killed nine times before repeating, were all the same: 31 years old.
"Is this a coincidence... or is it truly destiny... but if it is destiny, why do I keep repeating nine times... that's right, right now I am not Ace... I am not Ashton... I am Arden Larsen Fredonia, the third prince of the Fredonia Kingdom, son of King Arthur and the prince nicknamed the trash prince... yes... that's who I am... I am not Ace and Ashton... maybe my past lives were them, but now I am me," Ard thought, now calm.
"Caaaaawk,"
Ard turned to look at the Garuda, which flapped its wings as if agreeing with his thoughts. Ard smiled at it and raised his arm. The Garuda immediately hopped onto his arm, then moved to his shoulder.
"Alright, I understand, and to commemorate my past... I name you Ace," Ard said.
"Caw... caw... caw," Ace, the Garuda, seemed delighted to be given that name and rubbed its head against Ard's cheek.
Ard stroked Ace's chin, then began thinking again. He vividly remembered Jourell's terrified face when Ashton transformed and broke his chains. Ard's eyes hardened, staring straight ahead, and his tears stopped.
"Jourell... the young king of the Soranus Kingdom. For some reason, he looks so much like Edmund, the first prince of the Orthus Empire, especially when he's scared. The Soranus Kingdom executed Ashton, although they ultimately failed, and Esmeralda, not because they feared their power, but because Jourell wanted to possess Esmeralda... it's outrageous... he's a true bastard who caused humanity's ruin... just like Edmund who declared that Eva belongs to him," Ard muttered, unconsciously clenching the blanket again until his knuckles turned white.
Ard stepped down from his bed, then he opened his wardrobe to take out his uniform and get ready to leave the room.
***
A short time earlier, in a luxurious room in the exclusive dormitory for royal and noble daughters, Eva, still in her uniform, paced back and forth in front of her bed with a worried look.
"Ugh... I want to go to Ard's room, but I'm an Imperial Princess... I shouldn't be seen in the men's dorm... or the Empire's image will be tarnished... but... I'm worried. Ard didn't come to class today. What happened to him," Eva murmured to herself.
"Knock... knock," the door to Eva's room was knocked. "Come in," Eva called from inside. "Click," the door opened, and Irwin entered the room, then closed the door. Seeing Irwin arrive, Eva immediately walked up to him.
"Well, Irwin, did you go check on him? What's the reason he didn't come to class?" Eva asked hopefully.
"Um... sorry, Princess. When I was walking over there, I was followed by Princess Alicia, Princess Milia, Princess Beatrice, Princess Rosalind, and Patricia... they pressured me... and in the end, they wouldn't let me go inside," Irwin said.
"Aaaah... why? Oh, you're so stupid, Irwin... why did they go in there? Don't they have any self-respect? How awful," Eva said, annoyed and feeling defeated.
"I apologize, Princess," Irwin said, bowing his head.
"It's fine, don't worry about it. You can leave now. Get some rest," Eva said, turning away.
"Understood, Princess. Once again, I apologize," Irwin said, bowing again.
Irwin left the room and closed the door. Eva sat on the edge of her bed, her cold expression suddenly turning sad.
"Finally... finally we meet again... after 3,000 years ago... then 1,000 years ago and finally repeating life nine times, all only until the age of 31... I finally found you... I don't want to be separated from you again, and I won't let you go... but... my position is difficult... why did I have to be an Imperial Princess... I want to be an ordinary citizen who can go anywhere freely... in nine lives... I always came to the Fredonia Kingdom... I always looked for you because that was our promise when we parted 1,000 years ago... I promised I would be born in my kingdom... and you, as the Demon King, would be born in yours... hic... I miss you and I want to be with you....I'm tired," Eva murmured sadly, hugging her pillow.
Eva lay down on her bed, still hugging her pillow and closing her eyes, but without her realizing it, a single tear escaped and trailed down her cheek.