?<strong>Chapter 1558:</strong>


    In this dream, the little girl was the only other person. Elyse decided to tag along. They turned corners and walked a considerable distance before finally arriving at a heavily guarded room. Upon seeing the little girl, the guards bowed deeply and opened the door.


    Following the girl inside, Elyse found herself in a room furnished simply with a bed, a table, and a in chair.


    As Elyse looked around curiously, the little girl spoke in a tone both childlike and authoritative, leaving no room for doubt. “Get up! Stop ying dead.”


    Was there someone else in this room?


    Elyse followed the voice and was taken aback to find a man sprawled on the bed, where just moments before, no one had been.


    The many t, his hand obscuring his face.


    At the girl’s assertivemand, he revealed a sly smirk. “Am I not allowed to lie down?”


    The girl tilted her chin up defiantly. “You can lie down if I allow it. If I don’t, then you can’t. Such is the privilege of a princess.”


    The man let out a derisive scoff. “A princess, you say? What grand power you wield. I’m merely a prisoner here, and yet the princess feelspelled to visit daily.”


    The princess paused briefly before responding, “I can offer you a chance to leave. Don’t you want it?”


    This prompted the man to bite his lip, visibly struggling to contain his anger. “You’ve taken everything from me, confined me here, and now you dangle freedom like a cruel joke? How vile!”


    The girl’s expression turned cold and calcting, belying her tender years. “This is mere strategy. Your dreams are insignificant to me. You’ve utterly failed. In my eyes, you’re nothing but a disposable pawn. Leave now. My realm has no ce for failures.”


    Overwhelmed with frustration, the man bellowed, his roar echoing violently around the room.


    Elyse pped her hands over her ears as the very fabric of her surroundings seemed to crack under the intensity of his outburst. Ovee by the cacophony, she huddled on the floor.


    Just when the dream threatened to engulf herpletely, a clear voice pierced the turmoil. “Wake up, Elyse!”


    Her eyes snapped open, and she found herself gazing into Jayden’s worried face. It took her a moment to collect herself and return to reality.


    She murmured, still dazed, “What happened to me?”


    “You were caught in a nightmare, crying out, ‘I’m so scared,''” Jayden exined, his voice tinged with relief. “I was really worried about you.”


    Jayden carefully dabbed the beads of sweat from Elyse’s forehead with a tissue.


    When Elyse had settled somewhat, she murmured, “I had a dream about a man. I didn’t recognize him exactly, but it felt like I knew him. He pulled me into one of his memories.”


    Jayden’s curiosity was piqued. “What did you see?”


    “He was being held captive,” Elyse began hesitantly, “by a little girl, maybe seven or eight years old. He said she had ruined him, called himself aplete failure. He imed that once she got what she wanted, she discarded him.”


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