Tonight, I decided to hang myself.

It was a pretty spontaneous decision.

Not that I'd never thought about it before... but that wasn't what this was about.

I simply needed to finish a chapter in my novel where the heroine decides to kill herself. And since I'd never actually hanged myself, but wanted to write the scene realistically, I decided to try it.

"Alright... I think everything's ready," I said aloud, checking the rope I'd secured to the curtain rod.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped onto the chair.

"Hahaha..." A chill ran through my entire body. "It's just research. Nothing more."

My heart started beating faster.

"Besides, nothing bad can happen."

Finally, I gathered my courage and slipped my head into the noose. Then suddenly... Something cracked.

I looked down and watched the chair drift farther and farther away. The thing that had cracked was one of the chair legs beneath me. My world flipped upside down in an instant. I started choking, my legs kicking frantically.

"Th-This... this can't be happening!"

Tears streamed down my cheeks. Panic took over. I struggled to catch my breath, tried to do something, anything, with the rope, but I was already losing consciousness.

"What a stupid way to die," I thought. And then suddenly... The rope snapped. I started falling.

My vision blurred. But the sensation of falling never stopped.

"It's just a dream, ahahaha..." The panic still hadn't gone away.

When I felt a cold breeze against my skin, I finally opened my eyes. I really was falling. But this wasn't my house.

"AAAAAAAAAH!" I screamed and squeezed my eyes shut.

...

"What?"

I opened my eyes.

A sea. A blue sea.

A pair of frightened blue eyes shone before me. Bright, yet strangely comforting - they were the only thing I could see in the darkness.

The moment I saw them, I felt completely at peace.

Blue rose petals drifted down from the sky. It felt as though I had stepped into some magical, impossible world. Their color matched the eyes of the stranger holding me in his arms. Just like me, he stared back in confusion, saying nothing.

"What is this feeling?" I wondered. "I've never felt anything like it before." The moment lasted for a few more magical seconds before cold water suddenly poured over both my head and my rescuer's.

He dropped to one knee.

"I'm so sorry," I said, my voice trembling. Though it wasn't just my voice. I was shaking too.

My rescuer remained silent. He seemed flustered.

"Thank you so much," I continued, shaking my head.

I tried to stand, but suddenly cried out.

"Ow!"

Ah. I'd stepped on one of the rose thorns. I wasn't wearing any shoes, and the thorn had pierced my foot.

Apparently, my small cry finally snapped my rescuer out of it. He stood and offered me his hand.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

I looked up.

Standing before me was a tall young man, perhaps eighteen or nineteen years old, with blue eyes, light hair, and impossibly perfect features.

He looked exactly like a prince.

His clothes looked incredibly expensive. The only thing was... They weren't from this century.

Maybe he's a cosplayer, I might have thought. Except the building behind me wasn't my apartment complex. It was a fortress… A fortress that looked like a castle.

For a moment, my mind went completely blank.

"Are you absolutely sure you're alright?" he asked again, studying me carefully.

I glanced around once more. And understood.

"Oh, it's a dream! My God, it's so realistic! Even the pain feels real!" I pressed my foot onto the thorn again. "Ow! Holy ***, this is ridiculously realistic!"

"What are you doing?" he asked, grabbing my hand. His expression looked more annoyed than shocked.

"Wait..." I stared at him. "This isn't a dream...?"

Silence.

My heart started beating faster. Very fast. I looked down at my dress.

Blue. Long. Luxurious.

Then I looked at him again.

Expensive jewelry. Perfect posture. The way he carried himself.

And then the castle. Majestic. Stone. Cold.

And the blue roses scattered across the grass. Even they looked expensive.

“This is... Perfect!” I was practically celebrating inside. "Please forgive me, sir..." I said, turning to him.

"Kassias. Kassias Klaude. Just Kassias. There's no need for 'sir.'"

"I'm sorry, Kassias. I'm just a little shocked."

"I understand," he said. After a brief pause, he continued. "Forgive me for asking, but why did you decide to jump out of the window?"

"Huh? Me?" The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. I needed to think of something. "I... I don't remember..."

"I see," he said thoughtfully.

He studied me carefully, as though trying to decide whether I was lying. A moment later, he smiled and lowered himself slightly so we were at eye level.

"Would you like me to walk you back?"

Back where? Where exactly was "back"? I didn't even know which room I lived in.

"Yes. I'd really appreciate that."

"May I ask your name?"

"My name is..."

I tried to force myself to think. My thoughts tangled together. My head felt like it was about to explode.

Wait. What's my name?

"Is something wrong?" Kassias asked, tilting his head slightly to the left.

"No, everything's fine," I said. And immediately fainted.

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