The end of the dream, and a reunion crossing time ①

 
 The first time I saw that dream, I was playing princess in kindergarten.
 
 It was an unexpected daydream.
 The “memory of my own execution” replayed before my eyes.
 
 It was such a shock for the young me that I fainted, and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital.
 
 Ever since, whenever I came across princess stuff or anything that made me think of it, I began to see that problematic dream.
 
 No playing princess.
 No playing with dolls.
 No frilly skirts.
 
 The memory kept being replayed, and each time, I screamed and collapsed.
 
 
 
 When I was still a child I worried, what if this continues for the rest of my life, but luckily, I started dreaming less frequently after some day.
 
 I think it all started when I found those twin teddy bears in a mall’s general store.
 
 The two teddy bears looked exactly like “Coco and Mel” who appeared in my dream.
 
 After welcoming those children into our family, the contents of the dream I saw changed, and the frequency that I dreamed itself decreased.
 
 So, did that completely stop affecting my life and the way I live?
 
 As it turns out, that wasn’t so.
 
 
 
 The “me” in the dream, was the daughter from an aristocratic House who made magic tools with pride from generation to generation.
 
 Draw the blueprint, hold the implement, and work the magic metal are the basics which the household was brought up on.
 In fact, she herself had had an extraordinary passion for magic tools, and desired to become a magic-tool specialist in the future.
 
 Such a young girl’s modest dream was destroyed, by the second prince and his engagement.
 
 If she marries into the royal family, she would no longer have the time nor be in a position to be making magic tools.
 When the young girl heard the talks of the engagement, she had such a shock that she became dispirited for some time.
 
 After that, she somehow got back on her feet, and Leticia began strict bridal training while also aggressively studying the skills passed down in the family.
 
 However, a few years later, without being given an opportunity to put that knowledge and skills to use, she was framed on false charges and executed.
 
 Arrested the day after the incident.
 A prompt trial.
 Her attendant and servants, as well as her father, sentenced with execution.
 And then Leticia’s execution.
 
 While not being given the chance to properly explain herself.
 On the fourth day after her arrest, the girl was relieved of her short life.
 
 Frustrated.
 Miserable.
 I wonder why it reached that conclusion.
 
 
 
 The regret of the young girl, whose own desired path was eliminated by the surrounding circumstances to which she was at the mercy of.
 
 Was it sympathy, or was it empathy.
 
 I can’t make heads or tails of it, but there’s one fact.
 ”I” took over Leticia’s passion.
 
 I went on to a graduate school of science and technology, and after graduating, I became an engineer for a certain industrial machinery maker.
 
 That is to say, the me in the dream was similar to the me right now… Miyanohara Mizuki too had once again, chosen the path of craftsmanship.
 

 ☆

 
 ”Is Miss going to attend a wedding?”
 
 The driver’s question brought me back to the present.
 
 A wedding… aah, you saw my dress and thought that, huh, I noticed belatedly.
 
 ”As it’s related to work, I have to attend a bit of a ceremony.”
 
 ”Oh, seeing you were headed to the Imperial Hotel in a dress, I had thought you were certainly going to a wedding.”
 
 I shook my head with a bitter smile.
 I’m about to attend an award ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
 
 Our team jointly developed a robot with an “AI-based self-learning model integrated control mechanism” implemented.
 That was something which had been called ground-breaking technology, and as a result, an official commendation came from the country.
 
 Relentless effort for five years.
 As a technician, it was certainly a momentous occasion.
 
 I thought I’d wear a dress for this occasion, but was it a mistake?
 
 It was then, while thinking such, that I looked ahead.
 Something unthinkable occurred right before my eyes.
 
 
 
 Rain and wind since the morning.
 In spite of it being noon, the sky was gloomy.
 
 Just as the taxi I was riding approached a large intersection.
 
 The traffic light was green.
 It was a straight road, and we were going at a reasonable speed.
 
 In the left corner of my eye, I could see something like a white plastic bag fluttering about.
 That bag was lifted up by the wind and danced unsteadily mid-air ——— and wrapped around the helmet of a biker driving ahead of us, of all things.
 
 ”!!”
 
 The rider shook his head as though to shake it off.
 But, the bag wrapped around his head as if it were a living thing, robbing him of his vision, and causing him to lose his balance.
 
 Gasha-, Gagagaga-!^[1]
 
 The bike and the rider tumbled, and skidded.
 
 ”Tsk!!”
 
 The driver turns the steering wheel.
 The taxi screeched as it swerved right.
 
 By a hair’s breadth, we avoided a collision with the bike.
 But, the car continued into the intersection as is, and crossed into the oncoming lane.
 
 ”Huh!?”
 
 Approaching from the front and left, were a truck’s headlights.
 Beep, a car horn blared
 And then…,
 
 ”!!!!”
 
 A dreadful impact assaulted me.
 

 ☆

 
 ”!!”
 
 I threw off the bedding and jumped to my feet.
 
 ”Haah, haaah”
 
 In the dim silence, my own rough breathing echoed.
 
 What a dream.
 Of all things, why did I have to see a dream of dying while on my way to a big moment.
 
 Let’s not wear dresses after all.
 My parents who’ll see the photos of the award ceremony will probably sigh, but let’s attend in a suit just to be safe.
 
 Thinking so, I looked up.
 
 ”…huh?”
 
 A dim room.
 
 What leapt to my eyes, was not the 1DK room I’d become familiar with.^[2]
 No, in the first place, the room’s size was different.
 
 A canopied bed.
 A tableset placed by the window.
 A fireplace installed in the wall.
 And above that, a large oil painting.
 
 Spread before me, was a room almost as though it were that of a royal or noble’s palace somewhere.
 
 Furniture and ornaments that I recognise.
 A scenery I used to see every day.
 
 ”It can’t be…”
 
 My hand gripping the bedding trembled.
 
 No way. It can’t be.
 The two dreams, and memories, became muddled.
 
 ——— Why am I “here”?!
 
 
 
 That, is the absurd reality.
 It was then when I began to panic that it happened.
 
 ”… Ojou… sama?”^[3]
 
 Coming from beside me was a young woman’s voice.
 Startled, I looked in the direction of the voice, and saw someone seated on a stool beside the bed.
 
 Someone who lifted their face while rubbing their eyes.
 She was dressed in a maid’s outfit, and vacantly looked my way still half-asleep ——— and eventually, our gazes met.
 
 Brown hair tinged red.
 A few freckles randomly on her cheeks.
 
 A face I’d seen in my dream, that nostalgic face was there before me.
 
 ”A…. Ann…na?”
 
 Anna, who was hung before “my” eyes as though to set an example. Anna, who, trying not to make me feel anxious, never let her smile die right to the very end of her execution.
 
 The one who served me since when I was young right up till the day of the execution, and who was also something of an older sister to me, my attendant, was there before me.
 
 ”Ojou-sama…!”
 
 Anna, with tears beginning to well up in her eyes, came leaping into the bed and flopped down.
 She tightly hugged me with that same force.
 
 ”Ojou-sama! Ojou-samaaa!!”
 
 Anna, while still hugging me, began to sob.
 The dear family that I’d never thought I’d meet again.
 
 Her voice. That warmth. Warm things spilled from my eyes.
 
 ”Anna….”
 
 Strongly, strongly, I hugged her close.
 
 While embracing each other, we both sobbed.^[4]
 
 I wonder how long we stayed like that.
 Having calmed down a bit, Anna separated herself from me, and wiped her tears.
 
 ”I’m so glad. I’m seriously so glad. Ojou-sama woke up.”
 
 ”…… huh?”
 
 You’re glad I woke up?
 
 Here is where I realised, the reason for Anna’s tears, and the reason for my tears, are apparently different.
 I asked a question in return while she wiped her eyes, and she nodded while smiling.
 
 ”Yes. Ojou-sama has already been sleeping for five days.”
 
 ”F-, five days…?”
 
 ”I heard that, at the royal castle, you collapsed during an audience with the King-sama. The Earl-sama came carrying the limp Ojou-sama in his arms, and since returning to the mansion, Ojou-sama has kept sleeping. …do you perhaps not remember?”
 
 In that instant, an intense dizziness assaulted me.
 
 

TL Notes:

[1]I despise Japanese onomatopoeia. I get that it’s far more expressive, as it’s the literal sound, but how am I supposed to translate this in a way that doesn’t sacrifice either the meaning or ambience? ↩

[2]This is a typical measurement you’ll find in JP WNs. It pretty much means an apartment with only a dining room and a kitchen. ↩

[3]for my sanity, I’m not going to try translating these kind of things to English variants. Same for the -sama’s, -nii chan’s, etc. ↩

[4]Hehe. No, this isn’t the yuri development you’re looking for ↩

 

NomAsh: my excitement has died down, and now I realise that perhaps all the commas are actually getting in the way. Do I keep with the current writing style in order to mimic what the author tried to create? Or do I rewrite it for easier reading? Let me know in the comments below or in Discord if you’ve got any ideas.