Chapter 437: The Dream

The room fell into a heavy, peaceful quiet.

Beside Mailah, Grayson’s chest rose and fell in a slow, rhythmic pattern. His long arms remained securely wrapped around her waist, anchoring her against his broad body even as his muscles relaxed into deep sleep. The faint scent of rain and dark oak wood drifted from his skin, completely wrapping her in comfort.

Mailah closed her eyes, letting her breathing match his. Her mind drifted away from the quiet master bedroom, slipping softly into the warm darkness of sleep.

When Mailah opened her eyes again, she was no longer in their bedroom.

She was standing on a grand marble terrace high above a sweeping, misty valley. Heavy stone pillars carved with ancient patterns held up a tall archway above her head. Below the balcony, an endless forest of dark pine trees stretched toward the horizon, glowing under the silver light of a massive full moon. Floating glass lanterns drifted lazily through the midnight air, casting a soft blue glow over the dark velvet couches and marble statues scattered across the patio.

A cool, pine-scented breeze swept past, rustling the hem of her clothes.

Mailah blinked, looking down at herself. She was still wearing Grayson’s soft, oversized gray sweater, but her feet were bare against the smooth white stone floor.

"Grayson?" she called out softly, her voice echoing gently through the quiet air.

She turned around and spotted a tall figure standing at the very edge of the stone railing, his back turned to her.

He looked impossibly grand. He wore a long, high-collared coat made of dark midnight-blue velvet, embroidered with intricate silver thread along the shoulders and cuffs. His dark hair was slicked back neatly, exposing the sharp, perfect angles of his jaw and broad shoulders. In his right hand, he held a tall, vintage silver goblet, staring out into the misty valley like a king surveying an empire.

Mailah let out a small, relieved sigh. She assumed he had simply woken up before her and walked out to get some fresh air.

"Grayson, what are you doing out here?" Mailah asked, walking across the marble floor toward him. "It’s freezing outside. Why did you put on that heavy coat? You said you were completely exhausted."

The tall figure did not turn around immediately. He took a slow, dramatic sip from his silver goblet, letting the heavy wind blow his velvet coat back like a dark cape.

"Exhausted?" a deep, smooth voice echoed.

The voice was unmistakably Grayson’s, but the tone was entirely different.

He turned around with agonizing slowness, his long coat sweeping around his boots.

Mailah stopped in her tracks.

Mailah’s eyes softened with profound tenderness. She let go of his collar, resting her warm hand flat against his chest, right over his heavy, beating heart.

Under her palm, his heart was pounding fast and hard, like a trapped bird beating against iron bars.

"You’re not here to scare me, are you?" Mailah asked softly, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "You’re here because you’re hungry."

Grayson stiffened. His dark eyebrows pulled together, but instead of his usual loud, theatrical boom, his voice came out low, strained, and rasping—as if every word had to break through heavy iron chains inside his throat.

"H-Hungry?" Grayson choked out, his jaw tightening as he fought to keep his cold composure. "I do not... feed like a common monster. My strength was bound when I was exiled to this world. I swore a vow never to take a human’s living soul."

Mailah’s heart melted. Even back then, when his true power was suppressed and locked away, he had chosen to starve in secret rather than harm a single person. Whenever his energy ran dangerously low, he had forced himself into human dreams just to absorb a tiny drop of peaceful sleep so he wouldn’t faint.

"So you took a little dream energy," Mailah murmured, leaning against his broad chest without a trace of fear. "To survive."

Grayson turned his head away, his breath hitching. His voice sounded tightly held, like a man trying desperately to hide how weak and suppressed he really felt beneath his grand velvet coat.

"Human life force tastes like bitter turnips anyway. I only took what I needed to keep standing." Grayson gritted out softly, his icy silver eyes flickering with a dark, suppressed intensity.

Mailah smiled gently, resting her hand over his cheek. She remembered everything about those early days—how isolated he was, how his real nature was locked behind heavy doors, and how he had married human women over his long life.

His last contract had been with Mailah’s twin sister, Lailah. When Lailah died, Mailah had put on her sister’s clothes and walked into his mansion, pretending to be her.

"You know," Mailah whispered, looking up into his guarded, silver eyes. "When I first came to your estate pretending to be Lailah... I really thought I had tricked you."

Grayson froze completely.

The cold, suppressed mask on his face cracked. A raw, dark flame flickered deep in his gaze. He stepped closer, shadowing her completely, his hand reaching out to grip her waist with tight, trembling strength.

He leaned down, his deep voice dropping into an intense, breathless whisper right against her ear.

"Fooled me?" he rasped softly, his blue eyes searching her face with an intensity that made her knees feel weak.

But then, the cold, guarded expression on his sharp face softened. A faint, bittersweet smile touched his lips, filled with a quiet tenderness that felt almost overwhelming.

"I am just glad," he murmured gently, his broad hand lifting to softly rest against the side of her cheek. "I am so glad that I finally married you... and that you are being well taken care of now."

Mailah blinked, completely clueless. A small knot of confusion tightened in her chest.

Why is he saying it like that?

They were already sleeping in the exact same bed upstairs. He was the one who had just come home to her tonight, complaining about paper forms, cold tents, and grass tea. Why was he talking as if he were someone watching her from a great distance?

"Grayson... what do you mean?" Mailah asked, leaning back slightly to look into his eyes. "You’re the one taking care of me."

His expression darkened with a heavy, painful regret. He looked away for a brief moment, staring out over the misty valley as if looking back at a memory that broke his heart into pieces.

"I am so sorry, Mailah," Grayson said quietly, his deep voice trembling with a raw, aching sadness. "I am so sorry that you had to be left at the altar. I never meant to leave you waiting in that dress alone. Seryn chose that exact day to abduct me... and ever since that day, everything got ruined."

The words hung in the cool midnight air like heavy iron chains.

Mailah froze. Her heart stopped in her chest.

Left at the altar. Seryn. The wedding day.

The realization hit her like a sudden wave of cold water.

This wasn’t just a random projection from his current subconscious. This was him. This was the Grayson from before his memory was wiped. This was the soul of the man she had lost before he woke up a stranger.

For a second, Mailah didn’t know how to react. Her throat locked up, and her mind spun in total shock as she stared at his sharp, pained face.

Then, without another second of hesitation, she rushed forward and threw her arms around him.

She buried her face deep into his dark velvet coat, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders and clinging to him with everything she had.

Grayson didn’t hesitate for even a fraction of a second. He opened his long arms wide, wrapping them securely around her waist, pulling her small body so tightly against his chest that she could feel the deep, steady thud of his heart against her own. He buried his face into her dark hair, letting out a long, shaky breath.

"Is this really a dream?" Mailah whispered, her voice thick with emotion, her hands gripping his coat. "Or... what is this? How are you here?"

Grayson simply shrugged against her, a quiet, mysterious exhale escaping his lips. He didn’t give her a clear answer, only resting his chin gently on top of her head, his hands holding her as if she were the most precious thing in existence.

Mailah pulled back just enough to look up into his striking blue eyes.

"If this is a dream..." Mailah asked softly, a sudden realization crossing her mind, "...does that mean you’re feeding right now?"

Grayson didn’t respond to that. He stayed completely quiet, his eyes fixed on her face with a soft, affectionate look, refusing to give her a single word of confirmation.

Seeing his silence, Mailah assumed he really was feeding. It made complete sense. As an incubus, he still needed energy to keep his body balanced. In fact, she had actually been starting to wonder about that lately—wondering when his energy would run low and when he would need to feed again.

If absorbing a tiny bit of her peaceful dream energy meant she got to hold him like this, she didn’t mind it at all.

"Take whatever you need, you big dummy," Mailah murmured with a small, tearful smile, leaning back in to wrap her arms around his neck once more.

Grayson held her tighter, pulling her so close she could feel every beat of his heart. A low, contented sigh escaped his chest, echoing gently through the quiet midnight air.

"Calling an ancient demon a dummy," Grayson murmured softly into her hair. His voice was thick with sweet amusement, though his grip never loosened for a second. "You really haven’t changed at all, Mailah. Still as bold as the day you walked into my house."

Mailah smiled against his dark velvet coat, feeling a gentle, warm pulse flowing between them. It wasn’t painful or draining at all; it felt like a soft breeze on a warm summer night, comforting, sweet, and light. She could feel his strength slowly piecing itself back together, nourished simply by her presence and her love.

"I had to be bold," Mailah whispered, pulling back just enough to look up into his striking blue eyes. "Someone had to deal with your terrible mood swings."

Grayson scoffed dramatically, though his eyes sparkled with deep, swoon-worthy affection. "My moods were completely justified! I was an exiled demon trying to look terrifying. You were supposed to tremble in fear!"

"And yet," Mailah teased softly, reaching up to gently trace the sharp line of his jaw, "you still made me tremble. But not in fear."

A soft, breathtaking smile curved Grayson’s lips. He leaned down, resting his forehead gently against hers, his warm breath fanning across her skin.

He held her like she was the most precious treasure in the whole universe. But as the silver moon high above began to glow brighter, the edges of the grand terrace started to shimmer and fade into floating silver dust.

Grayson looked around at the dissolving dream, then looked back down at her face with a bittersweet gaze.

"My time is running out,," Grayson rasped gently, cupping her face in his broad, warm hands. He pressed a lingering kiss against her forehead, holding it there for a long moment. "The man lying beside you in the real world... he might not have my old memories, but his soul is still mine. Love him well, Mailah. He needs you just as much as I did."

"I do love him," Mailah whispered back, her eyes shining. "I love both of you."

"Good," Grayson smirked playfully, his tall form softening into glowing light. "And tell him to buy you those berries. If he forgets, I will haunt his dreams!"

Mailah laughed happily as the dream shattered into pure, golden morning light.