Isabel's eyelashes trembled slightly.
She let out a soft hum and slowly awoke from the faint swaying.
...What just happened? Her memories from the previous second still lingered on her conversation with Iver.
Then she vaguely felt the entire world tremble and wrinkle. It was as if a suddenly shaking earthquake had shattered everything, or as if a fragile, thin cardboard box had been washed away by a flood. In her hazy state, she heard the terrifying howl of a hurricane, as though she were on a battlefield, listening to a roar that shook heaven and earth.
She shuddered, overcome by immense fear. It was as though the house she lived in were about to be destroyed by a tornado. The sense of danger made her feel as if she would wake up in the next moment, but then she heard a sigh.
A dry, hoarse voice, like sand scraping against a throat, rang out. "Go back to sleep."
And so she sank into slumber once more.
When she awoke again, those lingering sensations seemed like a dream, hazy and elusive.
...But she was already in a dream.
Could someone in a dream still dream? Isabel fell into a brief bewilderment.
"Princess Isabel."
Perhaps she had heard the sound, for Shafiya's voice came from outside the room.
Isabel immediately woke up fully, and her expression returned to calm.
She tried to throw off the covers and turn over to get out of bed. Only then did she finally realize that it was not she who felt dizzy—the "room" itself was swaying.
—This was a ship.
Although she had never been on a ship, she instinctively realized what it was.
*Why had she been with Iver just moments ago, only to arrive on a ship the next? ...Had she lost a