Chapter 5 Part 3

Leopold flushed with shame. He sighed and said,

“About five hundred thousand silver… should be enough.”

“For what?”

“My wife is very ill. She barely survived the epidemic that spread a few years ago, but the aftereffects are severe. She’s almost blind.”

The cost of medicine was so high they had to sell the forge and even their home.

Even then, the money wasn’t enough for proper medicine, and her condition worsened.

Leopold eventually wept.

His son watched him with a peculiar gaze.

“Ten million silver. I’ll provide a doctor and a guard as well.”

Toward the shocked Leopold, Alexander smiled faintly.

“It’s only right to give more than what you sold me for.”

“…Alex.”

Silence fell.

Leopold looked at his clenched fists and finally asked,

“…Are you doing well?”

He have often wondered about it. Rumors about him had spread beyond the capital to the northwestern regions, but regardless, he was curious if he was doing well.

He knew it was shameless to ask, but once the words were out, he couldn’t take them back. When Alexander didn’t respond, he hastily added,

“There was a time when our family… placed everything on me. I couldn’t bear it. So, I ran away with the maid who cherished me.”

Alexander thought of Melissa, limping as she fled. He’d watched her every step from above.

Why did she remind him of a deer with a lame leg? It wasn’t as if he could shoot her with an arrow.

“That position is never easy. It’s a hard one. So… I was worried about you.”

“I have something I want to ask.”

The son’s tone was casual, unaffected by his father’s words.

“Am I really your son?”

Leopold’s expression twisted. Alexander only smiled faintly.

No matter how much a son takes after his mother, even now, grown as he was, there was little resemblance to his father other than their hair color. And black hair was common.

Though Alexander’s was a particularly deep shade, it still didn’t closely resemble his father’s.

Leopold said nothing. But that silence was answer enough.

After a brief pause, Leopold finally spoke,

“The belief that a child born to great parents will grow to be great is an arrogant illusion. Bloodlines mean nothing. You know that better than anyone.”

“…”

“It’s ultimately about how you live your life. You’re… doing well. Better than me.”

“…”

“I… always thought of you as my son. I loved you. But I was afraid of the poverty I’d never known before. I was young.”

“…”

“I’m sorry.”

There wasn’t really any reason for regret. Even if he didn’t blame himself, Alexander’s birth mother had abandoned him too, and it was a common occurrence among the poor. To a man who’d just fled from a noble family, five hundred silver must have looked sweeter than any fruit.

“Leave.”

Alexander stood up.

“And don’t come back again. If I see you again, I’ll kill you.”

He left the dining room. Outside, he gave orders to Boris, who was standing idly, about what to give Leopold. He didn’t look particularly surprised. He calmly said he understood and told the head steward they would prepare it, and Alexander continued walking. He didn’t even know where he was going. He just felt thirsty. His hunger clawed at his stomach too. The emptiness inside him made him restless, as if a hole had been drilled somewhere in his body. When he came to his senses, he was at the castle keep. He climbed to the top of the keep. Half-dragons were flying in the sky. The one she had pitied, the one he had killed. Those things could tear people apart as easily as they killed monsters, just on command. They were half-baked life forms that only followed orders. He couldn’t understand a woman who found such things pitiable rather than detestable. He looked out beyond the keep to the endless sea. Once again, he was convinced that this emptiness would only disappear once he had conquered all the lands of Tavalon and claimed that still-unclaimed sea. For that, he needed Melissa Gallandia.

***

Franz wandered through the castle that would soon be his, accompanied by his lover.

Having been thoroughly taught by his parents that fiancés and lovers were different, he remained shamelessly confident, oblivious to the scornful looks he received.

He ordered a servant to set up a hammock in the garden where he and his lover could lie down.

As they lay there, with Franz gently stroking his lover’s red hair, she pressed her cheek against his chest while watching the half-dragons flying in the sky and asked,

“So, if all the dragons are dead, how will you control them?”

Franz snorted, as if amused by her silly question, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“Dragon eggs keep being produced. The hard part is just finding them and hatching them. Alexander is just handling dragons that hatched a long time ago.”

“The one who could handle the hatched dragon didn’t exist, so it was no different than sealing it away in the otherworld. Even now, seeing that it remains there, it means Alexander couldn’t handle the dragon perfectly either. But in Bergritz, there was no one else who could handle a dragon like that. As Franz ground his teeth, the woman cautiously but curtly asked.

“Then that woman… how far can she act as a hostage?”

“You mean Melissa?”

Her lover nodded. Franz, with not a hint of jealousy, burst out laughing and nipped his lover’s nose.

“You’re jealous, aren’t you.”

“If it seems that way, you can think so.”

The woman replied curtly. Franz wriggled himself further into the hammock and giggled.

‘It doesn’t really matter how much more that woman can do. After all, she’ll only listen to me.”

“Hmm… are you sure?”

“What, why?”

“Actually, I saw something. I also overheard the servants talking…”

Franz’s expression twisted, nearly collapsing as he listened to the woman’s continued words.

He roughly got up from the hammock and stormed into the study.

He forcefully pushed aside the tray of food at the door and yanked open the door leading to the inner room.

At the loud noise, Melissa, who had been lying in bed, sat up. She seemed surprised to see Franz, but there was also a subtly unexpected expression on her face.

“You crazy b*tch, who are you fooling around with?”

Franz quickly approached and grabbed her by the collar.

“L-Let me go!”

“As long as the dragon dies, it doesn’t matter. Are you screwing around with Alexander?”

When Melissa kept her mouth shut, his fury intensified. This was a matter of pride. The fact that Alexander, who was far superior to him, was fooling around with his fiancé was an insult and felt as though his masculine pride was being trampled.

He yanked her collar, almost chewing the words.

“That’s not so bad either. Yeah, you have to kill the dragon anyway. But you should’ve done it secretly. Are you so desperate to spread the rumor that you’re a filthy wh*re?”

“Who’s the one crawling around filthier than me.”

Words she would never have dared to say before came out easily. It was because she was disgusted by the stark difference between Alexander, who desired her power just the same, and Franz’s attitude. She didn’t even know how it had come to this, but her heart was pounding with a mix of excitement and relief.

“This b*tch, really.”

Franz’s face flushed red. He forced a laugh. If he shouted any louder here, it would only advertise that his better brother had stolen his fiancé and make him look like a loser.

He exhaled sharply and spoke in an anxious tone.

“Do whatever you want, but you’d better remember your place. And also that your grandfather’s life is in our hands… Argh!”

Melissa spat at him.

Franz let her go with a shriek as if he’d been hit with filth. He wiped his face, clearing away the spit.

“You, you crazy b*tch!!!”

Consumed by rage, he slapped her cheek hard. Seeing that she didn’t fall properly, he was overcome with even greater humiliation and lifted his foot.

“Hit me one more time and…”

Just before his foot landed, Melissa shouted.

“I’ll die.”

“Aren’t you afraid of the consequences?”

“Grandfather would understand.”

Melissa said something she didn’t even believe, but Franz, overwhelmed by her momentum, didn’t realize it and hesitated for a moment.

Why is this b*tch so bold? Bright had cunningly oppressed Melissa for a long time, and she had never once rebelled in her life.

It was like being bitten by an ant he used to crush when bored. He could have mentioned her sore spot, Baron Gallandia, but his flustered mind was spinning. Still, he couldn’t just let her get away with it.

“I’ll say it again, Melissa. Remember your place.”

He slammed the door shut and stormed out as if fleeing.

Melissa slumped down, wiping her cheek.

The words about grandfather not caring were little more than bravado. She only said them because she knew that as long as she possessed this mysterious power, Bright and Franz couldn’t treat her however they pleased.

The reality was that she cared deeply for her grandfather, and he was being held hostage. It would be wise to humor them for his safety.

Tomorrow, a festival to commemorate the wheat harvest and honor the apostle Kaladaame, who protected Tavalon, would be held.

That meant the hunting grounds would be opened and her movements would be free from surveillance.

Melissa staggered to her feet and went to the fireplace.

On top of it was the longbow Alexander had given her for tomorrow’s hunt.

She gripped the bow tightly. Suddenly, his voice, asking if she was running away again, echoed in her ears. Melissa tightly shut her eyes.

***

From morning, the festival was bustling with energy. Between the temporary tents and poles set up in various places, small bundles of cloth fluttered, and there was no place without the sound of songs. The smell of street food was so pungent it seemed to soak into the head.

The lord-owned hunting grounds near the logging area were also opened. The large-scale hunt allowed participation even from commoners with personal firearms or weapons, attracting a large crowd.

The sound of a conch shell announced the start of the hunt.

Melissa, with her robe pulled up, tied her hair back but let one side fall to cover the cheek Franz had struck yesterday. Thanks to the worn-out robe, she blended naturally into the crowd.

Looking around, Melissa let out a bitter laugh.

“What? they’re hardly riding horses.”

As expected, most of the people heading into the hunting grounds were on foot. The talk about riding horses had been a lie from Alexander. Thinking he really was a man who lied without a second thought, she secured the longbow and fastened the quiver around her waist like everyone else.

“But are you really going alone?”

Philip, who was helping her secure the quiver, asked.

“Yes, I’ll be fine.”

Melissa used the excuse of wanting to hunt alone to ask Philip to keep Boris occupied for just one day. She thought he wouldn’t refuse a request from someone who had saved his life, and as expected, Philip readily agreed. He started bothering Boris from early morning so that Melissa could slip away alone.

“I’ve been wondering for a while… your cheek…”

In the commotion around them, Philip tapped his own cheek worriedly.

Melissa smiled awkwardly.

“I just didn’t sleep well last night.”

“…I see.”