When The Count’s Illegitimate Daughter Gets Married

After he explained the restoration of mana of a place and why Ian and Laritte should break up, he added, “don’t tell other humans because this knowledge is kept only to dragons.
Got it?”

Putting all the puzzles together, Ian finally understood why he sensed the strange flow of mana whenever he was next to Laritte.
However, he just couldn’t admit it.
He would not believe that she could be in danger if she stayed with him.

“No way….
it’s not possible.”

Ian was the only child of Duke Reinhardt, who had power equal to the Imperial family.
He inherited the Duke’s Decree without much trouble and he had the respect of all the ministers.

But Laritte did not.
She was born in the slums—a place filled with germs, diseases, and decomposing stuff crawling all over the place.
She was taken into the County at the age of eight, but she never approached Ian by herself.

Ian told himself where it went wrong.

It was impossible for the Swordmaster to return to his mansion after he was betrayed by Bartolt.
In other words, he was the one to pioneer a new fate and create a different future.

‘Back then, I shouldn’t have met Laritte.
I shouldn’t have gone to the villa.
I should have accepted death.’

“Is there any solution other than us getting separated? Please, dragon.”

Still, Ian did not regret the past.
He wasn’t afraid to die.
But without him, Laritte would have aged all by herself in the mountain villa.
He didn’t like that.
They met coincidentally, so every moment he spent with her was a thousand times more precious to him.

“Not that I know of.
Now, the danger may be alleviated by simply not speaking to each other.
But in the end, you’ll have to stay away, like strangers.”

Seta thought of other dragons, most of whom were older than Seta.
It was not that there was no way at all, but it was better to say that it was impossible.
‘Because it’s something that all dragons have to approve of.
And no one favors humans other than me,’ he thought.

Ian clenched his fist, his veins bulging from the pressure.

 

***

 

When Ian returned to the vacant lot, it was deserted.
No remains of the mad dragon were there to be found.
It was being handled by the imperial family.
Of course, the first contributor was the Reinhardt family.
And since the Empress was gone, there was no one to steal the spoils from the remains.
Only Laritte and Oscar were seen talking as they waited for Ian.

“Ian!”

Oscar pulled Ian into a hug.

“What happens now?” Ian questioned.

“May’s exchange meeting event will be canceled.
If it was supposed to be, there would be a death penalty held for my mother on the last day of the exchange.”

The Emperor’s voice was still trapped in his throat, but fortunately, he could move his hands little by little.
That’s why he was able to convey the will of the Emperor.

“The Emperor wishes for me to bury the Empress’s body six feet below the ground after the death penalty……”

A person was buried six feet deep below the ground if they died from an infectious disease.
To prevent the transmission of the disease from the body.
To ask for the Empress to be treated like that meant that her sins should not be transmitted to others.
It was a punishment more than just the death penalty.

“Anyway, I have a lot of work to deal with, so I shall take my leave.
If you have an injury, make sure to call the imperial doctor or visit the treatment room for a check-up.
The castle where the guests are staying is intact, so if you want to rest, you can go to the same room as before.”

Now, only Ian and Laritte were left behind.

Laritte looked around the vacant lot where many people were working to clean the area.
There was also a black bag that had not yet been carried away.

“A lot of things happened.”

All they had to do was meet the fortune-teller and listen to what he had to say.
But he turned out to be a quack.

As she stretched, a torn sleeve of hers caught his eye.
Ian naturally took off his coat and reached to cover it, but stopped midway.

Seta’s words rang in his ears.

“You shouldn’t even speak to each other.”

In the end, they had to be completely distant.

“…..Let us head inside as well.” Ian passed by Laritte.
She followed suit.
No wonder she felt weird.
She had never walked looking at Ian’s back.

“Let’s go together.”

Ian still did not answer back.

“Brown bear?”

“Quickly.”

He didn’t look back at her until the end.
She chased after him without one shoe and stepped on a pointed stone on the way.

“Aah….”

She wasn’t bleeding, but it was painful.
She sat down before raising her head.
Ian, who she thought would wait naturally, saw her and hurried back inside.

‘Why did I think he would definitely wait for me?’

Laritte was used to giving up.
Enduring the pain, she tried to walk, but there was a pair of shoes in front of her.
Ian had taken it off and left for her.

He appeared concerned over the sound he heard.
The sound of Laritte dragging in his big shoes.

‘It’s uncomfortable, but her feet won’t hurt anymore, right?’

Laritte no longer called after Ian.
It was hurting him even more.
Swearing, he walked away.
He could no longer show the same kindness as before.
‘It was all for Laritte,’ Ian made up his mind to believe in the fact.

Avoiding misfortune

People could not stop natural phenomena.
As if the night would always arrive even if someone refused.

The sky turned dark over the capital city.
It was time for Ian and Laritte to sleep in the same room.

“Ian.
You were great today.”

Of course, Ian had no intention of sharing a room with Laritte.
he grabbed the doorknob with some pattern on it.
But his mind was not focused on what pattern it looked like.

“Ian?” Laritte, who was getting ready to sleep, asked as she covered herself with a blanket.
“Where are you going? Do you need anything?”

Ian looked back at his shoulder.
There was a lot he wanted to say to her.
Things like… Was her foot okay now? Wasn’t she disappointed that he didn’t wait for her?

‘……Are you not angry?’

But not a word left his mouth.
He was told not to speak to her.
It was pathetic in the past.
He had been by her side all day to protect her, and he had no idea that it was driving her to the edge of the cliff.

Laritte came down and wore the slippers kept next to the bed.

“You didn’t get hurt, did you? You didn’t let the doctor check you earlier.
All knights who encountered the dragon went through a health examination regardless of their group.”

His hand gripped on the doorknob.

‘It wouldn’t have mattered if I was hurt instead of you.
You are my first love.
I can’t let you go.
But we can’t even meet anymore.’

Suspicious, Laritte stared at Ian.
Ian, who had always been keeping an eye on her, did not meet her eyes today.

“……”

Ian opened the door of the bedroom and stepped out.
Laritte—left alone—stood blankly in the middle of the room.

“Ian?” She immediately stepped out with a candle that was left on the table.
But the corridor was empty, Ian was nowhere to be found.
Only lanterns and portraits were lined up along the walls of the hallway.

“Ian,” she called out his name by pushing the candle into the air.

No answer.

Even after waiting for a long time, only guests with blankets were walking through the corridor.

Laritte came back to the room.
She knew that Ian was prone to getting cold.
Like how he did when he disappeared to find the fortune-teller.

Standing on the leathery carpet of a bear, she muttered, “……I thought you said you’d tell me everything.
You’re a liar.”

What was wrong with him all of a sudden?

Perhaps the fortune-teller’s words were true.
Ian was distancing himself because they weren’t meant to be together.

Or perhaps he was angry.
Laritte couldn’t recall, but she made a very big mistake and could not be forgiven.

What should she do?

She lied down on the bed as she thought about it.
The blanket was so expensive that she felt like she was lying on a sheep on a ranch.
When she lived with her real mother, she had slept in a basement without moonlight with a rat from the sewer.
Compared to that, this was a luxury that she had never dreamt of.

Humans were adaptable creatures.
Now Laritte—who previously felt uncomfortable to sleep with a blanket on—didn’t need maids to visit her.
She could definitely adapt again, quickly this time.
Whether Ian was there or not, whether she had a good blanket or not.

So Laritte decided to stay still.
After all, she was one of the best people in the Empire to endure irrationality.