Mother’s eyes flashed at me as she finished speaking.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t seem pleased with my short and indifferent answer, but she let me go.

The gesture of pushing me up to my room lacked any affection.

“Thinking about the wedding expenses gives me a headache. Go upstairs. Seeing your face only makes it worse.”

I quietly climbed to my shabby room.

It was small and unremarkable, but it was still the most comfortable space in this mansion.

With Marion’s help, I changed out of my ill-fitting clothes and lay down on the bed.

Everything that happened today felt like a dream.

I felt as if I were floating.

“I really… did it….”

I placed my hand on my swollen belly.

Full from a quality meal, my stomach was evidence of the day’s events.

At that moment,

“Hm….”

Tears welled up.

I bit my lip and covered my forehead with the back of my hand.

Only then did I realize.

I wasn’t okay. I was just suppressing everything.

The violence from my family.

My tears flowed continuously.

I felt wretched.

To have been so amazed and ravenously devoured the food over just one meal.

The other young ladies at the restaurant had moved elegantly and left most of their food untouched.

Unlike me, who kept expressing my admiration, they looked bored, and some glanced at me as I emptied my plate.

Would Illyae eat like that, too?

I didn’t know since I’d never eaten with her.

Even Dante had left some of his food.

‘It’s really delicious.’

‘It’s good to hear it suits Young Lady Chloe’s taste.’

They had no comment about the food.

Is it because they could always eat such meals?

Meanwhile, I, who was still called a young lady…

“Shameful….”

Tears soaked my pillow and hair.

At the same time, I felt relieved.

Now, there only remained the meeting between Mrs. Lestro and Father to set the wedding date.

Father was eager to get rid of me, so there was no worry there, but I was worried whether Mrs. Lestro would accept me.

In the original story, there weren’t any significant episodes involving Mrs. Lestro.

In fact, I remembered Mrs. Lestro being close to Illyae. Still, if she learned about the curse, she might not oppose the marriage.

My tears stopped only after I had gone through everything in my mind.

At that moment, a golden line appeared on the dark ceiling.

Even I, who couldn’t use magic, could tell.

It was a summoning circle.

“What is that!”

I muttered with a cracked voice, scooting back.

I rolled off the bed and glared at the ceiling.

Come at me. I’ve lived stubbornly until now; do you think I’ll give in easily?

The line expanded, forming a giant magic circle.

What on earth was being summoned?

Then.

Thud.

Something fell onto the bed.

When I looked back to the ceiling, the magic circle had vanished.

What is this?

I prodded the thing on the bed with a candlestick.

The round, curled-up object flinched.

“It, it moved!!”

I stepped back with a tense expression.

Who summoned such a creature here?

The hair on my body stood on end.

I poked it again with the candlestick.

“Ow! Stop poking me!”

The thing lifted its head abruptly.

Its round eyes glared at me, and I shuddered in reaction.

It stood on its hind legs and waddled toward me.

“Don’t you have any manners? Poking someone with a sharp object upon first meeting!”

The unknown creature, now puffed up in indignation, pointed a finger at me.

“…What are you?”

“Me?”

The plump, lizard-like creature puffed out its chest further.

“I am the great Yggdrasil! The heir of the five dragons that rule this world!”

I knew the myth of the five dragons from the novel’s lore.

But I had never heard of such a short and rotund dragon heir.

I poked it again with the candlestick, and the lizard went wild.

“Do you want to get in trouble?”

Wow, I can’t believe a dragon can be this unscary.

The lizard panted and glared at me, while covering its belly with its tail.

“Not all dragons are like you, are they?”

“Of course not! The five dragons can cover the whole world with their wings!”

“Then why are you like this…?”

“I’m! Still young! I just turned 309!”

The lizard slapped its chubby belly with its tiny fore paws.

“When I turn 1,000, I’ll become a full-fledged dragon… Put that down! Ow, ow!”

Reveal your identity.

“If you keep this up, I won’t help you!”

The lizard shouted tearfully.

“A lizard is going to help me?”

“I told you, I’m Yggdrasil!”

I didn’t know much else, but one thing was clear.

It was really cute.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Petros estate.

Mrs. Lestro waited for Dante’s return with a gentle smile. As Dante greeted her for the evening, her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Dante, I heard you met a young lady from the Tyrannia family today?”

Her face was filled with eager expectation.

Dante tried to think of who might have told Mrs. Lestro about his schedule.

‘Haa.’

Everyone, including Kellos, was a suspect.

“…Even if I don’t tell you, it seems you already know everything, Grandmother.”

“It’s only natural for a grandmother to be interested in her grandchild’s affairs, Dante. So, what kind of young lady was she?”

Mrs. Lestro couldn’t hide her mild excitement as she asked.

What kind of young lady, indeed.

Dante briefly recalled Chloe.

She was bolder and more extraordinary than he had expected.

The ability to see the future.

It was a much more practical ability than wasting sacred power trying to cure Dante’s curse.

If she could see the future, she could help in any situation just like she did today.

“She’s a young lady who can make Petros a hero.”

Mrs. Lestro’s eyebrows twitched.

“Please accept the marriage proposal.”

A radiant smile spread across Mrs. Lestro’s face at that request.

She had never imagined that Dante would make such a request himself.

“I will send a letter right away. No, it’s late now, so first thing tomorrow…! To Lady Illyae…!”

“It’s not Lady Illyae, Grandmother.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s Lady Chloe. Chloe Tyrannia.”

She had assumed it was Illyae since Dante mentioned someone who could make Petros a hero.

She had been hoping for Illyae as well, given their previous proposal.

But Chloe?

Did Tyrannia’s other daughter possess remarkable qualities like Illyae?

‘No, that’s not important.

The important thing is that Dante expressed his willingness to marry.’

“Very well, so be it!”

Mrs. Lestro said in a heightened tone.

The crucial thing was for Dante to get married and lead a happy life. Thinking about how the curse deprived Dante of what he deserved was heart-wrenching.

That day was a tragedy.

It was no one’s fault.

The Petros family bore the curse in place of the emperor, leading to the untimely deaths of the duchy couple.

But unexpectedly, the curse extended to Dante.

The royal family owed an unpayable debt to the Petros family, yet there was no compensation.

They had the nerve to say, ‘But isn’t it fortunate, Aunt, that I am safe thanks to your sacrifice? The Petros family and the royal family are one family, aren’t we? Rejoice in my well-being,’ with a straight face.

Mrs. Lestro etched the humiliation, anger, and sorrow of that day into her bones.

But she couldn’t dwell in those emotions alone.

She had Dante, the precious blood left by her deceased son and daughter-in-law.

It was Mrs. Lestro who embraced the shattered Dante and rebuilt the Petros family.

‘I will make sure Dante is happy.’

Mrs. Lestro clenched her fists.

This was the maximum atonement she could offer for failing to protect her son’s family from the emperor.

“Dante, tell me more. In what ways do you think this young lady can make you a hero? Is she a brilliant strategist? Dante!”

Mrs. Lestro called out as Dante quickened his pace, trying to avoid further questioning.

Once caught, she wouldn’t stop until she extracted every detail from him.

For the first time in a long while, there was a hint of laughter in the Petros Duchy.

It was a stark change from the usually tense atmosphere that pervaded the place.