A space that could sever a cursed lineage? This greenhouse?

“Suze has the ability to quell the raging power. If the child has been managed from a young age, they can live a normal life despite having a bit more power. However, if they’ve already grown up, it’s a different story.”

“So… in cases where they’ve already grown up…”

“They would need continuous contact.”

That was why. That was why Damon always found excuses to be in contact with her whenever possible.

He truly needed her.

“And after that, Suze disappeared… and the curse on the Grand Ducal family continued.”

Even though she should have felt something was off from the start, she had been too naive. The fact that she was given the greenhouse made for the first Grand Duchess meant something from the beginning.

“I left my last remaining essence in the greenhouse so that if Suze ever reappears, the truth can be revealed.”

“How kind of you.”

Elysia couldn’t help but scoff, even though she knew she shouldn’t.

This man, like Damon, was only staying around for his descendants. He had deceived and used her, just as he had. She felt foolish for having been deceived, and the absurdity of her situation made her want to laugh.

“So, Suze is needed to break the curse.”

That was why it was like this.

It wasn’t that he loved her, but that he needed her. She had thought he liked her, if not loved her. He had acted like a man in love. Even knowing it was an act, she had almost been completely deceived.

“Isn’t it possible to endure by taking the medicine provided by the imperial family?”

“At first, I was satisfied with that.”

“At first?”

“Until I learned about the severe side effects of the medicine.”

Side effects?

She knew the imperial family would never act in the Raphael family’s best interest, though this was beyond just breaking a promise.

“I didn’t kill Iker to save my son. At that time, without Iker’s medicine, my son would have died soon. The mana was too much for a child’s body to handle.”

Damon had said he was weaker compared to his siblings, and that was why he could survive even in the greenhouse.

“The medicine from the imperial family is far from perfect. A hybrid of a human and a dragon is destined for death. It’s not a death that can be avoided with such shallow methods. Even if the medicine delays it, there is an end.”

An inescapable death.

So, even though the medicine can delay it, it couldn’t completely prevent it.

“My son depended on the medicine provided by the imperial family. Without it, he couldn’t even breathe. His blood was so diluted, so he was the strongest… Mana can be given, but it cannot be taken away, you know?”

“No, I… I don’t know anything about magic.”

Elysia had no way of knowing. Her life had been far removed from magic.

“At first, I thought it was alright. As long as I was around, Iker would supply the medicine, and the imperial family had a treaty to protect the Grand Duucal family. So, the method of making medicine for the Grand Ducal family is kept secret in the imperial family.”

That was why there was such a peculiar alliance between the imperial family and the Grand Ducal family.

“I used too much power, and I thought my son was okay, so I left. I knew he wouldn’t be able to do anything else while I was alive. Thanks to that, my son survived even after reaching adulthood. It was due to the medicine’s effect. Of course, he didn’t live a long life, but he was able to see his own children.”

“….”

“After that, there were several similar incidents. Having children, dying, and repeating the cycle. When the blood finally thinned out, I discovered a new fact.”

The man looked very exhausted. His eyes seemed filled with regret, and Elysia sympathetic. It felt cowardly to see such a figure behind Damon’s face.

“Could you change your appearance?”

“Why?”

“I can’t focus. I don’t want to see that face anymore…”

“Don’t want to see it?”

Elysia nodded.

She didn’t understand why she continued to feel this way towards the man who had deceived her. It was time to truly leave him behind.

“It’s strange. I changed to the most desired appearance for you.”

“But I said I didn’t want to see it.”

At her firm statement, the man changed his appearance. As Damon’s face finally disappeared, Elysia let out a short sigh of relief.

“It’s best to continue talking. There isn’t much time left.”

“Not much time left?”

“How long do you think the essence will last? It’s the last bit of power I left before dying.”

Not having heard everything yet, but he was going to disappear.

“I realized something was wrong only after a long time had passed. Even when I recognized the problem, I couldn’t stop it. For now, there’s no other way.”

Was this appearance the First Grand Duke’s?

Even though he had changed his face, it was still quite similar to Damon’s. Apart from the golden eyes, it resembled him closely. The vertically slit pupils, like a reptile’s, revealed that he was not Damon.

“The sedative provided by the imperial family contains addictive components. It forces the blood flow to expand, so while it might seem fine temporarily, it’s not permanent. Even without the addictive ingredients, the pain alone would have driven them to keep seeking it.”

Expand the blood flow?

“The dragon’s mana flowing in the blood seethes uncontrollably and attacks the body. It’s too much for a human body to handle. The medicine expands the blood flow to reduce the pain. But think about it. Can it really be expanded indefinitely?”

“No… Eventually…”

“It will burst.”

Elysia’s eyes shut tightly at the horrifying description. Her fears were confirmed. The overflowing power would go out of control.

“Isn’t it better not to take the medicine?”

“If you don’t take it, you might feel like you’ll die immediately. Once you taste the medicine, you can’t stop. The pain is so intense that you’d want to end your own life.”

She couldn’t even imagine the extent of the pain that would make someone want to end their life. How unbearable must it be?

“It’s not a pain that can be endured. The problem came after my death. The imperial family, realizing I was gone, stopped supplying the medicine for free, using a shortage of materials as an excuse.”

The imperial family didn’t keep their promise?

“When it seemed like death was imminent, they provided the medicine. They ensured that the dependence on it would increase.”

“But… shouldn’t they have honored their promise?”

“The imperial family turned the Grand Ducal family into loyal dogs. Even if the Grand Dukes discovered the truth about the medicine, they were already addicted. They were given poison to consume.”

Poison?

The mention of poison made her fingers tremble slightly.

Damon had said he had taken the imperial family’s medicine in the past. It didn’t seem like he was using it now, but she had her doubts.

“Poison… you say?”

“To the Grand Ducal family’s bloodline, it’s poison. The imperial family supplied both a sedative and an agitating agent. When the imperial family wanted, they took the agitating agents and worked them like dogs. Only then were they given the sedative. They didn’t realize it would hasten their death. Many of the Grand Dukes became the imperial family’s loyal dogs.”

The Grand Dukes of Raphael, known as loyal servants of the imperial family. Everyone believed that was true. The reality of their loyalty wasn’t known, and that was why people spoke freely.

“Eventually, the Grand Dukes started to realize that the medicine from the imperial family wasn’t beneficial.”

“If they stopped taking it…”

“They knew they couldn’t stop. The pain was unbearable.”

As the man’s figure began to blur, it became evident that time was running out. He hadn’t yet explained what she should do, but as the creator of the greenhouse, he would know its use.

“What should I do in the greenhouse to get treatment?”

“I wanted to break this curse, so I informed my descendants about Suze. If they find Suze…”

“Find Suze?”

“They must capture her.”

With those words, the man vanished. The strange space returned to normal. She was still sitting on the swing, and warm sunlight filled the greenhouse.

“Ah…”

Should she believe what had just happened? Still, she had no choice but to. The man’s explanation had made everything clear. It explained all of Damon’s suspicious behaviors.

“I can’t believe it…”

It was more accurate to say she didn’t want to believe it. She didn’t want to accept that she had been toyed with by him all along. At first, she tried not to believe it. But over time, she started to think that his feelings for her might have been real.

“I was such a fool.”

In hindsight, Damon had never truly shared anything with her. Suze, Elysia was needed because she was Suze.

“And I, like a fool…”

He, who despised contact with others, had no reservations about her. Not only that, but he also yearned to be closer. Perhaps she was even proud of it, believing she was special. She thought she had become someone special to him. Love, yes, she loved him.

She believed he liked her, too.

“Your Grace!”

Elysia trudged out of the greenhouse, eager to leave the horrid place behind.

When Damon had given her the greenhouse, she had been both scared and thrilled. It was a greenhouse that only the first Grand Duchess had possessed. She had felt elated, thinking she was being acknowledged as his true wife.

Without knowing the dark truth behind it.

“How foolish I was…”

“Your Grace!”

“Elysia!”

She hadn’t walked far from the greenhouse when she heard voices calling for her. It seemed the servants and knights were frantically searching the garden, and Damon was among them.

“Damon?”

“Where have you been?”

“Ah…!”

Elysia winced as strong hands gripped her shoulders. It was the first time she had seen Damon so angry. He had never looked at her with such intensity before.

“Da, Damon, I wasn’t anywhere….”

“Your traces had completely vanished from the Grand Duchy.”

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