TGDHC Chapter 159

Chapter 159 – Strange Ange

“Those are rude words.”

I removed my hand from Lucion’s arm.

“He may seem a bit blunt at first, but everyone here is warm and soft-hearted. I actually think Blenheim is much kinder than the capital.”

“A warmhearted northerner… Your Highness truly has a heart as beautiful as your appearance.”

His tone was sharp for something that sounded like a compliment.

Lucion stared down at his own arm for a moment, then slowly clenched his fist.

“The Grand Duke is very fortunate. To meet a wife who loves this barren land so sincerely.”

“I’m the lucky one.”

I didn’t back down.

“He’s a very gentle man. And he treats me wonderfully.”

“Gentle?”

That guy?

Lucion let out a mocking laugh, looking entertained.

“Do you know the Grand Duke wanted to divorce you?”

In an instant, Lucion’s whole atmosphere changed.

The polite mask he had worn until now completely fell away, revealing something sharper underneath.

“The Grand Duke was originally supposed to marry my sister.”

His green eyes darkened as he stared at me.

“But everything was ruined because of you.”

“…”

Seeing that my expression didn’t shift, he let out a soft, incredulous laugh.

“So you did know. Well….”

You’re the one who got married, after all.

He muttered something under his breath, then smirked slightly.

“Then do you also know this? When the marriage fell through, the Grand Duke told my sister he would divorce you within a year.”

Everything he said was true.

But the reason the marriage had been delayed a year was because of the Rondoris queen’s memorial, not because of me.

Even without me, the princess would’ve still waited one year.

And judging by the tone Lucion was using, he clearly imagined Loic and the princess making some tragic promise to reunite later—but that absolutely wasn’t true.

“I don’t understand why you’re telling me this.”

What I really wanted to ask was why he was trying to force guilt into me.

“Doesn’t this bother you at all?”

He tilted his head and asked.

“You married a man who planned to divorce you from the very beginning.”

His hand gripped the white fence beside a red rose vine.

“How I take it isn’t really something you need to worry about.”

I answered calmly.

The only reason I wasn’t angry was because I truly didn’t understand why he was acting like this.

Is he upset because of his sister?

“Are you angry at me because the princess couldn’t marry Loic because of me?”

It was the most reasonable guess.

His fingers tightened for a moment on the fence, then suddenly relaxed and fell limp.

Lucion let his gaze drop, looking oddly deflated.

“Why would I ever be angry at Your Highness?”

“Exactly. There’s really no reason for you to be upset with me.”

“…”

The silence stretched painfully long.

Then, staring at the ground, Lucion slowly lifted his gaze and met mine.

All of the earlier heat in his eyes had vanished.

“I was very rude.”

His green eyes were still trembling—unsteady and unfocused.

“I’ve… had a lot on my mind lately. That’s no excuse, of course. My emotions got the better of me.”

He spoke in a subdued voice.

“Will you forgive me?”

“…I’ll accept the apology.”

For some reason, the unstable look from earlier felt more like his true self.

It was as if I had accidentally glimpsed his real, unguarded face.

‘People without shadows don’t actually lack shadows—they’re just good at hiding them.’

Even someone who appeared bright like Lucion must have worries he couldn’t reveal.

“Thank you.”

At that moment, the garden lanterns flickered on.

I hadn’t noticed how dark it had become.

The garden was now lit with bright warm light.

“It’s gotten late. I should head in.”

Lucion gave a small, tired smile.

“Yes. If I stay any longer, I fear your knight might cut off a limb.”

Ah. Right—Norton.

When I turned, he was standing exactly where he’d been earlier, in the same posture.

Expression blank, but his mouth was set in a hard line.

“Then I’ll go first.”

I cut off any chance of being escorted.

Lucion placed a hand politely over his heart.

“Have a peaceful evening.”

***

Late that night — Emergency Meeting

The expressions of the knight-commanders were grim.

“So… what do we do now?”

Second Knight-Commander Balkar cautiously spoke first.

The knights who had been sent to the Arsen border had returned with soil stained by dragon blood.

After examining it, Enolius and Priest Miel confirmed it without doubt:

the dragon’s power was weakening.

“There’s no need to do anything, is there?”

Third Knight-Commander Gamon said coolly.

“Just wait for the dragon to die. No need for us to shed blood.”

“Wait for the dragon to die?”

First Knight-Commander Drmich snorted.

“We’re talking about weakness by dragon standards. That damn thing will outlive all of us. We’d be dead and buried long before it dies naturally.”

“And that’s something a Blenheim knight-commander should be saying?”

Tiern growled.

“The faster we end the contract, the faster our lord will be freed from the dragon’s magic!”

“Lower your voice.”

Headric’s warning made Tiern grit his teeth and fall silent.

Only a very small number knew the truth:

that Loic suffered periodic magic surges, and that his touch could kill a woman.

Most of the knights only knew Loic was enduring the power—not how deadly it truly was.

Loic, seated at the head, said nothing.

He was desperately trying to make a realistic decision.

If he considered only Annette, he would go kill the dragon immediately and free himself from the curse.

But doing that meant these knights would have to risk their lives for him.

And there was no guarantee they would win.

And the fact that they still knew almost nothing about the dragon after all this time was unsettling.

‘If only that old priest were still alive…’

“Priest.”

Loic called out as if grabbing at the last straw.

“Yes! Your Grace!”

Miel jumped, shrinking in the corner.

“You’re sure the old priest left nothing? No records? No books?”

Loic was referring to the old priest’s final days.

“N-No. Nothing.”

“No hidden notes? No secrets he passed to you? If you tell the truth now, I’ll forgive you once.”

Loic’s eyes flashed sharply.

“There’s really nothing!”

Seeing Miel’s panic, the knights sighed.

They had already torn apart every shelf in Pogen Temple’s small library.

Nothing useful on dragons—only scraps of irrelevant knowledge.

Loic raked a hand through his hair in frustration.

Then Miel spoke timidly.

“T-There may be something in the High Temple’s library.”

“The High Temple?”

“I heard Priest Venemus wrote many books while serving there.

But he brought nothing when he came to Pogen Temple. So most of his writings should still be there. One of them… maybe something about dragons…”

Miel trailed off, intimidated by the knights’ fierce expressions.

“…Of course, I can’t be sure.”

Loic let out a long sigh.

This had come up once before.

But there was no way to enter the High Temple library unless the Grand Duke himself went in person, so they had been stuck.

“What about the mages? Are they preparing anything?”

Drmich rubbed his forehead.

“The real problem is that the dragon hasn’t shown itself. If it did, we could just brute-force it.”

“The dragon has high intelligence,” Enolius replied coldly.

“If you barge in like an idiot, they won’t even find your bones.”

“Hey, mage! You—”

“Enough.”

Loic cut them off.

This wasn’t a problem that could be solved today.

“Meeting adjourned.”

He rubbed his temples, looking exhausted.

At Headric’s signal, the knights reluctantly stood to leave.

Loic stretched his stiff neck and rose too.

That was when Norton approached.

“What is it?”

Loic narrowed his eyes at Norton’s tense face.

“Did something happen to the Duchess?”

“A moment ago, Prince Lucion approached Her Highness while she was out walking…”

Loic’s face twisted, growing darker with every word.

“That bastard… Lucion…”

Before Norton even finished the report,

Loic strode out of the room.