DSFL | Chapter 27

~Chapter 27~

…Is this girl seriously trying to pick a fight with me right now?

 What exactly is she thinking?

My anger was boiling inside, but I reminded myself that Cedric’s coronation was tomorrow.

 In situations like this, shouldn’t a noble lady show grace and patience?

I took a deep breath.

“Get out.”

“…Huh?”

Forget being noble.

 Since when have I ever acted like a proper lady?

“I don’t know what made you think it was okay to just show up at our house, but you’re seriously annoying—so get out.”

“W-why are you acting like this, sister?”

Bonica’s face turned pale—she clearly didn’t expect me to say something so direct.

“Why? You really don’t know?”

I looked at the maid who was cleaning up the broken doll pieces.

“You heard everything too, right?”

“Y-yes, Miss!”

You think I’m just going to stay quiet?

“I was just worried about you!”

“Yeah. And that worry is driving me crazy—so get out.”

Suddenly, Atticus, the butler, came rushing downstairs after hearing the noise.

“Miss, what’s going on?”

“Oh, Atticus. Perfect timing.”

I grabbed Bailey’s wrist and walked toward him.

“Cut off her hand.”

“W-what?! Sister?!”

Bailey stared at me in shock, her voice shaking.

“Isn’t that the rule? If someone steals from a noble house, their hand gets cut off.”

“I-I’m sorry! The necklace was just so pretty—I was going to ask if I could have it!”

“Cut it off.”

At my cold command, Atticus’ eyes widened. He silently stared at her wrist.

Bailey completely panicked.

“I-I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again, I promise!”

Tears welled up in her eyes. I paused, then gave a light shrug.

“Of course I’m joking.”

“Th-then why take it that far?!”

“I was just worried about your sticky fingers. That’s all?”

I blinked innocently as if I’d done nothing wrong. Bailey started hiccuping.

See? That’s what happens when you mess with people who are minding their business.

***

Of course, I wasn’t really joking.

I did want them out of the house.

 But unfortunately, it seemed like they planned to stay until the coronation.

‘They move fast.’

Even though there was still time before the ceremony began, Bailey was already seated in the hall, looking pleased with herself.

Watching her made me remember everything from yesterday. I got irritated and stormed out of the hall.

Might as well go check on Grandfather.

Since this was Cedric’s coronation, even I, as family, had to wear a formal family dress.

 It was heavy—almost as heavy as a full ball gown.

The dress was black, making it hot, and the gold-embroidered epaulettes on the shoulders were so heavy, I felt like my back might bend.

Who’s the one getting crowned, really?

As I walked, lightly kicking the hem of my heavy dress, I suddenly heard a voice.

“You wanted to live as a dog of the Empire? Then you’ll meet the end of a hunting dog.”

It was Elizabeth’s voice, cold and sharp.

 Sensing something was wrong, I quickly hid behind the wall to listen.

“Everything the Roygin family built—the honor, the name—it will all collapse because of you. In the end, all of us will meet death.”

Then I heard a calm voice answer her.

“You and our brother are the ones who cursed us with the fate of hunting dogs.”

…Grandfather?

“Fate of a hunting dog”? That didn’t suit someone like him—a hero of the war.

As I was trying to make sense of it, Elizabeth suddenly screamed.

“You should’ve died on the battlefield…!”

“…”

“You should’ve stopped the Empire’s plan with your death! At least, if you remembered you had Roygin blood…!”

Her words felt like hands wrapping around my neck, choking me.

That my grandfather should’ve died in war…?

What kind of logic was that?

My fists shook with rage—but then a thought struck me.

The Empire’s plan.

After the war, if something about Roygin changed because of the Empire… then it had to be the Dremokan Forest.

 They had pushed that cursed forest onto our family.

My heart started pounding.

What if Grandfather’s illness—and the deaths of all his children—were because of the forest?

“You and Harnen knew everything about Dremokan… and still ended the war. This tragedy is your fault!”

Just then, I heard the sound of Grandfather standing up.

 I quickly walked away before he noticed I was eavesdropping.

Dremokan Forest and the Magic War.

 Maybe Grandfather knows more than anyone else in the world.

Maybe he even knows the secret behind it.

For the first time, the world I lived in felt a little bit scary.

 I clenched the key in my pocket tightly.

***

Time passed, and nobles began arriving one by one for the coronation.

“Why are so many people here? There’s nothing interesting about that Cedric kid,” Leon grumbled beside me as he leaned against the wall.

“But you came too…”

Seeing someone familiar like Leon helped calm my nerves a little.

“I’m here to see him tremble with nerves.”

“Do you really think my brother would do that?”

Leon smirked.

 “Bianca, you don’t know him like I do. That guy gets super nervous all the time.”

“I’ve literally never heard that before.”

He laughed again, but then looked around like he was searching for someone.

“Hey, where is he?”

“Who?”

“You don’t mean Cedric, right?”

Leon nodded. I blinked.

“He’s probably with the Holy Emperor.”

“Why?”

“Um… because he’s the main person today?”

“So what? Just because he’s a marquis?”

Leon looked thoroughly unimpressed.

“Oh right,” he added suddenly, leaning close to whisper,

“About the hunting competition—it’s all sorted out.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

 He folded his arms and sighed deeply.

“So… what about the mine? What did the Duke want?”

“Oh, that…”

 Leon shrugged.

 “He took the Hurigon mine. I mean, it makes sense. That place still has mana stones.”

…So he didn’t want Seren Mine after all?

Maybe Ricardo didn’t know about the Kaen mineral from the original story.

 Still, something about it didn’t sit right with me.

***

The Coronation Hall was grand and solemn.

 Even though it was full of people, the atmosphere was tense and quiet.

Elizabeth, who had been yelling at Grandfather earlier, now looked calm and composed—as if nothing had happened.

I was getting bored, so I started glancing around at the people nearby.

 That’s when someone caught my eye—

The former Duke of House Hessen, Harnen.

‘Did Ricardo come too?’

But I couldn’t see him anywhere.

Harnen smiled kindly—he looked a lot like Ricardo.

 He was Ricardo’s grandfather and had survived the magic war alongside my grandfather.

Then the ceremony began. The Emperor’s voice rang through the hall.

“In the Empire’s darkest times, the Roygin family stood beside the throne and helped us through the shadows.”

Cedric knelt before the Emperor. I felt proud, like a parent watching their child.

He was barely mentioned in the original story—so seeing him like this was strange, but satisfying.

This might be the most rewarding moment since I ended up in this world.

I smiled with pride.

The Emperor’s speech dragged on, but I didn’t mind—it was bearable as long as Cedric was in front of me.

Why didn’t this world have cameras? Even with magic?

Then the Emperor handed Cedric a sword.

 Cedric usually hated swords, but he received it solemnly, hiding his thoughts.

“I pledge loyalty to the Holy Emperor and His Majesty the Emperor. With the honor of House Roygin, I vow to give everything for the Empire and the divine.”

“May the blessing of God be upon the House of Roygin.”

The Holy Emperor kissed Cedric’s forehead to finish the coronation.

Wow. What a touching day.

I clapped as loud as I could, deciding I would be the loudest applauder in the whole hall.

But then I noticed the man beside me staring.

Was I clapping too loudly?

I tried to quiet down—but he kept staring.

Seriously? Can’t even clap freely on a happy day?

Annoyed, I turned to ask him what his problem was.

 He caught my eye and spoke in a playful voice.

“You’re the one who sent my sister to the convent, right?”

“…Sorry, what?”

Who even is your sister?

While I blinked in confusion, the man continued,

“And the beloved granddaughter of the Marquis—that’s you, too.”

He was very handsome—dimples, bright golden hair, pale silver eyes.

No way this guy was just a side character.

I studied his face carefully.

This is bad.

This was the real male lead of the original novel—

Erkessian.

He smiled brightly and tilted his head.

“So, are you satisfied with the punishment my sister received?”

…Wait.

 He’s talking about his sister…

He means Hestia, doesn’t he?