IFLDMHF | Chapter 99

Episode 99

It was beyond astonishing—almost absurd.

‘What the hell? Why would Rudion, the first head of the family and the closest aide to the first emperor, write a book like this?’

Although the ending was open-ended, strictly speaking, this book was not about the founding myth of Elios. Rather, it seemed more like a myth about the Gold Dragon, which was once called an evil dragon.

Even though I had already decided not to trust the original story, I hadn’t expected even the foundational history—something akin to the setting itself—to be different.

When I had casually discussed the first emperor with Melissa before, our conversation had gone on without any issues.

‘So, this isn’t an official historical account but rather the personal opinion of Rudion, the first head of the family.’

I couldn’t even begin to guess why he would leave such a record for his descendants.

Was it simply because he despised the first emperor so much that he intentionally wrote a defamatory book? Or…

‘Was it a desperate attempt to preserve the truth as history was rewritten to favor the victor?’

Regardless of the truth, this was extremely dangerous.

If it were ever revealed that the first Duke of Rudion wrote such a book and that the ducal family had kept it preserved for so long?

The family was already in a precarious position with the imperial family—this could very well put them on the brink of annihilation.

‘Of course, it seems they have taken precautions in their own way.’

But if someone forcibly unlocked the book and read its contents, all those precautions would be for nothing.

Perhaps the reclusive nature of the North had kept it safe until now, but there was no guarantee that it would remain so in the future.

‘Even just today—it’s truly a relief that I was the one who saw it.’

I had absolutely no intention of bringing harm to the Rudion family, but what if one of the previous duchesses had harbored different intentions? Just the thought made me shudder.

“I really love dragons.”

At that moment, Dior, still clutching the book tightly as if lingering in its emotions, spoke with heartfelt sincerity.

“I wish one would appear soon and defeat all the villains!”

Startled by his words, I hastily opened my mouth.

“Dior! Did you know? Saying things like that actually delays a dragon’s return.”

“Hah! Really?”

“Yes. So, just think about it in your head. Try not to say it out loud.”

Feeling a little guilty, I lied, afraid he might accidentally blurt it out elsewhere.

Dior, his mouth wide open in shock, clenched his fists and nodded resolutely.

Then, after a brief moment, as if he had reached a great realization, he mumbled,

“So that’s why Uncle said that. He was worried the dragon would be delayed…”

“Uncle? What did the Duke say?”

“He told me not to talk about dragons outside. If I really wanted to, I should only talk about them with family!”

“…He did?”

“Yes! But it’s okay to talk about it with you, Aunt, since you’re family, right?”

Dior asked, as if confirming his reasoning, while Marianne, nodding along beside him, silently agreed.

From the moment I arrived at the Duchy of Rudion, I had wanted to be accepted as family by Euclid and the children.

But actually hearing them call me family left me feeling both bewildered and deeply moved.

‘Though, I still don’t think Euclid acknowledges me yet…’

The anxiety and impatience I had felt every time I encountered the invisible boundary Euclid had drawn between us seemed to ease a little, thanks to the children.

“Yes, of course. It’s fine.”

Though my response was slightly delayed, I praised them, and the children beamed with joy.

I smiled along with them, but inwardly, I was a little uneasy knowing Euclid had gone so far as to give such a warning.

“Um… Marianne, Dior.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s not tell the Duke about opening this book today.”

The children tilted their heads in confusion, as if wondering why.

Seeing their innocent faces, I could already imagine them blurting it out at dinner when Euclid asked what they had done today. A chill ran down my spine.

Hiding my nervousness, I winked at them and said,

“There’s no need to bring it up again.”

‘The dragon story,’ I meant. They understood, didn’t they?

Fortunately, the children immediately grasped my meaning.

Dior, in particular, looked incredibly touched. He carefully put the book down and grabbed my hand.

“Aunt, you really believe it too, don’t you? That… will return someday!”

He cleverly mouthed the word ‘dragon’ instead of saying it aloud.

“Uh, yes.”

“You truly want… to come back soon, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do.”

I had no choice but to awkwardly agree.

Even if I had to become someone who believed in dragons and eagerly awaited their return, just like seven-year-old Dior…

It was still better than letting Euclid find out that I had not only discovered the duchy’s secret passage but also uncovered other secrets.

With that, I earnestly asked,

“By the way, are there any other books in the library about the empire’s founding? Oh, and are there any other books written by the first head of the family?”

“There’s nothing else in the library.”

Since she visited the library often, Marianne immediately answered.

I had expected that. If the first head of the family’s personal records were stored alongside official history books, younger descendants would inevitably become confused.

‘But isn’t it about time they started learning history?’

I had heard that Delano, the steward, took time to teach the children about etiquette, as well as basic literacy and numeracy.

Even Amy, who used to visit nearly every day before recent events, had at least claimed to help with their studies.

Yet they still hadn’t started learning history properly?

I began to worry about how things would unfold from here.

“It’ll be at Uncle’s place! The book written by the first head of the family too.”

“…At the Duke’s place?”

“Yes! Uncle said he would show us the history books before hiring a tutor next year! He also said he had things to teach us.”

Marianne spoke in an excited voice, as if she was already looking forward to it.

I let out a wry smile upon realizing just how meticulous the Rudion family’s approach to historical education was.

“If Aunt says she wants to see it, he’ll show it to you right away.”

Well. Would he really?

I couldn’t even bring myself to honestly admit that I had read the book today. Instead, I had to come up with a ridiculous lie to make sure the children kept quiet about it.

If Euclid found out that the children had shown me a book written by the first head of the family, he would undoubtedly be taken aback.

No, being just taken aback would be the best-case scenario.

If he asked me to pretend I didn’t know anything instead of explaining it honestly, I would feel incredibly hurt.

‘And truthfully, I don’t even know how I should react.’

Why did the first head of the Rudion family write such a book in the first place?

Was this the reason their relationship with the imperial family had soured?

A part of me was curious about what exactly the ducal family was hiding.

At the same time, for some reason, I felt an overwhelming urge to just ignore it all out of fear.

I was an outsider who hadn’t been born and raised in the empire, someone who had only known everything as a part of a setting.

And yet, learning the truth about history felt terrifying and burdensome.

But—

‘I’ll have to ask eventually.’

And perhaps the day Euclid finally spoke to me honestly would be the moment he truly acknowledged me as his wife, as a member of the Rudion family.

I wondered when that day would come.

‘Will it ever come…?’

Just as I let out a deep sigh at the overwhelming uncertainty—

“I’m telling you, Nuna is right!”

“Tch. Can’t we just ask Aunt instead?”

“Of course not!”

I heard the children bickering again nearby.

Normally, I would have just ignored it like before, but when I heard Dior suggest asking me, my eyes widened.

“What are you curious about?”

“Gasp!”

The moment I chimed in, Dior was so startled that he covered his mouth with his hands, while Marianne bit her lips, looking flustered.

“Go ahead and ask anything. I’ll answer.”

This time, I didn’t back down, despite their reactions.

Because now, I had a feeling that it wasn’t because they disliked me.

After hesitating and glancing at Marianne, Dior finally asked,

“Really? We can ask anything?”

“Yes.”

I chuckled and answered lightly.

After all, how serious could their question be…?

“Aunt! Do you really like someone other than Uncle?”

“Cough! Cough!”