Episode 3
The Duke and Ludwig immediately sought out the protagonist, who was the center of attention at the reception.
It was me, standing in front of my father.
“It’s been a long time, Serkan.”
“Thank you for coming, Your Grace.”
I saw a man standing before me with the Duke Karsian.
Ludwig Karsian, with his dark hair as dark as the night sky, had an impressive presence.
Even though his eyes were shining through the mask, like the yellow light of a beast, his rebellious nature was already evident.
Yet, looking into those eyes, they were so radiant that one could momentarily lose their focus.
Hidden behind the mask, Ludwig was truly mesmerizing, defying any description.
In two years, he would meet Jenna and remove that mask, and contrary to people’s expectations of him being disfigured or hiding burn scars, he possessed a remarkably handsome appearance.
In the original work, he was described as magnificent as if he were crafted by a god, and everyone agreed with that assessment.
‘He’s probably eighteen years old now.’
Since he was one year older than me, that makes sense.
I was observing him with a sidelong glance, reminiscing about the original work.
‘…?’
In that fleeting moment, our eyes met, and I felt my heart skip a beat.
His eyes, like those of a wild beast, were intense and sharp, as if he could devour you in an instant.
Naturally, I greeted him with a glance and quickly turned my gaze elsewhere.
I averted my gaze skillfully to avoid any awkwardness and calmed my startled heart.
“Sierra, it seems like you’ll be talking with the Duke for a while. Go and be with Arzen.”
As soon as my father noticed that I had been standing for a long time, he gave me permission to leave, and I sparkled with my eyes, indicating that I would do as he said.
I had a momentary illusion that Ludwig’s gaze was on the back of my head, but I quickly moved away from there.
Maintaining a safe distance, I finally let out a sigh.
And as I reached for a cookie on the tray and took a bite, I noticed a glistening silver hair cascading down next to me.
“Why are you looking at him like that?”
Swoosh, the silver hair was so dazzling that it sent a chill down my spine.
“?”
I turned around in surprise.
For some reason, Arzen seemed uncomfortable and was glaring at Ludwig.
“Just in time. Arzen, I’m tired, so I’ll go in first. Please tell Father for me.”
It was just an excuse to avoid Ludwig Karsian, but Arzen said with a worried expression.
“You’re tired? Lean on me, Sierra. I’ll take you there.”
“It’s not that bad. I’m not a little kid anymore.”
“You’re not hiding any pain like last time, are you? It’s not just tiredness, but a fever or something.”
I shouldn’t experience another lecture from Arzen like I did last time. I have no reason to.
When I shook my head with a sincere expression, Arzen finally spoke with a relieved face.
“Alright.”
It was the moment when Arzen nodded his head. There was a loud noise in the middle of the hall.
“It’s been a while, Persil!”
“Uncle.”
A chubby nobleman called the Duke Karsian by his first name in a friendly manner.
“And… is this the son left behind by that woman? You’ve grown a lot since we last saw each other.”
The man looked at Ludwig, who was beside the Duke, as if appraising him.
“Still with those eerie eyes that resemble his mother. Tsk. It’s a shame that the lowly woman who inherited the blood of the evil dragon didn’t meet her demise.”
The man shook his head as if expressing regret that Ludwig was the only remaining bloodline of the Karsian family.
“The word humble seems to suit you well, living in a brothel.”
Ludwig responded dryly at that moment.
“Well…”
The man, momentarily dumbfounded, soon shouted with a flushed face.
“You, isn’t that too rude!”
“Ludwig…! What kind of behavior is this toward the elders of the family? Apologize immediately!”
The Duke Karsian turned to Ludwig and urged him to apologize.
“….”
However, Ludwig passed by the Duke without saying anything in response.
“No, that…!”
The man grabbed Ludwig by the back of his neck and was about to strike him, but in frustration, he let go and left the scene.
Left alone, the Duke trembled with clenched fists, unable to hold onto his departing son.
I looked at Ludwig, who was approaching me, with a bewildered expression.
In an instant, our gazes met.
“….”
He had empty eyes.
There was no anger, no sadness, not even resentment.
Just a person devoid of emotions.
It felt like time stood still as Ludwig passed by me completely.
Thud- I could finally turn around when I heard the sound of him leaving.
“….What’s going on?”
I shook my head in confusion and returned to the room with an uneasy feeling.
***
Squeak-.
After closing the door, I headed straight for the bed.
“Oh, I’m exhausted.”
The fatigue from preparing for the banquet since morning had accumulated, and my frail body eagerly welcomed the soft bed.
The night breeze gently flowed in, and the odd feeling I had from Ludwig’s empty gaze seemed to gradually fade away.
Unconsciously, it seemed that I fell into a drowsy sleep.
“Hmm….”
How long had I been sleeping? When I woke up again, about an hour had passed.
Upon realizing that, I closed my eyes again, pretending to be asleep.
“….”
My room was quiet as it was on the opposite side of the bustling hall.
Perhaps because of that.
“Ni….”
I accidentally overheard it.
“Mother….”
A low voice whispered, calling out to mother.
“….”
It was Ludwig.
Upon hearing his voice, the vague memories of the original story that I had forgotten came to mind.
At the same time, I slowly opened my eyes and feigned sleep.
“….Hmm.”
* * *
Ludwig Karsian.
He was the son of the Duke Karsian and a foreign woman.
The Duke Karsian family was so conservative that they forbade accepting foreign people, and even more so, a woman who was the descendant of an evil dragon.
As a result, the woman was ignored within the family and had to live as a guest, even though she was the mother of the duke’s child.
A thousand years ago, the evil dragon sealed in the lake by the founding heroes.
Ludwig, who inherited the distinctive feature of its bright yellow eyes, was also scorned by the family from an early age due to his ominous nature.
The family’s affection was nothing but a facade, and in reality, the Duke Karsian family was controlled by the elders, so the duke could not protect the woman and their son, whom he loved.
Despite that, the woman showered Ludwig with abundant love amidst the barren and cold gazes.
To him, his mother was his only ally and a precious presence that allowed him to withstand the Duke Karsian family.
However, everything crumbled overnight.
His mother was murdered inside the palace.
It was a day when a tall rain poured outside the window and lightning struck.
The poisoned woman vomited blood several times and met a dreadful death.
And young Ludwig was the only person who witnessed it firsthand.
Even if he wanted to call for help, the door was tightly locked by someone.
After half a day, a passing servant opened the door, allowing Ludwig to leave the room.
At that time, the young boy was truly insane.
Even young Ludwig could tell that among the relatives who wandered around the palace, there was a culprit.
Ludwig didn’t want to identify the culprit.
The fake person, the spectator, the silent one, the one poisoned…
To him, they were all the same in his eyes.
So, in the original story, once he gained enough power, he dragged his incompetent father out and became the duke, killing all the relatives in a ruthless manner.
As if there was no trace of humanity left.
The man I saw at the banquet hall earlier was also one of the elders of the Duke Karsian family.
It’s understandable that Ludwig, who despised them, would be outraged by someone insulting his mother.
“I will avenge everything. Mother.”
“….”
I pretended not to hear, burying my head in the pillow, but eventually, I abruptly got up from my seat.
Carefully approaching the window, as I looked down at the garden, I could spot black hair through the dense trees.
It wasn’t something I should say, but he looked lonely and fragile.
“I will kill them all….”
…Of course, the words he uttered were harsh.
As I was thinking that, raindrops suddenly fell from the sky.
“Is it raining…?”
After a few drops, the rain began pouring heavily like a shower within minutes.
It was a sudden downpour.
Kugwakwang-!
At the same time, lightning flashed and the ground shook with thunder.
Startled, I turned to look at Ludwig.
He lost his mother on a day when rain poured fiercely like today, and as a result, he had a trauma associated with this kind of weather.
‘You’ll overcome it thanks to Jenna later, but it’s not the time now…!’
And there, outside, I saw a boy trembling and unable to move a hand in the pouring rain.
…Wait a minute, come to think of it, I feel like I’ve seen this scene somewhere before.
Certainly, Ludwig confessing his past to Jenna, who purified him….
[After that day, I became a complete ‘monster.’ It was my first rampage.]
As that line came to mind, chills ran down my arm.
Hope you enjoy ♥️
Thanks for the updates🫡