The Dragon's Obsession with Water is Difficult

Episode 36

“That incident?”

I had heard that my mother passed away due to illness, but is there something else I don’t know?

Seeing me widen my eyes curiously, Grandfather soon cleared his throat.

“The night air has become chilly. We should go inside before we catch a cold. I have some deep matters to ponder, so I must walk a bit longer.”

Understanding that he was avoiding an answer, I did not press further and said,

“Thank you for your concern. Grandfather, please return to the mansion before it gets even colder!”

“Will do.”

I bowed my head in farewell and then hurried back to the mansion.

Even after I climbed the stairs to my room and looked out the window, I could see Grandfather still walking in the garden.

A reflection on the past. I couldn’t know what he might be feeling, having recalled memories of my mother after so long, but Grandfather wandered in the garden for a long time.

* * *

It was well-known among the mansion’s staff that Thergon Drenihan sorted out his thoughts by walking in the garden whenever he deeply pondered something.

The chief butler, following behind Thergon’s broad back, rubbed his eyes as if seeing an illusion during the brief moment Sierra walked alongside Thergon.

‘The young lady also used to walk through the garden with the master just like that.’

A woman with long pink hair overlaid the image of Sierra’s back.

Sioneira, the first daughter-in-law of the Drenihan family, had once been Thergon’s most cherished person.

The bright-smiled woman, exceptionally intelligent and wise, would accompany him during his contemplative strolls in the garden, offering advice on various matters.

Even seemingly unsolvable problems would often find solutions with her help.

Her master, who treasured her more than his own sons, ceased to smile after she tragically lost her life.

Others might not have noticed much change, saying he was always somewhat icy, but the chief steward, who had stood by Thergon’s side all his life, knew better.

However, a few months ago, after Thergon met Sierra, he began to change slightly.

It started the day Sierra, who had been living almost invisibly due to her frailty in a separate wing, showcased her abilities at a dinner summoned by the head of the family.

She had been a trembling child, too timid to meet anyone’s eyes, but the Sierra he met after a long time had transformed completely.

Thergon became interested in this new side of Sierra, and soon, he grew affectionate towards her.

Presumably, because she reminded him of Sioneira, whom he had deeply cherished.

Although the elderly steward could not hear what Sierra and Thergon talked about during their walk, he noticed a lightness in his master’s demeanor afterward.

It was as if he had returned to the days when Sioneira had just proposed a simple solution.

Even as the night air grew colder, Thergon let Sierra go inside first and continued to walk for a long time.

On a moonlit night, he walked unusually long until he finally seemed resolved and headed back to the mansion.

* * *

As soon as the day broke, the entire empire was in an uproar.

Thergon Drenihan, the head of the Drenihan family, had announced his successor.

It was the man most people had anticipated, yet feared his fatal flaw would ultimately be his undoing—Serkhan Drenihan, the eldest son of the head.

Serkhan was a master of water, a unique ability of the Drenihan family, and he was the one who most resembled Thergon Drenihan.

After losing the woman called the love of the century, he had faced criticisms, not criticisms for devoting his time to caring for his terminally ill daughter, perceived as wasting his life in mourning.

The news that a new Duke had arisen from the Drenihan family, one of the wealthiest and most influential noble families in the empire, spread quickly at dawn.

Those who supported Orzen Drenihan read the imperial newspaper with despair.

“How can this be? The secound son is none other than the son-in-law of the House of Crea, and they think Serkhan Drenihan, who has no external family support, can really hold that position?”
T/N: Sierra’s Aunt is the daughter of House of Crea. IDK her name sorry. It never came.

“They say he’s a formidable man, but the Duke of Drenihan is too old. Once the Duke passes away, Orzen, backed by the House of Crea, will naturally start a rebellion.”

“They say if anything even slightly wrong happens to his terminally ill daughter, he flips out. I’ve heard she can’t even stand in public and just collapses.”

“Entrusting the family to such a dangerous man, the Duke must be senile.”

The allies of the House of Crea, who had strongly supported Orzen, consoled each other with harsh words.

However, deep inside, they were filled with anxiety.

Everyone clinging to a rotten rope must be feeling the same at this moment.

As expected, the most intense reactions came from the people of the House of Crea.

“The amount of money our family has contributed to the Drenihans is beyond measure… To be backstabbed like this. It’s so shocking it’s not even funny.”

The Marquis of Crea, outraged, threw the imperial newspaper onto his desk.

They had always known Orzen Drenihan was a ruined man.

Yet, Beth Crea had insisted on marrying him for the glory of their family.

It was all part of a grand plan to use the position of the head of the Drenihan family as a stepping stone for the House of Crea to ascend in politics.

Externally, while they admired the wealth of the House of Crea, behind their backs, they were mocked as nouveau riche who had bought their titles.

It was supposed to be the foundation to crush those who sneered at them!

In a noble society where it’s hard to be recognized as a prestigious family without a deep history, the House of Crea, having received their title only a few decades ago, was still treated as inferior.

Then, the marriage alliance with Orzen Drenihan was an attempt to buy even history with money.

As the Marquis of Iris picked up the discarded newspaper and read it, he spoke in a troubled voice to her husband.

“What should we do now? I hear Orzen Drenihan is completely out of favor with the Duke.”

“That wretched man should choose his targets carefully when he gets drunk. How could he have gotten on the bad side of the stubborn Duke of Drenihan?”

“It was also because of one person that our eldest daughter was exiled to barren lands, and this time, it was the same person who provoked the Duke’s anger against Orzen Drenihan.”

A frown crossed Duchess Iris’s face as she thought of that face.

“Sierra Drenihan. The mess we made back then is coming back to haunt us.”

“Beth could never have imagined that the Duke would step in himself. Indeed, no one could have anticipated it.”

An unusually meticulous Mrs. Beth had not cleanly settled the matter.

It was the recent incident of the attempted poisoning of Sierra Drenihan.

A doctor who had been given Draegers poison powder had a forbidden spell cast on him to prevent his confession, and one maid was subjected to powerful hypnotism to make false statements.

Thanks to this, the House of Crea was still safe.

Remembering the Duke of Drenihan’s considerable fury at the time, it was a stroke of luck.

But now, they would have to target Sierra Drenihan again.

She was like a thorn that could reveal why Serkhan Drenihan was unfit to be the head of the family.

“We need to finish this once and for all,” said the Marquis of Crea in a sinister voice.

Even putting her in critical condition would tie Serkhan’s hands.