Episode 4
Stumble, stumble-.
Someone was seen staggering towards the garden that belonged solely to Ludwig.
It was Kalik, the son of a my uncle.
Before Ludwig reached adulthood, he had inflicted suffering upon Kalik, who would have seizures during rainy weather.
It was his first rampage experience, having lost his sanity.
Although the initial fault lay with the nobleman, after that incident, Ludwig became a being completely treated as a “monster.”
Rumors spread that just like the legend where an evil dragon turned the country into ruins, Ludwig would soon become a destroyer.
‘It’s not entirely untrue… but it wasn’t Ludwig’s will.’
Above all, the fact that the nobleman was Kalik, the troublemaker in our household, made my blood run cold.
The boy who was caught approached Ludwig with a malicious expression on his face.
Ludwig was helpless now.
He fell to the ground, gasping for breath, as if he was witnessing a dreadful remnant of the past. The boy’s steps were directed towards Kalik.
‘No, it can’t happen.’
My mind was flooded with urgency.
Today’s events would leave a deep trauma on Ludwig.
And as Ludwig’s episodes of rampage increased, the moment when he would be taken over by the evil dragon grew closer.
I wouldn’t bother with that idiot Kalik getting what he deserved, but if this was the first runaway that had a significant impact on the rampage, it was a different story.
‘I have to stop it, but how?’
Kalik was still a difficult presence for me.
He was a big, scatterbrained cousin who caused accidents and roamed around the mansion with his wild imagination.
I had seen the maid leave the mansion in tears multiple times because of him.
If he caught on to me, my quiet and peaceful life would come to an end.
‘Yeah, that’s right. As long as he doesn’t recognize who I am.’
At that moment, something came to mind.
I quickly rummaged through the bottom drawer and found a familiar ring in my hand.
“I found it! It’s still here.”
As I slid the silver ring onto my ring finger, my reflection in the mirror changed.
My face, height, the clothes I was wearing, and even my voice.
My golden hair turned brown, and my eyes became emerald green.
I transformed into an ordinary girl that no one would recognize.
“I never thought I would use this again, the one I used when I didn’t want to take medicine and ran away.”
The silver ring changed my appearance for about 30 minutes.
Since I couldn’t use it again for a while after using it once, I hastened my steps.
As I stepped outside, the rain was still pouring down like madness.
The ground was soaked and muddy, but I ran as if my breath was being taken away towards where Ludwig was.
And now, Kalik was towering over Ludwig in a threatening manner.
“What’s this? Are you trembling like a scared little puppy just because of a thunder? It’s really amusing, hahaha.”
In his drunken state, Kalik roughly grabbed Ludwig’s jet-black hair.
He was so intoxicated that he couldn’t see anything at the moment.
“Where is that face that resembles the wicked dragon? Don’t always hide behind a mask.”
“Grumble.”
“You really have scales popping up on your skin, don’t you? Haha!”
What was the point of doing something like this to such a helpless person?
“You can’t let go of that hand, you troublemaker?!”
With all my strength, I struck Kalik’s head.
“Ack!”
Kalik let go of Ludwig’s hair and stumbled sideways.
“What kind of crazy person dares to…”
Kalik turned back with fierce eyes.
There was a time when I had feared those eyes.
Until the memories of my past life resurfaced, I was just a powerless weakling.
But now, seeing Kalik, he was just a misbehaving troublemaker with character flaws, not threatening enough to be an object of fear.
“Who are you! I’ll tell my father and ruin your family!”
Did he think he was a vulture that could ruin my family?
Silently, I pulled out what I had brought with me when I came out of the room.
“What’s that, a rope?”
Kalik squinted his eyes, trying to discern the identity of the squirming object in my hand amid the pouring rain.
“Well, here’s a gift for you, you brat!”
I hurled what I had been holding skillfully towards Kalik.
The squirming thing immediately clung tightly to Kalik’s neck, wriggling and tightening around it.
“This is… Ugh, ughhh! It’s a, a venomous snake!”
Kalik panicked, screaming for the mansion to let him go.
It was the snake talisman that I had bought from a magical item shop for self-defense, and now was the perfect time to use it.
Of course, Kalik had no idea that it was a talisman.
It was so intricately crafted that it was indistinguishable from a real snake.
“Ahh!”
Realizing that there was no one around to help him, Kalik frantically ran towards the mansion, screaming.
“….”
“Hu, huk….”
With the noisy guy gone, intermittent sounds of breathing could be heard in the quiet stillness.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I lifted Ludwig’s body and held onto his shoulders, speaking to him.
Fortunately, it seemed like I managed to stop him just before he went on a rampage.
“Thank goodness, now how do I calm him down…”
Even amidst his shaking yellow eyes, he captured my image vividly.
In that moment, a spark-like light burst forth, and with a loud boom, thunder struck the ground.
I, too, jolted in surprise at the thunderous sound.
Without a doubt, the lightning had struck quite close by.
In that instant, Ludwig pushed his body into my embrace.
Simultaneously, there was a sound of the mask coming off with a thud.
“Lud… Ludwig?”
His pale neck, like a ceramic jug streaming with rainwater, trembled.
Above all, his body nestled in my arms, like a lifeline, was trembling so much that I had no choice but to hold him tightly.
First, it seemed like I should take Ludwig into the mansion, but his body, stimulated by trauma, was uncooperative.
I patted his back gently, trying to calm Ludwig.
Anyway, my appearance now was no longer that of Sierra Drenihan.
Perhaps that was why, even within the banquet hall, I had been so desperate to avoid Ludwig, but now he didn’t seem frightening.
“How long have you been alone?”
For some reason, such a weak thought crossed my mind, and so I unintentionally spoke those words.
“I’ll stay by your side until the rain stops. So… trust me.”
“….”
I couldn’t tell if my words reached him, but Ludwig’s body no longer trembled.
For several minutes, the sound of rainwater splashing on the leaves above us gradually diminished.
‘It was just a passing shower.’
I was relieved. Since Ludwig hadn’t budged at all, it seemed like I could return before the ring’s effect wore off.
I released the arm that had been enveloping Ludwig and faced him.
“….”
When I first met Ludwig without his mask, I felt my breath catch in my throat.
He wasn’t a monster with scales, as people had been gossiping about.
Even though I knew that fact, when I actually confronted his surreal face, my eyes went blank.
The mask Ludwig wore had a spell to suppress the power of dragons.
It was something Ludwig’s mother had given him when he was young, as he was born with an unusually strong connection to dragon power.
There was a possibility that if a rampage were to occur, the people of the Ducal House might try to kill him.
The people of the Ducal House always taunted him, but deep down, they hid their fears.
But now, Ludwig was fine even with his mask removed.
The symptoms had subsided.
And unlike earlier, his golden eyes were looking at me steadily.
“Are you okay now?”
I wiped away the red-stained corners of his eyes and spoke.
“Who are you, and…?”
A locked voice reached my ears.
Although we had exchanged greetings at the banquet hall, it was natural for Ludwig to not recognize me in my current appearance.
His golden irises shimmered like the moon, enchantingly beautiful.
Without thinking, I almost opened my mouth to speak.
“….”
However, Ludwig, who silently observed me as I hesitated to respond, gently brushed away my wet arm from the rain.
It was the moment his touch reached my hand, where the ring was nestled on my wrist.
Crack-.
“Uh…?”
What just happened…
As I met Ludwig’s enlarged eyes along with the realization that the ring had shattered, I momentarily forgot to breathe.
“….”
Ludwig’s gaze, darker than ever, felt more intense than the fact that he could see my true form.
“Sierra Drenihan?”
He said it with surprise.
“The, the ring…!”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You had an expression that seemed like you were about to run away.”
Ludwig spoke as if it could disappear like an illusion overnight.
“I’ll compensate you with a new ring.”
Such deception never worked on him from the beginning.
“That’s not the problem!”
I brushed aside my dripping hair and murmured.
“…Never reveal this to anyone, especially Kalik.”
For the sake of my peaceful life.
“I will never speak of it.”
“….”
He doesn’t seem like he’s lying. There was no reason for him to go around blabbering about it.
The thumping heart seemed to calm down.
“I just wanted to know who the benefactor was. That’s all, so don’t worry.”
As the clouds that had filled the sky cleared, the moonlight revealed itself like a blooming flower.
Ludwig’s face, revealed as the darkness receded, had a worn-out pallor that made my heart ache.
Smoothly curved lips that had felt cold now rose at the moment I stared at Ludwig.
Did he smile?
His face was unbelievably beautiful.
I thought I was completely immune to the extraordinary appearance among people with distinct features, but Ludwig was an exception.
It was a strange feeling.
I had a gut feeling that it would be dangerous to go any further.
“Well, now that it seems okay, I’ll be on my way. You should also go inside, Your Grace. You don’t want to catch a cold.”
I wasn’t sure who was worrying about whom, but I released Ludwig’s hand and tried to rise from my seat.
“Huh?”
If Ludwig hadn’t pulled me back, I would have done just that.
Thud. I slumped back into Ludwig’s embrace.
His beautiful golden eyes were gently fixed on me.
“W-What is it?”
In the posture of being held without any movement, I trembled in surprise as I spoke.
“Will we be able to see each other again? I want to repay you for helping me.”
“…Of course. But please resolve today’s matter.”
“I will, so don’t be afraid.”
“I didn’t get scared.”
As I defended myself, Ludwig slowly released his grip on my hand.
Not missing that opportunity, I quickly pulled away from him, calming my startled heart.
“Well then, I’ll really go now.”
With quick steps, I exited the garden without looking back, and once Ludwig was no longer in sight, I ran without hesitation.
Running through sparsely populated corridors, I soon turned a corner.
The shattered ring was rolling in the palm of my hand.
“Ha…”
Leaning against the shadowy wall, I struggled to catch my breath, unable to distinguish whether it was a dream or reality.
Hope you enjoy ♥️
