#28. No Need for Apologies

Taran’s face hardened at the mocking voice.

But Partanie continued regardless.

“How nice it must be for those in power. You can create a scapegoat and blame everything on them.”

“M-my lady……!”

The servants were shocked by the statement that essentially undermined the Grand Duke of Dragonia’s authority.

The aide who had always stood by the Grand Duke and knew the hardships he had endured until today exclaimed with a serious expression.

“Mind your words! His Highness the Grand Duke has done everything for you, lady……!”

“Be quiet.”

It was the Grand Duke of Dragonia himself who silenced the aide.

But it was already too late.

“For me?”

At those words, Partanie laughed hollowly.

“……Yes, the great Grand Duke of Dragonia took in a lowborn child born outside and registered her as his legitimate daughter.”

In her past life, she had wondered while enduring all sorts of humiliation and persecution.

Why does everyone hate me so much?

She couldn’t find the answer, but she had some guesses.

Her weak body unlike the Dragonia bloodline, her lowly birth with an unknown mother, and…

“He even graciously gave you the noble name ‘Par’.”

It was because of that excessively grand name.

‘Par’ was derived from the name of the first Dragonia, ‘Paradin,’ who received the Ice Dragon’s blessing, and was a symbol of nobility passed down only to direct descendants and heirs for generations.

‘And currently, the most precious figure among Dragonia’s descendants is the heir and eldest son, Siyeref.’

Yet, Partanie…

The entire Grand Duchy rose up at the fact that a child of unknown birth and unknown mother had received a name that even the legitimate firstborn son of the noble grand duchess hadn’t received.

However, the current Grand Duke of Dragonia, Garet, was a man capable of making the impossible possible, and ultimately made even the absurd a reality.

‘But, he placed a restriction that she could exercise her rightful powers as a lady of Dragonia only if she successfully completed the First Coming-of-Age Ceremony and awakened her powers.’

Siyeref, Taran, Kalenso.

The vassals of Dragonia, each backing their own successor, protested that they couldn’t give up at least that much.

It meant they wanted proof that the youngest lady was truly a Dragonia in the first place.

The Grand Duke agreed.

‘This child is undoubtedly a Dragonia, there’s no problem.’

Hearing those words, her younger self had been overwhelmed with a heart ready to burst.

‘For Father to trust me that much……!’

Partanie. Partanie.

She had secretly rejoiced, repeating in her heart the name that no one had properly called her.

‘So when I became aware of my power, I revealed it without hiding.’

Even though she unconsciously felt it might strangle her.

Even as she tried never to give up despite all the contempt and abuse.

“This is the result of that ‘grace’.”

Partanie spread her arms. Her two skinny arms revealed through the thin nightgown. Her pale complexion tinged with illness.

“Freezing to death while bearing the glorious surname of Dragonia and the noble name of the first head of the family, Paradin.”

“……!”

The aide, who knew what the lady had endured, turned pale.

“N-No, that’s not it!”

Taran hastily opened his mouth.

“I admit we didn’t express ourselves properly all this time. But we really……”

“Couldn’t express yourselves? From what I’ve seen, you expressed yourselves quite well by calling me weak, incompetent, annoying, and troublesome.”

“……”

Partanie spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly.

Taran’s face hardened at the merciless attack of truth.

“If you truly cared for me but were just poor at expressing it, you wouldn’t have ignored me saying ‘disciplining servants is the master’s responsibility’ when I was persecuted and tormented by the servants.”

She had tried to put it aside as just a past life, something from the past.

But every time she faced them like this, those memories vividly resurfaced.

‘Why did you treat me so harshly?’

‘Why did you mock the hand I extended for love?’

Why were you so cruel until the very last moment?

Partanie bit her lip to prevent her vision from blurring.

“Partanie……”

A voice cracked as if pained by her confession. A hardened face.

‘I hate this.’

Partanie closed her eyes in agony.

This was why she couldn’t give up despite being treated like a worm.

Because just when she was about to give up and turn away after clinging desperately for affection, her family would show fragments of love.

‘It was the same in my dream.’

She recalled her father’s voice frantically trying to save her as she was dying, and his desperately contorted face.

It was like giving salt water to someone dying of thirst.

It might temporarily alleviate the thirst, but ultimately it was killing them.

‘I wish they hadn’t given me such false hope.’

Then her past self could have given up earlier.

She wouldn’t have died so miserably after such devotion.

“……I….”

The Grand Duke of Dragonia opened his mouth with a voice mixed with metallic tones.

“What do you want me to do.”

His icy blue eyes were painfully clouding over, as if retracing his youngest daughter before him, or perhaps something even further in the past.

“An apology for my wrongdoing……”

“I don’t need it.”

Partanie rudely cut off the Grand Duke of Dragonia’s words. She didn’t want to hear his apology.

The time to forgive after hearing such lip service had long passed.

An entire lifetime had gone by.

“There’s only one thing I want.”

What she wanted.

Those words sounded not much different from forgiveness, so a flash of hope crossed Taran’s face.

But Partanie, her voice cracked from speaking too much, coughed and said.

“Disinheritance, cough, that’s what.”

“……What?”

Not just Taran, but everyone in the room doubted their ears.

‘Disinheritance?’

‘What nonsense is that.’

Considering what the Grand Duke of Dragonia had endured to adopt her, and all the humiliation Partanie had endured to stay in Dragonia, it was truly an absurd statement.

Of course, she hadn’t yet been properly recognized as a true lady of Dragonia, merely staying at the Blue Brick Castle as the Grand Duke’s illegitimate daughter bearing his name… but even that was something.

Many fathers completely ignored the very existence of their illegitimate children.

‘His Highness the Grand Duke has done more than enough!’

The Grand Duke’s aide was indignant.

Sure, she nearly died in this incident… but she survived, didn’t she?

‘And whose thanks to that!’

Though this was clearly the truth, shockingly, Partanie firmly opened her mouth as if to say they hadn’t misheard.

“And I’d like to remove the grandiose ‘Par’ from my name. After all, I’m not, cough, really a daughter of Dragonia any……”

“Silence!”

But before she could finish, a loud shout echoed through the bedroom. The Grand Duke of Dragonia, veins bulging in his neck, roared in fury.

“Who dared to say such a thing, who—!”

The space froze under his ferocious aura, as if he might tear someone apart at any moment.

“Y-Your Highness the Grand Duke!”

“Calm yourself!”

Not just the aide, but even the knights outside the door hurriedly tried to restrain the Grand Duke.

‘What’s going on?’

Partanie was bewildered. No, he hadn’t reacted this intensely even when being attacked with the truth until now.

Facing those fierce eyes that looked like they might imprison her if she tried to escape, Partanie realized.

‘……He won’t let me go.’

That Father would absolutely never disinherit her.

With this realization, Partanie’s gaze dropped to the small butter knife she was holding.

She could never win against him.

In that case, rather…

“What’s all this commotion about.”

Just as her thoughts were turning extreme, a voice as dry as it was calm cut through the space.

From the darkness emerged long legs leading to a thick torso, and then a handsome face was revealed.

Pale skin typical of Northwest people.

Dark navy hair.

Below thick eyebrows were the characteristically icy blue eyes of Dragonia, a high straight nose leading to a handsome jawline.

The space, which had fallen silent in surprise at the sudden appearance of the handsome young man, instantly heated up.

“Lord Siyeref!”

The most excellent and precious legitimate son that Dragonia boasted had appeared.

“When did you arrive……”

“There’s no need for a fuss.”

Striding past the welcoming people, Siyeref approached the Grand Duke of Dragonia in one breath.

“Father. Calm yourself.”

“……”

“Are you trying to kill the child? If so, you might as well draw your sword.”

Though his tone seemed provocative, thanks to his characteristically dry voice, the tense atmosphere was diffused.

“……Shut up. Insolent fellow.”

“I apologize.”

Though the Grand Duke sneered at his eldest son’s apology, perhaps realizing he had almost lost his reason, he didn’t continue his rebuke.

Instead, he sent Siyeref a silent look before leaving the room.

After bowing silently as if receiving an order, Siyeref turned his gaze to Partanie.

‘Siyeref……?’

Following the Grand Duke’s sudden departure, Partanie was bewildered by this unexpected appearance.

She unconsciously recalled the last time she had seen Siyeref.

‘Truly dead……’

‘Stop it already!’

The voice that had snapped at her as if thoroughly sick of her.

‘I didn’t expect to see Siyeref again after that day.’

What words would he use to hurt her now?

As the tense Partanie gripped the butter knife tightly, Siyeref, who had been watching her with cold eyes, said with a face that seemed both smiling and not:

“In the entire Dragonia family, you’re the first to have nearly frozen to death.”

“……”

“You nearly died and then got to use the ‘Red Velvet Room,’ the mistress’s bedroom, but instead of being grateful, you demand disinheritance……”

Siyeref whispered, curling the corner of his mouth.

“You’re really full of yourself.”