#30. I’ll Escape No Matter What

“F*ck, you son of a bitch!”

Though clearly in no good condition, Taran gritted his teeth and struggled. He spat bloody saliva through his split lips and growled.

“Ptui! You think I’ll just sit still……!”

“Shut up and listen.”

Having no interest in trampling on a weakened opponent, Siyeref grabbed his impudent brother’s head and kindly explained.

“Let’s say she really gets disinherited. Does that actually make Partanie no longer a ‘Dragonia’?”

“……!”

Taran’s eyes widened.

Seeing that his stupid brother finally understood, Siyeref slowly opened his mouth.

“Blood doesn’t go anywhere. And I don’t need to explain how many people are after Dragonia descendants, do I?”

In the end, the fragile youngest would only be in more danger if she removed the Dragonia name.

For her own safety, she would have no choice but to return.

Understanding Siyeref’s words, Taran spat blood onto the floor.

Looking down with contempt at his younger brother with blood on his lips, Siyeref said.

“If you understand, shut up and start treating her better from now on. She seems to have had a hard time, so we’ll have to put up with her venting for a while.”

“……”

Thinking his delinquent brother understood, Siyeref slowly stood up.

But….

“……What if it’s not like that?”

Taran’s sudden question caught his ankle.

“What?”

“What if it’s not just about venting or throwing a tantrum?”

Siyeref turned around.

Clutching his aching stomach, Taran roughly wiped the blood from his lips and looked up at his heartless brother.

His twisted face revealed undisguised anxiety.

“Does she really not know that removing the Dragonia name could put her in danger?”

“……”

“That seems too optimistic.”

Taran giggled through his torn lips. His face with its twisted smile looked somewhat unhinged.

“If that’s not the case, if our youngest sister hates being with us so much that she’d rather face such danger……”

“I said, shut up.”

Bang!

Siyeref grabbed Taran’s collar and slammed him against the wall. Roughly, as if he couldn’t tolerate even the mention of such words.

Then he growled coldly.

“Taran Dragonia. Seeing you spout such pathetic thoughts, you must have too much empty space in your brain?”

“F*ck, how would you know if it’s pathetic or n—, cough……!”

“As it happens, I have a message to relay to you.”

Siyeref leaned down and whispered something in Taran’s ear.

Taran’s eyes widened.

“……Penelope did what?”

* * *

‘He’ll do as I wish?’

I blinked blankly. The final words Siyeref had thrown before leaving kept circling in my mind.

‘Would he really disinherit me as I wish? That Siyeref……?’

My head felt complex and dizzy. I pressed my forehead and panted slightly.

‘This is hard.’

I hadn’t been awake for long.

They said I’d been lying unconscious for quite some time, and I had no strength at all.

In the midst of this, I finally surrendered to the reality I didn’t want to accept, and even faced Dragonia’s damned family.

I could feel my energy draining.

‘This won’t do.’

I was too weak to think properly. Just supporting my body was difficult. My head felt too heavy as well…….

“Hack.”

“Lady!”

The maids screamed as they saw me collapse. I didn’t even have the strength to lift my body, so I docilely followed the servants’ hands.

“Please eat quick— oh, it’s already gone cold.”

“It’s fine……”

“I’ll bring fresh food right away.”

“Is there anything you’d like to eat, perhaps?”

“Something I want to eat?”

My eyes widened at the unfamiliar question.

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since someone cooked for me.

When I lived as Yeon Bora, I was so busy that preserved meals were my daily routine, and as Partanie…… well, that goes without saying.

This was an excellent opportunity to eat freshly made, hot food, but nothing came to mind. Ah, what was it that I always craved whenever I collapsed after healing?

“If, if you can’t think of anything……”

“Steamed egg?”

After a long silence, I muttered the first thing that came to mind, and all the maids’ expressions turned sour.

Oh, was steamed egg not available here? I hastily changed my words, saying, “I mean frittata.”

Eren bit her lip for some reason and asked.

“……Frittata?”

“Yes, it’s a simple egg dish…… but, well, if it’s difficult, anything available is fine……”

“It’s not difficult!”

Eren suddenly exclaimed, then seeing my surprised eyes, she stammered, “I’m, I’m sorry. For raising my voice suddenly, I just got so angry……” and then left saying she would cook it right away.

‘Why is she acting like that?’

Rita and the other maids looked equally displeased. Their gazes at me mixed shock, astonishment, and pity.

‘Why?’

It was a familiar look. As a recovery mage, I naturally encountered sick and pitiful people often.

But why toward me…….

‘Ah, I get it.’

From Taran to Siyeref, and even Father. Having such trash for family, they must think I look pitiful.

They had reason to sympathize.

“My lady.”

While I was blankly understanding this, a healer entered and examined me.

Seeing me docilely receiving treatment despite having cursed and resisted the damned Dragonias earlier, he said with a relieved expression, whatever he was thinking.

“You’ve made a good decision. Recovering your health is the most important thing right now.”

Yes, that was right. Whatever I planned to do, building up physical strength came first.

Just then, Eren returned. She had a simple patient meal and the dish I had requested.

“Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve eaten something warm.”

I was moved as I held the warm bowl. The healer preparing medicine for me asked with a creak in his voice.

“……It’s been a long time?”

“Yes. I never ate properly every day.”

People don’t get injured according to meal schedules. There were countless times I had to rush out to heal someone, leaving my meal behind.

‘When I returned, only cold food remained, or even that was cleared away, leaving me to chew on protein bars.’

And during these past few days as Partanie…… well, I couldn’t even eat proper meals.

The stern-faced healer seemed to mutter, “I noticed signs of malnutrition, could it be……” but I couldn’t hear anything, my attention completely focused on the food.

‘Delicious!’

The freshly made egg dish was smooth and soft. Perhaps considering that I was a patient, it wasn’t heavily seasoned, but it was very tasty, nutty with a slight sweetness.

“This is…… really delicious. Warm food tastes this good.”

When I lived as Yeon Bora, I had no interest in cooking, so apart from occasional cold pieces of steamed egg served as a side dish in restaurants, I rarely ate it.

‘Food really does taste best when freshly made.’

The faces of those watching me, moved to tears of appreciation, changed in various ways. I was carefully eating one bite at a time when I noticed this and unconsciously asked.

“Would you like a bite?”

“……”

I asked thinking I might have been too focused on the food, but their expressions worsened. Why were they all acting like this?

“Pl-please finish it all. We can make more anytime.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to eat?”

“Or anything you’d like to do……”

For some reason, they seemed more eager to serve me than when I first woke up.

‘This is uncomfortable……’

I declined politely, saying I was fine, and sent everyone away.

As the space quieted after I filled my stomach, my mind gradually became clearer.

And then I realized.

‘Siyeref will never do what I want.’

His statement earlier was merely a lie to evade the situation.

Siyeref was raised to be the heir of Dragonia through and through.

Someone like him would never help with my disinheritance, which Father, the Grand Duke of Dragonia, opposed.

‘Though Siyeref’s maternal family…… the Narkia Marquis family might help with both hands raised.’

They would be the first vassals to rejoice if I asked to be disinherited.

The Narkia Marquis family had always seen me as a thorn in their side. Among them, Neliana, Siyeref’s maternal cousin, particularly hated me with unusual intensity.

Before I appeared, she had proudly walked around as the only sister of her beloved brother Siyeref.

‘And she tormented me no less than Penelope.’

Anyway, Siyeref’s words were simply to avoid the current situation.

He only said he would ‘do as I wish,’ without specifying what my wish was.

‘Probably…… it will end with punishing the servants and Penelope who tormented me, as my body recovers.’

I could clearly imagine him saying with his characteristically dry and cold face that this was what I had wanted.

Among the three Dragonia brothers, if Taran was a ‘mad’ dog and Kalenso was a mad ‘dog,’ then Siyeref would be the alpha dog.

Though appearing normal on the outside, he was the truly mad dog who had gone 360 degrees from managing the crazy ones.

‘Siyeref. I don’t trust someone like you.’

If they’re determined to deceive me, I’ll simply betray them back.

‘I will definitely escape this damned Dragonia.’

By any means necessary.

I took a slow, deep breath.

Before returning here, I was known as Team Leader Yeon.

All alone, I had risen to the position of team leader, commanding recovery mages in a large guild filled with skilled hunters.

This was partly due to my exceptional abilities as a recovery mage and my intense work ethic, to the point where I couldn’t even eat simple foods like steamed eggs properly…….

‘But that alone isn’t enough.’

It was a position only possible with cold-heartedness and determination to use any means necessary to achieve a goal.

Having organized my thoughts, I looked into the empty space and opened my mouth.

“You there, come out.”