#39. Discovery 

Heavy footsteps echoed through the dawn corridor.

“Lord Siyeref?”

The Blue Brick Castle servant opened his eyes wide at the sight of Siyeref, who had suddenly gone out and returned.

He hadn’t even brushed off the snow yet.

“Why are you here at this hour……”

“Move aside.”

Siyeref walked past without even looking at him. His long legs quickly strode to his destination.

The Red Velvet Room.

The lady’s bedroom was right in front of him.

His breath, rough from walking too quickly, sounded clearly in his ears.

At the same time, Siyeref realized.

While he could hear even his own breathing, there was not the slightest sign of life from behind the door.

‘That’s impossible.’

Contrary to his habitual denial, Siyeref’s face turned frighteningly cold.

He grasped the doorknob he couldn’t bring himself to touch just hours ago and flung the door open.

“……Ha.”

Siyeref’s face contorted.

The bedroom that was said to have been used by his birth mother who passed away when he was very young, and which had traditionally been used only by the grand duchesses of Dragonia.

Since the grand duchess’s death, no one had properly stayed there, so it always existed alone without an owner.

And this time too, Siyeref strode through the chilly, silent air that greeted him, all the way to the bed.

The thick red velvet blanket was rounded as if a small girl was curled up underneath, but…….

“What a pathetic trick.”

Siyeref, the eldest son of Dragonia blessed by the Ice Dragon, had already noticed that no living being remained under it.

When he roughly pulled back the blanket, what he saw was exactly as expected.

Bundles of blankets and pillows lumped together to resemble a human silhouette.

“H-how did the lady…… gasp.”

Dmitri, Siyeref’s aide who had only just arrived, unable to keep up with his master who moved too quickly, also held his breath at the sight.

‘Good heavens, she’s really gone!’

Though he addressed her as lady with honorifics, Dmitri, who like other people of Dragonia had been subtly dismissive of Partanie, was horrified.

How dare she speak of disinheritance and then actually run away?

‘How dare she.’

Dmitri frowned. They were already busy catching spies, and now she pulls this stunt. Siyeref’s aide, who had sympathized with Partanie just hours ago, changed his mind this quickly.

It was natural. After all, he was Siyeref’s man through and through.

Of course, it was his master’s fault for hurting the lady’s feelings with harsh words, and he felt sorry for her, but that was all.

He had hoped she would understand his master’s greater purpose someday and make peace on her own, and if she really disliked it, showing a few displeased expressions would have been enough.

But to dare pull such an absurd stunt.

‘This is why lowborn people are……’

Dmitri was truly displeased.

He wasn’t simply despising her for her mother’s unidentified, lowly bloodline.

After all, even the current Grand Duke of Dragonia, Garet, was strictly speaking of ‘lowly’ blood.

He had been a nobody living in some rural corner where the branch families of Dragonia resided. He wasn’t even a legitimate child, but an illegitimate son born when those branch family men had relations with some woman.

But by chance, he caught the eye of Lady Partilova passing through, was given the name ‘Garet,’ and was officially registered into Dragonia.

‘Not only that, he even rose to the position of Grand Duke of Dragonia, which he would never have had any connection to otherwise.’

Of course, this was decided by the previous Grand Duke and supported by the vassal council of Dragonia, but regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that he was an incredibly fortunate man.

To think that a lowly illegitimate child of a branch family, without even a name, became the ruler of the Northwest, the Grand Duke of Dragonia.

Even though Dragonia didn’t greatly value noble bloodlines and instead emphasized ability, this was still a stroke of heaven-sent luck.

‘And that luck came thanks to his marriage to the daughter of the Marquis of Narkia, his first wife.’

The noble daughter of Narkia diluted his lowly blood, and the previous Grand Duke of Dragonia also highly appreciated this and personally bestowed a name.

Siyeref.

This was derived from the name ‘Sherenei,’ the younger brother of the previous Grand Duke who was lost in the war against Phoenix.

The previous Grand Duke, Lady Partilova, deeply cherished her younger brother Sherenei, and everyone in Dragonia at that time saw him as the next Grand Duke.

But the cruel Phoenix took Sherenei’s life, and the enraged Lady Partilova occupied the territory near the Tukenia River and named it ‘Sheren’ Grad after her brother.

‘To name Garet Dragonia’s son Siyeref, following Sheren Grad which is called Dragonia’s second capital……!’

This was as good as declaring that Siyeref would be given the Grand Duke position in the future, and thus Garet Dragonia smoothly secured the position of the next Grand Duke.

Lord Siyeref was that noble a person. In some ways, even more so than the current Grand Duke of Dragonia.

And yet, a mere daughter born to Garet Dragonia from a concubine dares to cause trouble and bring worry to his master, Lord Siyeref!

Inwardly indignant, Dmitri couldn’t immediately follow Siyeref, who was looking around the empty Red Velvet Room.

BANG!

“L-Lord Siyeref?!”

When the door was flung open as if it would break, the servants on dawn duty and Siyeref’s subordinates waiting in front jumped in surprise.

“Find them. And drag them here.”

“Ah, yes! Right away, the lady……”

“The two Amyeong who were supposed to be watching Partanie. And everyone who last attended to that child.”

“……Pardon?”

Not the lady who caused this trouble?

Confused, Dmitri instinctively bowed his head as soon as he met Siyeref’s eyes.

“N-no! I’ll find them and bring them immediately.”

Siyeref watched his subordinates scatter according to his orders and thought.

That fragile child would have found it difficult to escape on her own, so she must have received help from someone.

‘I wonder who the bastard is.’

It doesn’t matter who. He would definitely drag them before Partanie and personally show them the consequences of sending her outside Dragonia.

In the darkness, the distinctively blue eyes of Dragonia gleamed ominously.

* * *

The letters of the quest that had affirmed my hopeful future suddenly began to break apart.

[@□ safely esc■pe from the Dragonia Grand Duchy.]

[Safely escape from Dr◇&!nia……]

[Safely…… to the @◆#□ of Dragonia.]

The letters that were breaking, being crossed out, and distorting at will were suddenly reconstructed into a completely different sentence.

[Safely survive as Partanie of Dragonia.]

“……What?”

Survival? What kind of crazy talk is this?

The absurd death sentence reached my eyes but didn’t register in my mind. As I blinked vacantly.

[Survival probability: 6%]

A new notification at the bottom captured my attention.

‘Six percent?’

My chances of survival are only that much?

‘Why?’

Before I could be shocked, I was puzzled.

I couldn’t understand. Of course, my current body… Partanie’s body was terribly weak, and I didn’t live long in my past life either.

‘But I still reached adulthood.’

It makes no sense that there’s a 94% probability of death at this point, before even having my first coming-of-age ceremony. Why…….

“Ah.”

Only then did I realize.

I am not the same person I was in my past life.

The foolish Partanie who craved love and recognition from her Dragonia family, who dedicated herself to the point of sacrificing her life, no longer exists.

‘So it has changed……’

Even the present has changed, hasn’t it?

At this point, I should have been suffering Penelope’s persecution.

I should have been showing foolish behavior, enduring all sorts of contempt as a half-legitimate lady, unable to properly retaliate.

But the current me?

‘I escaped to the hideout using the Amyeong assigned to me.’

The Partanie of the past is gone.

Therefore, the future that existed for the original Partanie must also collapse.

‘Even so, how old am I that my probability of death is so high?’

Is it because my body has weakened?

But I wasn’t particularly healthier in my past life either. If anything, now that I’ve awakened my mana core, I could improve.

What’s the problem?

As I pondered, I suddenly realized what the most decisive change in me was.

That I no longer desire the affection of those Dragonia bastards. That I’m trying to escape from them.

‘……Could that be the problem?’

Has my survival probability dropped because I no longer want to be loved by my trash family and am trying to break free?

“Ha.”

That’s absurd.

I snorted. It was complete nonsense.

No longer interested in such far-fetched speculation, I focused on how to escape from Northwestern Dragonia and where I should go.

And before me, the glowing letters flickered again.

[Survival probability: 5%]

It had dropped by 1% already. As if confirming my ridiculed speculation.

“N-no way.”

Does this mean that to survive, I must return to being the past Partanie, that foolish figure?

To repeat a life of dedicating myself to death for Father and my brothers, only to be abandoned?

“I hate it!”

No, I won’t live like that even if I die! I clenched my fist, glared, and shouted.

“I’d rather die than go back to those trash……”

Just as I was about to say I wouldn’t return to them, I stopped.

In my state of outrage, I finally realized I wasn’t alone.

Prince Lukaris.

Though I had treated him, he was severely injured and not fully recovered, suffering from high fever.

‘I can’t keep him in this hideout.’

I needed to find a safe zone and help his recovery and regeneration with my healing power. I gritted my teeth as I held the unconscious Prince Lukaris.

What should I do?