#25. It’s Not Your True Feelings. You’re Just Upset 

Though labeled with the grand term “interrogation,” it was merely a formality.

No one truly believed he would intentionally harm the youngest lady, Partanie.

Even so, an interrogation was still an interrogation.

“Additional charges have been added against Penelope Barshava.”

In a dark room without windows, the knight sat before the handcuffed Taran and spoke.

“Aren’t there already many confirmed charges?”

“……”

“My aunt is certainly industrious.”

Taran smiled languidly and sneered.

The handsome young man with teal curly hair still looked elegant despite not having proper meals for days of interrogation.

“I hope you’re not doubting us.”

“How could I? Who did it then?”

Taran smiled brightly. The knight was left speechless by his suddenly cheerful smile.

His maternal aunt had been arrested as the culprit who persecuted his sister and nearly killed her.

And he himself was suspected as an accomplice and being interrogated.

Yet he showed no sign of shock, maintaining such a composed face.

‘He’s not normal.’

The infamous title “Mad Dog” was indeed fitting.

The rumor that Dragonia’s descendants lost something human in exchange for inheriting the ice dragon’s mighty power seemed true.

Among them, the second son, Taran Dragonia, was especially strange.

‘Perhaps it’s because of his common bloodline.’

Barshava was a merchant family. Normally, they wouldn’t qualify even as concubines, let alone official wives of the Grand Duke.

The woman from Barshava who became Taran’s birth mother and rose to the position of official wife did so because of the legitimate daughter of Marquis Narkia, who was Siyeref’s birth mother and the first lady.

After giving birth to Siyeref, she couldn’t bear any more children with the Grand Duke.

Meanwhile, to resist external pressure to take a second wife from another vassal family, she brought in her maid, “Petunia Barshava,” as his concubine.

Petunia, who gained the qualification as the lady’s maid, gave birth to Taran.

At that time, the lady was in poor health, so Petunia, who bore the second son, had a high possibility of rising to the position of official wife.

However, for some reason, Petunia Barshava died shortly after giving birth to Taran.

Leaving only a will asking that her son be well cared for.

There were many rumors about her sudden death, including suicide, but the Grand Duke of Dragonia remained silent, and the lady “highly valued her contribution in leaving a descendant of Dragonia,” elevating the deceased Petunia to the position of official wife and making Taran a legitimate son.

In other words, Taran himself was originally from a humble birth that deserved contempt.

‘But the family of the third wife who came after remained quiet…… and later even lady Partanie joined.’

The root of all these incidents.

At this point, it became ridiculous to argue about the Barshava family being lowly or not.

‘Above all, Lord Taran himself shows little interest in the succession struggle.’

Though the third son Kalenso’s faction still seemed to harbor ambitions beyond their station.

Yes, at least those who know their place are better. There’s no need to create unnecessary friction.

The knight who supported Siyeref finished his mental calculations and sent Taran away gently. After all, it was just a formal interrogation.

“His Grace the Grand Duke has ordered you to quietly reflect for the time being.”

“Yes~.”

Taran shrugged as he turned away, dramatically rubbing his wrists as if they hurt.

However, when he returned to his quarters, his face was frozen in a chillingly cold expression.

“L-Lord Taran.”

An expression that bewildered even his minions who were used to seeing him.

“Did you suffer any hardship during the interrogation……”

“Shut up.”

Bang—! At the sound of him roughly kicking the door, all of Taran’s followers shrank back. Their master’s mood was severely twisted.

‘Was the interrogation the problem after all?’

‘It must have been humiliating for him as a son of Dragonia to experience such a thing.’

‘Yes, that makes sense.’

But contrary to his followers’ thoughts, what soured Taran’s mood wasn’t the interrogation.

‘Please abandon me.’

It was because of someone’s voice that kept echoing in his mind.

‘Partanie.’

That child’s desperate cry, uttered with labored breathing, hadn’t left Taran’s mind throughout the interrogation.

‘Asking me to kill her instead.’

Asking to be abandoned……

Taran clenched his fist and denied it. That couldn’t be her true feelings. It was just a tantrum because she was in too much pain and distress.

Even as he thought this, Taran felt his heart being crushed by strong pressure, and at the same time, anger bubbled up as if his body might explode.

“Agh, XX!”

Bang!

Taran, who had been squeezing his head with his hands, suddenly stood up and kicked and smashed everything around him. As if this was the only way to release the emotion crazily filling his body.

“L-Lord Taran?!”

When their master suddenly rose and had a fit, all the servants pressed themselves against the wall, trembling.

The minions, familiar with his outbursts, frantically searched for his herbal tobacco.

“L-Lord Taran! Please take this—.”

Taran was originally sensitive and mentally unstable due to his “ability.” And whenever that happened, he would barely regain stability by smoking herbal tobacco containing sedatives.

That’s why his minions tried to limit the sedative tobacco when Taran lost his temper.

However, this situation, where his condition had deteriorated and his eyes were rolling, was an exception.

No matter how bad his condition, Lord Taran never refused the herbal tobacco, and it usually calmed him down……

“XX, get that away!”

“?!”

……or so they believed, but Taran swatted it away.

Crack, as the pipe shattered, the minions who were about to take out a calming potion froze.

Despite serving Taran for quite some time, they had truly never seen him this unhinged before.

Whether his subordinates were shocked or not, Taran smashed and destroyed everything in his quarters.

Bang, crunch! Crack—.

He seemed unaware that his hands were bleeding from injuries and glass shards were scratching his cheeks.

“Aaagh—!”

He even tore off his upper garment with a ripping sound and panted, truly looking like a madman.

“Huff, hah……”

After rampaging for a while, Taran muttered incomprehensible words amidst the ruins.

“It’s not her true feelings.”

“……Pardon?”

“It’s just a tantrum. She’s upset, yes, just a little upset.”

What on earth is he talking about? Taran’s minions exchanged glances. It was difficult to read the mind of their insane master.

“She couldn’t really want to be abandoned by us……”

Suddenly, while rambling words no one could understand, Taran sharply turned his head.

At the eerie blue light in his eyes, the servants realized.

Taran wasn’t calming down; he had gone even more insane. He had turned a full 360 degrees, only appearing normal for a moment.

Everyone was too terrified to even breathe properly.

“……Partanie.”

Abruptly, Taran mentioned someone’s name.

“Y-Yes? Do you mean the youngest Miss……”

To the trembling servants, Taran growled a question.

“Yes, her. Is she still not awake? His Highness the Grand Duke treated her, isn’t there any news after that?”

“Yes…… What?”

From Taran’s minions’ perspective, even the fact that His Highness the Grand Duke personally treated her was news to them.

What? News after that?

But as if he couldn’t tolerate even that momentary question.

“XX I told you not to make me repeat myself!”

Bang—!

Taran threw the chair that was still intact. The chair shattered against the wall, and a servant nearby fainted with a “Hik!”

Regardless, Taran, who couldn’t see anything else, shouted.

“I’m asking how she’s doing, don’t you understand? Huh?”

Piercing blue light in his eyes. Blood flowing down his cheek.

Faced with Taran’s mad fit, his minions all unconsciously thought the same thing.

‘Wait, since when has he been so desperately concerned about the youngest lady?’

Of course, they were well aware of the situation that arose when lady Partanie lost consciousness. And that Taran was very flustered by it.

But that was all. The minions naturally believed that Taran had forgotten about the youngest lady while undergoing interrogation.

‘Like the previous incident, why is he acting this way?’

Why is he behaving as if he’ll die if he doesn’t see her right now?

‘Could it be that he’s feeling guilty now?’

Well, they say people change after facing a life-threatening crisis.

Taran’s minions, quick to rationalize like their master, rapidly accepted this explanation.

However, what was difficult for them to understand was that the person who changed wasn’t Partanie, the lady who faced the life-threatening crisis, but their own master.

The followers were exchanging glances, not understanding what was happening but not wanting to die, and were about to open their mouths when—

“Lord Taran!”

With the rough sound of knocking, a servant of Dragonia entered and shouted.

“The lady……!”

* * *

‘Ah, I had an unpleasant dream.’

As soon as I woke up, I muttered to myself. My body felt stiff yet refreshed.

Feeling the unique freshness of waking up after a good sleep, I opened my eyes with relief, and at that moment……

‘What…… what is this?’

A bewildering environment greeted me.