#16. Penelope’s Humiliation

Taran, who had bowed his head before the Grand Duke, pressed down on Penelope’s shoulder, who was still stiffly holding her head up.

Thud!

Under the strong force, Penelope’s knees hit the floor with a dull sound.

‘Ah, it hurts……!’

As Penelope’s eyes turned white with pain, sneering voices could be heard from somewhere.

“I knew this would happen.”

“Acting like she’s somebody important……”

“I’ve always said merchant-born people are no good. Every single one of their behaviors is utterly vulgar.”

“Lord Taran was wrong too. To have such a woman as his aunt.”

Though Penelope reigned like a queen in her own domain, this was a place where the knights of Dragonia and other vassals were present.

Perhaps because there were those who viewed her unfavorably after hearing rumors about her, the whispering wouldn’t stop.

Penelope’s face burned with humiliation.

To trample her dignity like this in front of everyone.

No matter what, she was Taran’s blood relative, so shouldn’t she be treated with more respect!

Though she couldn’t understand it at all, Penelope bowed deeply as if prostrating herself and apologized.

“I-I’m sorry, Your Highness. I just cherish the lady like my own daughter……”

“Stop that bullshit and get to the point. What about Partanie?”

But Taran cut her off without even letting her finish her apology.

Penelope was now on the verge of vomiting blood.

‘How can a nephew not even spare his aunt’s dignity!’

She couldn’t tell if this was her nephew or someone else’s.

The lavish clothes she wore couldn’t keep out the cold of the snow due to the thin fabric, and her lowered eye level made her feel as base as an insect.

Though Penelope was filled with sorrow and anger, she forced herself to speak politely.

“……The lady is deeply upset, and no matter that Your Highness has arrived, she refuses to come out and has shut herself in.”

“What?”

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Dragonia’s precious ‘Divine Beast’s egg’ was suddenly stolen.”

And while Taran was absorbed in searching for the Divine Beast’s egg, it was her people who were watching Partanie.

“While investigating this matter, I heard news that the youngest Miss had shown interest in the Divine Beast’s egg and had touched it.”

“……That’s…”

Before Taran could interrupt, Penelope quickly continued.

“In the process, being too hasty, I personally interviewed the lady, wanting to quickly restore everything to its original state before rumors spread. During that time, a commotion occurred……”

“She’s locked herself in her room?”

Taran caught on before Penelope’s words grew too long.

Taran’s unsmiling face was cold enough to make even Penelope, who had been his aunt for years, flinch.

“I-I’m sorry, it was my oversight.”

If it hadn’t been a prepared speech, her tongue might have gotten tied without her realizing it.

Avoiding Taran’s gaze, Penelope said,

“I tried to comfort her many times, but the youngest Miss drove me away with harsh words and wouldn’t even let me look into her room…… I told her many times that the Grand Duke had returned, but she didn’t even respond—.”

“I see.”

“—so, I had no choice but to…… Pardon?”

Penelope, half tense and half excited, was dumbfounded by the Grand Duke’s response.

“If she’s protesting, I should listen.”

“……What?”

When she came to her senses, the Grand Duke was already walking toward the main castle.

Penelope turned pale, realizing that the rapidly departing Grand Duke of Dragonia was heading toward Partanie’s bedroom.

‘No!’

* * *

The entire Blue Brick Castle was shocked by the news that the Grand Duke of Dragonia who returned was going to the lady’s bedroom without changing clothes, washing up, or resting.

‘Wait, since when has he cared so much about his youngest daughter?’

But whether they were surprised or not, all the knights and servants followed in line behind the Grand Duke.

‘I didn’t expect things to turn out like this……!’

Penelope was perplexed by the scale, which had grown beyond her expectations, and didn’t know what to do.

But she couldn’t undo what had already been done.

‘It’s okay. I prepared for this in advance.’

So she could make excuses.

She could handle it.

Penelope tried to calm herself with deep breaths. Then, running ahead of everyone else, she knocked on the door of Partanie’s bedroom.

Knock knock—.

“Partanie, lady!”

Knocking on the door several times, Penelope called out in a caring voice.

“How many times have I told you? No matter what you’ve done, lady, you absolutely won’t be scolded. So please open the door.”

But there was still silence beyond the door.

“Please, lady! His Highness the Grand Duke has personally come to see you……!”

Penelope’s heart pounded as she called out pitifully.

Though she herself was the one who wanted this door to remain closed more than anyone, the door not opening was no lie.

‘Why isn’t she opening it?’

That child would have run out barefoot at the news that the Grand Duke of Dragonia had personally come.

As Penelope pondered various suspicions, she remembered that she had removed all the heating items from the girl’s bedroom.

‘Could she have caught a cold?’

Penelope rejoiced inwardly.

A child of Dragonia, said to have received the blessing of the Ice Dragon, falling ill from the cold—even a passing dog would laugh at such a thing.

Perhaps the child had locked the door, afraid that this would be discovered.

After all, wasn’t she a child whose weakness was that she wasn’t properly Dragonian? It was natural, seeing how she cowered and shrank whenever she was pointed at as a fake Dragonia.

“Please, open the door.”

Don’t open it.

Penelope, who had been endlessly knocking on the door, turned around sadly.

“……I’m sorry, Your Highness. It seems Partanie doesn’t want to show her face to Your Highness.”

“How dare she.”

“Not knowing her place……!”

Some of the vassals who had followed the Grand Duke of Dragonia didn’t hide their displeasure.

“I’d heard rumors that the youngest lady had a difficult personality……”

“So it was true. No, this is beyond merely being difficult?”

“This arrogance, turning away His Highness the Grand Duke at the door, there should be limits to such misbehavior!”

And in the meantime, people Penelope had planted beforehand immediately chimed in, further exaggerating the matter.

Penelope wiped away tears with a bitter face and said,

“Please don’t be too harsh…… She’s still just a child, isn’t she?”

“She’s not that young! The great guardian of Dragonia, Lady Partilova, became the successor at that age.”

“Even if she is young, to be so defiant, how terribly spoiled she’ll be when she grows up……!”

“Shut up.”

It was the second son, Lord Taran, who cut off the slander about the youngest lady.

As always, Taran’s handsome face wore a languid smile, but the aura emanating from that smiling expression was frighteningly fierce.

“Who are you nobodies to talk about the bloodline of Dragonia? Huh?”

“……”

The surroundings instantly fell silent.

‘That, that! Wet-behind-the-ears brat!’

‘With a lowly merchant-born mother, how dare he—!’

Several high-ranking vassals felt displeased by Taran’s attitude, but they couldn’t speak out under the cold gaze of the Grand Duke, who was also looking down at them frostily.

‘Damn nightmare.’

Taran was smiling lazily as usual, but in reality, he was in a very foul mood.

Since waking from that nightmare, and after realizing that Partanie was nowhere to be seen, his head had been throbbing for some reason.

‘Damn it, what the hell?’

Why was his heart beating so anxiously? Where was this inexplicable impatience coming from?

He couldn’t understand at all.

But one thing was certain.

“You’ll all have to die before you come to your senses……”

That this situation was making him feel extremely disgusted.

Taran muttered lowly. He wanted to beat up everyone who was insulting Partanie.

The bloodline of Dragonia often becomes violent and cruel in temperament instead of awakening sacred powers.

People who noticed the ominous signs from Taran flinched and lowered their heads.

Whether they did or not, Taran’s fists were itching to truly beat them up, and his head was throbbing. For some reason, violent urges were boiling up from his core.

‘I have to endure.’

Because the Grand Duke of Dragonia was present. Taran stepped forward, restraining himself.

“Move aside.”

“Taran……?!”

“Hey, Partanie! Are you coming out right now?!”

Bang, bang bang—!

Taran knocked on the door roughly. There’s no way she couldn’t have heard such a loud noise.

Penelope held her breath, extremely tense.

But….

“……”

The closed door remained silent.

“Is this little brat ignoring me too?”

Ha, unbelievable. Just as Taran raised the corner of his mouth crookedly.

“Step aside.”

It was then that a large hand touched the doorknob.

The owner of the hand was the Grand Duke of Dragonia.

Behind Taran, who had hurriedly composed his expression, the Grand Duke grabbed the doorknob and twisted it.

“Ah, Father. That, the child……”

“It’s not locked.”

“……She didn’t do it on purpose, no, what did you say?”

Taran, who had been unconsciously making excuses for Partanie, opened his eyes wide at the Grand Duke’s words.

“It’s frozen.”

“What?”

Taran, who had asked again, belatedly understood his father’s words.

‘The door is frozen?’

How?

And why?

What reason could there be for the bedroom door of Partanie, the lady of Dragonia, to be frozen?

Just as Taran’s mouth was about to fall open in shock, the Grand Duke of Dragonia clenched his fist.

Bang—!

The firmly frozen door immediately shattered under the Grand Duke’s fist. The Grand Duke then swung his fist again and tore off the pieces.

Crack! Crunch—!

As the broken door collapsed in pieces, the bedroom was revealed.

The first thing they saw was the snow pouring in from the wide-open window.

“……Partanie?”

Taran called out without realizing it.

In that moment, the scene from his nightmare unfolded before his eyes.

Under the accumulated snow, a frail and small girl with purple-blue hair lay collapsed as if dead.