I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 41
Ferda was dreaming.
It was not a hazy, jumbled mess of a dream, but a vivid reminiscence rooted in memory.
It was something that had happened to Ferda at some point in the past. However, it had been so trivial that he had simply left it neglected in the far corners of his mind.
The scenery of that trivial memory began on a balcony.
Beyond the balcony, black smoke was rising from various spots within the Imperial walls. The bomb the Empire had harbored had finally exploded, and marches of rebellion were breaking out everywhere.
There was a woman watching it all.
She stood on the balcony railing, looking down as if she had lost her soul. Like a woman of tragic fate.
-The Empire is burning. So brightly….
Ferda watched her quietly.
-Are you happy now?
A question directed at Ferda. It was laced with resentment, as if all of this had happened because of him.
Ferda let out a smirk at her audacity.
“They are dying because of you, Olivia Arken. If you hadn’t stepped forward, they wouldn’t have had to suffer like that.”
Olivia Arken.
The Empire’s greatest beauty and a devout believer in Alte. The woman called the crystallization of purity was the very person who had turned a blade against the Empire.
Had she not led the charge, the space within the great walls would not be echoing with screams.
-I thought it would succeed.
She spoke in a wistful voice.
-Seducing my second brother and inciting the commoners… yes, it was something that could have been achieved. Had that happened, the rebellion would have ended easily.
She turned her head.
With blue eyes and golden hair, Olivia Arken was smiling brightly.
-But… an absurd man like you tipped the scales.
Yet, in contrast to that bright smile, crimson stains had settled on her face.
Blood.
It wasn’t Olivia’s blood. It was the blood of the 1st Prince, the owner of this room, who lay dead on the bed with his trousers halfway down.
He had met his end by the dagger held in her hand.
The 1st Prince died by Olivia’s hand. Since the 2nd Prince had become a traitor, he would be publicly executed if this rebellion failed.
And Olivia….
She would not die.
-Instead, I’ll become the Emperor’s plaything. I’ll be put up in a cheap auction house, my body held hostage to secure loyalty.
Just like my lovely sister was.
Olivia murmured under her breath.
-So, I have a proposal.
Olivia reached out her hand. Her tight-fitting silk gloves were more than just stained; they were dripping with fresh, red blood.
-Before I’m put up in such a filthy auction… would you like to hold me?
Ferda did not respond. It wasn’t that he was conflicted; it simply wasn’t worth answering.
After holding her hand out for a long time, Olivia gave up.
-As I thought… you hate me, don’t you?
It was as she said. Ferda hated Olivia.
He had felt it vividly the first time he saw her, and every time they crossed paths.
-What is the reason?
That emotion wasn’t something Ferda had squeezed out of hatred, nor was it built on something like jealousy.
“You are similar to me.”
It was a loathing born from the sense of being the same kind.
Ferda hated the Rosnovas who had cast him out. And Olivia hated her own kin.
The life of this woman, who mirrored him so perfectly, filled Ferda with a sense of revulsion. Perhaps from that moment, Ferda had been subconsciously aware that something about himself was wrong.
-I see. Because we are the same, are we destined to run in parallel worlds forever?
Olivia resigned herself. Yet, the smile fixed on her face did not vanish.
That smile was Olivia’s mask. A thick mask crafted over years to hide the resentment and murderous intent that ran deeper than Ferda’s. It was something that would never break until the moment she died.
-That’s a shame. I thought it would be alright if it were you.
Her smile distorted sadly.
-Truly.
Olivia’s body tilted backward. She threw herself down toward the burning Empire.
When Ferda opened his eyes again, a strange and luxurious ceiling greeted him.
As he tilted his head, the sight of the Imperial Palace entered his vision. And surrounding the walls were the Imperial Guards and even commander-level knights.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
A sweet voice welcomed Ferda.
A blonde woman closed the book she was reading and flashed a smile.
Olivia Arken.
Befitting the Empire’s greatest beauty, her smile alone made it seem as if dozens of bouquets of flowers were surrounding her.
Ferda sat up and asked her.
“How long was I unconscious?”
“Hmm, about three hours have passed.”
“Three hours….”
It was strange. For having been out for three hours, his body felt too refreshed. He had never felt this way even once when being treated by Ruri.
“Is this perhaps your first time receiving treatment from our Order of Alte?”
“Yes.”
“Fufu, I thought so. The priests in the Imperial Palace are all figures at the Archbishop level. If you are healed by borrowing His light, you can move as if you’ve gained a new body.”
“I see.”
The reason Ferda felt such admiration was that in his past life, he had never once entrusted his healing to another. He trusted no one; he would rather die than let someone touch his body.
‘I think I understand why a priest’s healing is considered the best.’
He wondered if he should bring a resident priest like this into the castle as well.
“According to the reports from the rescue teams….”
Olivia shifted the subject toward the Sealed Storage.
“It was reported that the magic investigator, Yuren-ssi, died and the Regent was heavily injured.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know the exact details, but a Frost Circle Tome was found on Yuren’s body, and there were changes in skin color that occur in contractors of Marbas. Did he fall to the devil’s temptation?”
Ferda nodded.
“That is correct.”
“I see… to think an investigator would fall for a devil’s lure…. You were lucky to survive.”
With a deep gaze, Olivia lightly placed her hand on Ferda’s.
Ferda looked down at her hand. Ferda’s own hands were small for the son of a knightly family, but her hands were even more slender and petite.
“As you said, the magic investigator, Yuren, was corrupted and attacked me.”
Ferda looked up at her.
“However, the causality is wrong.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“He didn’t attack me because he was corrupted. He intended to kill me from the start, and he didn’t even hesitate to fall into corruption just to kill me.”
“Uh… you mean he intended to kill the Regent from the very beginning?”
Her eyes wavered as if she found it difficult to understand.
But Ferda knew. She already understood the entire situation. Because Olivia was the only one who desired this.
“Yes. In the first place, he brought me into the Sealed Storage to attack me.”
“Why?”
“To kill me. To create an excuse—that he had no choice but to kill me because I couldn’t resist the temptation of the Sealed Storage.”
At those words, Olivia’s eyes widened.
“To kill a person… to do such a cruel thing? What could he possibly gain by killing the Regent?”
“Well.”
Ferda smiled softly and asked her.
“Would you be so kind as to tell me?”
Olivia’s face froze for a moment.
Their blue eyes met and stared at each other for a long time. Beyond a simple meeting of gazes, a battle of wits was taking place within those eyes as they probed each other’s intentions.
After a long silence while staring at each other, Olivia raised her hand.
“Knight Commander.”
“Yes.”
“May I speak privately for a moment? I wish to be alone with him.”
“Alone… you say?”
“Yes. Just the two of us.”
The Knight Commander looked troubled. Olivia looked at him with moist eyes.
“I’m asking you, please?”
Looking into those eyes, the Knight Commander blushed as if enchanted and nodded.
“Understood. We shall do as the Princess wishes.”
“Thank you, truly….”
The Imperial Guards stationed in the room filed out.
The blue eyes that had held moisture for the Knight Commander blinked once. In that instant, the Flower of the Empire, the Crystallization of Purity, vanished completely.
“I see….”
Olivia’s airy voice dropped to a startlingly low tone.
The change in her persona was so drastic it instinctively gave even Ferda goosebumps.
“You think I instigated Yuren to assassinate the Regent?”
She was a quick-witted woman. She wasn’t just a beauty with a reputation; she was truly brilliant. Ferda had expected her to bicker and try to brush it off vaguely.
In this state where the fuse was already lit, she had offered the optimal answer to Ferda. Instead of him taking her to task and turning everything upside down, he had been countered.
“This is the first time I’ve spoken like this with someone. Especially with a man.”
“So, will you tell me, Princess?”
Ferda spoke with strong sarcasm in his tone. Olivia no longer wore her foolish smile.
“First of all, it’s true I have a connection with Yuren. He has done many things for me.”
A magic investigator can enter and leave the Sealed Storage. Forbidden magic, black magic, and dangerous information are stored there. Among that information were things that could be the Empire’s shame and its weaknesses.
“But if I said Yuren’s actions were a deviance caused by excessive loyalty… would you believe me?”
“I am a man who was nearly killed just moments ago.”
Would I believe that?
Olivia nodded calmly.
“I once spoke with him. About what could deal a major blow to this Empire—specifically, what could shake the Emperor’s authority. How….”
She smiled faintly, like a young girl harboring a long-held dream. It was an expression welling up from her pure emotions.
“How I could kill the Emperor….”
A normal person would have felt a chill at her twisted expression of emotion. However, Ferda empathized with her. His mouth felt bitter.
“The plan to use the Grand Duke was indeed one of the scenarios I was considering. He was already greatly disappointed in the Arken family once, wasn’t he? If we disappointed him one more time, it would be hard for the Emperor to survive even if he bowed his head.”
“Then it would have been perfect if I had died.”
“Not at all.”
She leaned her face forward slightly. A faint perfume, not overpowering, wafted like her natural scent.
“Even in this moment as we face each other, I am certain that the plan was wrong.”
“In what way?”
“You hate me, Regent.”
The insight hidden beneath her eyes shone blue.
“I can feel it. Deep inside, you loathe me. From the very first moment we met. It’s not that you hate me because you don’t want to show your feelings like a child, but you truly hate me….”
She smirked.
“I suppose you don’t like pure women much? A woman who’s a bit empty-headed and can’t do anything on her own. I thought men were suckers for women like that.”
Ferda did not answer. Olivia pulled her face back as if she didn’t particularly want one.
“There are many people willing to give me their liver and gallbladder. But no one actually sees me for who I am.”
Ferda hated her. That was why he didn’t fall for her gestures or rhetoric and looked at her steadily as she was.
“I need someone like that. An ally, not a slave.”
“A slave would be more convenient.”
“Yuren was a slave to me. The excessive loyalty of a slave always causes problems. They often go ahead of themselves to please me in things I never asked for.”
Olivia let out a sigh as if she had a headache.
“One local noble sold all his property and brought a million roses just to prove himself to me.”
He was the romanticist of the century.
“Who was that?”
“I don’t know. I had him executed before I could even ask his name.”
And the most pitiful guy.
“I don’t want someone who sells their castle or their people into slavery just because they want me. For my ultimate goal, they are useless things.”
On the surface, she sounded like she was speaking for the commoners. But Ferda knew. Olivia would start a rebellion and cause many people to die and be injured.
“And yet, did you try to raise a black mage for the Empire?”
“Oh, were you suspecting me of that too?”
She blinked, covering her mouth with her hand. It was only natural. She was someone who wanted the Empire to fall.
“Hmm… hearing you say that makes me a bit sad. In that case, it can’t be helped. I suppose I’ll just have to show you how sincere I am.”
She lowered her head toward her hand that was resting on Ferda’s. Mana began to circulate in Olivia’s body. As the mana flowed, she skillfully concentrated it through her right arm.
In that instant, something incredible happened. Ferda could clearly see the evidence.
A glowing white pattern was etched on the back of her hand.
“Do you know what this is?”
“…It’s a Stigma.”
A Stigma of God. When a believer of the Order makes an absolute vow, it is a blessing bestowed by God that grants the possessor great power. As it grants immense power, it is not given lightly; it is formed based on intense desire and qualification.
“This is a pattern called the Vow of Revenge. According to the doctrines of Alte, revenge does not look down upon those under the light, but is directed toward those who act against the will of the light for their own selfish desires.”
The ones she would protect were the commoners. And the ones she had to take revenge on were the Emperor and her brothers.
That meant it was also evidence that she had no connection to black mages. If she had brought in black mages, the Stigma would never shine so brightly.
“There are so many agitators being framed as black mages these days that their true nature has been blurred, but black mages are like insects. I don’t even want to use them.”
“I see.”
“And if I had wanted the Imperial family to fall, I wouldn’t have used such a flimsy trick as using black mages. If black mages run rampant, only the citizens get hurt, and when the citizens get hurt, it only strengthens the Emperor’s power.”
Olivia toyed with her lips as she laid out her deductions.
“If there’s someone who would benefit from black mages entering… it would likely be my second brother.”
“You mean the 2nd Prince.”
“Yes. He’s the one who most desires the strengthening of the military. The reason he goes on expeditions is also to gather more military forces. Even if he just raises the need for external forces to enter, it won’t stop him from bringing in the connections he’s built up.”
Listening to Olivia, Ferda was struck once again by how deep her thoughts were. He knew she wasn’t as foolish as she looked, but still. He was now certain that if he hadn’t lingered in the Empire, she truly would have killed the Emperor.
“Anyway, as proof, I will use my influence to ensure you aren’t held responsible for Yuren’s death. I’ll also handle the matter of the books lost during the struggle. Can I continue to prove myself like this in the future?”
As expected, this woman already knew. She knew that Ferda also had a purpose in approaching the Sealed Storage.
“Does one who bears a Stigma simply let someone go who could become a black mage?”
“Oh? Alte, the God of Light, prefers certainty over suspicion. We don’t even know the path through which it was leaked, and if I were to recklessly suspect the Regent who is dedicated to his subjects, it would go against the doctrine.”
In other words, she wouldn’t dig into it.
“So, would you please cooperate with me in the future?”
Olivia Arken made her proposal.
“I know the local lords don’t like the Emperor’s actions. Among them, the neglected Eastern Region is particularly resentful. I believe the Regent feels the same. If you cooperate with me, I, Olivia Arken, will put my weight behind support and a voice for the Eastern Region.”
Her grip on his hand tightened. A hint of allure was added to her expression.
“We could certainly be good partners, or perhaps even more.”
The light of seduction grew thick. Ferda could understand a little why men were helpless before women. Even though he knew it was a calculated act, she naturally drew out a man’s instincts.
“Understood. Then I shall exert my influence this time.”
“Thank you. But… what do you mean by exerting your influence?”
At Olivia’s question, the hallway began to grow noisy.
-Intruder! Level 1 alert! All units, transition to combat readiness!
They arrived quickly.
Ferda pulled his hand away from Olivia’s and stood up from the bed. He suddenly thought of something and asked her.
“You mentioned that I hate pure people, didn’t you?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes.”
“I like them. Pure people.”
Leaving those words behind, Ferda walked out.
