I Married the Dragon I Killed
Chapter 90
Tilda, who had entered House Dandolo as a child bride, was dissatisfied with everything.
The reason was simple.
It was because the mansion did not belong to her.
Tilda, unable to even act as the mistress in a house that wasn’t hers, found the entire estate irritating.
“Hehe~.”
Yet today, she sat on the sofa, humming a cheerful tune.
There was only one reason she looked so utterly delighted.
It was because of the ring on her finger.
A band crafted from lustrous silver, set with a massive diamond in the center.
It was no ordinary diamond.
A red diamond, obtainable only by miners who descended below the boundary of Hell in the Grave of the Gods in the western part of the continent.
Called the Blood Diamond because it was said to have claimed tens of thousands of lives, it was a rarity among rarities that could not be acquired simply by having money.
Tilda was immensely pleased that a rare treasure others could never possess was now encircling her finger.
However, her pleasant smile lasted only a moment.
“My love, did something good happen?”
The moment she heard the voice, Tilda’s happiness vanished instantly.
The person who poured cold water on her mood was the young lord of the Dandolo Mansion, Henri Dandolo.
He was her fiancé and the very person who had gifted her this ring.
Tilda turned her head.
A theatrical smile was plastered on her face.
“I was thinking of you.”
“What a coincidence. I was thinking of you, too.”
Henri laughed joyfully with an oblivious expression and kissed Tilda’s hand.
He squeezed his way in and sat right next to her.
Irritated by even the sensation of him touching her through her clothes, Tilda slid away slightly and asked.
“How has business been lately?”
“Business? It’s going great! I heard the dwarves in the west discovered a vein of rare earth minerals used for magic materials. Literally, money is going to pour down like rain from the sky.”
Henri clapped his hands and swayed his body in excitement.
However, what escaped Tilda’s lips was a sigh.
The smile on Henri’s face turned into bewilderment.
“What’s wrong? It’s good news, isn’t it?”
“It’s good. Of course it’s good for right now. But why is it that I can’t see any future for us?”
“You can’t see the future? From where I stand, I can only think of how much we’ll continue to thrive…”
“That’s because you’re an optimist. It’s not like that to me. I’m at a loss as to how we’re supposed to live from now on. Those beasts are still rushing in to steal what’s mine, aren’t they?”
“Do you mean your brothers?”
Tilda nodded.
“Those two are more wicked than you can imagine. Do you know how much I suffered because of those two men when I was young?”
A surge of emotion welled up inside her. Tilda continued speaking in a voice gripped by passion.
“Those beasts think I only came to this family to use you. They want to paint me as the world’s greatest villainess and turn me into a fool who can’t use her power anywhere!”
Tears trickled down from Tilda’s eyes.
That single drop made Henri’s heart sink.
“Tilda, my love. Please do not be anxious. My heart beats only for you.”
Henri gently took Tilda’s hand.
“Now, look. This diamond. Isn’t it your favorite gem?”
“…”
“I swore when I placed this on your finger. I swore I would make you happier than anyone else in this world. So, you won’t have to feel that kind of anxiety ever again.”
“…Really?”
“Of course, really.”
Henri kissed the back of her hand again and spoke softly.
“My love, for you, I would even pluck the stars from the sky.”
Only then did Tilda, who had been shedding fat tears, break into a smile.
‘This moron is so easy.’
They say all men become simpletons for women, but Henri was particularly severe.
That was just the kind of person Henri was.
Unlike his father, who pursued expansion through aggressive investments and methods, he was gentle and preferred a leisurely approach.
A man with no meticulousness and an impulsive nature.
‘But he still has talent.’
Developing the western regions was only possible thanks to his impulsive talent.
Though his appearance was unsightly and he was much older, that one talent made him tolerable.
At the very least, she had to use him until he resolved all her headaches.
Just then, a servant walked over and whispered in Tilda’s ear.
“We succeeded in setting the fire.”
It was good news.
“Faster than I thought. Understood.”
“What’s fast?”
Henri asked.
“It’s a secret.”
“You have to keep secrets from your fiancé?”
“I have no choice. I’ve prepared a gift for you.”
“Oh, for… for me?”
A smile spread across Henri Dandolo’s face.
He lightly placed his hand on Tilda’s shoulder and spoke.
“That gift for me… could you give me just a tiny peek at what it is?”
Tilda smiled innocently in return.
“No. I’ll tell you later, so please be patient for now.”
“Aw, you can’t even show your fiancé a little bit?”
“I love surprises. I think I’d be sad if my efforts went to waste because you found out too early, Henri-ssi.”
She let the corners of her mouth droop and puffed out her cheeks.
Looking at that face, Henri grinned foolishly.
“Alright. I’ll act like I don’t know even if I see it as clear as day.”
“If you’re acting like you don’t know, it means you already know.”
“I’m actually a good actor, despite appearances.”
“What are you saying, hohoho!”
Tilda burst into laughter.
Seeing her mood brighten, Henri looked relieved.
“I should be going now. It’s time for my father-in-law to eat, isn’t it?”
“You could just leave that to the maids, isn’t it a hassle?”
“I’ve been neglectful because I was busy sightseeing in Halim, and he is your father, Henri-ssi, isn’t he?”
“Haha, well now. Both my father and I are truly unworthy of such a daughter-in-law!”
Henri scratched his head and chuckled inanely.
He hummed a tune about what a happy man he was, and Tilda laughed along with him.
That laughter lasted exactly until she stepped out of the room and the door closed.
Tilda’s face instantly turned cold.
She walked along the red carpet toward the head of the family’s room.
As she walked, a maid slipped in beside her.
“Status?”
“Same as usual.”
“I see. Is everything ready?”
“Yes.”
“Give it here.”
Tilda took the tray, and the door opened.
“Father, it’s Tilda. I’m coming in.”
Tilda entered the room.
Inside the room, the wallpaper detailing the history of House Dandolo and the family tree were prominent.
As they had maintained their lineage for over 200 years, their pride was equally strong.
The person who expressed that pride the most was Henri’s father, Rico Dandolo.
Rico Dandolo had been the most aggressive merchant in the history of House Dandolo.
To keep Herman Pascal, who was pursuing aggressive expansion, in check, he had plunged into high-risk, high-reward ventures.
However, with luck following his skill, Rico Dandolo’s business grew larger and larger, creating the reputation he held today.
But no matter how much one earns, no merchant is free from time.
Rico had become an old man with very little time left.
He was an old man on the verge of death, lacking the strength to even hold a spoon, barely managing to breathe.
“Hello, father-in-law. How are you feeling today?”
Tilda asked him.
She knew a response wouldn’t come.
Tilda continued her monologue.
“The weather is lovely today. I think going out for a short stroll would be a fine choice.”
“…”
“Of course, in your condition, it’s difficult for you to even sit anywhere. It’s a pity.”
“…”
“Still, aren’t you energized by your daughter-in-law talking to you?”
Tilda shoved a spoonful of porridge into Rico’s mouth.
“I heard they discovered a vein of rare earth minerals in the place Henri-ssi contracted. They say we’ll be rolling in money because the mana conductivity is so good?”
“…”
“Isn’t it truly amazing? Only a few years ago, you cursed him, calling him a worthless piece of trash, and lamented that the Dandolo Company would be ruined if such a person became chairman. And now, that very son is about to bring another golden age to the Dandolo Company.”
“…”
“Who do you think made your worthless son like that?”
“…”
“It was me. No one else. It’s all thanks to me.”
Tilda fell into a state of narcissistic bliss, her smile deepening.
“I am such an incredible woman.”
She shoved the wooden spoon into his mouth.
“I am not the kind of woman you should treat like a ghost who will tear this company down.”
She stirred inside his mouth.
“Everything is mine. The Pascal Company, the Dandolo Company, this mansion…”
A bit roughly.
She pushed the wooden spoon deep into his mouth.
Deep enough to make one wonder if it was alright to go that far.
“And even your life, which is no different from a plant.”
Keu-heok, keu-heok—.
Rico’s complexion grew pale as he began to choke.
Tilda wore a delighted expression.
Just before he suffocated, Tilda pulled the spoon out.
His blocked breath returned.
“But you must live. It’s more beneficial for me if you live a little longer rather than dying right now.”
“…”
“They say you have to be alive for me to revise that hidden will of yours. Why did you have to create such useless secrets and cause all this trouble?”
Tilda stroked the old man’s chin with her finger.
The pleasure of dominance lasted only a moment.
Tilda’s finger stopped.
“Oh?”
Her smiling expression turned icy.
Rico Dandolo, who shouldn’t have been able to twitch a finger, had moved.
His eyes had rolled toward Tilda.
His eyes were trembling violently.
They were so bloodshot they looked as if they belonged to a vengeful spirit.
Murderous intent.
A hatred hard to believe coming from a mute old man was directed at Tilda.
Tilda looked down at those eyes and muttered coldly.
“It seems the medicine was a bit lacking…”
Tilda quietly pulled a small vial from her bosom and added another drop into the porridge.
Without even mixing it, she scooped it up and shoved it into Rico Dandolo’s mouth.
The strength left Rico Dandolo’s eyes once more.
He returned to being a frail old man who could do nothing but breathe.
“Rest, father-in-law. You don’t have much time left anyway.”
Tilda smiled brightly again and whispered into the ear of the now-vegetative Rico Dandolo.
“When you pass away, I’ll send your son along with you so you won’t be lonely.”
Tilda stepped out with the empty porridge bowl.
The mansion’s servants were standing before her.
“Are you sure the blame was pinned properly on Merchit’s mercenary company?”
Tilda asked as she handed over the tray.
“Yes. Merchit went to Valdrova Castle to speak with Stefan late at night, but he returned after only two hours.”
“Sent him back late at night… It seems the conversation didn’t go well, indeed.”
Tilda smiled with delight.
“Now we just have to set them off one by one. One by one.”
“Understood.”
“Proceed. Let’s make everything ours.”
“Yes.”
The servants moved busily.
The plan had begun.
‘Now everything will fall into my hands.’
Merchit Pascal and Stefan Pascal.
Though they were blood relatives, to Tilda, who wanted to possess the Pascal Company, they were nothing more than obstacles.
Tilda raised her hand and held it up to the light.
The exquisitely cut Blood Diamond sparkled beautifully.
“It would be perfect if it wasn’t an engagement ring.”
Even as she voiced her regret, she was happy.
An engagement was but a fleeting moment, but the beauty of a diamond was eternal.
Merchit returned that very day.
Though it was late at night, being denied a place to stay was no different from being turned away at the door.
From that, the public could guess that the discord between Merchit and Stefan had deepened.
Following this, Merchit showed signs of separating and becoming independent.
Merchit prepared to vest all the businesses he had been running into his mercenary company and separate them.
It was an intentional move to force a reaction, and it worked exactly as intended.
Herman Pascal made his move.
Knowing that their power must not be divided, he attempted to block Merchit’s independence attempt and, at the same time, tried to reappoint himself as a director to kick Stefan out.
‘Exactly as Stefan predicted.’
Herman didn’t know what was actually happening.
He only knew that the two brothers had fought and that a split was occurring as a result.
The best actor is the one who enters the stage knowing nothing.
Herman played the crucial role of erasing everyone’s suspicions.
The father, Herman Pascal.
The eldest son, Merchit Pascal.
And himself, Stefan Pascal.
Under the name of the Pascal Company, a three-way war between the men had begun.
She was made to believe everything was moving according to Tilda’s plan.
It was during this time.
“Regent-nim.”
Isabella entered Ferda’s office.
In her hand was not the usual mountain of documents, but a thin piece of cloth.
“A carpenter found this while organizing construction materials. He said he doesn’t know how to read, so he brought it to me…”
What Isabella handed over was a neatly folded black scarf.
When she unfolded it, there was text written in a hauntingly crimson blood.
‘No, it’s dye, not blood.’
If it were blood, it wouldn’t have stayed this bright red.
Whether it was blood or dye didn’t matter.
There was only one group Ferda knew of that used red dye to write on black scarves.
‘Black Bandana.’
A secret organization spread throughout the Serdes Continent.
An underworld organization that put forth the provocative slogan: ‘There is nothing we cannot find, and nothing we cannot obtain.’
Fitting for such an information organization, the contents were also provocative.
—To the Honorable Ferda Valdrova.
—We are aware of the recent events involving the Pascal Company.
—We shall come to see you soon.
