My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 101: Chapter 101

Chapter 101 - A Difficult Situation

Boom!

With a thunderous crash that shook Hestia Village, the situation finally came to an end.

Those who had gathered to eliminate the remaining Monsters ended up surrounding Grand Duchess Valdrova.

Every gaze was fixed on her from above.

"What in the world is this...?"

"Urgh..."

Those with weak stomachs gagged at the sight before them.

There were also those who recognized what they were seeing.

A berserker.

Someone consumed by rage, destroying everything in their path.

That fury could not be controlled, and unless there was a Mage capable of casting calming magic, such a person was little more than a small ogre.

The villagers could finally understand why she possessed such absurd physical strength.

Their conclusion was uncertain, but fear spread in an instant.

Everyone was afraid of Valdrova.

Valdrova did nothing.

She merely lifted her head slightly, looked around, and quietly sat where she was.

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, hesitating.

No one dared step into the enormous crater that had been created by a single strike.

"Are you alright, Sir Knight?"

The man wearing the insignia of the captain of the Public Security Force approached.

The man who had stood more bravely than anyone else against the Monsters came closer and asked.

Valdrova could not answer.

"Can you stand? Shall I help you?"

William extended his hand, but Valdrova did not even look at it.

She remained completely still, as though she had died.

The one who finally awakened her mind was a single voice.

"Sir William."

It was Ferda.

She slowly raised her head and looked up at him.

"Yes, Regent."

"I heard an enormous explosion just moments ago. It seems this was the epicenter..."

Ferda looked directly at her.

Those cold eyes.

They were no longer the warm eyes that had once looked upon her so gently.

"You..."

Ferda could not finish his sentence.

Valdrova knew exactly why.

Because I...

I’m a monster.

Ferda walked toward Valdrova.

Unable to bear looking at his expression, she lowered her head.

With her vision blocked, his footsteps became even clearer.

When he stopped in front of her, he finally spoke.

"Come to the castle. There is something I need to discuss with you."

None of the warmth he had always shown her remained.

***

She had seen this room many times before, but today it felt completely different.

Back then, she had looked around as its owner.

Now, she had come as a guest.

It was almost laughable.

The owner of the castle arriving as a guest.

Ferda knew nothing of that.

He personally prepared the tea in the reception room and poured her a cup.

"Normally, this is the work of a maid, but everyone’s busy dealing with the situation outside, so I had to do it myself. Even if it doesn’t taste very good, I hope you’ll forgive me."

"..."

"Still, consider yourself fortunate. I made it a rule that every knight has to wash up before entering, otherwise we’d have wasted quite a bit of time."

Ferda offered the teacup to Valdrova.

Whether it tasted good or bad didn’t matter.

Tea brewed by Mr. Ferda...

That alone made it feel incredibly precious.

I want to drink it.

But if she removed her helmet, her face would be revealed.

Ferda would surely be shocked.

Then she would have to explain everything that had happened until now.

Things would only become more complicated.

He would feel disgusted.

She did not want to face such a tragedy.

I’ll just stay still.

Without saying a word, Valdrova set the teacup back down.

Watching her quietly, Ferda changed the subject.

"I heard you took the Oath of Silence."

She nodded.

"It’s a convenient excuse. If you claim you’ve taken the Oath of Silence, you only need to answer questions when asked and don’t have to speak unnecessarily. Isn’t that right?"

Ferda’s icy gaze seemed to pierce straight through her.

"That excuse might fool ignorant commoners, but I was raised in a Knight Family. The Oath of Silence is something usually taken only by holy knights. And if you truly served someone, it would have been evident from your bearing."

"..."

"But you serve no one. All you possess is strength and combat ability surpassing that of ordinary knights. Then why tell such a lie?"

He spoke with a mocking smile.

"It’s an obvious story. You concealed your identity because you wanted to escape your past."

Valdrova clenched her fists.

Although Ferda had guessed one part incorrectly, he had grasped the essence of it.

Valdrova hated herself.

More than the Demon Race that had driven countless people to their deaths, she hated herself—the one whose very existence made others tremble in fear.

"Tell me."

Lifting his teacup, Ferda asked,

"Have you ever killed someone after being consumed by that rage?"

She nodded.

"And is that why you fled here?"

She nodded again.

"I see."

Silence filled the room for a moment.

After pondering something, Ferda asked another question.

"Do you regret that day?"

Regret.

How could she possibly not?

For decades she had drowned in grief, despised herself, and suffered endless nightmares.

She had prayed for the mercy and salvation of the gods.

No one had ever answered.

Instead of moving forward, she had remained frozen in place, consumed by self-hatred.

Whenever she remembered those who had died during the Dragon-Demon War, only one thought ever came to mind.

If only the people I killed could live again...

I wouldn’t care even if I had to become the Evil Red Dragon, the enemy of the entire world.

Valdrova nodded.

"I see."

His calm acknowledgment felt like the silence before a storm.

She expected curses to come flying at her any moment.

A monster like you has no place in this town.

Get out immediately.

But the storm never came.

"Tell me."

"Do you like this village?"

It was an incredibly simple question.

Valdrova nodded.

"Do you also wish to protect this village?"

She nodded repeatedly.

"Then... would you be willing to accept the knighthood I wish to offer you?"

She suddenly stopped.

Valdrova slowly raised her head.

A knight...

A position entrusted with protecting the people and defending the king.

It was the dream of countless boys growing up in the countryside.

Since Valdrova loved the very idea of "protection," the title had always held a special appeal for her.

But... why?

She couldn’t understand.

People saw her as a monster.

Even those young girls had trembled in fear of her.

I am an evil dragon... no, an evil person.

Someone like me should never become a knight.

"Do you think you’re unworthy?"

She nodded.

"What a foolish thing to think."

His merciless criticism wounded the emotionally fragile Valdrova.

"Do you know how many adventurers gathered in Hestia Village?"

She shook her head.

"Twenty-three parties arrived. Seventy-three people in total. Every one of them possessed strength and wisdom."

"..."

"And yet, when the village’s defense began, only four parties actually participated. Do you know what that means? Nineteen parties couldn’t care less whether people died or the village was destroyed."

Leaning forward, Ferda continued,

"But you were different. You could have hidden alongside those fools, yet you chose to fight to protect this village."

"..."

"That’s because, more than your past, you understand the value of the people standing before you now."

The moment she heard those words, something vanished from deep inside Valdrova’s heart.

She had believed she was looking at someone as cold as ice.

She had been mistaken from the very beginning.

His manner was not gentle, but there was genuine respect within his eyes.

"If you truly wish to protect this place, then your past has no meaning to me."

You are not beyond redemption.

What matters is the path you choose from now on.

What is this...?

A strange emotion welled up inside her.

She had shared conversations like this many times whenever Ferda had given her his Mana.

Back then, he had always been gentle.

But somehow... it wasn’t comforting.

Whenever Ferda dealt with her, he treated her like a delicate flower that might shatter at any moment.

His careful, gentle hands would barely brush against her skin before pulling away.

She had never truly believed his words.

And because of that, his comfort had always faded away like a fleeting emotion.

This is different.

His blunt tone.

His unfamiliar gaze.

Everything about him treated her like a complete stranger.

It feels like we’re meeting for the first time.

He did not hesitate to touch her.

He reached deeply into her heart with genuine understanding.

It was as though she was seeing an entirely different side of Ferda.

Her heart pounded.

This feeling was even deeper than what she had felt when she first met him.

There was no doubt anymore.

It was love.

"Do you think I’m an understanding person?"

At his question, Valdrova nodded.

"Unfortunately, I’m not."

"I’m only pretending to be this understanding because you remind me of someone I’ve met before."

Who could that possibly be?

Just as she wondered silently, he continued,

"That person was truly beautiful."

Beautiful.

As he spoke those words, Ferda smiled.

Seeing that smile made Valdrova’s chest tighten painfully.

Mr. Ferda has never smiled at anyone except me...

That’s what Luri had told her.

Because it was Valdrova that he was kind to, and because it was Valdrova that made him smile.

Just who was this person who could affect him so deeply?

"I only saw that person’s face once, and even then, I can hardly say I truly saw it."

He only saw their face once, yet they meant that much to him?

"Besides, the first time I saw that face, it was covered in tears."

Was someone crying really that beautiful...?

"I’ve wanted to see that person’s face every time since then, but I could never bring myself to ask."

What a terrible person. They wouldn’t even show him their face...

"Still, knowing that person is resting peacefully beneath this castle is enough to bring me comfort."

Beneath this castle...

Wait a second.

That person...

Is it... me?

Only then did Valdrova realize it.

As she replayed everything he had said, she realized that every situation he described matched her own perfectly.

Ah...

Valdrova’s face turned bright red.

Now that she had become aware of it, she wanted nothing more than to run out of the room.

She wanted to return to her Lair, roll around on the floor as she always did, and hum happily to herself.

But with every ounce of willpower she possessed, she suppressed the trembling in her heart and continued pretending to be someone else.

I absolutely can’t let him find out now.

Whether it’s for Mr. Ferda’s sake... or for mine!

"I’ve rambled long enough. So, would you consider my offer of knighthood once more?"

Ferda returned to the main topic.

Valdrova decided to think about it again.

If I become a knight...

Would that mean... I’d become someone who protects Mr. Ferda?

Her heart raced.

If she were merely a dragon—if she were simply Valdrova—she would never have dared imagine hearing words like these.

She could hardly contain her excitement.

I want to protect this village.

But even stronger than that...

I want to protect Mr. Ferda.

And stronger still...

I want to hear more about what he thinks of me!

A woman who lacked the courage to ask him directly...

And a man who lacked the courage to tell her directly.

For two people like that, this was the perfect opportunity to hear each other’s true feelings.

That reason alone was almost enough.

Just as Valdrova was about to give her answer—

"Mr. Ferda."

Luri entered the room.

Normally indifferent toward humans, for some reason her gaze remained fixed on the suit of armor.

"How is the situation in the village?"

"The recovery efforts are proceeding smoothly."

"Any bad news?"

"Nothing significant. The number of deaths is very low. There are many seriously injured, but emergency treatment was administered quickly, so none of their lives are in danger."

"That’s fortunate."

"I’ll serve the tea."

She skillfully and swiftly took her place and began serving tea.

Luri’s eyes casually drifted toward the armor.

"Hm?"

She stared at it intently.

Her expression suggested she was on the verge of realizing something, yet wasn’t entirely certain.

Then—

"...Huh?"

Luri’s expression instantly soured.

Valdrova recognized that look.

She figured it out!

Inside the armor, Valdrova’s face turned deathly pale.

Looking utterly speechless, Luri silently stared at her.

Keeping to the Oath of Silence, she said nothing.

Completely oblivious, Ferda merely found Luri’s behavior rather strange.

"What’s wrong?"

"...It’s nothing. I was just reminded of the mess still left in the village."

Acting as though nothing had happened, Luri finished serving the tea and moved behind Ferda.

"Then, let’s continue our discussion—"

"Excuse me."

Luri interrupted.

"May I ask what the two of you were discussing?"

"...It’s the first time you’ve ever asked me something like that."

She had always faithfully fulfilled her role.

Standing quietly like a decorative screen, never interfering.

"It sounded like a rather important discussion. I felt I should know as well."

Ferda answered without hesitation.

"I was asking whether this knight could swear an oath to serve me."

"A knight... swear an oath...?"

Her expression was one of complete disbelief.

"So, did they accept?"

"I was just about to hear the answer."

"Oh..."

Narrowing her eyes, Luri slowly looked over at the armored knight.

"I see."

Valdrova’s body instinctively tensed.

Is she planning to expose me?

She desperately denied the thought and silently pleaded with Luri through telepathy.

Please... pretend you don’t know!

Luri had no intention of exposing her.

Instead, she responded in a far crueler way than Valdrova had imagined.

"Mr. Ferda. What do you think about this?"

"What exactly?"

"A high-ranking knight swearing loyalty to a commoner."

Ferda answered,

"A knight cannot swear loyalty to a commoner. However, one can certainly devote oneself to one’s own convictions. If those convictions lead one to protect the people, it may appear as though they’re loyal to commoners. That is a noble thing."

That was precisely why Ferda had appointed William as captain of the Public Security Force.

If the village continued to grow, he had even planned to knight him someday.

"I was only speaking hypothetically. Then let me ask a slightly different question. Suppose..."

Pretending to search for the right words, she finally said,

"What if Lady Valdrova were to swear loyalty to Mr. Ferda?"

Ferda frowned as he answered.

He shot Luri a look as if asking whether she had lost her mind.

"That’s utter nonsense. Such a thing could never happen. I would be the one swearing loyalty, and I would have to earn her trust. The very idea of her pledging loyalty to me would be nothing less than an insult."

"Exactly my point."

"If you already knew that, then don’t say such things so carelessly. I can’t tolerate hearing it, not even as a hypothetical."

"My apologies. I was simply curious."

Crossing her arms, Luri glared at Valdrova.

Her expression clearly asked,

Do you understand just how absurd this situation is?

"So... what is your answer?"

Ferda asked.

There was only one answer Valdrova could possibly give.