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Chapter 18………………………………………….
“……There’s been a lot today that could’ve made me mentally collapse, but the situation itself is actually turning out well, isn’t it?”
It was a thought that came to me while absentmindedly toying with the Lintbrum egg in my arms.
As I ran my fingers over the smooth, warm, perfectly rounded shell that fit snugly in my palm, my thoughts gradually settled.
Of course, meeting characters who had deviated from the original story in a world different from the novel was still a mentally shattering experience.
But setting that aside, today could easily be described as fortunate.
Even if it was due to his whim, I had received help from a dragon—if only once. It was hard to put into words just how valuable that was.
‘It basically means getting help from something close to a demigod.’
Even the god worshipped in temples was, in origin, a dragon who had left the mortal world. A dragon who had awakened but not yet ascended had far more limitations than one who had left the world, but even so, they could do far more than any human.
Maybe even Erina’s awakening problem could be solved.
“…If the awakening issue is resolved, then all my current worries might end up being pointless anyway.”
The reason Erina in the original story became a “villainess” was because her awakened ability was so underwhelming. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason, but it was definitely the decisive trigger.
“The Duke, Gawen, and Russell are all regretting things now and trying to treat her better… but there’s no telling how things will change after her awakening.”
Humans were truly fickle beings. And it was common—both in novels and reality—for people to flip their attitudes after a single mistake.
‘Though I’m thinking this way because my trust in the Marbas ducal family is basically at rock bottom.’
You need something reliable to trust someone. How am I supposed to trust people who completely changed character the moment I possessed this body? If they had just acted like their original selves, I could’ve thought, Ah, these are the guys I know! and felt reassured.
Their actions themselves weren’t bad—but the lack of trust was the problem. The real problem.
“…What should I do?”
Since they offered help, it felt wasteful to throw away the opportunity. More so because it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
“Ugh… judging from how things are going, I can already imagine them saying something like, ‘If you had such a concern, why didn’t you tell us first?’”
Well, so what? I could just ignore that and do things my way—but the issue was Shrandis’s status…
“Requesting a private meeting with the Dragon King who governs the southern principality as the duke’s youngest daughter…”
…That would be a scandal big enough to shake high society. And since the Prince of the South equals a dragon, the impact would be even greater. But who cares? I’m the one drowning here!
The more I thought about it, the more I wondered why I was even worrying about public opinion. I can’t even take care of myself right now—who cares about rumors? Screw them all! I need to survive first!!
I decided to push all consequences far into the background. The more I thought about them, the more hesitant I became. At this rate, I’d never solve anything.
‘Fine. I’ll just go all in without thinking about anything!’
In two years, I’d awaken anyway, and then it would be a guaranteed road to hell with a one-way ticket to the afterlife anyway. So what was there to calculate now?
I had already dismissed asking Shrandis for help because the chances were low—but now that opportunity had rolled right into my lap! I had to grab it.
With that thought, I felt nothing holding me back anymore. I placed the Lintbrum egg, which I had been absentmindedly holding, onto the bed and muttered to myself, unsure who I was even speaking to.
“Is this really going to be okay?”
…It has to be okay. I was doing this so it would be okay. It would be fine.
Repeating that reassurance, I steadied my wavering heart. Yes, it would be fine. This was for the sake of being fine.
Even if I had suddenly been thrown into a romantic fantasy world, it couldn’t be that I was doomed to die.
“This body belongs to Erina Marbas, but…”
The core inside was me. I had all the experience of reading countless romance fantasy novels—I’d find a way to survive somehow.
‘I’m not going to die easily.’
It was already unfair enough that I’d been thrown into possession without warning—now an early death? An early deeeath?!
I was going to live long and thin and stubbornly survive!
They say it’s better to live rolling in dirt in this world than be dead, and I had ended up inside Erina Marbas’s body—with wealth and beauty and status—and still I was supposed to die early? What kind of stupidity was that?
Feeling a sudden surge of motivation, I clenched my fist and stood up. This was the first real opportunity I’d been given since I arrived here.
I couldn’t waste it. Absolutely not.
“…That’s what I thought, but.”
There was one problem.
Since the name of a dragon was involved, Prince Shrandis would keep his promise with me.
But the issue was how I would meet him.
‘He’s a dragon, so he’s probably staying in the imperial palace.’
Before being a prince, Shrandis was a dragon. In fact, the title “Prince of the South” existed specifically for dragons.
And the only empire on the continent, Regoria, was a nation founded through a pact with dragons.
That meant even the emperor couldn’t treat the Prince of the South lightly. Of course, dragons also couldn’t act entirely freely either.
‘It wasn’t described in detail, but it felt like they all maintained certain boundaries.’
Well… the main plot centered around the heroine, the saint, so conflicts usually involved the emperor or the prince as male leads rather than as rulers of their positions.
“Hmm… I don’t think they ever really used political power or divine abilities in a heavy-handed way…”
Of course, we can ignore things like making flower fields bloom overnight or clearing stormy skies as gifts. If the male leads had that kind of power, they’d naturally do things like that, right.
Anyway, the problem was meeting the prince in the first place…
“…There’s really no other way, is there?”
I let out a long sigh. I hated asking for favors, but there was no helping it. The one who stood to lose more here was me.
With that thought, I turned my steps toward the duke’s office.
“…! My lady.”
A butler who noticed me hurried over from a distance and bowed deeply. I gave him a light nod in greeting.
“Is Father in his office?”
“Yes, my lady.”
Good. If the duke hadn’t been there, I would’ve had to go find Gawen instead.
I gestured lightly to the butler. Quick-witted, he knocked on the office door.
“Who is it?”
“Your Grace, it is the butler. Lady Erina Marbas has come to visit.”
A familiar clatter sounded from inside. The door swung open in a hurry, revealing the duke. I wasn’t particularly surprised.
‘Father and son really are exactly the same.’
The duke… and Russell… sigh. They were just alike.
“Do you have a moment to speak… Father?”
“Of course, of course. Come in. Butler, bring tea immediately.”
As if afraid I might turn away, the duke quickly ordered the butler and stepped aside for me.
“So, what brings you here?”
The duke asked with an expectant expression. I offered a polite preface.
“Are you busy, perhaps—”
“No, not at all. I’m not busy.”
…Not true. The scattered documents on the floor clearly suggested otherwise.
When I glanced at the papers, the duke waved his hands quickly.
“It’s something I can finish quickly, nothing you need to worry about. The important thing is that you’ve come to see me.”
The duke’s eyes softened. I was still not used to his smiles, even though I had seen them more often since possessing this body.
After letting out a small sigh internally, I got to the point.
“Father, I want to know about His Highness the Prince of the South.”
“The Prince of the South…”
The duke narrowed his brows slightly. He clearly didn’t understand why I was asking about him.
“You know that His Highness is a dragon who appeared from a human lineage after hundreds of years, correct?”
I nodded. That much was common knowledge for anyone who had read the original story.
“His Highness was originally a commoner.”
“…Pardon? A commoner?”
Not a noble? That was the first I was hearing of this.
My eyes widened in surprise, and the duke nodded as if understanding my reaction.
“Commoners do not undergo awakening ceremonies, so it is an extremely rare case. Even awakening power alone can grant noble status regardless of prior class—but even that is rare. This may be the first case in history.”
The first dragon in history to come from a commoner background.
‘So someone who wasn’t even given the chance to awaken became a dragon…’
Just how extraordinary must his talent have been?
‘…That’s a little enviable.’
It was oddly admirable. In a way, he was the complete opposite of Erina.
‘Is this a hidden setting?’
Why hadn’t the author described it? It didn’t seem like a bad detail to include.
‘Hmm… maybe since he appeared as a dragon from the start, there was no need to explain his origin?’
That explanation made sense too.
“I see… he’s truly an incredible person.”
“Yes. I do not know why he still remains in the mortal world, but it is a blessing that he stays here to watch over humanity. But why are you suddenly asking about His Highness?”
“Father, do you know that His Highness has recently arrived in the capital?”
The duke nodded, still puzzled. I smiled as I concluded.
“I want to meet him. And to do that, I thought I should at least understand something about His Highness.”
