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Chapter 22…………………………………
As if he had been waiting for those words, Shrandis nodded gently with a soft smile. His gray eyes shimmered with a mysterious light, containing only me.
“I will help you awaken your latent potential.”
“Thank you.”
“There is no need to thank me. This is merely to make amends for my earlier rudeness. And… from what I’ve heard, even if it was unintentional, what I said may have been unpleasant for you. I apologize.”
I was taken aback by Shrandis bowing his head in apology.
…Isn’t the male lead candidate bowing his head too easily?
“You’re a dragon, you know—a dragon!”
Even if he was deliberately showing that we had met before, wasn’t he lowering his head far too easily? And he was also being unusually kind.
‘It’s not a bad thing, but…’
Still, things going too smoothly made me uneasy. Yes—just like when I realized the Marvas ducal family’s men were far worse than I had thought.
At the thought of them, my mind grew cold.
If what Shrandis said was true, then those three men—whether intentionally or not—had crushed someone with the potential to become a dragon, preventing that potential from ever blooming.
‘And a dragon has no reason to lie to a human.’
Even if he had once been human, a dragon was still a dragon—an transcendent being.
A being like that had no reason to lie to a mere human.
“So, then, Lady Marvas. There is something you must do first.”
“Something I must do…?”
“Yes. As I said, the orthodox method is to stabilize both mind and body through various experiences. I will assist you, but changing your environment will lead to even better results.”
Shrandis’s eyes curved slightly.
“Lady Marvas. Do you wish to change something about your current situation?”
My heart skipped a beat. His question sounded almost dangerously sweet.
“Why… are you asking me that?”
“Many people come to me asking for awakening assistance. Most are nobles with children about to undergo their awakening ceremony. I rarely meet them in person, however.”
He paused briefly. I could guess what he had left unsaid.
“But you are different from them.”
“…?”
“They may be anxious, but they are not desperate. Even if the awakening result is unsatisfactory, they are nobles whose safety is guaranteed. A good result would be ideal, but a bad one would not affect their status. But you…”
His gray eyes deepened calmly.
“…you are not merely anxious. You are desperate. Unlike a princess of the Empire should be.”
“……”
I fell silent, struck exactly where it hurt. He was right. I was anxious.
‘How could I not be, knowing my future is a one-way ticket to a path of thorns and death?’
The people around me were already diverging from the original story. If I wanted to survive, I had to abandon everything and run—but I couldn’t do that right now. Of course I was anxious.
“And so I ask you this. I agreed to your request, and you were the one who spoke of reviving your trampled potential. Should I take that to mean your situation is that dire?”
…That was a mistake. I shouldn’t have said “trampled potential.”
I clicked my tongue inwardly, but the words were already out.
And on top of that…
‘Shrandis is strangely kind.’
I couldn’t tell what that meant. But honestly, what certainty did I even have anymore? Everything had already diverged too far from the original story.
“If I tell you, will you listen?”
“If it is part of your request, then of course.”
…Wow. What is this feeling? Is this what they call a “green flag man”?
His already handsome face somehow looked even more radiant. I almost felt like there was a halo behind him.
No, wait. Is it really okay to accept his proposal this easily?
I knew it was contradictory. But Shrandis was a dragon who had once been human. While dragons had no reason to lie, if he had some hidden motive…
Then he might not be telling the truth.
A dragon doesn’t need to lie—but a dragon who was once human might still be unpredictable. So he couldn’t be fully trusted…
‘Ugh, humans really are fickle.’
Suspicious of someone who was being kind. But if I didn’t be suspicious—
‘I might die. Or end up in something worse than death.’
…I knew that from the original Erina’s life. That’s why I was even more cautious.
“Are you uneasy? That I might be saying things that only benefit you?”
As if reading my thoughts, he pinpointed it precisely.
Shrandis smiled gently, nodding as if understanding.
“Nobles do not act without gain, so it is understandable.”
“…I’m ashamed to admit it, but yes. I know it is disrespectful to Your Highness…”
“I understand. That is how human life is.”
He tilted his head slightly, tapping the sofa lightly with his index finger as if in thought.
“Hmm… then how about this? If receiving one-sided help feels burdensome, you can simply help me in return.”
“Help… me help Your Highness?”
Was there anything I could possibly offer a dragon?
“Of course. It may surprise you, but I have been staying only in the southern principality, so I am not well-versed in the capital’s affairs.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“The dragon and the imperial family have an agreement. Even if I am not the original party, now that I have become a dragon, I must uphold that agreement. That is why I am in this situation…”
He exhaled lightly and met my gaze.
“Unfortunately, I am not very familiar with noble society. If I could receive your assistance in that regard, then it would no longer be a one-sided relationship… What do you think?”
…What do I think?
Honestly, he sounded far too skilled for someone claiming to be a commoner.
“What I am asking is not strange,” he added, as if noticing my doubt. “Due to a sudden request from the Emperor, I will need to remain in the capital for some time. So I wished to seek help from someone familiar with its affairs. You, my lady, simply became the first candidate I approached.”
What do you think of my proposal? He smiled faintly, and I thought:
‘…He definitely has something planned.’
The only question was whether that “something” was actually bad for me.
That made the decision difficult—take it or refuse it.
“…I am grateful that you would say I could be of help, Your Highness,” I said carefully.
But wasn’t he still better than the Marvas ducal family? If neither side could be fully trusted, I would choose the one least likely to stab me in the back.
And that person, without question, was the dragon in front of me.
“So I may take that as acceptance?” he asked.
“Yes. That is correct.”
Because compared to the duke, Gawein, or Russell, you were far more competent—and relatively trustworthy.
Shrandis blinked slowly. Then, gradually, a smile spread across his face.
As if he couldn’t believe it. As if he hadn’t expected to hear that answer. A mixture of surprise and genuine delight filled his expression.
I was the one who felt surprised.
‘Why are you making that face?’
Was my answer really that pleasing?
“In that case,” he said softly, “I must do my best to fulfill my promise as well. Lady Marvas, is there anything you would like to ask of me?”
It was the same question as before, but it felt entirely different now.
Because now, I also had to help him.
‘This is actually more comfortable.’
One-sided relationships break easily. No matter that I was human—I didn’t want to only receive.
If I could give something, I would. Even if it wasn’t something he valued highly, I would do my best.
‘If it becomes one-sided, I might end up like them.’
Like the Marvas family who abandoned Erina.
Like my own family in my original world.
I clenched and unclenched my fist, then met his eyes with a polite smile.
“I have many requests. But may I act only within what I am capable of?”
Help should only be sought when truly necessary. Relying on it for everything would only make me dependent.
I didn’t need that. If I could do it myself, I preferred doing it alone.
And honestly—
‘Can I even explain my situation truthfully?’
That I had possessed a novel, knew the future, but everything had changed so much it felt like my head was going to explode?
Absolutely not.
Much less that I was on a path that might lead me straight to death.
“I am very grateful for Your Highness’s offer, but I would like to try as much as I can on my own.”
Shrandis’s smile deepened.
“If that is your wish.”
Then he took my hand and gently kissed the back of it.
Through the thin glove, the soft touch of his lips and warm breath sent a ticklish sensation through me, and I pressed my lips shut without realizing it.
