OFGBL 05

Chapter 5

From the very first moment Seirn laid eyes on Erenia as she entered the banquet hall, he felt an intense pull toward her.

It was as though he had been swept away by a wave, dragged helplessly toward her at first sight.

Even Seirn himself could not explain why.

Whenever he looked into her eyes, clear and pure like a tranquil lake, it felt as though a burning thirst inside him was being quenched. Yet at the same time, his longing for her only grew stronger.

If the Emperor of Hien hadn’t arrived at just the right moment, things could have gone terribly wrong.

He had nearly approached Erenia in front of everyone without even realizing it.

Seirn’s visit to the Hien Empire was part of a preliminary investigation for the war of conquest that was secretly being prepared.

That was why he had deliberately spread the false rumor that the Grand Duke of Devlin had come to Hien in search of a bride.

It was nothing more than a smokescreen. He needed to avoid becoming unnecessarily entangled with the Hien Empire’s princess.

And yet, when Erenia left the banquet hall midway through the festivities, he found himself following her before he even realized what he was doing.

Damn it. What the hell am I doing?

Following a lady like some suspicious stalker…

Even he had to admit how shady his behavior was. He was just about to turn back when—

“Ah!”

By sheer coincidence, he collided with Erenia as she was returning from the garden.

And then—

The instant their bodies touched, a sensation as electric as a bolt of lightning shot through his spine and spread throughout his entire body.

The flow of mana that had seemed permanently tangled around his chest, constricting his breathing for as long as he could remember, suddenly began to circulate as though it had finally found its proper course.

The breath trapped inside him burst free all at once.

The salvation he was experiencing for the first time in his life was sweet, like gentle rain falling upon a parched desert.

Just a little more.

He wanted to be closer to her. To touch her even more.

If he could only do that, it felt as though this unbearable thirst might finally be completely quenched.

“What are you?”

Seirn asked, desperately suppressing the impulse rising within him.

But in truth, he already knew the answer.

Long ago, Seirn’s ancestors had discovered a way to cleanse the curse of short life spans while retaining the power of Devlin.

The method was to purify the curse through lifelong, continuous contact with members of a bloodline that had inherited divine power through the maternal line.

Our ancestors kept members of the Divine Bloodline by their side for generations. But the last surviving descendant of that bloodline rejected their fate, fled with the person they loved, and disappeared without a trace. Ever since, we have searched generation after generation for their whereabouts, but we have never found them. I leave this record behind in the hope that someday, one of our descendants reading these words will once again find the Divine Bloodline.

It was a record preserved in the family’s secret archives.

The sensation described within it was exactly the same as what he had just experienced.

Overwhelmed by the exhilaration of finally being able to break the tragedy that had plagued his family for generations, as well as by an instinctive desire he could barely control, Seirn somehow managed to regain his composure.

She’s the princess of an enemy nation. I can’t reveal my weakness. If they use this against us, they could shake the entire Troka Empire.

With superhuman restraint, he forced himself to take a step away from Erenia.

But perhaps because he had tasted the purifying power for the first time in his life, disrupting the flow of his mana had caused everything to spiral out of control.

“Ugh…”

The mana he could no longer contain surged violently, engulfing his body along with excruciating pain.

“Grand Duke! What’s wrong? Please, wake up!”

The moment Seirn lost consciousness and collapsed, Erenia instinctively realized that something was seriously wrong.

Without having time to think about anything else, she hurriedly examined him.

A violent gust of wind raged around Seirn, sending heavily battered branches flying in every direction.

Is this because of me?

She wasn’t certain of the cause, but there was no doubt that something had changed in Seirn after their collision.

Even more alarming was the eerie red smoke flickering around his body.

Perhaps because she remembered how desperately he had tried to save her in her previous life, Erenia felt that she had to help him somehow.

So, despite her small frame, she recklessly tried to lift Seirn and support him.

He’s so hot.

It was as though his body had been engulfed in flames.

His body temperature was so unnaturally high that even Erenia felt the painful heat where their bodies touched.

But then—

The red smoke that had been swirling around Seirn began to subside.

Starting from the places where Erenia’s hands touched him.

Erenia instinctively realized it.

I can control his pain.

At last, the pieces of the mystery that had remained unanswered in her previous life began to fall into place.

I’ve never heard of anyone who could control the curse of the Grand Duke of Devlin’s family.

But if this is the reason…

Now she could understand why Seirn had desperately tried to prevent Erenia’s death in her previous life.

She had finally obtained the key to the negotiation.

Determined to ease Seirn’s symptoms, Erenia poured every ounce of strength she had into it.

She had never been taught how to do this.

But somehow, instinctively, she knew what to do.

Several minutes passed.

Cold sweat trickled down Erenia’s back as she struggled to hold on.

And then—

The red smoke covering Seirn’s body finally disappeared completely.

“Ha…”

Only then did Erenia let out a relieved sigh and step away from him.

She looked down at his face, his eyes peacefully closed.

Then she remembered the scene from her previous life.

The moment Seirn had led the vanguard of the Troka Imperial Army into the Imperial Palace.

I remember now.

When I surrendered and he helped me to my feet, his hand briefly touched my body.

That’s when he suddenly froze.

Apparently, that was the first time Seirn experienced this sensation.

Either way, this is a relief.

I’ve discovered my bargaining chip early.

Just then—

She heard someone approaching.

“Erenia!”

Unfortunately, the unwelcome visitor was someone who could recognize her even in the darkness without the slightest difficulty.

Her former lover, Lucius.

“Wait! I have something to say to you!”

Fortunately, Lucius was so focused on Erenia that he failed to notice Seirn’s presence.

“There is nothing left for us to discuss.”

Erenia deliberately answered coldly, then lured Lucius farther away from Seirn.

“Erenia! You know how I feel, don’t you? You’re the only person I truly love!”

“This engagement… It really couldn’t be helped. You know I had no choice. I did it for the sake of my family. Please? Don’t be angry anymore. His Majesty gave me such a forceful order that I couldn’t refuse…”

Lucius began clinging to her pathetically.

Ah.

Now I remember.

He was like this in my previous life, too.

“Besides, my engagement to Joanna is a loveless one. You’re the only person I love, Erenia. I will never take another mistress besides you.”

Under Imperial law, a mistress was a dishonorable existence that could never receive official recognition.

Regardless of the existence of the Imperial Consort system within the Imperial Family, ordinary nobles were forbidden from having one.

And yet, even while reducing Erenia to such a humiliating position, Lucius acted as though he were making some grand declaration of love.

“Erenia. Someday, when I’ve become a wonderful adult, I’ll save you. I’ll make you my wife and take you away from this Imperial Palace.”

He spouted those absurd words as though he had completely forgotten the childish promise they had made so long ago.

But this time, there was no reason for Erenia to waver.

“Sir Lucius von Dmitri, you are my younger sister’s fiancé. I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. Please leave now.”

Even so—

“I can’t do that, Erenia! My love, please!”

As though he simply couldn’t comprehend how much she had changed, Lucius stubbornly grabbed her wrist.

And then—

“What do you think you’re doing?”

A chilling voice rang out through the darkness, cold enough to make every hair on Erenia’s body stand on end.

“Gr-Grand Duke Devlin…?”

Seirn approached with a murderous glint in his eyes and grabbed Lucius by the wrist—the very hand that was holding Erenia.

“AAAGH! What the hell—?!”

With tremendous force, he twisted Lucius’s wrist and ruthlessly tore him away from Erenia.

Then, without hesitation, he carefully moved Erenia behind his back, shielding her from Lucius.

“G-Grand Duke Devlin! What kind of outrageous behavior is this?!”

“Outrageous behavior? Forcing yourself upon a woman who has told you she doesn’t want you around. Isn’t that outrageous?”

“Ha! You and Princess Erenia have no relationship whatsoever, Grand Duke! This is a matter for the two of us to settle, so please pretend you saw nothing and move along!”

“Have no relationship?”

Seirn’s expression darkened.

“That’s rather hurtful. What do you mean by that?”

“Am I wrong?!”

Perhaps because he had officially become the Emperor’s prospective son-in-law, Lucius—a mere second son of a count—had the audacity to raise his voice at Seirn, a Grand Duke.

But the shocking statement Seirn made next left him completely speechless.

“She’s the woman who will become my Grand Duchess.”

“…What?”

“You didn’t hear me?”

Seirn’s gaze remained cold and unwavering.

“I said she’s the woman who will become my wife.”