My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 249. Red

Meanwhile, at Valdrova Castle.

"Lord Ferda will be here soon."

"U-uh, yes!"

"There’s no need to be nervous. Lord Ferda is..."

Luri’s words trailed off for a moment.

She remembered the sight of Ferda’s right hand when she had discovered it in the audience chamber.

"Luri?"

"....Because he is safe."

Luri finished her sentence as casually as she could.

Valdrova quietly nodded.

"Ferda is coming..."

Without realizing it, Valdrova placed a hand over her chest.

Her heart was pounding so hard that it felt as though it might tear through her skin and leap out.

"I’ve prepared some refreshments. I’ve also prepared tea for Lord Ferda to make himself."

"Mm... Wait?"

Valdrova belatedly realized what those words meant and asked,

"Do you have somewhere urgent to go?"

Luri fidgeted with her fingers before answering.

"I’m sorry, Master, but... I would like to take some time off starting today."

Valdrova’s face filled with surprise.

Luri—the capable maid who never once complained about wanting to rest—was declaring that she was taking a vacation.

"Mm. All right."

For Valdrova, it was actually wonderful news.

She had always thought that Luri needed to take a break at some point.

"Where are you going for your vacation?"

"...I’m thinking of spending it at a place called Crystal Lake in the west. I want to do some fishing, buy some food, and simply enjoy a little leisure."

"The west..."

Valdrova’s eyes gazed moistly at Luri.

Luri had always met those eyes confidently, but this time, she slowly closed her own eyes and avoided Valdrova’s gaze.

"How many days will you be gone?"

"I think... one week should be enough."

"Do you have money?"

"I have enough money on hand for the trip. And if necessary, I have ways of obtaining additional funds, so you needn’t worry."

"All right. I understand."

Valdrova smiled as she spoke.

Her smile was always gentle.

"Have a safe trip."

"Yes."

Luri bowed and turned around.

Once Valdrova could no longer see her, Luri’s face twisted terribly.

She silently repeated words that she could not bring herself to say aloud.

’I’m sorry.’

Luri had promised Valdrova.

She had promised to protect her man.

But Luri had failed to protect him.

’If it hadn’t been for Lord Odograssado... would I have been able to recreate that right hand?’

’If she had threatened him and turned everything upside down, and even after doing all that, she had still been unable to recreate it, if she had returned with Ferda’s right hand still wrapped in bandages...’

Would Valdrova still have welcomed Luri with a smile?

She would have.

Valdrova would have forgiven her.

She would have comforted her, saying that it couldn’t be helped and that Luri had done her best.

Because she was such a foolish woman that she could not even properly get angry.

’That’s why I can’t forgive myself.’

Luri knew that because Valdrova could not express her anger, it festered inside her.

Valdrova had spent her life blaming herself for the things she had done, and even for things that were not her fault.

Luri could not burden her any further.

That was why she needed a vacation.

But it was not so that she could travel to a lake in the west and leisurely enjoy herself.

She had another destination.

She was heading to the Far North, where a chill lingered even in midsummer.

It was Silverwind’s headquarters.

***

After quickly taking care of the important matters in the village, Ferda returned to the castle.

The nobles of the Far East were planning to hold a grand banquet for Ferda inside the castle.

He headed toward the castle halfway up the mountain together with them, but an unexpected flag had been raised in front of the castle gate.

That’s a signal that an honored guest is present.

It was a flag that was rarely ever used.

Even when the Imperial Princess and the Second Prince had visited, they had never used that flag.

That meant someone of even greater status was waiting inside.

Ferda immediately realized who that honored guest was.

He stopped the carriage and called for Count Consilus.

"We’ll enter on foot from here."

"Yes."

"The lord of the castle will come out to receive us. Tell everyone to compose themselves and be fully prepared."

"The lord of the castle... I understand."

After receiving the order, Consilus relayed it to each of the nobles’ carriages, and the nobles stepped down one by one, following Ferda.

They proceeded toward the castle gate.

"Show proper respect!"

A powerful female voice rang out.

Those were words Luri would normally have spoken.

However, the voice belonged to Garnet, who had returned ahead of them.

At her command, the nobles dropped to their knees.

A moment later, the castle doors opened, and someone cautiously walked out from within.

The nobles who secretly raised their heads and glanced sideways were startled by the silhouette they saw and immediately lowered their heads again.

The figure emerging from within was a woman.

Yet she possessed two pairs of horns and a thick tail—features impossible for an ordinary human.

There was no doubt.

Their lord, who had established herself in the Far East yet whom they had never properly seen even once, was standing before them.

What terrifying pressure.

I mustn’t lose my composure...!

There was no Dragon Fear.

They were simply overwhelmed by pure tension, and even that alone was enough.

Just standing before a dragon made it feel as though their breathing was being squeezed from their lungs.

They could imagine how disgraceful they would look if they were ordered to raise their heads.

Everyone remained kneeling, while Ferda walked farther forward and took her hand, offering his formal greeting.

"I pay my respects to the great Aspect of Fire, Lady Valdrova."

"..."

Valdrova did not answer.

She merely gave a slight nod, accepting his greeting.

So this is what it means to be a dragon...

She’s incredibly strict even with her own partner.

It was easy enough to interpret her that way.

Wearing her mask and refusing even to respond, she appeared as cold as ice.

She looked utterly composed, as though she had known all along that Ferda would naturally return victorious from this war.

But Ferda knew better.

She’s flustered.

The nobles were not the only ones who were nervous.

Ferda could feel how much Valdrova was sweating.

She had been waiting under the assumption that Ferda would come alone, only to realize belatedly that all those people were following behind him.

She must have frozen in place.

Valdrova withdrew her hand and quietly climbed the stairs.

Ferda stood and spoke to Count Consilus behind him.

"I may not be able to attend the banquet, so if I’m absent, enjoy yourselves."

"How could we possibly enjoy ourselves without the guest of honor..."

Consilus began, then suddenly realized something and nodded.

"I understand. I hope the two of you have a pleasant time."

He had undoubtedly imagined something that would have been rather inappropriate to say aloud, but Ferda paid it no mind.

Ferda followed behind Valdrova.

Luri isn’t here.

The girl who had always stuck to Valdrova like a Chihuahua was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, Ferda remembered the tears Luri had shown him.

I hope nothing has happened to her.

The fact that Valdrova had been so nervous also made him wonder if something had happened to Luri.

Unwanted thoughts began to trouble Ferda.

But this was not the time to dwell on them.

They were approaching their meeting place.

Valdrova led him to a recreation room overlooking the western landscape.

These days, she often received visitors in places such as her office or reception room, but whenever they met formally, they always used this place.

"I’ll open the door for you."

Ferda went ahead and opened the door for her, then followed her inside.

The moment he heard the latch click shut, the distracting thoughts that had been rummaging through Ferda’s mind disappeared in an instant.

Ferda realized it.

They were no longer in a place where everyone’s eyes were upon them.

Now, it was just the two of them.

When he turned around after realizing that, Valdrova’s demeanor had transformed into that of an adorable young woman.

"Ferdaaa..."

Her sticky, plaintive voice sounded sorrowful yet incredibly lovely.

How much she had missed him was melted into every syllable.

She suddenly spun around, her body tilting as though she were about to throw herself into Ferda’s arms.

Ferda prepared himself to catch her.

"Ah."

But she did not embrace him.

Her body, which had leaned forward, suddenly pulled back.

Her head retreated even farther than her body.

Her horns were shining ominously as always.

"I’m sorry. I got carried away by myself again and almost caused you trouble."

"...No, it’s fine."

Ferda awkwardly lowered his hands, which had been left hanging uselessly.

He had always thought the same thing.

’I wouldn’t care even if my chest were pierced. I just want to be held tightly by her.’

Perhaps she had somehow understood his disappointment.

Valdrova cautiously approached him again and gently took Ferda’s right hand.

Ferda raised the hand she had taken and kissed it.

"I’m back, Eleanor."

"Welcome home, Ferda."

She lovingly caressed Ferda’s right hand.

The physical contact after being reunited for several weeks made Ferda nervous.

"It’s just that... L-Luri went on vacation."

"I see. Is that why I haven’t seen her?"

"Yes, yes!"

It was strange.

That Chihuahua-like maid was on vacation?

It wasn’t completely incomprehensible.

Luri had suffered terribly throughout this war.

’Did she tell Valdrova that her hand had been cut off?’

The thought suddenly worried him, but Ferda quickly pushed it out of his mind.

As though it would be disastrous if Valdrova could somehow read his thoughts, Ferda decided to change the subject.

"I’ll prepare some tea for you. Please sit and wait."

"Yes, yes!"

Valdrova obediently sat at the table on the balcony while Ferda prepared boiling water.

The atmosphere was truly awkward.

"Has everything been all right in your territory?"

"Yes. Everything was fine."

"I see..."

"..."

"..."

His mind had gone completely blank.

He was usually the one who started conversations, but somehow, the words simply would not continue.

He quickly realized why.

Luri was not there.

Luri had always acted as the bridge between them in moments like this.

Being alone together isn’t always a good thing.

Could he really manage the atmosphere by himself?

With that anxiety in mind, he poured red tea into her cup.

They each took a silent sip.

It tasted strangely bitter.

"Recently..."

Valdrova was the first to speak.

"Recently, the monsters haven’t been appearing very often."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

In other words, there were fewer places where she could release her Bloodlust.

"Is it very serious?"

"Th-that... well, quite a lot...?"

"It seems things became serious while I was away."

Ferda looked genuinely concerned.

Seeing his serious expression, Valdrova began fidgeting with her fingers.

"Ah, no, that’s not... Since Ferda is here, I don’t have to release my Bloodlust by myself anymore, so it has subsided quite a bit, and honestly, I don’t need it nearly as much, but... no, that’s not..."

Valdrova rambled incoherently.

She was a woman who was terribly bad at lying.

When Ferda calmly waited for her to finish, Valdrova worried her lower lip before finally confessing the truth.

"I’m sorry. I only said that because I wanted to feel Ferda’s mana."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Uuu..."

Valdrova covered her face beneath her mask.

"I’m sorry, Ferda... We haven’t seen each other in so long, and yet I’m a woman who can think of nothing but vulgar things..."

Vulgar?

Ferda wanted to tell her that it was even more vulgar for her to say such things.

After thinking for a moment, Ferda rose from his seat.

He brought a chair over and sat beside Valdrova.

"It’s all right. Please, give me your hand..."

"Yes..."

Her slender fingers.

Ferda tried to send his mana through them.

That was when it happened.

At the same time as the movement of his mana, something strange stirred within the Dark Circle.

And simultaneously, an image buried deep within Ferda’s memories surfaced with startling clarity.

A village engulfed in flames.

Valdrova shedding tears of blood.

"Ferda?"

Her voice brought him back to reality.

"What’s wrong?"

Ferda raised his head.

Two pairs of horns and red hair.

And nothing but a porcelain mask.

Perhaps that was why the expression of despair from his memory tormented Ferda once again.

Ferda spoke to Valdrova.

"Just a little..."

"Yes?"

"Could you endure it a little longer?"

Ferda’s mana was mana born from emotions.

Valdrova had once said that his mana felt incredibly soft and warm.

But right now, he felt as though he might end up giving her the memories and anxiety he himself had experienced.

It was the first time Valdrova had ever heard Ferda say something like that.

When she had asked him to hold her hand for some trivial reason, he had never refused her even once.

Why was he asking this now?

"All right."

She was curious, but she did not ask.

Instead, Valdrova carefully wrapped both hands around Ferda’s.

"Actually... I’m fine even without that."

She lowered her head and rested it against Ferda’s shoulder.

"Just holding Ferda’s hand and being like this already makes me incredibly happy."

A question carried on her warm breath and soft, trembling voice.

"You feel the same way too, right?"

Yes. I feel the same way.

Under normal circumstances, that was undoubtedly what he would have answered.

"No, I don’t."

Ferda said it plainly.

Valdrova was startled by his answer and raised her head to look at him.

"Eleanor."

Ferda’s face looked incredibly sad.

"I’ve been moving forward believing that as long as I had my love for you, I could accomplish anything. I thought that if I had that, there was nothing else I could possibly want."

Ferda had stood at the very edge of death during this war.

He had experienced his body being taken from him.

He had even been forced to witness hallucinations that caused Valdrova pain.

And at that moment, Ferda realized something.

"But that wasn’t true. I..."

He tightly squeezed the hand they were holding together.

As though he would rather die than ever let it go.

"I’m a much more greedy man than I thought."

Her eyes, deep like a vast lake, gazed at him solemnly.

She wanted to turn her head away, but she could not.

Valdrova knew those eyes.

They were the same eyes he had shown her when they went to the Land of Demons together, when he was struggling.

Those eyes had made a decision.

And Valdrova had no choice but to face it.

"If you have something you desire..."

She asked in a trembling voice.

"Does that mean there’s something you want?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

She asked, but in truth, she already knew.

Ferda’s blue eyes had always spoken of it.

They had conveyed it clearly to Valdrova.

It was only because Ferda had never said it aloud that she had pretended not to know.

And now, that moment had finally arrived.

"When we meet... would you take off that mask for me?"

The moment of no escape had arrived.

Valdrova lowered her head and slowly withdrew her hands.

For someone who possessed the Aspect of Strength, her hands trembled helplessly as they moved toward her mask.

"...I can’t. I simply can’t do it by myself..."

Just as disappointment was about to flicker across Ferda’s face, Valdrova brought her face closer to him.

"So... would you take it off for me, Ferda?"

Ferda quietly nodded and reached out his hand.

Now he understood why she had trembled so much.

It was something she had always wanted.

Even after working up the courage to do it, she had wanted to blur the moment away and give up.

Excitement was the dominant emotion, but fear pricked at her as persistently as a thorn hidden inside a pocket.

What if I see Valdrova’s face covered in tears of blood?

The anxiety created by the Dark Circle tormented Ferda.

But Ferda made his decision.

And with his hand, he slowly removed the white porcelain mask.

It was like lifting a thick veil to finally reveal a bride’s face.

To Ferda, that precious face shone brilliantly before him.

Golden eyes with vertically slit pupils.

Some might find their gaze eerie.

To Ferda, they were the most lovable eyes in the world.

"Ferda..."

Her small lips moved vividly.

She overcame the lump of tension in her throat and answered.

"Yes."

"How... does my face look?"

At her shy question, Ferda looked at her face once again.

"Beautiful."

She looked nothing like the horrifying image he had feared.

She was simply beautiful.

And yet, there was one thing that had not changed.

"And red."

"Very... red?"

"Yes."

Even at this very moment, she was growing even redder.

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