TSMMT Ch 10

The Dragon's Prophecy

The dagger carries too much weight. That is the reason. Definitely. I wouldn't have succeeded anyway.

Right, how would I handle the aftermath of a stabbing? What if Father sends me to an asylum?

Dianna desperately rationalized the failure of her revenge. Then, she shook away the thoughts. She recognized the horrific nature of the deed she had nearly committed.

Trembling violently, she shed tears.

I—I tried to kill someone. I tried to murder a boy with my own hands, a mere victim who hadn't committed any crime yet.

Blinded by revenge, I rationalized him as the root of the disaster to murder this helpless person. Just like that monster.

Ruin would follow this boy. Yet, how could anyone murder a child crying out for help?

She recognized the absolute horror of her attempted action.

Hatred for royalty and nobles consumed her. They treated murder as the easiest solution, taking lives without a second thought. Her mother’s lessons guided her upbringing.

"Don't trample the weak."

"The powerful must protect the defenseless."

"Those weaker than you possess the same feelings as you."

Yet, she had attempted murder simply because it was "easy."

Holding the dagger, she trembled. She looked up at the sky.

God, what must I do? How can I stop the destined ruin?

Only the clear moonlight shone down on her.

---

Rain from the previous night left deep puddles in the road. As the carriage rolled through them, water splashed in all directions. The Brienne carriage cut through the center of the capital, eventually arriving at a secluded temple.

The carriage bore the crest of the Duke. Priests rushed out in a flurry to greet the unannounced visitor. Instead of Duke Brienne, the eldest daughter of the house, Dianna Brienne, stepped down.

Her bright blonde hair sparkled under the clear sky. A profound sadness filled her expression, making her look like a rain-soaked flower, fragile and pitiful, rather than a cute, whimpering puppy. She didn't look like a typical twelve-year-old.

Taking the knight's hand to step down, she addressed the approaching priest.

[Dianna] "Forgive my sudden visit. I came to offer a prayer."

Though young, her voice carried a striking calmness. The servants of God always welcomed a faithful soul. Smiling, the priest guided her inside.

Following her mother's death, she used to visit the temple occasionally to pray for her peaceful eternal rest. However, after the Lodbrog Kingdom invaded and slaughtered her entire family, she had abandoned her faith and never set foot in a temple again.

Deep unfamiliarity gripped her in this place now.

Dragons adorned every pillar of the temple. Legend called the dragon the messenger of God, delivering the divine voice. Though faith was collapsing across the land, Panborough remained deeply religious. Unlike the savage and barbaric Lodbrog Kingdom, which viewed dragons as monsters to hunt, Panborough respected dragons as divine messengers, aligning with ancient myths.

In her past life, Dianna had shared the barbaric view of the Lodbrog Kingdom. God didn't exist.

Yet, this regression was a divine miracle. Today, she intended to seek an answer from God.

Whispers spoke of God occasionally breaking the silence to deliver prophecies. She needed to find a path. No, she must find a path.

[Priest] "May the dragons watch over you."

Leaving her with a blessing, the priest departed from the prayer room.

A silver statue and a golden sphere representing the sun formed the image of God. Staring at the dragons surrounding the statue, Dianna let out a faint chuckle. She knelt and clasped her hands.

What is happening? Is this a dream? Or is this heaven after death? Is this reality?

Countless questions filled her mind. Why did she return exactly to her twelve-year-old self? Why not her earlier childhood, or her adult years? If God could grant a miracle, surely other options existed. Why did the divine choose regression?

Dianna desperately wanted to stay away from that monster.

That pitiful boy would eventually slay a dragon, ascend the throne of his kingdom, and march here to crush everyone in his revenge. To make matters worse, he would seize her and make her his bride.

He would turn her into a walking corpse and ultimately drive her to suicide.

Dianna stopped her prayer and clutched her abdomen. Remembering the life that had occupied her womb for a brief moment, she closed her eyes. She refused to repeat that nightmare.

With absolute desperation, she asked.

[Dianna] "How can I stop all of this?"

Silence followed. Of course. God would never offer an answer. Seeking guidance from the divine was a mistake from the beginning.

Just as she prepared to stand, a voice pierced her mind.

[God] "You can't stop the flowing river of blood."

Shocked by the voice echoing inside her head, she raised her chin and scanned the room. She was entirely alone.

What was that? Is this the prophecy the priests speak of? Did God actually answer? God actually exists!

Then, the divine voice continued.

[God] "Even in this second life, you will fail to stop it."

Stop the blood? What does that mean?

[God] "A murderer drenched in the blood of millions watches you. The dragonslayer covered in dragon's blood will look upon you."

[Dianna] "God! What do you mean by……!"

[God] "You can't avoid him. You can't run away. You will never escape the fate that seeks to grasp you. You will meet him."

[Dianna] "No! Please!"

[God] "You are already within the grasp of fate."

Her shout sounded like a scream, but this was no conversation; it was a prophecy, a final sentence.

She trembled violently.

Unavoidable.

Fear shook her entire frame.

Did I genuinely just hear a prophecy?

She had received the divine word reserved only for the chosen.

Her heart hammered. This was no dream, but a second reality. God declared she couldn't stop it.

Who is the murderer drenched in the blood of millions?

She trembled as she thought. The identity remained a mystery. Yet, one thing was absolute.

The dragonslayer.

The dragonslayer was Guiscard. After escaping the mansion during his childhood, he reportedly defeated Fafnir, the deadly, poisonous dragon dwelling in Panborough’s Dragon Valley, thereby claiming the throne of Lodbrog.

He will look upon me?

She shook.

This is too cruel!

She screamed at the temple walls. Only a hollow echo answered. Then, a voice like a ray of light pierced the quiet.

[God] "However, it will change."

Unchangeable, yet it will change? What does that mean?

Anguish twisted her features. Fate took a massive stride toward her.

[God] "It can't be altered, yet it will change."

[Dianna] "Change? What does that mean? You just said it's unchangeable!"

[God] "Since you have changed, fate will change."

[Dianna] "......."

A blood-drenched Guiscard stood behind her in her mind. Rain fell outside the temple.

[God] "Pitiful lady resurrected through crimson blood, you will walk the righteous path."

Was this encouragement? Warmth infused the cold, divine voice. Peace returned to her despair-filled heart.

[Dianna] "Does that mean what is destined to happen will happen, God?"

[God] "……."

[Dianna] "But within that fate, I will change something?"

[God] "……."

[Dianna] "Does saying I am right mean I can forge ahead as I desire?"

God remained silent. Yet, the supreme being had spoken to her. In truth, the divine declaration made perfect sense. Dianna possessed knowledge of the future. Because of that, change was possible.

[God] "Walk the righteous path. Just as you always have."

The voice resonated with subtle warmth. Yet, she remained numb to it.

The righteous path.

She muttered blankly.

---

Returning from the temple, she closed her hollow eyes. If fate remained unalterable, why did she return? What did "unchangeable yet changing" mean?

Divine prophecies were absolute. She had read many foolish fables of people attempting to defy a prophecy, only to fulfill it exactly.

A king who abandoned his son because of a prophecy that the boy would kill him died by that very son's hand. A woman foretold of a miserable marriage suffered an even worse fate trying to avoid it.

Diana, too, had received a prophecy. Divine decrees always came to pass. The more brutally one resisted, the more cruelly fate entangled them.

She rose to her feet. She needed to face the young monster, Guiscard. Avoidance was impossible; she must confront him. She clenched her fists.

His absence from the main mansion meant he was somewhere else. When the maids claimed ignorance, anxiety gripped Dianna.

Her father was away, and Emil had gone to visit another noble's estate. Though she preferred not to think about her, Mirva was out as well. No one stood in her way.

She searched for Guiscard everywhere—the gardens, the backyard, and even the stables.

The servants turned pale, trying to stop her.

[Servant] "The slave refuses to obey, so we are breaking him."

[Dianna] "What?"

[Servant] "Slaves must learn obedience. Why do you seek such a creature, My Lady?"

She finally found him. Guiscard hung inside the storehouse next to the armory.

Turning a blind eye carried a massive cost. Of course, confronting the situation changed nothing she could do. Yet, helplessness washed over her.

Shirtless, Guiscard hung from the ceiling with his hands bound. His emaciated frame lay exposed.

[Servant] "Oh, My Lady! You shouldn't look at this! You must only see beautiful things……"

[Dianna] "What is this? A slave brand?"

[Servant] "Pardon? Yes……"

A fresh burn from a branding iron marked his bare back. A magical collar secured his neck, and a gag stuffed his mouth. Blood stained the gag.

Dianna closed her eyes.

When she first met Guiscard in her past life, the servants had already "broken" him to some extent. She never knew such horrific violence occurred.

Grieving her mother, her own sorrow had consumed her. A sheltered twelve-year-old lady would never encounter such a filthy environment unless she actively sought it out. Naturally, the world tried to show her only beautiful things, treating her like a delicate flower.

Perhaps witnessing his miserable state would bring a twisted joy. But no satisfaction came from that hollow desire for revenge. She possessed no desire to inflict pain.

Dianna bit her lip.

I know, Guiscard. You had every right to seek revenge.

The daughter of the oppressor shut her eyes tight before the victim. Yet, she resolved to change.

[Dianna] "Treat him."

[Servant] "Pardon?"

Fate remained unalterable, yet it would change. She chose to walk the righteous path.

---

Requested by one of our lovely readers, I hope you enjoy it. If you do, please consider supporting the author on Naver Series and Kakaopage.