TSMMT Ch 27

Fear

[Mirva] "H-How……"

Mirva stared at Dianna in complete shock.

In truth, Dianna blurted out the words as a random guess. Emil's distressed, weeping face mirrored Mirva's features so perfectly that the truth became plain. Mirva telling the Duke that he held no right to treat her this way also sounded incredibly peculiar.

The realization stemmed from a sudden instinct. Emil's protective attitude toward Mirva, and she weeping while staring at him—Dianna possessed the sharp mind of an adult rather than a child, giving her the ability to piece the truth together effortlessly.

[Mirva] "How did you! How did you find out? Did Emil tell you?! How did you learn that I gave birth to him?!"

Mirva shrieked in absolute rage.

[Dianna] "I merely tested you with a guess, yet you deliver the answer so easily."

Mirva widened her eyes at her remark and ground her teeth in fury. The late Duchess had never suspected a thing. In Dianna's memory, her late mother never mistreated Emil. Either some intricate scheme led the Duchess to believe Emil was her biological son, or she chose to treat him as one. The truth sat somewhere between the two options.

[Mirva] "You wretched brat, you are cunning just like your mother, you demonic wench……"

Mirva ground her teeth, realizing she fell for a pathetic trick.

[Dianna] "Did my mother know? Did she know about your affair with Father? Did she know you are Emil's mother?"

[Mirva] "Ha!"

Mirva let out a harsh laugh. She cast a sinister glare, her mind clearly fixed on a dark memory of someone else entirely rather than Dianna.

[Mirva] "She never suspected a thing in her wildest dreams. That foolish woman!"

[Dianna] "……."

[Mirva] "She assumed everything belonged to her by right. Even my son!"

[Dianna] "……."

[Mirva] "My son, and my man! She claimed them as her own!"

[Dianna] "……."

[Mirva] "How else could a woman without a shred of noble blood become the Duchess? Because the Duke possessed an illegitimate child! She married him on the absolute condition that she accept that illegitimate son! You are no precious noble; you are the offspring of a vulgar merchant!"

[Dianna] "If she was so vulgar, Mirva, why did you fail to become the Duchess?"

Dianna let out a dry chuckle.

[Mirva] "I was first! I was the one who came first!"

Mirva shrieked at the top of her lungs. Dianna showed absolutely no surprise at the outburst. Instead, she remained entirely calm, pondering the revelation.

[Dianna] "You gave birth to Emil, so why did Father marry my mother instead? I heard you served as her lady-in-waiting since childhood."

[Mirva] "That is……"

[Dianna] "You bore a child with Father, but since he refused to marry you, he orchestrated the marriage with my mother, didn't he?"

Mirva widened her eyes at the deduction. She still considered Dianna a mere child, completely unaware that the young girl possessed such profound insight.

The reality stood plain. Back then, Duke Brienne faced complete financial ruin. However, the union with a wealthy merchant who bought a title—Dianna's mother—saved him from absolute bankruptcy. Was the meeting between her parents a mere coincidence? Who stood in the center, orchestrating it? The answer was clear.

[Dianna] "Therefore, Mirva, your downfall is not my fault. You made your own choices."

[Mirva] "……."

[Dianna] "You are the one who ruined your own life."

[Mirva] "You wretched little brat!"

Mirva screamed in sheer fury.

Knowing Mirva's horrific fate in the past life, Dianna couldn't bring herself to be entirely cruel. In the past timeline, she and Mirva shared long years. Though they never maintained a good relationship, they had leaned on each other as survivors of a ruined nation.

In the past, Mirva's malice merely consisted of plotting minor troubles that avoided bringing disgrace to the family name, which explained why Dianna refrained from taking aggressive action against her initially upon returning to the past. However, the moment she uncovered Mirva's betrayal of her mother, she had to act with absolute seriousness.

Now, Mirva stood utterly ruined, screaming before her.

[Dianna] "Keep this in mind: Emil will remain my beloved brother forever."

Dianna strode outside, wishing to sever the shackles of their past ties completely. As she turned her back and walked away, a silhouette leaning against the wall caught her attention. It was Guiscard.

[Dianna] "You didn't leave?"

[Guiscard] "I heard footsteps."

He stared intently at her.

[Guiscard] "Why did you enter this place entirely alone without any guards?"

His lecturing tone made Dianna let out a chuckle, momentarily forgetting her grim circumstances. The door leading back to the surface stood in view.

[Dianna] "I don't know. I came here intending to gloat over her wretched end, yet I feel pity for her. I pity her, yet I still detest her."

She spoke with effort, fighting to suppress memories of the Mirva from her past life.

[Dianna] "I never want to face that woman again."

[Guiscard] "……."

[Dianna] "I hope our ties break forever like this."

Guiscard offered no response. Even if destiny ran its course and Dianna became his bride again, he would never consider her feelings.

Wearing a bitter smile, she paused as a thought struck her, turning back to face him.

[Dianna] "Ah."

[Guiscard] "……."

[Dianna] "Guiscard, who is Herya?"

Had Dianna remained rational, she would have broached the name much later. However, because the mystery nagged at her mind without yielding answers, frustration drove her to ask about the woman, just as she had questioned Mirva earlier.

[Guiscard] "Where did you hear that name?"

[Dianna] "I overheard your conversation."

[Guiscard] "……."

[Dianna] "Who is Herya?"

The moment she asked for the second time, the air biting her skin turned cold. Her heart plummeted. She widened her eyes, watching his sudden transformation.

His face remained entirely expressionless. He didn't even scowl. He merely fixed his gaze on her, yet her heart hammered violently, as if she confronted a ferocious predator. She knew the magical collar bound him, preventing him from harming his master's family.

Yet in that single moment, as the dungeon's shadows deepened, dread whispered that she might dissolve into the darkness forever. Terrifying thoughts arose that Guiscard might snap her neck with his powerful grip.

Emerging from the deep shadows, his glowing purple eyes pinned her, filled with a suffocating, icy malice that seemed to choke her throat.

I want to kill you.

The unspoken words vibrated through the air like a sinister whisper. The moment blatant murderous intent flashed across his face, images of a blood-drenched Guiscard coming to claim her as the devil's bride flooded her mind. The vivid memory of that monster……

[Dianna] "I am sorry……"

[Guiscard] "Pardon?"

[Dianna] "I am sorry! It is my fault, I was wrong, Guiscard!"

She stared at the monster through a veil of tears. Confusion flickered in his eyes, but she failed to catch it.

[Dianna] "I am sorry if I angered you. I never intended to offend you. So please……"

So please, don't take me away.

She squeezed her eyes shut and dodged his outstretched hand. She flung open the door leading to the surface.

Cold sweat drenched her body. Dianna sprinted away without looking back. She narrowly escaped death.

Had she really faced execution? No, it mattered little; the sheer terror made her feel as though life were slipping away.

She sprinted into her bedchamber, gasping for air. She had to face the brutal truth. A mere slave? Utter nonsense.

She closed her eyes tightly, her thoughts focusing on the reality. She feared Guiscard.

I terrify myself when I look at that boy. The fear is entirely unbearable. I detest him, yet terror consumes me.

He was the destroyer destined to shatter her fate, a ruthless slaughterer. The moment his face stiffened, she completely fell apart.

Dianna squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the intense trembling to subside.

---

Despite driving Mirva away, Dianna refused to resign from her position as lady-in-waiting. First, executing her palace duties allowed coin to accumulate in her purse. She required her own private fortune.

Granted, wealth overflowed within the family, but even though Mirva claimed to have squandered all the heirlooms, Dianna held onto a few of the most valuable, precious pieces.

Allowing Mirva to squander the generic keepsakes served a specific purpose: creating her own hidden reserve of wealth. At twelve years old, Dianna had merely secured the authority to control the estate, leaving her with no independent funds for "other purposes."

She had already determined how she would liberate Guiscard. Accomplishing this required immense wealth. She needed to visit the merchant guilds to scout capable underlings.

Furthermore, Dianna let out a heavy sigh. She had to secure another tutor for him. Word reached her that his martial prowess had long since surpassed his current instructor's capabilities. She exhaled a quiet sigh.

Since that fateful night, Dianna had avoided looking at Guiscard. In truth, she deliberately shunned his presence. Standing before him left her feeling entirely exposed, as if stripped naked. She strove to remain composed, yet raw emotions continuously overrode her logic.

Guiscard displayed a clear desire to speak with Dianna. Even before this, whenever their paths crossed, his intense gaze locked fixedly onto her.

He must want to ask if I intend to discard him.

Even though he harbored a brief urge to take Dianna's life, she banished the thoughts from her mind the moment Ionia came running toward her.

[Ionia] "Ann!"

[Dianna] "Yes?"

[Ionia] "Look at this. Beautiful, isn't it?"

Princess Ionia thrust forward a round ball. Granted, a circular sphere looked innocent, but the object featured a grotesque monster flashing crimson eyes and gaping its jaws wide.

[Dianna] "Um, is that not a magical beast?"

[Ionia] "Not at all! This is a 'mana pet'! How can you fail to see its absolute cuteness?"

Dianna wondered which idle mage wasted their mana constructing such a pet. The taste was utterly bizarre.

[Ionia] "Brother Philip will definitely adore it."

Will Philip actually like it?

Dianna let out a quiet sigh.

The royal palace buzzed with excitement over Prince Philip's upcoming birthday celebration. Prince Philip was turning sixteen. Because the First Queen maintained absolute political dominance, Ferdinand ruled as the official crown prince, yet noble factions hostile to the Queen actively supported Philip. That political chess piece caused Philip's future assassination. Fortunately, he survived until his sixteenth birthday.

[Ionia] "Ann, what are you preparing for Brother Philip's birthday gift?"

[Dianna] "Pardon?"

[Ionia] "Will you present a treasure even more legendary than the massive gift you gave me?"

Dianna offered an awkward smile. As if. She would merely deliver a standard gift within the budget her father allocated.

She felt a deep wave of pity for Philip. He lacked a mother, and his maternal family—headed by Count Kilcos, the Margrave—remained stationed at the borders to secure the realm, unable to visit the capital.

[Dianna] "I don't possess the funds for such extravagance."

Despite her words, she reviewed a potential gift list. For Ferdinand, she had merely delivered a gift her father arranged. For Philip, however, she sincerely desired to offer something wonderful.

Since assuming her duties as Ionia's lady-in-waiting, Dianna crossed paths with Philip frequently. Philip routinely monitored her well-being and offered candy. The sweets carried his pure, unadulterated kindness.

Those treats had accumulated to the point of overflowing a designated glass jar. His sincere affection filled her life to the same degree. At that time, Dianna never anticipated the truth: she would eventually bestow a gift upon Philip far more monumental than the legendary treasure she constructed for Princess Ionia.

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