TSMMT Ch 3

Dianna Brienne

In her first life, Dianna Brienne lived an ordinary existence, if one could call it that.

As the eldest daughter of the House of Brienne in the Panborough Kingdom, she stood as the most desirable bride in the realm.

The legitimate daughter of the Duke of Brienne enjoyed the king's deep trust. She possessed noble blood, a calm nature, and matching talents.

Dianna matured early after losing her mother to illness at age twelve. Following that loss, she quietly mastered household management.

Her only flaw lay in an expression that didn't match her age. Though she possessed a lovely face, a constant darkness clouded her expression, likely because of her early grief. Some critics mocked her, claiming a shadow permanently hung over her face.

Yet, time transformed her. As she blossomed into womanhood like ripening fruit, a faint smile replaced the gloom. She lacked girlish energy, but her unusual maturity and composure shone brightly.

The sorrowful shadow on her face evolved into a melancholic grace that set men's hearts racing. Unlike a bright, fully bloomed flower, a rain-soaked blossom hanging its head and trembling pitifully looks far more moving and beautiful.

She possessed the flawless manners of a highborn lady, a gentle nature without a single rough edge, and silver-gray eyes that held a mixture of cool indifference and deep shyness. When a laugh broke through her low, calm voice, it sounded as sweet as a cello melody.

Who would marry Dianna Brienne?

Though she lacked an official fiancé, rumors pointed to Ferdinand, the First Prince of Panborough. The match made perfect sense, as King Maximus kept the Duke of Brienne exceptionally close.

Panborough society gossiped about her future husband, thrilled by the historic possibility of a noble-born queen rather than a foreign princess.

Dianna offered her usual unreadable, quiet smile in response to the endless praise. She politely declined every invitation from the eager young men and boarded the carriage heading home.

Upon arriving at the ducal estate, she walked gracefully through the halls, but soon lifted her skirts and sprinted like a wild colt.

[Dianna] "Guiscard!"

The composed expression and sorrowful gaze praised by high society vanished, revealing the pure face of a joyful girl. This transformation happened naturally, completely discarding her social mask. She rushed toward a boy in the back garden.

[Dianna] "Guiscard!"

He possessed a slender frame but carried thick bones beneath his lean build. The boy, currently moving heavy boxes, turned around. He possessed a face far too handsome for a common servant. The boy fixed his amethyst-purple eyes on her with a blunt expression.

[Guiscard] "Have you arrived, My Lady?"

His cold reply contrasted sharply with her warmth. Intense hatred and contempt filled his gaze, but she remained entirely oblivious.

[Dianna] "Did the servants beat you again?"

He was the infamous slave brought home by the Duke of Brienne.

The noble lady only smiled like a normal girl her age when she stood beside this lowly slave boy.

[Dianna] "Who on earth did this to you?"

[Guiscard] "……."

Dianna reached out and pulled open his shirt. The boy flinched but offered no resistance. Fading brown lines mottled his pale skin where old bruises healed. Thank goodness, no new wounds covered them.

[Dianna] "What a relief."

She placed her hand over the healing marks, causing his body to flinch once more.

Her father brought this slave boy home when she turned twelve, and she constantly showed him kindness.

She acted out of pure pity. Her late mother always taught her that all people share the same humanity and deserve compassion. Slaves were no different.

The battered boy survived because of Dianna's care. He ate the food she provided and spoke with her over the years. She could only apply medicine to his wounds in secret, hiding from Mirva, the lady-in-waiting who acted like the mistress of the estate.

What sin did this boy commit? Father should never have brought him here as a slave just to abandon him.

Her father simply watched as the servants abused the lowest member of the household.

At fifteen, Dianna Brienne knew nothing of the world's cruelty. She remained completely oblivious to wickedness. Some people hated her pure innocence, while others craved it with an unbearable hunger.

Living in a personal hell, the boy accepted this twisted world, forcing his own heart to burn in those same flames.

Heat surged through the boy's body where Dianna’s pale hand rested. His dark purple eyes, though filled with hatred, hungrily traced her pale face.

Those were the days of seventeen-year-old Guiscard Lodbrog, the hidden prince of the Lodbrog Kingdom.

---

By the time Dianna turned twenty, the army of the Lodbrog Kingdom invaded her homeland of Panborough. The newly crowned king led the vanguard—the legendary Hero King who slaughtered the poison dragon, Fafnir.

Inside the mansion, tension hung thick, like thin ice ready to crack. The total absence of parties during the social season proved that the capital faced a dire crisis.

Soon after, Count Kilcos surrendered the border. The knights who chose resistance over surrender died in battle or fell into enemy hands. Reports confirmed that the Lodbrog army would soon march upon Tallinn, the capital of Panborough.

Dianna trembled violently. Fear of death gripped her, yet she refused to flee. As a duke's daughter, she had to maintain her noble dignity. That was the only way she knew how to live. Her father, however, abandoned the capital, taking her older brother to their rural estate.

They fled. Yet Dianna fought to justify their cowardice.

It is only natural for the head of the house and the heir to preserve their lives to protect the family name.

Only her younger sister, Alexa, and she remained.

She calmly paid the servants their severance and dismissed them, choosing to face the end alongside the few loyal souls who refused to leave.

The day of reckoning arrived as the capital burned. The brutal Lodbrog army trampled Tallinn underfoot.

She sat in a high-backed chair, waiting for the soldiers to break down the doors.

Death awaited her. She tilted her chin up and closed her eyes.

[Dianna] "Guiscard."

Her final wish focused entirely on seeing that boy one last time.

On her sixteenth birthday, she found the key to the shackles in her father's private room. While Guiscard slept, Dianna carefully unlocked his heavy chains.

The only thing entirely mine to protect. My life. My sanctuary.

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she whispered to him for a long time. She hated the thought of letting him go. During those four years, from age twelve to sixteen, she cherished every memory they made.

Yet, freedom belonged to him. Dianna fully understood that those four years brought him nothing but humiliation and pain. She softly pressed her lips against Guiscard’s sleeping forehead.

Dear God, send your golden dragon to protect Guiscard.

Mother, watch over him. He is precious to me.

Guiscard fled the Brienne estate before dawn that morning. Her father raged upon discovering the escape, but the boy eluded capture. Though he never showed her kindness, his presence helped her survive a lonely existence.

She wished for word of his safety, but reality crushed that hope. Why would he send news to a household where everyone abused him?

If she could see him alive one last time before her death, she would ask for nothing more.

I hope he avoids this terrible war.

The thought barely formed before the doors burst open. A man strode into the room.

Dianna tilted her chin with noble pride, opening her mouth to speak, but the words died in her throat.

Fresh blood dripped from his body, soaking his clothes as if he had survived a crimson rain.

Drip, drip.

Crimson pools stained the patterned carpet she loved. The blood-drenched man fixed his glowing purple eyes on her.

She recognized those brilliant eyes instantly. Did God answer her final prayer?

[Dianna] "Guiscard?"

Joy flooded her, pushing the danger out of her mind. They shared a childhood. He was the only person who brought a genuine smile to her face. A reunion at the very end!

[Guiscard] "Do you remember me, My Lady?"

She smiled brightly and nodded. A flash of twisted joy sparked within his purple eyes before vanishing completely.

[Dianna] "Why are you here…… what brings you to this place?"

[Guiscard] "……."

[Dianna] "Did you come to save me?"

The question sounded foolishly innocent. Yet, Dianna didn't speak out of ignorance. The bizarre situation forced her to cling to a final thread of hope, praying her dark suspicions proved false. Despite her noble pride, survival dictated that she fear a blood-spattered invader.

Believing she was entirely naive, the man's expression twisted with disgust. He marched closer, bringing the sharp, metallic stench of fresh blood with him.

[Knight] "My Lady, flee!"

A shout shattered the silence from behind. One of the family's loyal knights rushed into the room, raising his sword to strike Guiscard.

Before Dianna could scream, Guiscard drove his blade straight into the knight's stomach. The man coughed violently as blood erupted from the wound.

Such horrific violence shattered her world, a world previously filled only with elegance and beauty.

Guiscard flashed a cruel smile at her frozen panic. Intent on putting on a show, he slit the throat of the gasping knight.

[Dianna] "Kyaah!"

Blood splattered across the room. She stared in horror and stumbled backward.

Guiscard advanced slowly, raising his dripping sword.

Her back hit the stone wall. The man smiled broadly.

[Guiscard] "Of course not."

[Dianna] "……."

[Guiscard] "I came to drag you straight into hell."

The innocent noble lady’s world shattered completely. Dianna's true hell began.

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