So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 51

Chapter 51

“Who knows?”

From behind the Duke’s distracting broad back, I heard Ternox laugh.

“I’m not gonna eat you, kid.”

Ugh. He talks like someone’s grandpa.
Which… he probably is.

While I was pouting, the Duke leaned his upper body slightly toward me.

Through our backs touching, his cave-deep voice rumbled out, threatening.

“I don’t know what scheme you’re playing, but you’d better tell me your purpose willingly. Dragon or god, it doesn’t matter. I’m not merciful to anyone who touches what’s mine.”

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

What’s… his?
Does that include me?

I mean, yes, I am his Archduchess, but still.

What is this, treating a person like property? Have some limits!

Maybe because I was caught off guard, my heart started pounding.

I didn’t know what to do, so I just fidgeted with the hem of the Duke’s shirt.

“Wow. Look at you two. You bicker a lot for people who actually look pretty good together.”

“W-what?!”

This time I practically jumped.

“Enough. Get to the point already!”

I peeked over the Duke’s shoulder and glared at Ternox.

He just shook his head.

“Fine. I’m not that interested in your love story anyway.”

“L-love?!”

Like he was done entertaining any more nitpicking, Ternox cut the air with a firm wave of his hand and said,

“The covenant has been damaged.”

At that, the Duke’s shoulder twitched.

I glanced at his profile.

His face was still cold as ice, but there was definitely a flicker of unrest underneath.

“Do you know about the covenant between Celeste and the dragons?”

“A covenant?”

A title flashed through my mind.

Something I’d seen in the library. Surely…

The Covenant Between Celeste and the Dragons

“I’ve seen a book title with that in it, in the ducal library!”

Everyone’s gaze snapped to me.

Even the Duke looked surprised by my sudden outburst.

“Officially it was kept secret, but I guess Celeste Castle kept records of it like a chronicle. So what did it say?”

“Uh… well…”

Admitting I’d only started reading before the Duke barged in, and then couldn’t focus afterward, was kind of embarrassing, okay?

So I added awkwardly,

“I… only got through the beginning.”

“Really? Even if you’d read it all, it wouldn’t have helped much. The actual contents of the covenant were meant to remain secret.”

Ternox gave a brief explanation.

The covenant between the first Archduke, Lucas Celeste, and Ternox.

To prove how binding it was, its terms were carved deep into both of their hearts.

And that mark was inherited, engraved into the heart of every Celeste successor, generation after generation.

“Generation after generation…”

The Duke’s brow tightened, as if he accepted Ternox’s words without question.

“Unfortunately, the formal inheritance seems to have been severed. My father’s madness was already severe before I became head of the house. So naturally, I have no knowledge of it myself.”

“Hm. That makes sense. There’s a restriction. You can’t pass it down unless you’re the true successor.”

True successor.

That phrase clearly snagged on the Duke’s mind.

His eyes narrowed.

“Are you saying my father wasn’t the true successor?”

“Who knows? I’ll have to look into that one. But if your madness began manifesting with the previous generation, then it might be worth watching.”

The two men, who’d been snarling at each other just moments ago, now wore the exact same expression as they sank into deep thought.

And I was the only one sitting there blankly, looking back and forth between their faces.

I stole a glance at the Duke, his fist lightly touching his lips as he thought.

Is it because he’s been sleeping well? His skin is practically glowing…

His looks had gotten even more unfair.

“Could the covenant be connected to monsters?”

The silence broke as the Duke spoke.

I whipped my head toward Ternox, terrified I’d been caught staring.

At the question, Ternox’s face turned grim.

“The covenant’s power was used to seal monsters. Have monsters appeared recently?”

“Yes. I thought it was just a rumor…”

The Duke’s voice stayed controlled as he explained.

Right after our wedding, he’d heard reports of monsters appearing on the outskirts of the North and had gone himself, only to find no trace, so he’d assumed it was a false report.

Wait. That time…

It lined up exactly with when I first possessed this body.

For a brief moment, my eyes met Ternox’s.

“Hm…”

Resting his chin on his hand, he looked like he was piecing something together.

“Something felt off, so I visited other dragons’ lairs to ask around. Most were dead or asleep. A few might still be active, enjoying themselves, but I had no way to contact them. Have you, besides me, made contact with any dragons or any magical faction?”

The Duke answered immediately.

“Impossible. The Empire is practically a holy nation now. Not only dragons, monsters, and even magic itself have become obsolete concepts. If I hadn’t been a Celeste, I wouldn’t have believed dragons existed at all.”

“Rembrandt is a holy nation?”

Ternox looked genuinely thrown.

Apparently, a lot had changed between the era when he fell into deep sleep and the current Rembrandt Empire.

As usual, though, Nox didn’t bother explaining further. He just shrugged.

“Anyway, even covenants aren’t eternal. I thought it would last a thousand years easily, so some kind of impurity must have gotten in. I tried injecting my power earlier to figure out the cause of the damage, but it wasn’t simple.”

As he said that, his gaze slid over me, just a quick sweep.

Is he implying I’m the impurity?

I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry.

But then Ternox smirked and ruffled my hair roughly.

“Hey. Who said you were? You’re always getting guilty all on your own.”

“Ah! Stop! What is wrong with you?!”

“Take your hand off her. Now.”

“Wow, your husband’s so scary I can’t even joke around, huh?”

Ugh. Seriously, for a dragon, he acts like an uncle who lives to tease his niece.

I was grumbling and trying to smooth my hair when a faster hand moved.

“!”

It was the Duke.

“Ahem. This bit was sticking up.”

He fixed my hair while pointedly not making eye contact.

I couldn’t check in a mirror, but I still felt awkward, so I pressed down on my hair like it had personally offended me.

“Pfft.”

Of course Ternox didn’t miss the spectacle. His snickering came immediately.

Both the Duke and I snapped, faces turning red.

“Don’t laugh!”

“And what, exactly, is so funny?”

“Obviously, the way you two are acting.”

With a faint grin, Ternox leaned back into the sofa behind him.

Then he laughed like the most shameless villain in existence.

He’s… so evil-looking.

I’d once thought the Duke looked like a villain, but now I felt bad, because Ternox was giving actual final boss energy.

“Alright. Decision made,” Ternox announced.

“About what?”

He always chops off half his sentences.

Ignoring my confusion, he turned to Xenos with a slick smile.

“I was bored anyway, so this works out perfectly. The great Ternox will personally take you in, keep you close, and look after you.”

“I’ll pass.”

That blunt?

I was impressed despite myself.

The Duke frowned at Ternox again. Their compatibility was clearly terrible.

Ternox didn’t care about the rejection at all. He whistled as he casually looked around the room once.

“Why? Worried about what others will think? Then how about I become your attendant?”

“…What?”

“What? Touched? The mighty dragon graciously lowers himself to become a mere human’s attendant, out of the kindness of his heart.”

“Celeste Castle already has plenty of hands.”

“Mm. Then how about an aide?”

Since I’d been watching quietly, I chimed in with just one line.

Both of them turned to look at me at the exact same time.

I coughed, a little sheepish.

“It just seems like Your Grace doesn’t keep a close aide by your side.”

Wouldn’t an archduke usually have a right-hand man, like a captain or adjutant?

Karl was there, sure, but he was the chief butler. That was different.

“Oh, you said that well. ‘Aide’ sounds better anyway,” Ternox said brightly.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t need one.”

“Then you’ll just keep carrying around a damaged covenant? How long do you think you have left to live?”

The sudden mention of lifespan made me whip around to stare at the Duke.

Wait. So it’s not just me? He’s on a timer too?

Did the original story even have that setting for Xenos?

But now that I think about it…

I didn’t even know the madness was a thing.

This whole novel was in Renée’s first-person point of view.

Why do I know none of this?!