If, as inferred from the content of the book, they were originally dragons but turned into snakes, it meant that the true form of the ancestors of the Hart family was not human.
Then, the curse might not have been real. Transforming into a snake might have been a return to the original form.
Duke Hart narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. He seemed to be deep in thought.
The ambiguous truth, seemingly revealed, became a massive sandstorm, covering everyone.
Even after exchanging opinions on the content of the book, nothing became clear, and Duke Hart eventually stood up from his seat, looking frustrated.
“I need to take a break and get some fresh air.”
“…Do as you wish.”
When the Duke’s wife responded, Duke Hart left the reception room.
Nellia watched the Duke’s wife’s expression. Since a while ago, the atmosphere seemed gloomy.
“Duchess… are you okay?”
The Duchess seemed to realize and managed to force a smile. However, the slightly raised corners of her mouth only added to the pitiable atmosphere.
“In the Duke’s mansion, there aren’t many people to share emotions with, so it seems I can’t hide a single expression even at this age.”
“Why would you say such a thing? I prefer the Duchess expressing herself honestly.”
The Duchess forced a bitter laugh.
“I brought Duke Hart here to help Sillian, but it seems I’m only confusing the child. If that’s the case, I should have thoroughly examined the basement first before calling….”
Since Duke Hart came out of the basement, he couldn’t hide his stern expression.
Even Nellia, who rarely saw the Duke in such a state, noticed.
However, Nellia didn’t think negatively of the Duke.
“Even if we don’t know the exact contents of that book, we’ve taken a step closer to the truth. Duke, you may be confused now, but I think it’s something you had to face someday.”
“Thank you for saying that, Nellia.”
Finally, the shadow that had heavily lingered on the Duchess’s face disappeared.
“I summoned Duke Hart to this place because of the upcoming lunar eclipse. I thought there would be information helpful on that day in the book related to the curse recorded by our ancestors.”
That’s why the Duke came here.
He seemed much more fearful and uneasy about the upcoming lunar eclipse than Nellia thought.
She realized this by observing him spacing out or tapping the desk with his fingertips. It was an action unimaginable for the usual Duke.
She had seen this side of the Duke last year as well, but it was different now. Perhaps the fear had deepened.
He must be feeling confused and frustrated in the current situation.
He came here seeking facts that could help him cope with his transformation into a monster, but what he encountered was an entirely different kind.
Possibly more destructive and… cruel.
“Sillian couldn’t control turning into a monster like other noble families. So, he has been struggling a lot since he was young whenever the lunar eclipse approached.”
“Yes, it seems that way.”
The Duchess hesitated and then spoke.
“In truth… I’m also the one who made Sillian like that.”
Nellia, who had been staring down with her eyes lowered, looked up. The Duchess stroked her fingertips and continued.
“In the past, I married without knowing that my husband was a person suffering from this curse. But because I loved him, even after learning the truth, I stayed by his side.”
It was the story she heard from Duke Hart in the past.
Most of the noble families in the Hart lineage hid the curse and got married. The Duchess was no different.
“I pitied my husband suffering from this curse, so I searched the empire everywhere, inquiring about a way to lift the curse.”
The Duchess blinked slowly as if recalling past events.
“But maybe not finding a way to break the curse was perhaps a foreseen event. Despite the smart lords of House Hart trying various methods over the years, they couldn’t break the curse. How could I solve it? And, in the end, my husband died at the hands of a close friend. In the form of a monster.”
It was a harsh story even when heard again. Nellia looked at her with sympathetic eyes.
“Duchess…”
“I can’t go back to the capital anymore. So, I brought Sillian with me to the Duke’s mansion. And, I decided to live for Sillian from now on. But the family curse tormented me to the end.”
While blaming the curse, the Duchess’s lonely gaze was somewhat self-reflective.
“Sillian was eighteen at the time. There was also a lunar eclipse that year, and the sky was unusually dark. And just like usual, Sillian transformed into a monster.”
“…Yes.”
Listening to the Duchess’s story, Nellia involuntarily clenched her hands due to her tense emotions.
“And that day, there happened to be a flaw in the confinement, and the rampaging Sillian broke free, turning the mansion into a mess. And I…”
The Duchess swallowed dryly. The silence felt quite long because her words were interrupted at a crucial moment.
“I could only watch Sillian, who was raging, unable to do anything.”
Her delicate voice trembled.
“I was so terrified that I couldn’t move. Excited by seeing me like that, Sillian attempted to attack. Fortunately, a nearby wizard helped, and I was able to escape.”
The Duchess closed her eyes as if in regret.
“How a mother can be afraid of her child after turning into a monster…”
Nellia silently stared at the Duchess, who had confided deep emotions.
“After that incident, the mansion was in ruins, and we had to rebuild it. Seeing the building of the castle again, my heart couldn’t help but feel empty.”
Nellia recalled what the Duke had said.
‘Nellia might not know, but after my father passed away and my mother came down here alone, she rebuilt the castle.’
So, they had carried out massive reconstruction of the castle…
Although it was impossible to fathom what the Duchess felt at that time, at least Nellia had a sense of why she was sharing such words with her.
“Madam, don’t blame yourself.”
“….”
“I have also seen the Duke in his monstrous form. Anyone would be scared by the foul odor and fierce gaze. I was scared too.”
Nellia held the trembling hand of the Duchess, who nervously fanned herself with the hand fan. Her hand was shaking slightly.
“If it’s the Duke I know, he will understand the Duchess of that day.”
A hint of redness appeared under the Duchess’s eyes.
“I’m not sure… After that day, it seems the relationship with Sillian has soured…”
“Why do you think that way?”
Finally, a teardrop rolled down from the Duchess’s eyes.
“While staying at the Duke’s mansion, Nellia, you’ve probably noticed that the Duke and Sillian rarely communicate, right?”
“…Yes.”
“From an outsider’s perspective, you wouldn’t easily notice any strain between Sillian and me. Even if Sillian doesn’t act affectionately toward me, we converse well, and I am the same way. However, as a mother, I certainly know.”
The Duchess wiped away tears with her hand as she spoke.
“Sillian’s talking has significantly decreased since the incident that day. And unless something special happens, Sillian never comes to the Duke’s mansion. The day I went directly to the capital’s mansion after committing a breach of etiquette against you was also because of that.”
The day she committed a breach of etiquette…?
Nellia’s face turned red with understanding.
It’s about the day when she and the Duke spent the night together, isn’t it?
Nellia glanced awkwardly at Reunite next to her, but he still seemed disinterested in the conversation.
After a brief moment of embarrassment, Nellia composed herself and spoke to the Duchess.
“I think I understand why the Duke acted that way.”
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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