Chapter 1: Prologue
“I-Iola?”
“Shh, keep your voice down, or we’ll get caught.”
Late at night, a man in light indoor clothing barged into the room of a lady staying alone at an inn.
Iola was crouched on the bed, leaning forward, hands resting on the mattress. Below him, Viretta clasped her hands over her mouth and cheeks, her heart racing at the boldness of the situation.
"I had to tell you sothing. Being here finally, it stirs up all sorts of emotions."
Outside the inn, there was a dragon lurking in the nearby mine.
The kind of terrifying dragon that could destroy a village with a single flap of its wings, or dry up a lake with a single breath.
“To think the five of us actually made it this far. It’s an honor to be here with you, Viretta, on this dangerous mission.”
“Of course. It’s our mine, after all, so it’s my duty to handle it.”
Viretta dleridge, the second daughter of the dleridge Trading Company, blushed as she curled up on the bed, looking up at Iola, whose face was as finely crafted as a sculpture.
“Finally, the day we hunt the dragon is almost upon us. This marks the end of our long, sleepless nights and the thorny path we’ve traveled.”
“Don’t you always get a solid eight hours of sleep? I always thought your health was part of your charm, Viretta.”
“That’s sothing only an ordinary person would say! Even though the adventure was tough, it was always bright, healthy, and thrilling. But now, it’s ti to hunt the dragon and set things right.”
Trying to garner so sympathy, Viretta adjusted her tone to sound weary, but then quickly reversed her course when she heard Iola’s remark. Iola chuckled, watching her change her tune.
“Your cheerful spirit is what gives
strength.”
“Hmph, of course. Without cheer and health, I’d be just a corpse.”
“Not at all. You’ve got plenty of other strengths. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be here, with a team of five ready to hunt a dragon.”
Iola, who was leaning over her on the bed, slowly rose and reached out to help Viretta up. He knelt on one knee on the floor, looking every bit like a knight, despite his casual attire and lack of a proper sword.
“My dear Viretta, I must tell you sothing heartfelt. Tomorrow is uncertain, so I need to say this today.”
“Wait... a confession?”
“Yes, I suppose you could call it that.”
Viretta tilted her head, as if making light of it, but her eyes widened at his words.
Here he was, Iola—good-looking, from a respectable family, and seemingly perfect in every way—confessing to her in the dead of night in her private room.
“You are much wiser than I could ever be.”
Not really true.
It wasn’t that Viretta was unintelligent; rather, Iola was a genius, pursuing five degrees simultaneously.
No matter how much Viretta tried, she could never claim to be as wise as him. She squird at the thought.
“And you’re brave enough to face a dragon, sothing even the fiercest rcenary captains shy away from.”
A bit of a misunderstanding there. She hadn’t realized just how terrifying dragons were until it was too late.
“You’re generous, too, willing to invest the hard-earned money you’ve saved.”
Actually, she’d stolen it from her father.
“And finally, you brought us here with your drive and determination.”
…Which was how she and her group of five had ended up practically at the dragon’s maw.
“I was glad to be your fiancé, if only for a mont.”
But Iola’s face was genuinely bright with excitent.
Here they were, facing off against a dragon with a team of only five, and he looked absolutely thrilled. He truly trusted her.
Reflecting on it, he’d been that way since the first day they t as fiancés.
“It’s all thanks to you, Iola.”
With his unshakeable trust, she’d beco the leader of this crazed mission to hunt a dragon. It was a bit sad that she couldn’t exactly call this a good kind of trust, considering how dangerous it was.
Iola, with all the dignity of a knight, kissed the back of her hand.
“The only way to repay your love and trust is clear.”
He looked up at her with eyes full of love and conviction.
“There’s no need.”
Viretta already knew what he was going to say.
Viretta dleridge had stolen from her father, crossed mountains and rivers, and co to hunt a dragon, all to et the trust in her fiancé’s eyes.
Given her current insane pursuit of a dragon, she could easily guess what he was about to say.
“I will slay the dragon and annul our engagent honorably.”
For the tenth ti this season, Iola declared with hope, faith, and love that he intended to break off their engagent.
“You really don’t have to, though…”
Viretta muttered, crestfallen, as she repeated their engagent-breaking talk, like a parrot, even with a dragon looming before them.
“I can’t let you be tied to the misfortune of marrying .”
“So unpredictability in life makes it exciting, you know.”
“No, I will stand against our families if I must. You don’t deserve to have your life tarnished.”
“You’re sure you don’t dislike ?”
“I truly care for you. That’s why I’ll risk my life to hunt the dragon and break off our engagent.”
His resolve was touching, though the result was heartbreakingly sad.
This was not the sort of thing a man sneaking into his fiancée’s room at night should be saying.
It was utter nonsense, completely illogical—but for them, it wasn’t.
Hunting a dragon to break off an engagent was just another part of their crazy journey.
Why had they embarked on such a reckless path? The answer was simple.
“—If it’s for the one I love, I’ll even catch a dragon!”
It was all because of a bluff.
_________________
Just five days remained until the engagent ceremony of Viretta dleridge, the second daughter of the wealthy dleridge family.
It was the usual arranged marriage you’d find among the nobility and wealthy families.
As the bride-to-be, Viretta folded her arms and let out a scoff.
“He’s probably at least ten years older than , right?”
“He’s the sa age as you.”
Her father, Cadlen dleridge, stroked his beard as he spoke.
“In that case, he must look ten years older. Maybe he’s so plain that no other woman would even look his way.”
“They say he’s quite the fine young man.”
“Do you really believe that? Everyone thinks their own child is handso. You’d probably introduced
as a stunning beauty too, didn’t you?”
Viretta shook her curly bob, which was the color of ripe barley, as she spoke. Cadlen looked uncomfortable in front of his feisty daughter.
“There’s no need to flatter , really. I’ve already made up my mind—to face this sad marriage to a man I’ve never t, for the sake of your business.”
“I keep telling you, he’s a good man. Even your brother sang his praises.”
“My brother only cares about his skills. I doubt a man who agreed to marry a stranger, sight unseen, will be kind to his wife.”
Her lant about the marriage continued, but there wasn’t a hint of true despair in Viretta’s voice.
It was more like a rehearsed tone of false lancholy.
Cadlen, realizing that his daughter wasn’t truly despondent, responded in a dry tone.
“He’ll be here tomorrow, so you’ll see for yourself soon enough.”
“A storm is surely coming.”
Viretta placed a hand on her chest and looked up at the sky outside the window.
Yet, the sky was annoyingly clear.
The sky was bright, with little fluffy clouds drifting along under the afternoon sun. It was a perfect day, with no sign of an impending disaster.
“Great weather. If you’ve nothing to do, Viretta, get so rest. You’ll et your fiancé all the sooner that way.”
The engagent ceremony was set for five days from now. Viretta’s fiancé and his father would arrive with their party the next day.
Once he arrived, it would finally put an end to the constant talk about her fiancé that had dragged on for the last two months.
Tomorrow was the day at last.
“You really don’t understand
at all, Father! You’re so harsh to your only daughter.”
Viretta fired back at her father and then darted past the servants, leaping through the window into the garden.
“Be back before dinner.”
The maid and the gardener cheerfully waved her off.
* * *
"Because of my father and other elders, I’ve beco the sacrificial lamb for a loveless marriage."
"It’s unfortunate that you have to face an unwanted marriage. Is that why you were here, blocking the path and looking so sad?"
In a quiet street just off the bustling square, a young man and woman had just t and were now engrossed in conversation.
The woman was Viretta, who was about to be engaged, and the man was a young traveler with an easygoing air.
"Yes, that’s right. Thank you for your sympathy," Viretta replied, grateful for his listening ear.
The traveler, though a stranger, had kindly approached her as she sat miserably, blocking the path, and asked if sothing was wrong. Thanks to him, Viretta had finally found soone to vent to about her upcoming engagent. None of the locals dared to ss with the dleridge family’s young lady.
"Is that why you call your father ‘Sir Father,’ as if he were a stranger? Because of such unfortunate circumstances?"
"Sothing like that," she replied.
The truth was, she simply liked the formality. After hearing that in so letters, daughters addressed their fathers as ‘Sir Father,’ she had insisted on using it herself.
"Can you believe it, a loveless marriage in this day and age?"
"But perhaps he could be a good person? Maybe even soone who suits you well?"
Viretta shook her head, gazing up at the young man with a slight smile as she took hold of his wrist.
"Isn’t it terrible to marry soone simply because they’re not awful? Could you live without love?"
"It’s probably not the right thing to say to soone in your position, but to , marriage is about family bonds and a promise between two people. Life is what you make of it, and with enough commitnt, you can build a good life together—even without burning love."
"No, that’s not true. People need love to live. Even with all the money and power in the world, life without real love is just misery."
Did Viretta herself have a true love? No, she did not.
Viretta dleridge had never had a lover in her 23 years, and not even a proper unrequited crush.
Still, the young man, unaware of her lack of experience, listened attentively.
"Is love really that powerful?"
"Think of the knight who slew a dragon, only to refuse the king’s offer of gold and the hand of a princess, because he wanted to return ho to his fiancée. That’s the power of love. I don’t want to live without it."
She clasped her hands and tilted her head, speaking as if in a dream. The young man widened his eyes, asking an unexpected question.
"Then, what will you do?"
"Huh?"
"I an, if you can’t live without love but are being forced into this marriage, are you going to challenge it?"
"Absolutely. For the sake of true love, I’d do anything."
"Anything?"
A spark of excitent flashed across the young man’s innocent face.
Viretta felt her own spirits lift.
"Of course. For soone I love, I’d leave behind my father’s expectations and flee to a faraway land with nothing but my wits. Who cares about money or honor?"
In truth, Viretta was a bit carried away.
For the past two months, everyone in her family and in town had grown weary of hearing about her engagent. It had been a long ti since she’d found soone willing to listen to her story.
And he was handso enough to make her want to impress him.
"All for love… that’s quite a resolve!"
His passionate reaction raised her confidence. Viretta lifted her chin, throwing her shoulders back.
"I’d endure any hardship, face any challenge, if it ant standing on my own and marrying the one I love. I’d even hunt a dragon for it."
Today was her last day of freedom. Once she t her fiancé tomorrow, her liberty would be gone forever. That’s why she wanted to enjoy this final day to the fullest.
The laws of the kingdom of Phyllien didn’t specify that married won were bound to their husbands with all rights stripped away.
So, what kind of freedom was Viretta referring to? It was the freedom to complain about an unseen fiancé and an imagined future married life as much as she wanted.
Now she could talk about her impending marriage as though it were the worst fate imaginable. But once she t him, she’d have to put on a facade. By all accounts, her fiancé was a foreigner from a good family, a young and intelligent man with a respectable background.
Although it was an arranged engagent for the sake of their families, her picky father wouldn’t have chosen soone flawed.
It was almost certain that a perfectly ordinary, reliable man would arrive. Perhaps even a charming and decent one.
At that point, she’d be limited in how much she could pretend this was a tragic, forced marriage. After all, getting matched up with a decent person and marrying them was as common as it gets.
Today was her last day to play the tragic heroine.
In short, Viretta dleridge, second daughter of the dleridge family, was a natural-born bluffer.
She had a habit of turning an ordinary engagent into a tragic marriage, inflating her fears, and exaggerating love as though it were an epic romance.
Everyone in the city knew Viretta dleridge was a master of hyperbole.
"You’re going to hunt a dragon?"
Only this young man from outside the city, his eyes shining with admiration, had yet to realize it.
"Really, are you serious? Are you prepared? Dragon hunting is grueling and dangerous, sothing most say is impossible."
"It would be a hard and miserable journey, no doubt. But a mature, cultured woman like
never speaks nonsense."
Thanks to his naive reaction, Viretta’s boasting was in full swing. She puffed out her chest, displaying her bravado.
"For what I desire, I’d even slay a fire-breathing dragon."
In truth, this was just another exaggeration, a little bravado mixed with her usual penchant for grand statents—it wasn’t ant to be taken seriously.
Anyone who knew her would understand that her words were just flourishes and boasts.
But the tragedy was that this young man was an exception among exceptions.
* * *
The next day, Viretta walked into the sitting room where her father was waiting, feeling surprisingly cheerful.
The young man she’d t the day before had been so sympathetic, praising her bravery to the skies. Thanks to that, she was in high spirits from the mont she woke up.
She wasn’t too worried about eting her fiancé for the first ti.
If he turned out to have a problematic personality or poor manners, she could play the part of a tragic heroine. And if he was well-mannered and kind, all the better.
Though the engagent ceremony was only four days away, she knew breaking it off would be as easy as walking away. No need to be concerned—separations could happen at any ti.
When Viretta opened the door, her father, Cadlen, raised his hand in greeting.
“Co in, Viretta. Our in-laws have already arrived. My dear friend, this is my second daughter, Viretta.”
She looked across the room and saw two n sitting opposite her father.
One was a middle-aged man, roughly her father’s age. The other was a young man, her soon-to-be fiancé.
He had brown hair, cut short on the sides and back but with a fuller top, giving it a distinctive layered look. It wasn’t a style commonly seen around these parts.
Beneath thick eyebrows, he had gentle, welcoming eyes. When their gazes t, she noticed the color of his eyes—sothing she hadn’t caught the day before—a murky shade of green.
Tall, neat, and well-dressed, he was every bit the picture of a respectable young man.
And he was the sa man she’d t yesterday.
“Nice to see you again! We et here after all.”
The young man she had encountered on the village street greeted her warmly.
Which ant that the very man who had listened to her talk about the grandeur of true love was, indeed, her fiancé.
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