“……”

Lindsay responded to Raven’s silent gaze by gesturing to the silver platter she was holding.

“Um, you have to take your medicine, Your Grace.”

Atop the platter lay three small white pills. Raven took all three at once and swallowed them down with one gulp.

“W.. wa.. water…”

Lindsay held up a golden goblet of water, her hands shaking as she offered it. Raven took the cup and it sloshed over the brim, getting it all over his hands.

“Ah…”

Lindsay’s face paled. Not paying her any attention, Raven drank from the cup and held it up for Lindsay to take it away. On the verge of tears, Lindsay hurriedly reached for the goblet, her entire body shaking in fear. It was almost pathetic how scared she was.

“……”

Raven knew why the maid, Lindsay, was acting like this. When he first opened his eyes, she was the one who had been cleaning his body. And in his hazy state, he had unknowingly touched her breasts, with a resounding slap on his cheek in return. It was obvious how shocked she must have been when a person who had been unmoving for three years suddenly stretched out his arms and felt her up.

However, regardless of the situation, Alan Pendragon was the person she slapped. He was a person in a position of power, whose eyes she could not dare stare directly into as the heir to the Pendragon Duchy. She had essentially slapped the entire Pendragon family name in the cheek.

The offense would have been unforgivable and could have even caused harm to her family’s reputation. She seemed to tremble in fear for the last several days, even more so seeing that the person she hit had said nothing about the matter.

To Raven, this situation was just annoying. He did not have time to worry about a young maid’s feelings right now.

“I will forget the matter and you should too.”

“S, sorry?”

Lindsay stuttered in disbelief.

“It was something that happened in confusion after I was unconscious for several years. So, you should forget it. I won’t tell anybody what you did to me either.”

“Ah… yes, yes, Sir Alan.”

Lindsay bowed, deeply moved by his words. Raven was glad to have gotten rid of a bothersome problem and was about to wave her away.

But then….

What does that mean? What is she supposed to forget? What did she do?

Raven’s brows twitched at the sudden interjection.

They had arrived. Ever since he had become Alan Pendragon, they were the most difficult beings to deal with, and the most annoying.

***

Walking through the veil were two beautiful young girls that resembled one another. They both had shiny blonde hair and sapphire-blue eyes. One was ten and the other was fifteen, the age where girls started to blossom.

“I greet the ladies.”

Lindsay hastily bowed and took several steps back at the sudden appearance of the two girls. Big blue eyes and exquisite looks, she was sure to be called a beauty when she matured in 4, 5 years along with her older sister. The younger one nimbly ran towards the bed.

“Hey, Mia!”

The little girl disregarded her sister’s call and jumped onto Raven’s bed, taking her place on his lap, hugging him. Raven awkwardly put his arms around the little girl. Looking down and playing with a rabbit doll, the little girl lay in his embrace as if the spot was obviously hers.

‘Damn this…’

Raven’s face reddened in embracement and discomfort, but he could not get angry. After all, the girl on his lap was….

“That’s no-good Mia! Our older brother is still not well. I’m sorry orabeonim[1].”

The girl who calmly rebuked the little girl was his, no, Alan Pendragon’s little sister.

“You look better today though orabeonim. I’m really glad.”

She gave a big smile, seemingly glad that Raven looked healthier. She was the eldest girl of the Pendragon family, the second child of the three siblings, Irene Pendragon.

Even though she was technically his younger sister, he had only known her for a few days. Raven did not know how to respond to her kindness, since she thought he was the actual Alan Pendragon. He could, at best, nod his head.

“Orabeonim… perhaps… are you uncomfortable with us coming to visit?”

Irene’s long lashes trembled at seeing Raven’s response.

Raven really wanted nothing more to tell them how uncomfortable he was and chase them out. But Mia Pendragon’s curious gaze and Irene’s genuine care caused him to swallow his words.

“No…… it’s…. fine…”

“Haa! What a relief! I thought that maybe you felt uncomfortable when we…. I’m just so glad.”

Irene held her hands together tightly to her chest in relief. Then she suddenly raised her head as if something had suddenly come to her mind.

“Right. Orabeonim. What was it that you were saying before? That you were going to forget something…?”

Irene spoke, her eyes periodically glancing sideways at Lindsay, standing to the side. Lindsay’s shoulders flinched. Feeling an unnecessary annoyance heading his way, Raven quickly answered.

“It’s nothing for you to be concerned about.”

“Well… maybe it’s something that mother might be worried about…”

Raven was annoyed at how Irene kept glancing between himself and Lindsay with a slight blush. It was obvious that this crafty little brat was making assumptions.

“It is not proper for a lady to eavesdrop on others’ conversations.”

Raven hardened his expression to be even colder.

“Oh…. I am sorry. I just wanted to come see orabeonim but couldn’t help overhear….”

Tears started welling up in Irene’s eyes like large droplets. As if on cue, Mia Pendragon once again looked up at Raven with an indiscernible expression.

‘%&#@^! This is driving me insane.’

His chest felt stuffed, and he felt his patience running out. This type of thing was exactly what bothered and annoyed Raven. He wanted nothing more than to scream at the little brats to scram, but he could not. He had tried his best to learn more about this royal family, but there was still much he did not know about the Pendragon Duchy. During his life as Raven Valt, the Pendragon family was never something he had cared about.

All he could gather was that they were descended from the founding emperor and that they were a powerful family in a position to contract with a dragon. He also knew that Gordon Pendragon, the previous duke, died and the family went into steep decline after Alan Pendragon went into a coma.

He had only found out that he had two younger sisters a few days ago.

He only knew one thing for sure.

“…”

It was someone’s elaborate ‘conspiracy’ that had a hand involved in both Alan Pendragon’s demise and the fall of the Pendragon family which had seemed to still be relatively stable.

Furthermore, the whole conspiracy might have connections to the fall of the Valt family.

Raven did not survive for ten years in the demonic army solely due to his ability to regenerate. His intuition and ability to remain calm, to make rational decisions were the reasons why he survived so long. That intuition which kept him alive for so long told him that Irene and Mia Pendragon should not be treated with temper.

“It was nothing big. When I had just opened my eyes, I made a little mistake. It’s nothing that you or the duchess should worry about.”

“A small… mistake?”

Raven once again suppressed his frustration and calmly answered.

“Yes. I was disoriented and accidentally grabbed her hand. And in shock, she shook off my hand.”

“Y, yes, my lady.”

Lindsay eagerly looked up and chimed in.

“Ahh…! I see.”

Only then Irene’s face brightened up. She pulled her chair closer to the bed.

“Anyways I’m so glad that you seem to be getting better. Sir Illaine says that you should be able to walk soon, and I really hope that you can. The flowers have started to bloom in the courtyard, and I think you will really like them. The cornflowers you planted before ought to start blooming soon. Do you remember? When…”

Irene started to chatter away softly. Listening to her stories, Raven felt the annoyance crawl out. Not so much because of her talking, although that did contribute, but because hearing her stories, he realized what a clown Alan Pendragon was in the past. He preferred reading and painting over swordsmanship. Sure, that much was acceptable. But the idiot liked to plant flowers? And he would often sulk and lock himself in his room and hide whenever there was a guest. He acted in ways unbefitting of an heir to a Duchy.

Well, Alan’s past had its benefits as well. Thanks to Alan Pendragon’s personality, no one looked or cared for him except for the few maids who served him, his family, and some important personnel in the castle. No one bothered him now. Thinking about it, it must have been the Duchess’ orders seeing as she knew him best before he went into a coma.

It was the ideal condition for quietly gaining more information and figuring things out.

Irene’s endless chatter also sometimes contained great information as well.

“.. And Aunt Veleroa’s carrier pigeon arrived. Apparently, Luna unni’s[2] suitors are getting more numerous every day. She’s glad that she can reject them without worries now. Oh my! I got ahead of myself. Luna unni’s already left to come see you. I think in about two days…”

“Wait. Who is Aunt Veleroa, and who is Luna?”

Raven, no, Alan Pendragon had memory loss due to him being unconscious for three years, or at least that was the story.

“Ah! I’m sorry orabeonim…” Irene, who rebuked herself for not being considerate of her brother with memory loss, spoke with a bright smile reminiscent of a summer flower.

“Aunt Veleroa is our deceased father’s only younger sister. She is married to one of our family’s knights, Sir Seyrod. Luna unni is Aunt Veleroa’s foster daughter and your fiancée.”

“…..”

Raven’s face, which was already pale, lost even more colour.

***

Ten warhorses and soldiers moved forward behind a flag imprinted with a crowned red wolf on a narrow mountain path. The knights on horseback with plate armors and lightly armed soldiers were the main pillars of the party. A slender woman followed, wearing a dress that contrasted the rough looking men.

A knight wearing a blue cloak over his seamless armor approached the woman.

“How are you fairing, my lady? We will soon be able to see Conrad Castle so please be patient, Lady Luna.”

The silver-haired girl, whose beauty and indifferent expression created a fairy-like atmosphere, opened her delicate mouth that matched her high nose.

“I’m doing fine, Sir Breeden.”

Breeden could not find the words to say after the girl’s grim response. A short while later, he spoke once again with a subtle smile on his face.

“You will meet your fiancé for the first time in three years soon, how do you feel about that?”

Luna Seyrod, who had only been looking straight ahead, finally turned her head towards Breeden.

“What does that have to do with you, Sir Breeden?”

“Well, I…”

“I’ll be fine taking care of my own business. You need only to focus on your business. Please don’t carelessly aggravate the Pendragon family’s knights.”

“Huuhuu! Do you think there is even anyone left in Conrad Castle that’s fit to be called a knight? Just look at the Bellint gate. That’s what we’re going to expect at Conrad Castle. They barely have thirty soldiers and twenty archers. They don’t even have a commander, do they? Hahaha.”

Breeden’s face had a mocking smile, contrasting the startled expression he had before.

“Even if Alan Pendragon’s reawakened, it’s not enough for them to regain their past glory. Ten years? Twenty years? Even that might not be enough. There’s never been a case in history where someone who’s failed to contract the dragon once succeeded on their second try. “

“You seem to know very well already. Tell me, what does this all mean?”

Breeden banged his chest with pride upon seeing Luna’s apathetic expression.

“I can bring more honor to the Seyrod family than they’ve ever had. Without their dragon, the Pendragon family is nothing. I, Sir Breedan, will be more than ever before.”

“….”

Luna stared at Breeden silently for a moment before turning her head back to the front. Breeden was about to say something with furrowed eyebrows when Luna spoke.

“Sir Breeden seems to have forgotten where the Pendragon family’s bloodline stems from.”

“Ehem…”

Breeden flinched and did not respond.

Everyone knew the deeply rooted bloodline of the Pendragon family. There may be rises and falls in their kingdom, but they would never disappear. Because…

“But hasn’t his imperial majesty already given up on the Pendragon family? I mean just by seeing how the engagement between Sir Alan Pendragon and Princess Ingrid was broken when Sir Gordon Pendragon passed away…”

“Which is why I was engaged to him instead. For example, it was the chicken instead of a pheasant.”

“I… I wasn’t trying to insult you, my lady. Well as your father has spoken, you need to tell Alan Pendragon in person about the breaking of engagement.

“I know, so stop mentioning it to me. The purpose of my visit is to break off the engagement. I need some time to think by myself.”

“Yes…”

Breeden seemed to have more things he wanted to say but rode past Luna’s horse after deliberating for a moment. The party moved up a hill with no words exchanged. When the vanguard reached the top, the flagbearer announced in a loud voice.

“I see the castle!”

The horses all arrived at the top of the hill. They saw a river flowing next to the village and looking past the common people, a white castle with numerous, tall towers stood erect. The Conrad Castle was where Luna’s fiancé lived.

1. Orabeonim is a formal way of addressing one’s older brother by a female. Hyugnim would be the male equivalent of calling their older brother

2. Unni is a way of addressing an older female by a younger female. (The age difference would not be too great)