ESHPS 06

Chapter 06

The youngest member of that subjugation team had survived, so she thought everyone else must also be alive.

But only that child survived.

“Other than him… everyone died?”

“Yes. The Mad Dragon Subjugation Team was always made of people who were expected to die. Even if they returned alive, there were hardly any people waiting happily for them.”

Even if they returned alive, there were hardly any people waiting happily for them.

For some reason, the duke’s last words kept echoing in Roshane’s ears. At the same time, the faces of her teammates from the subjugation team—those who laughed and cried together—flashed before her eyes.

‘Ah…’

She had believed everyone would survive. They were strong and good people.

Everyone had been excited, looking forward to the day they would seal the Mad Dragon that threatened the empire and return home.

Even if the hero could not return with them, she had hoped they would live happily in her place.

But in the end, no one became happy.

Had all the other comrades she fought with also met the same fate?

Her vision went dark. For a moment, Roshane could not think at all.

“When? When did they all die? While returning? Or…”

The Mad Dragon had definitely been sealed.

Everyone had been badly injured, but until that moment no one had died. After that, the hero had been sealed, so she didn’t know what happened afterward—but it made no sense that all of them died.

“Roshane.”

While searching her memories, she heard someone call her name and looked up.

The duke was resting his chin on the desk, staring at her with a strange expression.

“This isn’t even your matter. Why are you so curious?”

“…Studying the empire’s affairs isn’t a bad thing.”

“…That’s not wrong. But just know that much.”

The duke closed his mouth.

“There’s nothing good about learning more. Not for you, and not for this family.”

His sharp gaze warned her clearly. If she investigated further, it wouldn’t just endanger Roshane—it could endanger the entire House of Leilaten.

There was something behind the deaths of the subjugation team.

Even without saying it, the duke’s heavy silence made that clear.

“Any more questions?”

“…No.”

“Then leave now. And don’t talk outside about my hand condition or the question you just asked.”

The duke waved his hand. His will to say nothing more was firm.

Realizing she couldn’t learn anything more from the Duke of Leilaten, Roshane quietly turned and left the bedroom.

‘…The survivor.’

The man she had met at the wedding came to mind—Cheyton Barpheus.

That small child had been the only survivor back then. Which meant that man must know everything.

‘I need to meet Grand Duke Barpheus.’

Just then, a servant approached the duke’s bedroom.

Thinking about how to meet the Grand Duke, Roshane stepped aside.

The servant knocked on the duke’s door to report.

Knock knock.

“Duke, a guest has arrived.”

At the servant’s report, the door opened and the butler stepped out.

“Who is it? Tell them the duke is not well enough to receive visitors today.”

“I told them that, but they said they would wait in the reception room…”

The servant trailed off awkwardly. The butler frowned slightly, realizing the visitor was someone the servant couldn’t handle.

“Who is the guest?”

“His Highness, Grand Duke Barpheus.”

The conversation clearly reached Roshane’s ears as she was about to leave. She suddenly lifted her head.

‘The reception room…!’

God does not abandon the hero.

Just like when she ran across battlefields before, Roshane ran wildly in her high heels.

She reached the reception room before the butler.

Cheyton was waiting beyond that door.

Holding the doorknob, Roshane slowly steadied her breathing.

‘As expected… I can’t feel any presence.’

She couldn’t sense anyone beyond the door. Frowning, she suddenly pushed the door open.

“…”

Inside the reception room, the man she had met at the wedding—Cheyton Barpheus—was sitting lazily on the sofa with his legs crossed.

“…Grand Duke Barpheus?”

“I heard the duke isn’t well enough to meet guests, so I thought I’d leave without seeing him today. But the young lady came instead.”

His blood-red eyes stared directly at Roshane.

“The duke is sick, so I came in his place.”

After speaking, Roshane closed the reception room door. Then she wedged a broom into the handle so it couldn’t be opened from outside.

“…? That’s a unique way of welcoming a guest. Are you imprisoning me first?”

Cheyton laughed instead of being surprised by her actions.

“I have something to ask the Grand Duke, and I don’t want to be interrupted.”

“Your way of speaking… hmm. Are you still not fully recovered?”

“Huh? I’m not sick.”

“…Well, I’m not usually that polite either. This works out well. I also came to ask the young lady something. It’s better to ask the person directly rather than the duke.”

Roshane sat across from Cheyton.

She could feel the butler approaching the reception room from outside.

If the door opened, she would lose the chance to talk. Then she wouldn’t be able to ask what happened to the subjugation team—or learn anything about the hero.

Just as Roshane was about to speak hurriedly, Cheyton spoke first.

“Is the young lady related to the sealing of the Mad Dragon?”

“…What do you mean?”

She answered calmly, but inside she was in chaos. Her heartbeat was so loud she felt like it could be heard outside.

She had been careless.

Cheyton was the emperor’s nephew—royal blood. Because she had thought of him as a comrade from ten years ago, she had forgotten for a moment that he belonged to the imperial family who sealed the hero.

‘He might have recognized me.’

Roshane tightly closed her lips. Now she could no longer ask whether he was the only survivor of the Mad Dragon Subjugation Team.

There was no need to plant seeds of suspicion in his mind.

“Pretending won’t help. I definitely felt it.”

Cheyton muttered confidently.

She had been discovered.

There was no doubt about it.

Was he trying to capture the escaped hero and present her to the emperor to improve relations?

‘Should I just kill him here?’

Why had she forgotten that even a former comrade could become an enemy?

Cheyton reached his hand toward Roshane. It was obvious he intended to grab her so she couldn’t escape.

Just as Roshane instinctively prepared to attack first—

“…Huh?”

Cheyton’s hand did not go toward her neck.

Instead, he lightly grabbed her hand.

And… that was all.

He didn’t pull her closer or hold her tightly to prevent escape.

He simply held her hand gently.

“…What are you doing?”

Roshane asked in confusion as Cheyton held her hand.

After grabbing her hand, Cheyton leaned back on the sofa with a much more relaxed expression.

“Yes. It was the same last time too. The moment I held the young lady’s hand, the noisy voice constantly ringing in my head stopped.”

“The noisy voice in your head?”

“Yes. The curse of the sealed Mad Dragon.”

The curse of the sealed Mad Dragon…

‘Madness?’

The Mad Dragon’s curse drove people insane. It made them constantly hear whispers in their head telling them to kill someone.

Tormented day and night, they would eventually kill everyone around them—and finally kill themselves as well.

‘Why would Cheyton have that curse?’

Roshane had sealed the Mad Dragon herself. There was no reason for Cheyton to be cursed.

“When I hold the young lady’s hand, the Mad Dragon’s curse stops temporarily.”

Cheyton’s thumb slowly brushed the back of Roshane’s hand. The unfamiliar feeling sent chills down her spine.

“At first I thought it was my imagination. But I’m sure now. When I hold your hand, everything around me becomes quiet.”

Cheyton’s dark, flickering eyes examined Roshane closely.

Roshane lowered her head to avoid his gaze.

It was obvious. The soul of the hero inside her body was suppressing the Mad Dragon’s curse. When she fought the dragon before, she had been free from the curse as well.

“Lady.”

Despite his soft voice, Cheyton’s emotionless eyes were fixed on her hand.

“I want the young lady to heal me with this hand.”

As if the only thing he wanted was that hand to help him escape from the curse.

“When were you cursed?”

Normally, when people heard about the Mad Dragon’s curse, they would react with fear first. But Roshane showed no fear at all.

Instead, she boldly asked when he had been cursed.

Cheyton smiled faintly.

“Since the moment the Mad Dragon was sealed.”

That was ten years ago.