Chapter 240

Astra Manor.

The bloodline of Astra gathered in the grand conference hall.

Valdrich, the fourth son, stood by the window, staring at his father’s back.

‘Damn it.’

He couldn’t discern his father’s intentions at all.

On the day of the Festival of Abundance, Erylotte’s monster had transformed into a dragon.

A Steel Crow turning into a dragon—such a thing had never been heard of or seen before.

Opinions about this were divided:

—The transformation of the Steel Crow into a dragon was a coincidence.

—The mystical power of the Festival of Abundance turned the Steel Crow into a dragon.

—Erylotte Astra has the power to transform monsters into dragons.

The last opinion was the most troubling.

Sylvain, the hot-headed fifth son, shouted angrily.

“This is a monumental event! How can you remain idle, Father?”

He slammed the table hard as he continued.

“It’s not just anything—it’s a dragon. A dragon!”

What is a dragon?

A monster that humans cannot subdue.

A being close to the realm of the divine.

A rare creature, with only three remaining in the entire world.

And now, a new dragon had appeared—one that was tamed by a human!

Sylvain scowled.

“What does Daymond have to say about this? Hmm? Why hasn’t he even shown his face amidst this uproar?”

Valdrich sneered.

“He went to the capital to look at estates—with that precious daughter of his.”

“He’s lost his mind. Dad! You must summon Daymond immediately. Erylotte cannot be left to roam freely like this.”

Valdrich joined forces with Sylvain, both voicing their complaints.

“What if someone takes Erylotte, a child with such immense power, away from us?”

“More importantly, why does Daymond still have custody of Erylotte? With such power, she should naturally be under the family’s control—”

Vasilia, Deianira’s mother, frowned in disapproval.

“How can you talk about a person as if they’re an object?”

“That’s not the point, sister. I agree with Valdrich and Deacons. Honestly…”

Hernan, the youngest son of the Duke, grimaced and chimed in.

“It’s hard not to question Daymond’s motives, isn’t it? Shouldn’t he have brought Erylotte to Father, bowed his head, and said, ‘This power should be managed by you, Father?”

Most of the second generation insisted that Erylotte should be taken from Daymond.

That kind of power—how could they leave it in his hands?

As Valdrich and Sylvain grumbled, someone remarked casually,

“Well, Erylotte’s status has completely changed, hasn’t it? Those who’ve fallen out of her favor must be quite uncomfortable.”

Hahaha!

They laughed as if it were a joke.

But the faces of those who had belittled Erylotte turned pale.

‘W-wait…’

What if Erylotte held a grudge?

Valdrich, who had accused Erylotte of being a thief.

Sylvain, who had scolded her during the incident with the former princess.

And those who had dismissed her as ‘dirty blood’.

Their complexions grew ghostly.

Simultaneously, they all imagined it—

Erylotte towering like a mountain, roaring KRAAAHHH! and spewing flames.

‘Gulp.’

Deacons swallowed nervously.

“When Erylotte was three, I got angry at her for pushing Riantine… but they’re close now, right? She wouldn’t hold it against me, would she?”

***

When the meeting adjourned, the second generation hurriedly scattered.

Some grabbed communication stones and shouted into them.

[What are you even talking about?]

“I mean, isn’t Loreina close to Erylotte? Make sure she gets along with her. No, send her to the capital right now!”

[What in the world…?]

Viscount Debussy, who remained in the conference room, shook his head as he observed the chaos.

“A dragon… It feels like a dream. Duke, what will you do now—”

He turned to look at the Duke.

But—

“KHAHAHAHA!”

—for the first time in his life, the Duke was laughing openly.

“Duke?”

“I always thought she’d amount to something! That’s it! She’s my bloodline, after all!”

The Duke’s communication stone was buzzing non-stop.

Those who had wavered between the Emperor and the Duke were now groveling before him.

Of course, all they wanted was a chance to meet Erylotte.

***

Daymond’s Estate in the Capital—

[…So the meeting ended inconclusively.]

Conrad relayed the situation at Astra Manor to me in full.

“Hah!”

I scoffed.

I had already anticipated that my relatives would talk about me like this.

Those greedy people wouldn’t simply let the matter of a dragon go.

That’s why we had fled to the capital in the first place.

‘To avoid being ‘owned’ by the family as a whole.’

Beside me, Han Ji-hyuk furrowed his brow in disgust.

“Why don’t you just let Ragon wipe them all out?”

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