Chapter 45: The One Who Knows the Past part 1
From the keen eyes of the seasoned Duke and Duchess, they could see that her cheeks were faintly flushed. She must have called them both here to say something of great importance.
“What is it, my dear?”
Duchess Klein glanced at the Duke before asking. Perhaps Tiana had changed her mind and was finally ready to reveal what had happened at Grace Monastery. She had refused to talk about it before, so they had simply watched and waited.
The moment Tiana spoke out, the Duchess was prepared to storm into that arrogant monastery, regardless of the harsh winter, and turn it completely upside down.
The ones who tormented my precious daughter – unforgivable. They must be made to taste the depths of hell! I will exact the most merciless revenge possible!
Come to think of it, Tiana resembled the Duchess in many ways. Her fine, light-brown hair, the noble aura exuding from her porcelain-white face. They were all reminiscent of her mother.
Her eyes might take after the Duke, but she was the daughter I bore and raised. She looks just like me – beautiful, lovable, and every bit the lady of the house. Even a hedgehog finds its offspring adorable, but the Duchess’s affection for her daughter only deepened with time.
Her proud face turned toward her one and only child. And then, the words that escaped her beloved daughter’s lips were entirely unexpected.
“I… I know what will happen in the future.”
“What?”
Dott swallowed hard and leaned forward.
“I had a dream. The Lord gave me a terrifying yet unmistakable prophecy – no! There’s no need to be afraid. I just wanted you both to know before it happens, since you are my parents. But please, do not reveal this to others in order to avoid causing chaos.”
“The Lord? A dream? Tiana, tell us everything.”
While the Duchess, expecting something about the monastery, was taken aback, the Duke’s expression hardened.
‘Yes, this is it. No matter what else changes, the great and dreadful event of a dragon attacking the Duchy cannot possibly be altered.’
The level of interest he showed in her words was significantly different from usual.
‘And besides, that dragon will collapse after a brief struggle and be safely subdued. Only a few knights will be injured, and no one will die. There isn’t really any danger.’
Dott calculated various factors as she spoke.
‘But if I predict it first, my standing will only rise.’
She planned to use this as an opportunity to make several predictions about future events in high society, rather than letting the past repeat itself passively. It was a strategy to increase her influence.
First, the attack of the enormous black dragon on the Duchy. Second, the headache remedy for Marquis Hyante. Chronologically, the latter would occur first.
After the Spring Ball and some time had passed, Marquis Hyante would suffer from inexplicable headaches and endure immense pain due to an incorrect prescription from his physician. It turned out the medicinal herb used for pain relief closely resembled a toxic plant that caused paralysis. As a result, his mouth twisted, and he was left unable to attend social events for quite some time.
‘I remember when I ran into him then. It was so hard not to laugh at his crooked mouth.’
The third event involved the defective weaponry supplied to Count Quessa’s estate. They had placed a large order, but the weapons they received were made of improperly refined iron. When the heavy monsoon season arrived, they all fell apart at once. Since the Count Quessa territory frequently suffered from violent monster attacks, this turned into a major crisis.
If she informed the Duke in advance and arranged for extra weapons to be stockpiled before summer, they could lend assistance at the right moment and gain considerable favor.
Other minor events came to mind, but considering the family’s prestige, they weren’t significant enough to warrant attention.
What use would it be to tell anyone about trivial matters like Barbara Gachell being married off to a remote estate and dying of an endemic disease? She had no luck, no status. What could I have done? She had nowhere else to go anyway; she might as well have reserved a grave in advance.
‘Heh, excellent.’
Dott clasped her hands together, trembling slightly as she began her performance.
“In a year and a half from now, in late summer, around the time I arrived here, a terrifying dragon will darken the skies over our Duchy!”
“W-what did you just say, Tiana?”
“Are you saying you had this dream? That the Lord revealed this to you in a vision?”
Unlike the Duchess, who was horrified, Duke Klein remained deadly serious. After all, Tiana had survived due to divine protection.
Though he had once resented the temple for the calamity she endured at the age of six, she had ultimately returned unharmed, unscarred and more radiant than ever. If the Lord had bestowed a measure of foresight upon her out of compassion for her suffering, it wouldn’t be entirely out of place.
“Yes! But because the Lord watches over us, no one will perish. We will overcome the disaster safely. And when that day comes, I… I will not flee. I will stand my ground and protect our family.”
The young lady clenched her trembling fists.
“Oh, what are you saying! A dragon… This is unacceptable. You said late summer next year? Before early summer arrives, I will send you to a secure fortress in our territory!”
The Duchess sobbed bitterly. Having said all she needed to, Dott stepped forward and gently embraced her mother, whispering sweetly.
“I am not afraid. I am Tiana Marietta Klein, your beloved daughter. There is no place for me to live or die but here. Rather than fleeing from death, I will uphold the glorious name of Klein to the very end.”
“Tiana, my child… I will protect you!”
‘It’s done.’
