Amanda had already come this far, and she had no intention of retreating.
Once again she supported Howard’s frail body and they stepped into the secret space. Fortunately, the pain from her wound did not bother her severely.
Their footsteps echoed as they descended the gloomy underground passage. At the bottom of the steps, they arrived at a place that looked like a cross between a museum and a treasure vault. The walls were covered with eerie paintings and geometric patterns, and in the center of the room stood a statue of a dragon.
Amanda took in her surroundings in awe.
“This is…”
Howard quietly finished her sentence with a remorseful expression.
“This is where the Keith family’s secrets are kept.”
Amanda’s eyes turned to the blue bead ring she was wearing. She wondered what massive secret this little ring could contain.
“What do you think of the ring?”
“I was told at a jewelry store that the gem was very unusual.”
“It’s not only that.”
There was a dark gleam in Howard’s eye, and when he spoke his voice was grave.
“It’s not just a bead…It’s called the Dragon’s Orb.”
“…!”
If Howard weren’t talking in such a serious tone, Amanda would have thought that he was joking with her. She remembered something Oliver had said before.
—My father believes that the blue bead ring I gave you is the Dragon’s Orb.
She thought it was absurd then, but the words “Dragon’s Orb” were embedded in her heart.
‘Is this bead really the Dragon’s Orb?’
She wasn’t easily convinced, and the ring was completely ordinary in all the years she kept it in her last life. Even if Howard’s words were true, there was no reason for Oliver to give such an invaluable item to Amanda when they were children.
As if sensing her doubt, Howard spoke again.
“You don’t believe it?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t. To be honest…it’s so sudden that I don’t know how to process it.”
Howard nodded in sympathy.
“It is understandable. This is the first time you’ve heard a story like this. But listen to my words carefully; the power of the dragon has been passed down generation to generation in the Imperial Family, just as the myth says.”
Amanda had already witnessed the transformation on Oliver’s body, so she knew that was true. However, she couldn’t fully erase her skepticism.
“Then why don’t you speak of it? If the other kingdoms knew, they would be more afraid of the Keith Empire.”
“That’s because not all the offspring have the dragon’s power. It is only manifested in a few select boys of the Imperial Family.”
“So when the dragon’s power was passed on to Oliver…that meant…”
“Yes. That is why Oliver was made the crown prince.”
If that was true, it explained how Oliver, who showed no special outward signs, caught Howard’s eye and was made the heir to the throne.
People whispered that it was because Oliver was the eldest son, or that it was because he was the son that was most favored by Howard, but…the truth didn’t seem like that.
“Father, what exactly is the power of the dragon?”
Despite her doubt earlier, Amanda couldn’t help but express curiosity about the story. The more she considered Howard’s words, the more she wanted to know.
Howard gave her a knowing look and then spoke.
“A part of the body transforms into a dragon and the person gains immense power. Another ability is to create a dragon’s orb, but it is extremely rare and not many have done so.”
Amanda recalled the black scales on Oliver’s arm. When she had first seen them, her immediate thought was that it looked like a dragon’s. She glanced down wonderingly at her ring.
“Can this ring…really grant one wish?”
“Yes.”
She found herself gradually starting to believe his words, but that only opened up even more complications. Howard had been misled by Oliver’s false wish on the ring. Oliver had told her:
– Say that I gave you the blue bead ring as a token of the proposal. Tell him that I said the man who marries you will become the emperor of Keith Empire and bring about a great revival.
But he never made that wish to Amanda. If the bead truly was the Dragon’s Orb, as Howard claimed, then Amanda did not know what Oliver’s true wish was. Considering that he had given the ring to Amanda, there was a strong possibility that it was about her.
‘What wish did he make in his childhood?’
Her mind swirled in confusion, but she couldn’t tell Howard what she knew. In any case, he strongly believed in the lies that Oliver instructed her to deliver to him. She could only wonder what was true or false.
“If what you’ve told me so far is true, and you’re reluctant to let outsiders know this, then why did you tell this to me?”
A small smile spread on Howard’s face at her question.
“You have a quick mind. Good question. Some of the Imperial Family may already know what I’ve told you so far. But no one else knows what I’m going to tell you from now on.”
This only aroused Amanda’s curiosity even more. Why would he say this to her?
“There is only one reason I would tell this to you and no one else.”
Amanda gave a hesitant nod.
“Because there is something you need to do for the child that will carry on the dragon’s blood.”
“Something…I need to do?”
An ominous feeling came over her. Then suddenly, her eyes were drawn to the eerie paintings in the room.
One of them depicted a man kneeling before a black dragon on the ground. Blood flowed from the man’s lips as he devoured something he held in his hands.
‘What is he eating?’
She suddenly realized that the scene depicted in the painting differed from the widely known myth of the founding of the country.
[The one born between dragon and man will become the emperor of the Keith Empire, and will have absolute power for generations.]
As it was known, a blessed child born from the loving union between a dragon and human would become the emperor.
But the scene she saw was…monstrous.
A heavy silence settled in the room as Amanda grappled with this new information. Howard’s expression was grave as he opened his mouth to speak.
“And so…”