* * *

There wasn’t much the child could do, stranded with an injured person.

Even if he somehow managed to find his way out of the forest, if his brothers found him before he met any adults or servants, everything would be ruined.

They would undoubtedly beat him up and chase him away, accusing him of having begged their father to let him attend the party like a leech.

The only reason he was dragged to this event, where nobles from all over the country gathered, was to show that the Yudenet family had a third son.

If it hadn’t been for Jurgen, Hernan would never have wanted to come to such a gathering, even if a sword was held to his throat.

‘But I won’t have another chance to see him…’

This was the only opportunity for Hernan to leave the dim, dark room with its heavy blackout curtains that he never emerged from unless all three brothers were out.

If Hernan had been the legitimate heir or born of the main wife, he could have gone out whenever he wanted, visited other noble houses freely.

But sadly, Hernan was a bastard, with nothing to boast of except for a face that resembled his father and a distant ancestor.

‘You’re nothing more than a rat, living off this family.’

The way his brothers shouted at him wasn’t much different from the way the rest of the household treated him.

Hernan’s meals were the hard bread crumbs and leftovers that even the servants wouldn’t touch, and his bedding was what the household discarded after the family and servants had finished with it.

It was as if they had caged an anxious animal that couldn’t be trusted unless kept under control.

Since the Duke had accepted Hernan into the family, they couldn’t lock him away forever.

His brothers were forced to take him to social events, though each time it was just another chance for him to be humiliated.

That was until the day he met an odd child, one with a sharp eye and an unusual tendency to meddle in others’ affairs.

That day, for the first time in his life, Hernan tasted sweet treats.

‘I’ve never been allowed to touch these because my brothers would chase me away.’

The coconut and almond powder cookies were so sweet that they brought tears to his eyes.

He was terrified that once the bucket his brothers had placed on his head was removed, someone would see his face and throw him out.

‘I’ll bring you more next time.’

Hernan’s eyes went wide as the boy continued to give him all sorts of treats—things he had never even imagined trying.

Up until then, Hernan’s life had been nothing but enduring harsh reality without a single reward.

But after that day, he had a purpose.

The harsh winters of Velon, with their unrelenting snowstorms, were brutal for a child without proper clothing.

Everyone expected Hernan to die within three years from a fever or some other illness, but he clung to the few chances he had to go outside, enduring the cold, dark attic for the rare opportunity to follow his brothers to social events.

Later, Hernan realized that the kindness shown by that handsome boy wasn’t directed solely at him, but he didn’t mind.

He knew better than anyone that he wasn’t in a position to monopolize someone like Jurgen.

Someday, when I’m an adult.

No, if I can survive until then.

If I grow strong enough to claim my place, perhaps then I’ll allow myself to want more.

But for now, the cold, endless winter of Velon stretched before Hernan.

It was too harsh a time to expect the warmth of spring.

Yet Jurgen would never know just how much that small hope meant to Hernan, even on the day he closed his eyes for good.

No matter who I take after to have such a stubborn will to survive. Despite the ridicule from his brothers, Hernan lived on.

One day, when Hernan was finally allowed to attend an event after much begging, he found his formal clothes slashed to pieces.

The once-fine outfit, which his brothers had discarded because of a stain, had its silver buttons and ornaments removed, replaced with the cheap buttons used by the servants.

Seeing the tattered remains, Hernan’s vision went dark.

He knew exactly who had done it.

His brothers had ruined his few belongings countless times.

They had destroyed toys given to him as charity, and even overturned the pitiful food he was given.

Hernan had always accepted it without complaint.

But that day, he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

For the first time in his life, Hernan reported his brothers to his father, and though they immediately labeled him a liar, undeniable evidence from their rooms surfaced, allowing Hernan to avoid a beating.

His brothers, never expecting him to fight back, hadn’t even bothered to clean up the shredded clothes and the incriminating scissors.

Would his eldest brother have gotten angry on his behalf if he had seen this?

Hernan awkwardly stiffened as he dressed in the new ceremonial attire he had received for the first time, feeling like he was wearing clothes that didn’t suit him at all.

His heart raced as he wondered if it would be okay to show his face properly today, but the excitement was short-lived.

As usual, his brothers soon found an excuse to kick him out of the party.

As Hernan hid in a corner of the garden, away from sight, Jurgen, as always, found him.

What followed, however, was an unexpected accident.

Hernan was more terrified that Jurgen might be seriously hurt than he was of the adults discovering them.

He needed to call for help, but what if his brothers found him first and chased him away?

Which way would lead him out of the woods?

The dense trees all looked the same, and the sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon.

As night fell, the cold bit at his skin.

Jurgen, holding onto Hernan’s sleeve, had closed his eyes and slumped down when a heavy sound broke the eerie quiet beyond the shadowy forest.

Was it a person?

No, the sound was far heavier, as though more than two legs were trampling over the leaf-covered ground.

It was no human—it was a massive beast, perhaps even a monster.

Hernan trembled violently at the thought, and what he saw next were glowing red eyes of a pack of wolves.

They appeared to be of a species that moved between the northern and central regions, their fur growing long in preparation for winter.

Their thick claws were black and razor-sharp. Hernan, who had always relied on Jurgen, knew there was no escape this time.

I have to protect him.

But how?

He had no thick fur, no massive fangs, no claws that could tear flesh apart. All he had was his growing hatred for the enemy in front of him.

“If you touch him, I won’t let it slide.”

Hernan’s mind raced.

If he could bite through tough skin until all his teeth fell out, or hold on until his arms tore off—if he could just buy enough time for Jurgen to be found by the adults—that would be enough.

His heart pounded with a ferocity he had never felt before, leaving him lightheaded.

His vision blurred, his blood seemed to stop circulating, and just as everything began to fade, the largest wolf stepped forward, locking eyes with him as if testing him.

The wolf stared at Hernan for a long time before growling low and approaching.

Hernan wished he were stronger—strong enough to fight off a wolf like this without hesitation.

His mind was filled with endless “what-ifs,” but they were pointless fantasies.

He couldn’t even beat his brothers, let alone something like this.

But he wanted to be stronger.

He didn’t want to die—not like this, powerless, watching as someone he had finally opened his heart to faced danger.

Gritting his teeth, Hernan glared at the beast before him, his body radiating a fierce will to survive.

At that moment, a searing pain, like his heart stopping, consumed him.

Suddenly, an image of a giant reptilian eye, glowing like the sun, flashed in his mind.

When he reopened his eyes, Hernan found himself lying on a luxurious bed, one far grander than anything he had ever experienced before.

“There’s someone you need to see.”

Before Hernan could fully comprehend what was happening, he was dragged off by his father.

Expecting severe punishment, he couldn’t even ask about Jurgen’s fate before they arrived at a shrine, deep within the garden.

Hernan had heard of its existence, but no one dared approach it, for fear of invoking the dragon’s curse.

Even when hiding from his brothers, he had avoided it.

This time, Hernan thought, he truly was being punished.

Were they going to lock him in the shrine until the dragon’s curse claimed him?

Trembling in fear, Hernan entered the shrine and came face-to-face with a being that looked remarkably like him but was clearly not human.

“It’s not that I resemble you. It’s that you resemble me.”

The being had the appearance of someone his age, yet spoke with the tone of an ancient who had lived for nearly a century.

As Hernan had suspected, this was no human. It was the legendary dragon that marked the beginning of their family’s long history.
The Duke knelt in reverence before the brilliant, white dragon.

“This child resembles our ancestor. Though the bloodline is diluted, I saw it clearly—his eyes gleamed gold!”

Hernan had no idea what the Duke, breathless and panicked, was talking about.

* * *