Reincarnated as a Sickly Princess, She was Kidnapped by the Evil Dragon Lady - Chapter 14

The guilt Rodas felt toward Illycia traced back to her very birth.

From the moment she was born, Illycia possessed a face of astonishing beauty, a gift undoubtedly bestowed by the heavens.

Yet she was born with snow-white hair, a sign historically recorded as an omen of ill fortune. This belief was deeply ingrained in Human Race culture; such infants were typically executed at birth to prevent misfortune from befalling their families, nations, or even the entire race.

As Illycia’s father, Rodas refused to let his daughter be branded an “unlucky child” and condemned to death. He cast a magical spell over her head, attempting to conceal her white hair and make it appear a more normal black.

But when Rodas’s magic touched Illycia’s head, the spell vanished as if swallowed by the sea, leaving no trace of its intended effect.

This phenomenon deepened Rodas’s confusion.

Over the following days, Rodas observed Illycia closely, poring over ancient texts in his search for answers.

Finally, he discovered a description of a condition called the “Anti-Magic Physique” in one of the ancient tomes.

This physique, present from birth, rendered nearly all magic utterly ineffective. It was an exceptionally potent and illogical condition. Throughout human history, such a physique had appeared only a handful of times, leaving behind only scant records.

None of this particularly mattered; it was merely an unusual physical trait.

What truly stunned Rodas was the revelation that those with this physique rarely lived past sixteen, dying in excruciatingly gruesome ways.

Despair washed over him.

Yet as the ruler of a nation, he knew when to act decisively.

With her ominous silver hair and the Anti-Magic Physique that doomed her to die before sixteen, Illycia’s birth had clearly destined her for a life utterly unlike that of ordinary people.

Though torn by inner conflict, Rodas ultimately resolved to let things be…

When Rodas returned to his room, he collapsed wearily on the bed, lost in thought. His gaze fell upon Illycia, still asleep beside him, her eyes closed.

As if sensing his gaze, the tiny Illycia stirred slightly, showing signs of waking.

Finally, she opened her amethyst-like eyes and met Rodas’s gaze.

Rodas reached out and gently stroked her delicate cheek.

At that moment, Illycia seemed to recognize him as her father, offering an awkward, hesitant smile.

Rodas froze, staring at her in stunned silence.

“Darling, little Illycia adores you! That’s her first smile,” Rosalia cooed, her face beaming with maternal pride as she watched the tender scene unfold.

But just as Rosalia leaned in to savor the heartwarming moment, Rodas abruptly stood up and strode out of the room.

It was at that moment that Rodas changed his mind.

As the ruler of a nation, how could he protect his vast empire if he couldn’t even protect his own family?

Secretly, Rodas began searching for a way to seal away Illycia’s Anti-Magic Physique.

As he had anticipated, finding a solution to this condition proved far from simple—in fact, it was exceedingly difficult.

Fortunately, as the Emperor of the Roland Empire, Rodas had the resources to dispatch agents to covertly seek methods to resolve this condition, as well as a completely harmless black dye that would be difficult to wash off.

Persistence paid off. When Illycia turned one year old, Rodas discovered a method to seal her Anti-Magic Physique.

However, the consequences of the sealing ritual were severe. After the ceremony, Illycia fell gravely ill upon awakening. From that day forward, she remained in a perpetually weakened state. The inability to concentrate, as mentioned earlier, was another side effect of the seal.

Despite these drawbacks, the Anti-Magic Physique had been successfully sealed, and Illycia had lived to see her sixteenth birthday.

During his search for the seal, Rodas also discovered a mysterious black dye. This dye was completely harmless to the human body and extremely stubborn, making it nearly impossible to wash off.

This explains why Illycia’s hair, originally white, had always been black.

For years, Rodas had been deceiving himself, believing that Illycia’s mere existence in this world was enough. At least she hadn’t died at sixteen due to her Anti-Magic Physique.

It wasn’t until Illycia’s recent suicide attempt and the suicide note she left behind that Rodas finally understood the suffering she had endured all these years.

Day after day of isolation, to the point where she could predict exactly what would happen each day. Waking up only to long for sleep, this prison-like existence could hardly be described as anything more than mere survival.

Thus, an uncontrollable thought began to form in Rodas’s mind: would it have been better to let Illycia live happily and normally until sixteen?

At least during those sixteen years, she would have been happy, rather than living in constant melancholy, ultimately driven to suicide by unbearable loneliness, and enduring twenty years of agonizing existence.

The more Rodas thought about it, the more he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt toward Illycia.

Now that Illycia had been abducted by a dragon, Rodas felt like he was on the verge of collapse.

At that very moment, far across the sky, Illycia happened to be listening to Aria recount the same story.

“An Anti-Magic Physique?”

Illycia tilted her head, her expression puzzled as she stared at Aria, who was explaining her unique condition.

As for why the two, who had previously been so incompatible, were now conversing, it was because Aria realized her group needed Illycia’s help. She decided to explain the real reason they had brought Illycia here.

*****

The next morning, Aria went to Illycia’s room early and found her just waking up. She immediately began explaining.

“Yes, it’s precisely because of your physique that we need you,” Aria said calmly, her gaze fixed on Illycia.

In truth, Aria had never been the type to waver or consider others’ feelings.

“You need me, yet you treat me like this? I won’t help you,” Illycia declared, huffily turning her head away.

Truth be told, Illycia didn’t even know how she could help them. But the memory of how this tall, mean woman had treated her yesterday filled her with resentment.