1. Laritte and the new house

620 years ago, the Iyasa continent unified and the Empire was born.

The Brumayer family supported the Imperial family in their rise to power and accumulated enough accomplishments to be considered a founding contributor to the Empire.

However, the current generation of Brumayers lacked power, as seen in their current status of Count.

But now, with a daughter married to Duke Reinhardt, a man second in power only to the Imperial family, the Brumayers hoped to see the light once more.

‘…That’s what I thought.’

Count Brumayer felt regret when he thought of the current situation over dinner.

On the table was the family chef’s ‘Beef Steak’, magnificent enough to be called one of a kind. It shone brightly yet he couldn’t bring himself to lay his hands on it.

Rose, too, felt depressed about their situation.

Everytime she closed her eyes, she could see Duke Reinhardt’s shimmering form, just like how he had appeared to her three years ago.

When the continent of Iyasa had unified for the first time in history, the Empire prided itself so highly that it kept the name.

In the heart of the palace laid the first banquet hall.

The ceiling in the corridor leading to the banquet hall towered above the banquet goers. The intricate carvings on the ceiling was, in royal fashion, decorated brilliantly with gold.

Below that ceiling, Rose encountered the Duke for the first time.

‘…Ah!’

His hair was so black it seemed to absorb all the light, standing out in that bright corridor. Beneath his hair were the world’s purest gold eyes, appearing aloof and detached. Though his eyes were narrow, their masculine beauty matched well with the finely tanned muscles outlined by his shirt.

“I can’t believe such a Duke passed away…”

Rose lamented and tormented the steak with her fork.

Although there were some women who had never seen the Duke, it was said that all women who’d met him would fall in love with him.

The few swordmasters in the Empire were nicknamed ‘the murderers’, but the Duke did not care for such things as others did.

have melted his

should not even be using that

countess, who had been quietly eating, put

this makes sense? He was killed by a barbarian in

his death. We have to let him go. Your father was able to circumvent the

“Ahem!”

by clearing his throat. The Countess wiped her mouth with her napkin but continued to

from head to toe. With her fulfilling the contract,

reason other than to allow the Brumayers keep the Duke’s money.

rotting in a ditch somewhere,

an old villa in some corner of a mountain. Laritte had been sent there with no support. All she had

was extremely happy.

stain on

have disliked her father who sired an illegitimate child, but she loathed Laritte even

end that Laritte lacked the typical Brumayer characteristics. Rather than red hair and freckles, Laritte resembled her dancer of a

to that, her eyes…’

ocean, yet they felt so similar to Duke Reinhardt’s golden eyes. It was that cold look, as if she

to get rid of

at the table knew that Rose was talking about Laritte. But still, no one scolded her for her

for the first time in her life, Laritte was able to spend her time relaxing. She already knew what the first thing this abandoned house needed was: firewood to fight off the chill of the night. So, with all the

what a complete fool, right?

Rose told her as she was leaving. Rose was aware that she was heading

ignored Laritte until the very end. In truth, Rose was the

drizzled. If Laritte were to pick a branch off the ground, even the smallest bit of dampness would have made it impossible to light with a

cold on her very first day in the mountains.

Laritte thought as she entered the house

fact when she was

Laritte had to pick herbs from the

useless weeds, but she couldn’t help it.

just once, Laritte had

managed to gather enough branches to survive the cold. But one

to those branches for dear life, succeeding in lighting them and starting a fire only when she was

“Phew…”

old memories, looked around. The inside of the villa was very dusty and had a spooky feeling. The furniture was old, so it would have been unsurprising if a

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