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.

could have melted his

of the Duke! We should not even be

who had been quietly eating, put down her salad fork as a threat.

was killed by a barbarian in the western sea! Plus,

Your father was able to circumvent the marriage contract thanks to that illegitimate

“Ahem!”

deliberately interrupted the conversation by clearing his throat. The Countess wiped her mouth with

that lowly wench none would consider a Brumayer could be so useful? She resembles that crude dancer from head to toe. With her fulfilling the contract, we won’t have to return the Duke’s money to the Imperial

for no reason other than to allow

must be rotting in a ditch somewhere, right?”

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

extremely

only stain on

have disliked her father who sired an

Rose to no end that Laritte lacked the typical Brumayer characteristics. Rather than red hair and freckles, Laritte resembled her dancer of a mother

to that, her eyes…’

ocean, yet they felt so similar to Duke Reinhardt’s golden eyes. It was that cold look, as if she were looking down on you! That expression had been the reason why Rose tormented Laritte more in the recent

wait to get rid of the

Rose was talking about Laritte. But still, no one scolded her for her choice of words.

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 money she had left from the Brumayers, she purchased firewood before leaving

complete fool, right? Hahaha!”

Rose told her as she was leaving. Rose was aware that she was heading to the mountains where trees were plenty, so

truth, Rose was the one who didn’t know what

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

Laritte would be fighting the cold on her very

autumn and already this cold…’, Laritte thought as she entered the house and

had already realized this fact when she was

had to pick herbs from the mountains in order to

but she couldn’t help it. The

had gotten lost

gather enough branches to survive the cold. But one day, a violent storm wet the branches.

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

“Phew…”

by her old memories, looked around. The inside of the villa was very dusty and had a spooky feeling. The furniture was old, so it would

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