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

the Duke! We should not even be using that traitor’s

quietly eating, put down her salad fork

killed by a barbarian in the

were various circumstances involved in his death. We have to let him go. Your father was able to circumvent the marriage contract thanks to

“Ahem!”

throat. The Countess wiped her mouth

would consider a Brumayer could be so useful? She resembles that crude dancer from head to toe. With

had been sent to the Reinhardt dukedom for no reason

right! She must be rotting in a

mountain. Laritte had been sent there with no support. All she had to do

was extremely

the only stain on the otherwise

her father who sired an illegitimate

hair and freckles, Laritte resembled her dancer of a mother

to that, her

Reinhardt’s golden eyes. It was that cold look, as if she were looking

can’t wait to get rid of the corpse.”

Laritte. But still, no one scolded her for her choice

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

what a complete fool,

Rose was aware that she was heading to the

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

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

the cold on her very first day in the mountains.

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

this fact when she was

living with her birth mother, Laritte had to pick herbs from the mountains in order

weeds, but she couldn’t help it. The alternative was to

once, just once, Laritte had gotten lost in

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

to those branches for dear life, succeeding in lighting them and

“Phew…”

very dusty and had a spooky feeling. The furniture was

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