Chapter 1.2

“…”  

Princess Elga.  

The King’s sister, who had been locked away in the western tower of the palace and later died. Rumors abounded that she had been confined because she had gone mad.  

“How could Princess Elga possibly be my mother?”  

“That is for Earl Hayden to explain.”  

The royal emissary, looking troubled and annoyed, passed the explanation to Nicholas. Meeting Livie’s gaze, Earl Hayden slowly nodded.  

“You are indeed the daughter of Princess Elga, Livie.”  

“…”  

“When I served as a knight in the royal palace, the Princess and I…”  

“Stop.”  

Livie quickly covered her father’s mouth. She couldn’t bear to hear the rest.  

She had a mother. A mother who was a noble princess of unimaginable status.  

It didn’t take long to process the situation in her head. Along with that realization came a single question.  

“Then Father, why didn’t you…”  

If all this were true, Nicholas would have been the Princess’s spouse.  

“I was of low status. At the Princess’s request, I was granted the title of Earl and returned to my hometown. The King did not approve of a formal marriage.”  

Each word from Nicholas’s mouth felt like a gem, yet Livie felt increasingly overwhelmed. The secret of her birth was too much for her to handle.  

“…Then what about now?”  

To the dazed Livie, the royal emissary stepped in to answer.  

“That is why, with great honor, His Highness has restored your status, Miss Livie Hayden. You have been recognized as the daughter of Princess Elga, and this prestigious marriage has been arranged.”  

“So, I’m just convenient for them to use.”  

From birth until now, she had been tucked away in a rural corner, only to be used as a pawn in a political marriage.  

“This is an honorable marriage, Lady Hayden.”  

The man spoke solemnly, pride overflowing from his expression. Livie barely held back the urge to say, “If it’s so honorable, why don’t you do it yourself?”  

“…Let’s just say so.”  

It felt as though all the energy had drained from her body. The situation was more surreal than a dream.  

“Hmm, but can you guarantee your daughter’s… chastity, Earl Hayden? This marriage represents the royal family. If there’s any scandal…”  

The royal emissary spoke again with a stern face.  

“Are you insulting my daughter right now?”  

“Everything must be accurate. Since the Duke of Resette has made chastity a condition for the marriage… no one wants a defective product in a transaction.”  

Earl Hayden clenched and unclenched his fists, his face flushed red. It was only a matter of time before he lashed out.  

But no matter how angry he was, this was the royal emissary—he couldn’t afford to.  

As Livie glanced around, the atmosphere in the room turned hostile as if on cue.  

She noticed the knights watching her father move their hands to their sword hilts. Both sides stared at each other in tense silence, the confrontation sharp. If Earl Hayden truly threw a punch here, no one would leave unscathed.  

Yes, this was reality.  

The King had chosen Livie as the subject of a political marriage, and no one could challenge that decision. If anyone did, they’d have to wager their neck to do so.  

“Stop it.”  

Livie stepped forward to block Earl Hayden.  

“What do I need to do?”  

Livie glared sharply at the royal emissary.  

“Ahem.”  

He cleared his throat several times before pulling out a pendant attached to a long string from his pocket. The pendant held a small, oval-shaped gemstone.  

“What is this?”  

Livie carefully examined the object swaying in front of her. The gemstone’s mysterious hue, a mix of pale gray and iridescent colors, was unlike anything she had seen before.  

“This is a fragment of a unicorn’s horn.”  

“…A unicorn’s horn?”  

A horn from the legendary creature she had only heard about in stories. Livie looked at it with a skeptical expression.  

‘Did he pick up some random rock and try to scam me?’  

Perhaps reading her thoughts, Earl Collam quickly added an explanation.  

“This pendant is one of the royal treasures. There are only two of them, and one is held by the Duke of Resette.”  

“So what?”  

Surely, they weren’t offering this as a wedding gift. Then why were they suddenly presenting it?  

“You will make a ‘blood oath’ with it.”  

“Blood oath?”  

Livie repeated his words verbatim. 

What was this now?  

“What do you mean?”  

“You simply drip blood onto the center of this pendant and wait. It’s simple, isn’t it?”  

Earl Collam grinned. His smile was so unpleasant that Livie felt the urge to hit him.  

“And if I do?”  

“If you are a pure maiden, nothing will happen. But if you’re not…”  

“And if I’m not?”  

The way he looked her up and down irritated Livie, so she glared at him with fiery eyes.  

“The color will turn black.”  

“Lies.”  

Livie muttered her thoughts aloud without hiding them.  

“You’ll know if it’s a lie once you try.”  

The idea that such power was hidden in this mere stone was absurd. Yet the Earl’s expression remained serious.  

“…Fine.”  

Livie nodded, then placed her index finger in her mouth and bit down hard.  

“Livie?!”  

Earl Hayden’s shocked voice echoed loudly. It was rare to hear her father shout like that.  

Drip, drip.  

Holding up her bleeding finger, Livie spoke firmly.  

“Is this enough?”  

Drip, drip.  

Bright red blood fell onto the pale pendant. For a moment, the gemstone seemed to glow brightly where the blood touched, then it returned to its original state.  

The gemstone showed no change.  

“…Is it done?”  

Livie brought her finger to her mouth again and sucked the remaining blood. As the bitter metallic taste spread in her mouth, Earl Collam smiled smugly, wiped the blood off the pendant, and put it away.  

“You are indeed pure. I was a bit concerned, given this remote countryside.”  

Earl Collam stroked his long, sparse beard, clearly pleased with himself for achieving his goal.  

“…So now, all that’s left is the marriage? What about the preparations?”  

“All preparations will be handled by the royal family. This is a royal wedding, after all. Lady Hayden, you do not need to prepare anything.”  

“…I see.”  

“And since the journey from here to the Duke of Resette’s territory is quite far, a special consideration has been made.”  

Consideration? What kind of consideration was given by a man over fifty marrying a woman young enough to be his daughter?  

“Lady Hayden, you who will leave your hometown and never return, you have been granted permission to hold the wedding here.”  

“Oh.”  

Livie let out a short exclamation. Truly, it was a tearfully generous gesture.  

“Is the Duke coming here?”  

“Lady Hayden, you will hold the wedding alone here. Of course, the jewelry and dress will be of the highest quality. The Duke spares no expense for his bride.”  

“How very kind of him.”  

“Indeed, you should consider it an honor.”  

Earl Collam clicked his tongue and said.  

“Fine. I’ll hold the wedding here, say my goodbyes to everyone, and leave. Since permission has been granted.”  

Once she left this land, she would never return. Unless she came back as ashes scattered by the wind. The thought made Livie feel momentarily faint.  

“Well, I guess that settles everything.”  

Livie slowly stood up. Standing straight, she towered over the short Earl Collam.  

“So from now on, I will be the daughter of a princess, a member of the royal family, and the wife of the Duke of Resette, ruler of the southern lands.”  

“…That’s correct.”  

As Livie spoke firmly, Earl Collam sensed something unusual and furrowed his brow. Livie smiled sweetly at him.  

“Shouldn’t you show me proper respect?”  

“W-What?”  

“You should kneel and pay your respects. You haven’t shown proper courtesy to me, a royal descendant. You only call me a princess’s daughter when it suits your agenda, but you treat me poorly otherwise?”  

Nicholas’s eyes widened in surprise. Earl Collam and the knights who had barged into the house looked equally startled.  

“Show me respect, Earl Collam.”  

If she was going to be sold off in marriage and have her status restored, she might as well enjoy the treatment that came with it. That was the thought that crossed Livie’s mind.  

“…”  

Earl Collam’s gaze moved from Livie’s dirt-stained apron to her muddy hands and the practical short skirt she wore.  

The emotions displayed on his face were clear to read. Livie’s irritation deepened.  

After all, they had crawled into this rural corner to ensure her marriage because they were desperate.  

She couldn’t defy the King’s orders, but she didn’t have to grovel either. She was the daughter of a princess and a symbol of peace, wasn’t she?  

“What are you waiting for? Kneel. All of you.”  

“…”  

The knights, along with Earl Collam, exchanged bewildered glances.

“Do you dislike it? Failing to show respect to the daughter of a princess and future Duchess? If His Majesty finds out…”  

Earl Collam disappeared from view in an instant. He was the first to kneel on one knee and offer his respects, followed by the knights with grim faces, one by one, collapsing into bows as if they had no choice.  

It was forced respect, but it was enough.  

“Father, stand up.”  

Livie helped Earl Hayden, who had been kneeling, to his feet.  

“You’re a member of the royal family too, Father. There’s no reason to tolerate the rudeness of a mere Earl. Not all Earls are the same, are they?”  

“…”  

Earl Collam’s beard trembled slightly.  

However, moments later, a smirk appeared on the face of the kneeling Earl Collam. It was a mocking smile, as if to remind her not to forget her place as someone being sold off.  

Livie responded with a smile of her own, refusing to back down. However, her tightly clenched hands trembled faintly.