Chapter 1. The Disappeared Cinderella
Dawn was breaking.
The man suddenly woke up from his sleep. It was much earlier than usual. Frowning at the ceiling, he suddenly felt a sense of emptiness and turned his head.
What came into view was an empty spot beside him.
The woman who had fallen asleep in his arms the night before had disappeared before dawn.
‘…Where did she go at this hour?’
Feeling somewhat irritable, he got up and reached out to touch the empty spot. The bed sheet was cool, as if she had left a long time ago.
“…….”
Seized by a strange foreboding, he hurriedly got up and threw on a robe over his bare body.
He intended to find out where exactly his ‘wife’ had gone before dawn.
“Wilson!”
He burst through the door and loudly called for his chief attendant, Wilson.
Wilson, who had been dozing in the servants’ waiting room, rushed out upon hearing the call. He hastily bowed his head to his master, Enoch, the Grand Duke of Bayern.
“You called for me, Your Highness.”
“Where is my wife?”
“What? Her Highness should be in the bedroom….”
“She’s not.”
“W-what do you mean…?”
“She’s not there, I didn’t see her.”
Enoch passed by Wilson and began descending the stairs at a rapid pace. Wilson struggled just to keep up with his steps. The fact that the Duchess was not in the bedroom was beyond his comprehension.
“Open the door.”
Enoch, having reached the second floor’s boudoir, ordered the maids standing by the door. The maids, startled by the Duke’s sudden appearance, hesitated before carefully grabbing the doorknob.
The head maid’s formal voice echoed in the hallway.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duke is here.”
But there was no response. The maids exchanged puzzled looks. Growing impatient, Enoch pushed them aside and forcefully opened the door.
The maids stifled their screams as Enoch’s gaze took in the empty room.
“…Ellen?”
Calling her name softly, Enoch stepped into the room. There was no answer. As he looked around the room, a sudden thought struck him and he quickly headed to the bathroom.
Maybe she was in the bathroom. She was odd in a way that she preferred to bathe alone rather than being attended to.
But Ellen wasn’t in the bathroom either. Nor was she in the dressing room, the study, or anywhere else. Not a single strand of her hair was to be found.
‘Where on earth did she go.’
Anxiously pacing the room, Enoch suddenly noticed an envelope and stopped.
The pristine white envelope lay neatly on the bed. It seemed to reflect the meticulous and fastidious personality of the person who left it.
“…….”
A sudden bad premonition surged within him.
Enoch slowly approached the bed. His hand reached out and picked up the envelope.
His golden eyes scanned the letters on the envelope with a sharp glint.
[To the esteemed Grand Duke of Bayern,
By the time you find this letter, I will no longer be at Evitern Castle.
The spell that bound us will have been broken as well.
A week ago, I sensed that the spell of love I cast on you was starting to break.
Therefore, I planned to leave quietly without causing you any trouble.
And last night, the spell finally broke.
…It has been a long and short 11 months.
During the time that must have been unpleasant for Your Highness,
For making you love a woman you didn’t have feelings for,
And for daring to act as your wife…
I wish to apologize through this letter.
Although it was a fake love created by magic,
The affection you showed me brought me immense joy.
Thank you for loving me,
For granting my unreasonable request to love me…
I am truly grateful.
Wishing Your Highness a future filled with great glory,
I bid you farewell.
P.S. I have enclosed the divorce papers with my signature. Once Your Highness signs them and they are approved by His Majesty the King, all procedures will be completed smoothly. I have stated that I am at fault for the divorce, so there will be no blemish on Your Highness’s reputation.
…Once again, thank you for everything.]
“…….”
The thin paper slowly crumpled in his strong grip.
Enoch stared at the crumpled letter, gritting his teeth.
So, she ran away.
Without giving me any notice, on her own whim…
Leaving just a single letter behind.
His chest felt tight as if it was blocked. He took a deep breath. The small ember in his heart grew larger, as if it was burning his entire heart black.
Enoch roughly pulled out another piece of paper from the envelope. It was none other than the divorce papers.
He mercilessly threw it into the fireplace.
The scarlet flames blazed fiercely, consuming the fragile paper. Turning around, his golden eyes burning with a fierce flame, he issued an order.
“Summon the knights immediately. Tell them to form a search party as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Wilson, shrinking under the overwhelming pressure from his master, hurried out of the room. The maids were peeking curiously from the hallway, and Enoch, left alone in the empty room, quietly looked around.
Everything was as it was. The carpets, curtains, tapestries, and furniture made of walnut and mahogany that his wife had chosen.
It seemed as if her presence was imbued in everything.
Enoch suddenly realized. That he had come to naturally envision her being here.
“…….”
He approached the bedside table and picked up the ring lying on it. The diamond set in the golden ring sparkled with a brilliant light. It was the wedding ring that should have been on Ellenore’s ring finger.
Instead of being abandoned without an owner.
“……Ha.”
Enoch, who was holding the ring tightly, took a deep breath and then exhaled. He then strode towards the door.
His demeanor was so intimidating that the maids waiting in the hallway were terrified to the point of their hearts dropping.
“Did you hear anything from Ellen about where she was going?”
“We haven’t heard anything at all…….”
“You’re unbelievably useless.”
The maids, who were on the verge of tears from the sharp rebuke, trembled and hung their heads low.
The Evitern Castle was soon engulfed in a storm. The Grand Duke, who had returned to his room to prepare for departure, woke up all his retainers and interrogated them, leaving everyone in a state of panic.
“The Grand Duchess has disappeared, and no one in this vast castle has any clues?”
The Grand Duke’s cold rebuke left the retainers’ faces pale. The aura emanating from the Grand Duke was anything but ordinary. It was as if they were seeing the Enoch of old, from before he had married the Grand Duchess 11 months ago.
Grand Duke Enoch Bayern was always sharp, imposing, and could instill fear with just a glance.
Now that Ellenore was gone, he stormed through the Evitern Castle like a ferocious and cold northern wind.
“Search the surroundings, do whatever it takes, but find a clue about Ellen’s whereabouts. Unless you want to prove just how incompetent you are.”
After hurling his harsh words, Enoch turned his back and rode out of the castle with his knights.
He did not care that the dawn wind was lashing at his body; he rode at full speed, personally searching the territory.
Riding, searching, suspecting… he repeated these actions persistently, losing track of time. His eyes burned with a relentless determination that could mesmerize anyone who saw them.
But the farther he got from Evitern Castle and the narrower the search area became—
Anxiety began to sprout in his heart.
Perhaps, along with resentment.
Enoch stopped his horse at a crossroads. There were no traces of anyone having passed on either path. But surely, one of these paths was the one she had taken.
Which path could it be? Where on earth did you disappear to?
Enoch let out a heavy sigh.
The memories of the past 11 months, both short and long, flashed through his mind like a lantern.
Last spring, Enoch Bayern met Ellenore Lopez for the first time. It was at a tedious spring ball.
He married her at the beginning of summer, and during the agreed period, he faithfully fulfilled her request.
‘Just love me for one year.’
At first, he thought it was a bizarre request, but the more he listened to her story, the stranger it became.
‘I have… a spell. If I wish, I can make anyone fall in love with me.’
So she asked him to fall under that spell,
Even if it was fake love, just love her for one year.
He accepted that absurd proposal purely because the conditions she offered were enticing.
‘I can see the future through foresight.’
It was suspicious how a mere baron’s daughter had so many abilities, including foresight and magic.
But her claim of seeing the future was true. And it was quite useful.
Love was irrelevant. What Enoch needed was her usefulness.
So they made a contract and got married. For 11 months, he loved her and used her faithfully.
A relationship that would dissolve like bubbles after one year of limited love. Only her usefulness would remain.
He was fully aware of this and had no intention of changing it.
‘Will there ever be a day when Your Highness truly loves me?’
‘I’m loving you right now, aren’t I?’
‘……Not because of the spell, but truly.’
What did I say to that?
Surely, I cynically smirked out of habit….
‘Well, if it weren’t for the spell, I don’t think I would have ever loved you.’
That was the truth. And it was a fact.
Even if he fell under a spell of love, his innate nature wouldn’t change. Loving her was a kind of amusement for him. It was nothing more than a game.
So she was just that.
A woman who meant nothing to him.
‘But…’
Why am I so angry that you left my side?
If I lose you like this, I might lose my sanity and go on a rampage.
Enoch gripped the reins tightly. And finally, he chose a path.
It doesn’t matter if it’s not this path. I’ll just search the other path.
I’ll search this kingdom, no, the entire world—
“…I will find you, no matter what.”
The spell that was cast on him was broken.
The beautiful fairy tale woven from fake love had ended.
But he couldn’t let her go yet.
Not until he understood.
Why does it burn me up so much that you left me?
Why do I feel so anxious and crazy just because you’re not by my side…?
So I must find out. No matter what it takes, I’ll find you and…
“Understand what you mean to me….”
Why you shake me up so much.
The renowned Grand Duke of Bayern and the humble Cinderella of the Lopez Barony.
The intersection of their lives, which had no point of contact, began about a year ago.
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pinkyfleury
Thanks for the translation! The plot’s kinda basic, but I can’t help but enjoy it—it’s my guilty pleasure, haha. The first chapter is captivating, I really hope it keeps that vibe all the way to the end!