Chapter 2. An Ash-Covered Spring

When I was about nine years old, my mother passed away.

The cause of death was a heart attack due to hypothermia.

On a stormy winter night, she left the window open while sleeping, causing her body temperature to drop rapidly and her heart to stop.

‘You’ll need a new mother.’

My father said this at my mother’s funeral, and the very next day, he brought home a woman who would become my new mother.

‘Hello? You must be Ellenore. Nice to meet you.’

Thus, the day after my biological mother passed away, I got a new stepmother.

But it wasn’t just a stepmother that I gained.

“Ellenore, you don’t seriously think this dress suits you, do you?”

The woman who coveted the new dress my father had casually tossed to me after returning from a business trip was my stepsister, Helene.

“…Ellenore, are you going to the spring ball this year? Just curious….”

Always timid but working harder than anyone behind the scenes to harm me, this girl was my stepsister, Melissa.

Helene and Melissa. These two were complete strangers, unrelated by blood to my father, and were children my stepmother had brought with her.

And then there was one more person.

“The spring ball? Wouldn’t it be a disgrace to the family if Ellen attended such an event?”

My half-brother, Anthony, who seemed to enjoy mocking me, was born from the union of my father and stepmother.

Helene, Melissa, and Anthony. These three siblings disliked me.

My father considered me something of a guinea pig, occasionally throwing me a snack, showing only that much interest.

And, as might be expected,

“Ellen, you have tasks to do that day, don’t you? You can postpone attending the ball. It’s not necessary for you to go, is it?”

The woman who had two daughters and a son and remained frighteningly beautiful even in her forties was my stepmother, Margot.

She also disliked me.

To add, the only living beings in this household that liked me were the old cat Lucy and the kitchen mice that were afraid of Lucy.

“I’m not particularly keen on attending the ball. I’d rather stay home….”

Lying through my teeth made my stomach churn. I was already 21, well past the age of adulthood, yet since my debutante at 18, I hadn’t attended a single social gathering.

Not once!

“If you’re not going to the ball, can I take this dress? It’ll just rot in your wardrobe otherwise.”

“…….”

Honestly, Helene wasn’t wrong. Such a fancy dress was meant for a ball, but since I couldn’t attend, it would indeed rot in the wardrobe.

“…Fine, you can have the dress.”

Without a word of thanks, Helene took the dress and left. Sighing, I headed to the kitchen to avoid the family’s disdainful looks. It was almost dinner time, so I thought I’d start preparing the meal.

Though the mansion had a cook and servants, their number was significantly lower compared to other households. So, someone from the Lopez family had to fill in the gaps, and since no one else wanted to, I was always the one doing the work.

“A baron’s daughter working in the kitchen, something unimaginable in other households.”

I was the legitimate daughter of Baron Lopez, not a bastard, but I was also a soot-covered kitchen maid. My identity had long since solidified into the latter.

“Miss, we’ll take it from here. You should go rest.”

“Oh… alright.”

Fortunately, the servants were somewhat considerate of me… or rather, they found it awkward to deal with me. When I was younger, I didn’t understand why, but later I heard it was because I was my mother’s daughter.

‘She’s the daughter of a madwoman. It’s ominous. What if she suddenly goes mad and pours hot oil on someone?’

My mother had actually done something like that. It happened when I was five, and I still remember it vividly. It wasn’t hot oil but water…

Still, a cup of hot tea was enough to burn someone’s skin, and the maid who got burned on her face had to be pacified with a large sum of money by my father.

And I heard people say,

‘What’s the use of that money? The scar is so bad she got dumped by her fiancé and will live alone forever. Poor Ella.’

No one asks a mad person for reasons. People weren’t curious why my mother did what she did. They were always wondering when the tyrannical madwoman would die.

So, I had no choice but to muster my courage and ask my mother directly.

‘Why did you do that to the maid?’
‘How dare she… her nickname was similar to yours.’

It was shocking to me, even as a naive child, that it was for such a trivial reason.

My insane mother considered me her most valuable possession. Like a jewelry box adorned with pearls and mother-of-pearl or the finest silk imported from afar.

I was a precious item to my mother, and she couldn’t tolerate anything that diminished my value.

On the third night after the poor maid with the burned face left the mansion, I overheard the servants gossiping.

‘The madam ruined Ella’s life, so her daughter, the young lady, will be cursed too. She’ll be abandoned by the one she loves. Just like Ella.’

They spoke as if it had to happen for them to feel satisfied. Perhaps from then on, I became the child everyone in the mansion disliked. I realized this only after I grew older.

Grabbing a quick bite, I left the kitchen and walked down the hallway. I didn’t want to run into my family, so I quietly climbed the stairs. As I passed the slightly open door of the drawing room, I heard a chatty voice.

“Did you hear? That person is expected to attend the spring ball this year. His Highness, the Grand Duke of Bayern!”

I stopped in my tracks without thinking. Holding my breath, I listened as Helene’s excited voice pierced my eardrums.

“As you know, it’s my first time seeing him. Oh, I’m so excited. He must be as wonderful as the rumors say, right?”

The Grand Duke of Bayern… Even I, who was ignorant of social circles, had heard that name countless times.

His full name was Enoch Bayern Frederick. Though not a legitimate member of the Frederick royal family that ruled the Kingdom of Freuden, he was a man who had received the late king’s favor and continued to thrive.

A war hero, a knight who saved the kingdom, and the master of Rheinfelden in the northeastern part of the kingdom.

And Helene’s crush.

Of course, he wasn’t just Helene’s crush.

“Oh, by the way… did you hear? There’s a rumor that Penelope Ashwood is going to propose to His Highness, the Grand Duke of Bayern.”

Helene’s friend, Iris, was the one speaking. The youngest daughter of the Marquis of Philoan, she had been close to Helene since they were about fourteen years old. Whenever she visited this mansion, she would look at me with eyes full of contempt and pity.

“Is that… is that true? Wasn’t Lady Ashwood already engaged?”

“There were talks of marriage when they were young, but they weren’t formally engaged. Just like me and Cedric.”

For the record, Helene had never seen the Grand Duke of Bayern in person; she fell in love at first sight just by looking at his portrait in the newsletter.

“Lady Ashwood is revered as a saint by the entire nation. Of course, I’m a little prettier… but, ha, I don’t think I stand a chance….”

Seeing the almighty Helene despondent was quite a rare sight.

I decided to stop eavesdropping and quietly climbed the stairs again. However, I didn’t get far before I had to stop in my tracks.

“But, is your stepsister going to the spring ball this year?”

Suddenly, the conversation turned to me.

“Why is she so gloomy? She just stays cooped up in this mansion every day.”

…It’s not like I stay cooped up because I like it… Forget it, let’s drop it. Getting upset is pointless.

“Are you talking about Ellen? How could she go to the spring ball? She doesn’t even have a dress to wear! She always wears those drab gray clothes, like a lowly maid.”

Helene said this while taking all the good clothes for herself. I sighed and started climbing the stairs again. Iris’s voice faded into the distance.

“But, is it true? Her biological mother….”

Is there anything more foolish than eavesdropping on a pointless conversation? I covered my ears and entered my room, locking the door firmly behind me.

My room was a small attic at the top of the fourth floor. I used to have a fairly large and nice room on the second floor, but after constantly fleeing to this attic to escape the torment of the three siblings, it eventually became my room.

“Let’s see, my height….”

I’ve grown again.

I chuckled softly as I stood against the marks on the wall.

Even though I’m twenty-one, I’m still growing. Despite the meager meals I have every day.

Perhaps Helene dislikes me even more because I’m taller than her. She’s self-conscious about her short stature.

“I should eat soon.”

I sat in front of the table where a tray was placed. The old wooden chair creaked under my weight.

“At least today’s bread is soft.”

A loaf of bread and a bowl of soup. My meals were always this simple. Sometimes I got to eat fresh fruits and vegetables or a well-cooked steak, but that was very rare. Maybe two or three times a year.

But I never really felt resentful. I had an oddly low appetite, so food, to me, was just something for survival, nothing more, nothing less.

“Thank you for today’s meal.”

After my habitual prayer, I cleared the dishes and brushed my teeth and washed up.

Then I changed into my pajamas and lay down on the bed. I closed my eyes to sleep, but a thought suddenly came to mind, so I got up and opened the drawer of the nightstand.

I took out an envelope hidden deep inside the drawer and carefully unfolded the card inside.

[This Friday evening at 8 o’clock, Miss Ellenore Lopez is invited to the spring ball at Ivona Palace.]

Of course, I received an invitation from the royal family as well. After all, I’m the daughter of a baron.

‘…Will I be able to go.’

Even if I started preparing secretly now, time was tight. The dress I made myself might lack the proper decorum.

‘…If I can’t go, then I can’t.’

As always, half resigned, I lay back down on the bed. It’s not that I desperately wanted to go to the ball. I was just curious. What is a ball like, what is the atmosphere like… and…

‘The Grand Duke of Bayern….’

Would he be as gallant and handsome as in the illustration in the newsletter?

The star of the sky, the idol of everyone, the object of envy.

I wanted to see him in person at least once.

I shouldn’t laugh at Helene. I, too, was captivated for a long time the moment I saw the portrait of the Grand Duke of Bayern in the newsletter.

I had never seen anyone so captivating. Even though it was just a picture.

Even if I could see him in person, the fact that he is a person as high as a star in the sky wouldn’t change.

The gap between him and me is vast. Like the distance between heaven and earth.

So, I shouldn’t harbor any unnecessary hopes or delusions. Excessive greed only brings misfortune.

With that mindset, I put away the thought of going to the ball… but…

‘The dress….’

…turned out better than I thought?