The idea of growing closer to Tae-moo, a man she had once thought she would never be with, tormented Yeon-ha.

The thought of living under the same roof as a man whose face she did not know, instead of Tae-moo, caused her chest to ache.

“If word reaches that family, do you know what people will say? It could become a weakness. Be more careful.”

“What kind of prestigious family are you trying so desperately to marry this idiot into? I’m honestly curious what sort of man would even take her.”

Even with Yeon-ha standing right before them, the couple never once considered her opinion.

It was nothing new.

To them, Yeon-ha was no different from a decorative bird raised for display.

“Watch your mouth.”

“This is our home. Why are you acting so sensitive?”

“There’s nothing wrong with being careful. A leaking bucket spills outside too. I’m telling you to watch your words because mistakes happen.”

“Seriously, have we only been doing this for a day or two? I’ve never once slipped up outside.”

“Has listening to me ever harmed you? You could just say you understand instead of exhausting people with complaints!”

“Hmph. Sorry for inconveniencing you, then.”

“Haa… I’ll explain the details later. We can’t let that thing ruin this.”

The oppressive force constantly reminding her of her place felt like a fate assigned to her the moment she stepped into this house.

“You understand, don’t you?”

It was a warning not to recklessly seek out the other family and reveal her disgraceful circumstances.

Because if she did, their profitable marriage arrangement might collapse entirely.

“Yes.”

Since resisting had never changed anything, Yeon-ha no longer felt hurt by the way they looked at her like merchandise.

“Then stop doing things that earn you a beating.”

All she wanted was for this moment to end.

“Nothing happened at the company you’re working for, right?”

“No…”

“Be even more mindful of your behavior.”

In other words, avoid attracting the attention of insignificant men.

During her formative years, when girls usually want to dress beautifully, her biological father even forced thick, horn-rimmed glasses onto her.

He lived in constant fear that rumors might attach themselves to Yeon-ha’s name.

After all, a modest, flawless young woman was a far more valuable commodity.

But what kind of powerful man would require the sacrifice of a pure, virgin daughter to gain influence?

“Set up an appointment. Then he won’t demand to see me out of nowhere.”

After a brief silence, Yeon-ha suddenly thought of a man.

She nearly gasped.

She quickly covered her mouth with both hands.

The memory of the man who could make her forget where she was and her own circumstances sent her heart pounding against her chest.

Who could possibly be important enough for Minister Ji Kang-do to go to such lengths for?

She no longer needed to wonder.

The person who had stayed with her biological father until this late hour was him.

“So what exactly is going on here?”

Seong Tae-moo.

The moment his name lodged itself inside her mind, a dark shadow fell over Yeon-ha’s head.

“Raise your head.”

At the command dropping over her like pressure itself, Yeon-ha’s heart sank heavily.

Slowly lifting her head, she met a gaze as cold and slithering as a snake’s.

“Why aren’t you wearing your glasses?”

She had stopped by the royal suite to remove her make-up, but there was nothing she could do about the glasses that were still in Tae-moo’s possession.

“I dropped them while hurrying back.”

The question had sounded almost probing.

Suppressing the tremor threatening to slip into her voice, Yeon-ha answered slowly and carefully, concealing the truth that could never be allowed to come to light.

Her biological father did not possess even the slightest hint of affection for his only remaining child.

If he discovered anything that could be used against her, it would simply become another chain to bind her.

Forcing herself to endure the suffocating tension, Yeon-ha steadily met the gaze that seemed determined to dissect every inch of her face.

“How careless. Conduct yourself properly.”

“I’ll be more careful.”

Swallowing the sigh of relief threatening to burst out, Yeon-ha nodded.

“Go upstairs.”

The permission she had desperately waited for finally came.

As Yeon-ha escaped the suffocating space, voices eager to torment her continued behind her back.

“Hmph. Living comfortably just because you’ve got a decent face.”

“Stop complaining and come to the bedroom. I’ll tell you about that thing’s marriage prospect, so try sweet-talking that family.”

“And why should I do that?!”

“Think positively. That’s how you’ll become First Lady someday.”

Madam Kim Mi-hyang’s father had once served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Their marriage was entirely based on calculation — a perfectly strategic political union.

To them, their illegitimate daughter was nothing more than a commodity to be sold for profit.

After entering the only bedroom in the enormous seventy-pyeong mansion — a room that never received sunlight — Yeon-ha checked her phone.

A small part of her had hoped otherwise.

But, just as she had expected, there was no message from him.

“There’s no one else but him.”

Seong Tae-moo possessed all the qualities required to fulfil her biological father’s ambitions.

Although the succession was still technically unresolved, Tae-moo’s wealth placed him among the ten richest individuals in Korea according to Forbes.

Knowing that Tae-moo’s money and power would bolster Kang-do’s political objectives only intensified Yeon-ha’s feelings.

“What should I do, Se-jeong…?”

Inside the framed digital photo decorating the headboard, a young girl smiled brightly.

Ji Se-jeong—Madam Kim Mi-hyang’s daughter—had died in Yeon-ha’s place.

“You were supposed to live.”

Yeon-ha had originally been the one who was supposed to die.

The fate she survived, only because he saved her, had become unbearably cruel.

“And yet… I still want more.”

If she could not escape her lonely existence, she wanted to be with the man who had given her the chance to keep living.

***

Twelve years earlier.

Yeon-ha stared wide-eyed at the enormous mansion that looked like something straight out of a fairy tale.

“Don’t look around.”

The woman walking ahead briefly stopped and looked down at Yeon-ha.

The gaze of the person who had torn her away from her mother was ice-cold.

“You should answer with ‘yes.’”

“…Yes.”

Reflexively lowering her head, Yeon-ha pressed her lips together as tightly as her shrinking body.

“Why do I have to become this child’s guardian?”

The cruel words threatened to bring tears to her eyes.

After walking for so long, her legs ached painfully.

Unable to keep up with the woman striding ahead without once looking back, she gradually fell further and further behind until the hallway opened out into a large room.

However, more than all the beautiful decorations she had passed along the way, it was the girl standing there that truly caught Yeon-ha’s attention —a girl around her own age.

“Aunt Sora, who is she?”

“She’s Miss Se-jeong’s sibling. She’s older by age, but just call her by her name comfortably.”

“What’s your name?”

“Her name is Ji Yeon-ha.”

A rough hand shoved against Yeon-ha’s back.

Pushed forward awkwardly by the irritated touch, Yeon-ha lifted her eyes and met the gaze of the pretty little girl.

“Hi.”

Se-jeong jumped down from the sofa and approached Yeon-ha, holding out her hand.

Staring blankly at her tiny hand, Yeon-ha realized that the girl standing before her — dressed in a frilly dress and holding a teddy bear — looked exactly like the princess she had always dreamed of.

“H-Hi.”

The moment Yeon-ha hesitantly took her hand, Se-jeong immediately tugged her closer and smiled brightly.

“Let’s play together!”

You—the first person who accepted me without hesitation.

“Get rid of her already!”

“I want to as well! But the whole country knows she exists. If I refuse to acknowledge my illegitimate child, it’ll ruin my political career. A politician who abandoned his own child? Do you think the public would vote for me as president after that?”

“Then give the mother money and send them both far away!”

“Calm down and think about it. Wouldn’t it be a waste to throw away a face like that? Let’s use her to our advantage. What do we need most? Money.”

“So what are you saying? You want to marry your b*stard child into a wealthy family?”

“Exactly! We’ll find our Se-jeong a good marriage prospect and marry her off properly.”

A conversation she overheard one sleepless night when she came downstairs for water because she missed her mother too much.

Through the narrow gap of a bedroom door that had not fully closed, the long shadows stretching across the floor looked like monsters.

“What are you doing?”

Startled while backing away, Yeon-ha quickly turned around.

“Are you scared?”

Rubbing at sleepy eyes, Se-jeong looked at the speechless Yeon-ha before gently taking her hand.

“Sleep with me tonight. You’ll feel less scared then.”

Lying on a soft bed for the first time in her life, Yeon-ha forgot about her mother—if only for a little while.

“My mom and dad aren’t fighting because of you. They fight every day.”

Se-jeong had heard the cruel words directed at her too.

“I’m glad you came.”

“…Why?”

“They say they love me, but they never spend time with me. They always claim to be busy, but that’s not true. I already know that. Even when I’m with adults like Aunt Sora, I’m still lonely. I wanted siblings because I was so lonely, and then you came!”

To Yeon-ha, who had never once been welcomed, Se-jeong felt like an angel embracing her.

“Let’s play together every day! I’ll be really nice to you.”

“…Okay!”

But her misfortune did not end there.

Even when Madame Kim Mi-hyang looked at her with contempt, her continued closeness to Se-jeong was seen as yet another of her sins.