Chapter 1

Between the half-open window, the spring breeze shyly placed pink petals for its beloved before running away that morning. Ellen struggled to open her eyes against the mischievous spring sunlight poking her eyelashes. In her blurred vision, the first thing she saw was a sturdy man’s chest. Rolling her dark eyes upward, she saw the throat that had whispered sweetly to her all night and the firm lips that had kissed her entire body. Ellen carefully stroked the most comfortable chest in the world. He, still half-asleep, moved his solid body and embraced her slender form warmly. Ellen closed her eyes again.

A warm spring afternoon.

Today is the day she herself kills the time that was most precious to her.

* * *

Outside the window, red and yellow autumn leaves scattered beautifully across the world. Each time the leaves fluttered down, the air turned chilly. Unlike the cold air outside, the sunlight poured through the large window into a spacious but modest room, filling it with warmth. The room was filled with the laughter of a small child. Ellen, the lady of the small but wealthy Dermot estate and wife of Baron Dermot, smiled as she watched her lovely daughter giggle and stumble, holding her tiny hands.

“Come on. Just one more step.”

Kyaa. The child, who looked just like Ellen, had rich, curly red hair tied with a pretty ribbon and took another step forward.

“That’s right. Innis. Just one more step.”

As Innis took another step, Ellen found her so adorable that she hugged her tightly.

“Well done, Innis.”

Sitting Innis on her lap, Ellen gazed down at her with endless affection. Innis looked up at Ellen with big, clear black eyes and laughed brightly. Although Innis was four years old this year, she still liked to practice walking hand-in-hand with Ellen as if she were a baby. Ellen found her daughter endlessly cute.

Emma, the maid who was watching while preparing snacks, smiled.

“Lady Innis is just so lovely.”

“Isn’t she?”

“Yes. I have a much younger sister myself. But she’s nothing like Lady Innis—she’s wild and troublesome, while Lady Innis is so, so sweet.”

As Ellen turned at those words, Emma quickly bowed her head with an apologetic face.

“I-I’m sorry, Madam. I shouldn’t have compared Lady Innis to my sister.”

“What’s your sister’s name?”

Emma answered, looking a bit flustered.

“Pardon? Ah. Her name is Zhenya.”

“Is she the same age as Innis?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

At Emma’s answer, a smile appeared on Ellen’s lips.

“Bring your sister over sometime. It would be nice for Innis to have a friend.”

“Pardon? Madam! How could I dare let my sister be friends with Lady Innis…”

“Status and such… At this age, those things don’t matter. Good friends in childhood become good friends even when grown.”

A faint bitterness flickered and disappeared in Ellen’s dark eyes. Stroking Innis’s hair as she rolled around in her mother’s full skirt, Ellen stared at the autumn leaves falling outside. As Ellen’s gaze lingered on the leaves painting the world, Emma found herself at a loss for words.

“Madam…”

Ellen, the beautiful lady of the Dermot estate, often gazed out the window with a lonely expression on days when the red leaves fell. Her very presence seemed to fade, as if she might vanish at any moment. Though Ellen herself didn’t seem aware, Emma always felt upset seeing her like this, blaming Baron Dermot for it all. Emma remembered Baron Dermot sending daily love letters and gifts to Ellen, and in the end, using underhanded means to succeed in marrying her. When Ellen said she would hide her heartbreak over the Valère family and marry that toad-like man, Emma wished she could cry in her place.

Having served Ellen since the days at the Valère family, Emma knew well that Baron Dermot was not a good man. She worried whether Ellen could really live well with such a man. Just as Emma feared, after Ellen became pregnant, her relationship with Baron Dermot deteriorated rapidly. No, it was one-sided—Ellen was the one hated. Baron Dermot found fault with Ellen and hurled verbal abuse at her. He especially hated Ellen’s pregnancy. Throughout her pregnancy, his verbal abuse worsened, and eventually, he raised his hand against her. Ellen’s daily life became one of avoiding Baron Dermot while pregnant.

‘It’s truly a miracle that Lady Innis is so bright.’

Emma, who had watched Ellen throughout her pregnancy, felt even more troubled.

“Emma.”

“Ah, yes, Madam. Did you call?”

Snapped out of her thoughts by Ellen’s voice, Emma quickly replied. Ellen, stroking the round head of Innis, who had fallen asleep with her face buried in Ellen’s lap, spoke.

“Is everything going well?”

“Yes, Madam. Everything is being prepared in secret from the Baron.”

“Good.”

As Ellen picked up the sleeping Innis, Emma hurried over.

“Madam, let me carry her.”

“No, she’s my daughter.”

Ellen gently cradled Innis and walked to the bed. Emma quickly lifted the soft, fluffy blanket, and Ellen laid Innis down. Covering Innis up to her neck, Ellen pushed back the hair stuck to her round forehead and said,

“I need to go myself. Emma, stay here and watch Innis.”

“I’ll go, Madam.”

“It’s alright. I need to see it myself to be sure.”

“Please go ahead, Madam.”

“Yes. Please look after Innis.”

After entrusting Innis to Emma, Ellen walked to the back of the mansion. Checking her surroundings for Baron Dermot, she descended to the basement of an old, rarely used building. Picking up a small torch hanging at the entrance, Ellen began to walk down the underground stairs.

Between the damp, musty bricks, moss and mold had grown. The torch in Ellen’s hand cast long, flickering shadows behind her. The hem of her skirt quickly soaked up the moisture from the stairs. Deep in the basement, she saw about ten people quietly working. As Ellen approached, the workers—men and maids—were startled and stood up.

“Madam.”

Ellen brought her finger to her lips, silently signaling them to be quiet. The workers hurriedly bowed.

“Is the work going well?”

“Yes, it’s almost finished.”

“Good. I just came down to take a look.”

She inspected the supplies filling half the underground space. The items, ordered in secret from Baron Dermot, were mostly food and daily necessities. Seeing the cleanly packaged goods, Ellen nodded in satisfaction.

“Thank you for your hard work. Will it be possible to move all these to the escape corridor tomorrow?”

“Yes, it’s possible. But… is it really alright, Madam? If the Master finds out…”

One of the servants asked nervously, rolling his eyes. Ellen reassured him with a gentle smile.

“If we wait until trouble comes, it’ll be too late. You may not understand now, but the Baron will understand when the time comes.”

“But…”

“I’ll take full responsibility for this. None of you will be harmed, so please continue your work without worry.”

With her firm command, the workers glanced at each other, then resumed their tasks. Ellen watched them pack the supplies, noticing their anxious glances but also their diligence in following her orders.

Baron Dermot had plenty of money, but that was all. He was dull, violent, petty, and suspicious. He was as stingy as salt, so servants often quit soon after starting. Moreover, he lacked the culture and manners expected of a noble. During tea time, Ellen barely managed to defend her husband among the noble ladies, though she understood their criticism.

There was even a time when, right in front of Ellen, he flirted with the cherished only daughter of Viscount Roer’s family, nearly getting himself ostracized from society. Ellen had barely managed to smooth things over.

Since that incident, Baron Dermot, who was already disliked by other nobles, became even more isolated. Even when he attended social gatherings, the nobles kept their distance. Only those who did business with him acknowledged him, but even those conversations didn’t last long. Her father never attended any social event where Baron Dermot was present. For Ellen, that was actually a relief.

‘At least I didn’t have to see Father at social gatherings because of him.’

That was the only moment Baron Dermot was useful to Ellen.

Baron Dermot was not originally a noble. Long ago, his father, a wealthy merchant, had bought the Baron’s title with money. So, when Ellen first announced her marriage to him, the noble ladies’ reactions were mixed. They congratulated her, but their eyes clearly showed they couldn’t understand her choice. Although her own family was in decline, Ellen, from an old noble line, was not a suitable match for him. However, when Ellen decided to marry, that fact wasn’t important to her.

‘Yes, that wasn’t important. There was another reason I gave up on him and married my husband.’

Ellen forcibly erased a certain figure that appeared in her mind.