“What if we present that damned girl instead of Henrietta when His Highness the Second Prince visits?”

Lady Koeller’s worries deepened. Normally, she would have presented her cherished daughter Henrietta as a potential bride to the noble guest, but Henrietta’s belly had already swollen considerably.

When they caught Henrietta after she ran away, she was already more than six months pregnant, making it impossible to use any medicine. For now, the only option was to let her give birth first and then deal with the child afterward.

“That rat-like girl has a decent appearance, doesn’t she? Taking after her mother, she probably has a pr*stitute’s disposition and would be good at seducing men.”

The Duke’s brow furrowed at his wife’s words. He had heard such reproaches dozens of times.

For a nobleman to be criticized like this for keeping a beautiful pr*stitute for a season… it was unacceptable, but since his wife had brought the ducal title, he needed to let it slide for now.

“I was thinking of sending that girl to the Marquis…”

“We don’t have any other bribes suitable for the Second Prince in our current situation!”

The Duke instinctively shrank at his wife’s scolding. Ever since discovering his secret meetings with the pr*stitute, the Duchess had been treating him like an angry lion.

“Later, regardless of who holds power, if Edith falls for the Prince and follows him willingly, there won’t be any issues. So it’s better to offer her to him. It’s much more beneficial than sending her to the Marquis.”

Duke Koeller nodded at his wife’s words. Even he had to admit she was right.

Though he regretted losing the substantial dowry promised by the old Marquis, they had no other suitable bribe. After all, the girl had been brought in to be used in precisely this manner.

“Then let’s do that.”

The Duke and Duchess of Koeller, who had been currying favor with Crown Prince Joachim for a long time, finally decided to offer their beautiful illegitimate daughter to Prince Ludwig.

**

‘Damn it!’

Young Duke Neil Koeller, who had been secretly listening to his parents’ conversation from the passage, clenched his fist involuntarily. He gritted his teeth, but his parents wouldn’t hear such a faint sound.

Stride, stride.

Neil moved through the dark passage. Edith must not appear at tonight’s dinner, so he needed to warn her.

“Edith.”

Unknown to Duke Koeller, his son had long been secretly entering his half-sister’s room through hidden passages. Of course, this was something Edith never wanted.

Since Neil started sneaking into her room, Edith couldn’t even change clothes freely. She always buttoned up to her neck and lived cautiously, constantly on guard despite being in her own room.

“Ah… my Edith.”

Neil entered through the passage door and immediately approached Edith’s bed where she was still sleeping.

Awakened by the man’s voice, Edith quickly turned her face to the left. She nearly fell victim to Neil’s attempt to kiss her, but something worse remained.

“How dare you avoid me?”

Neil grabbed a handful of Edith’s delicate pink hair and yanked her face up.

Terrified, Edith revealed her face.

Her pink hair clearly marked her as part of the Koeller bloodline, but her violet eyes, now brimming with tears, were distinctly different from Neil’s green ones and stirred his dark desires.

“B-brother…”

Edith called Neil “brother” to emphasize that he was her half-brother by blood, but Neil ignored it completely.

“I told you, I’m not your brother. Hmm? Since your mother was a pr*stitute, she surely didn’t only entertain our father… right? Even this pink hair probably came from selling herself to someone from a cadet branch.”

Neil found it difficult to control himself.

If not for his father’s warning to leave her untouched because she was to be sold to the Marquis… if only this girl hadn’t threatened to kill herself if he forced himself on her… he could have taken this worthless girl as much as he wanted.

“Why, do you prefer that old man? Wouldn’t becoming a duke’s mistress be better than being a concubine to a marquis over fifty? Haa…”

“N-no…”

Edith couldn’t finish her sentence. Neil forcefully covered her mouth with his thick hand, applying enough pressure to cause breathing difficulties.

“I came to tell you something today. There will be a dinner this evening. You are to stay in your room no matter what. Understand?”

Neil removed his hand as if expecting an answer. With her mouth freed, Edith hastily replied, having no time to catch her breath.

“You know what happens if I don’t obey the Duchess. It’s not something I can decide for myself.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. You could pretend to be sick.”

“Marie! Marie!”

As Neil tilted his head to press his lips against hers, Edith twisted her body and quickly called for Marie who was guarding her outside.

“The door is locked again. Patrick, bring the key quickly.”

The sound of someone repeatedly trying to turn the locked door handle could be heard from outside.

“Damn it.”

If the Duke caught him, his father would immediately send the girl away, even if the Prince didn’t take her. He wouldn’t ruin his future as heir because of this girl.

Neil had no choice but to retreat.

But leaving empty-handed felt unsatisfying. Neil felt the need to punish his half-sister for not obeying him despite his mother’s threats.

Crack!

Neil got up, grabbed a chair, and struck Edith’s legs as she lay on the floor.

“Say you injured your leg and need to stay in your room.”

Leaving his half-sister writhing in pain, Neil reopened the secret passage door.

“You can never escape me. Understand? Just try doing something stupid. I’ll take you even if you’re a corpse.”

“Hic… sob…”

The man entered the secret passage and closed the door behind him.

Soon after, Marie opened the door with a key and entered. Edith had no choice but to tell her she had fallen and hurt herself.

Marie sneered that she always did foolish things and then left, not forgetting to slap Edith’s cheek for locking the door without permission.

Only after Marie left the room did Edith silently sob in the darkness without a trace of light.

Because she knew well that even if she revealed Neil’s actions, she would be the only one punished.

**

“Did you fall on purpose? To waste medicine?”

When the Duchess visited in the morning and saw Edith’s swollen ankle, she clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“What on earth were you doing alone in your room? Tsk, tsk. Were you trying to escape? Should I cut off that ankle completely to make you obey?”

“No, it’s absolutely not like that. I just fell while trying to look at the moon.”

Edith quickly made excuses, but the Duchess wasn’t focusing on her. Instead, she looked around the room. The windows had been sealed long ago, leaving only enough space to stick one’s face out.

‘It would have been impossible to escape through the window. Perhaps this dim-witted girl tried something foolish.’

“Walk. Whatever it takes. I’ll have Marie support you to the dining hall entrance, but after that, you must enter with a natural posture.”

“If you ruin today’s plan, I’ll make sure you never use that useless leg again. Understand?”

The Duchess was upset. Just when an opportunity arose to remove this rat-like girl from the house, she had fallen on her own.

What if the Prince refused her night services after seeing her limping? What if he rejected her, saying she was defective?

“Answer me quickly, don’t make me ask several times.”

Edith weakly nodded in response to the Duchess’s question.

‘Yes. If that Prince takes me and makes me his mistress, taking me away from here,’

Though she had lived practically confined to her room, Edith knew what being a mistress meant.

A mistress. Someone who could never become a wife. Someone who couldn’t receive inheritance or demand support. Someone who merely warmed a man’s bed until he tired of her and easily discarded her. If she became a mistress, people would still point fingers at her. But…

‘At least I could leave this hellish house.’

Her half-brother, no better than a beast, who visited her every night since she returned home. Duke Koeller, who never sought her out except when pricing her to be sold. And the Duchess and Henrietta who always tormented her.

Despite their claims that she should be grateful for growing up in a ducal family as a pr*stitute’s daughter, Edith’s life had been nothing but miserable.

So miserable that she thought being sold as the fourth wife to a Marquis over fifty might be better.

**

“The Second Prince will arrive shortly.”

At the servant’s announcement, Lady Koeller sprayed herself with the most precious perfume reserved only for distinguished guests before rising from her seat.

“Who would have thought the Second Prince would behead the enemy commander.”

The Duchess muttered idly. Unlike the Crown Prince who fled in fear after the fierce battle, the Second Prince, leading a much smaller army, had beheaded the enemy commander and led the war to victory.

Greatly pleased, the Emperor began acting as if he had already decided on the Second Prince as the next emperor. He announced he wouldn’t grant separate territory to the Second Prince because upon returning, he planned to depose the Crown Prince and appoint him as the new Crown Prince.

‘It’s not too late yet.’

The Duchess intended to win the Second Prince’s favor, even at this late stage.

If it were Henrietta, she would have pushed her into the position of Princess, but with the illegitimate Edith, it would be enough if she could please him in bed and be taken as his mistress when he returned satisfied.

This was also an opportunity to remove the eyesore—the product of her husband’s infidelity—from her sight.

The Duchess walked gracefully with her husband to greet their guest at the castle gate. They rarely went out to the gate to welcome visitors, but if they wanted to curry favor, they needed to treat him as an honored guest.

“Welcome, Your Highness.”

A man riding a black horse dismounted after receiving the ducal couple’s greeting.

“My soldiers only need one night to rest. There’s no need to concern yourself with anything else.”

Despite their polite greeting and coming out to welcome him, the Prince showed no particular kindness.

The man who briefly said only what he needed to say immediately went to the prepared guest room, claiming fatigue.