Everything went black for a moment.

The moment the arrow hit, Selina’s horse lost all sense of direction. It panicked and bucked wildly beneath her. Desperately clinging to the reins with all her might, she knew staying upright on such a terrified animal would be no easy feat. She lowered her body instinctively and gritted her teeth, but could only envisage one possible outcome: being flung from the saddle and crashing to the ground.

‘I heard people can break every bone in their body—or even die—if they fall from a horse…’

She never imagined she’d come all the way to Thalia, only to die before she could even help Calix.

But the fear of dying didn’t last long.

“Let go of the reins.”

A tall shadow loomed over her. Calix vaulted onto the frenzied horse, wrapping his arms tightly around her from behind.

“Hold onto me.”

Even amid the chaos, she could hear his voice clearly in her ear. Every instinct told her that if she let go of the reins, it would mean certain death. Yet what was even more astonishing was how her body obeyed him without question, as though she were a true believer following the voice of a god. Selina released the reins and grabbed his arm as if it were her lifeline.

Seizing the reins himself, Calix pulled her firmly against his chest. There was only one way to stop a rampaging horse: force. He yanked hard on the leather straps, commanding the animal to halt. The furious horse raised its hooves in a snorting display of defiance, but at least it didn’t rear up or bolt into the crowd.

However, its stance changed as if it were now ready to charge straight into the people gathered in the square.

“Kyaa!”

The crowd erupted in screams and surged apart like a wave, overcome by panic.

Amidst the chaos, Calix kept his grip, circling the square once and struggling to regain control. When the horse finally began to settle, he waited for the perfect moment, then pulled back on the reins with all his might.

The animal whinnied and skidded to a halt. It continued to toss its head and tremble with nerves, but it was no longer the wild beast it had been just moments before.

“Ha.”

Finally having managed to calm the horse, Calix let out a short, weary sigh. He turned to look at Selina, still trembling uncontrollably in his arms. She looked absolutely pale, clearly in shock from experiencing something like this for the first time in her life.

Watching her in silence for a moment, Calix lowered his voice and spoke gently.

“It’s over now. Get down.”

Despite his gruff words, it was Calix who dismounted first. He reached up to help Selina down. Her legs were shaking so badly that she could hardly stand. Without saying another word, he swept her up in his arms and carried her straight to the carriage.

“Rest here until we arrive.”

He told her, settling her inside.

Leaving her to recover, he strode over to where Rochester and Zenfri were waiting.

“Your Grace, are you all right?”

“And what about the Lady? Is she unharmed? What on earth happened out there…?”

Their faces were tight with worry for Calix, but beneath their concern, a simmering anger lurked.

“Who would dare pull something like this…?”

But there was something they didn’t know yet.

“The arrow came from the flower beds by the square.”

For once, Calix’s usually unreadable features were drawn with barely restrained fury. He stared at the flowers crushed beneath the horse’s hooves, then spoke in a voice thick with anger.

“Find whoever did this. I want them brought to me, no matter what it takes.”

“Yes, Your Grace. Right away.”

Seeing Calix more furious than they were themselves, Rochester and Zenfri couldn’t help but tense up.

Word of the chaos in the square quickly reached the servants working at the Grand Duke’s estate. So when Selina finally arrived—pale and utterly drained—they greeted her in a state of nervous tension. After all, she’d nearly been struck by an arrow the moment she set foot in Thalia; they couldn’t help but worry that their master’s anger might soon turn on them, too.

Calix addressed them coldly:

“From this day forward, she is my wife—and the mistress of this house. You will all serve her as such.”

The person who made the servants the most nervous was none other than the Grand Duke himself, Calix Silas.

No sooner had he entered the castle than he brought Selina before the assembled staff and issued a warning.

“If anyone dares to show even the slightest hint of disrespect toward the mistress of this house—or even harbors ill will in their hearts—”

Even at the best of times, his very presence exuded a sense of intimidation. But now, with his face set in grim lines as he spoke, he was downright terrifying.

The atmosphere made it feel as if one misstep toward the Grand Duchess might actually cost someone their head.

‘This isn’t what I wanted at all…’

All Selina had wished for in coming to Thalia was not to be treated as she was at the Marquis’s manor. There, everyone had looked down on her and acted as if she didn’t exist. All she’d hoped was that, here, at least, she wouldn’t be dismissed or ignored.

But to arrive and immediately be the cause of everyone’s fear…

“I… I really don’t mind, though.”

Selina reached for Calix’s sleeve and spoke in a voice just loud enough for him to hear.

“I’m the one who’s uncomfortable.”

But Calix brushed her words aside without a second thought.

‘Honestly…’

In the end, Selina found herself heading to her room in an awkward, heavy silence, escorted by a nervous maid.

“Ah, my name is Alisa, and I’ll be serving you from now on, my lady. If you need anything—anything at all—please, just let me know.”

The girl looked to be barely into adolescence, and was so tense she could hardly get her words out. For a moment, Selina was reminded of herself back when she’d lived at the convent, and she felt an uncomfortable pang in her chest.

“I’m Selina. Please, feel free to be at ease around me.”

She wanted to put the girl at ease, even just a little.

“I—I—I’m so sorry!”

“….”

But it seemed that would be a tall order.

With Alisa’s help, Selina finally made it to her room, sent the girl away, and collapsed onto the bed.

Though it was a room more luxurious than anything she’d ever experienced before, to Selina—who had just barely survived a brush with death—it all felt like some distant dream. She couldn’t even think of changing her clothes. Instead, she simply collapsed onto the bed.

‘Who could it have been?’

Selina recalled the countless faces she’d seen in the square. All of them had been smiling brightly as they looked at her. The thought that one of those people might have shot an arrow at her was unthinkable.

‘Was it someone who hated my father?’

Suddenly, she remembered that most of the people in Thalia detested the Marquis. If it was someone who hated her father, then naturally, they would despise his daughter as well—especially since it was obvious she would stand in the Grand Duke’s way. To them, she would be nothing but a thorn in their side.

‘Of course, Father’s shadow will always follow me…’

Selina gingerly wrapped her hands together. Her fingertips still trembled with little spasms. That’s how terrifying it had been—an ordeal she never wanted to experience again.

‘Please, let nothing like this ever happen again.’
‘To make sure of that, I’ll have to show the people of Thalia the best side of myself. I need to prove that I’m different from my father…’

Determined to carry herself properly and build good relationships here, she was lost in thought when—

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone rapped softly at her door.

‘Alisa?’

Selina hesitated, wondering how to respond. She remembered the lady’s advice: never bow your head during a first meeting with a noble. Gathering her composure, she raised her voice.

“Who is it?”

“This is Lilys, the head maid of the Grand Duke’s estate. May I come in, my lady?”

Oh—the head maid.

She remembered hearing that every large manor or castle had a head maid who managed the maids and assisted the lady of the house with all sorts of affairs.

“Come in.”

Selina sat up in bed. Soon, a woman who looked to be in her thirties entered and offered a polite greeting. Dressed in a simple gray dress, she had an air of reserved dignity about her.

“I’m here to introduce you to the castle, my lady, and to explain the evening’s banquet.”

Since she was the head maid, Lilys was nothing like the other servants who had trembled in fear at the sight of Selina. With an elegant posture and impeccable manners, Lilys addressed Selina with quiet confidence, showing not even a hint of intimidation.

‘That’s a relief.’

Selina much preferred this to everyone cowering in her presence.

“Thank you for showing me around.”

Selina said, pushing aside her exhaustion and following the head maid through the halls, even though all she wanted was to collapse back onto her bed.

“This is the Grand Duke’s office. He takes care of most of the estate’s affairs here.”

Lilys guided Selina through the various rooms of the castle, sharing little anecdotes as they went.

“And here is the library. The late Grand Duke spent most of his time here… but the current Grand Duke rarely uses it.”

Thanks to Lilys, Selina learned about the stories and traditions tied to each place in the castle.

“This is the ballroom. Tonight’s banquet to welcome you will be held here.”

Though not as vast as the imperial palace’s grand halls, the Thalia estate’s ballroom was still spacious enough to accommodate many guests. Unlike the dazzling extravagance of the imperial court, the room was decorated with tasteful touches of nature, which put Selina at ease.

“Thank you for letting me know. Is there anything I need to do to prepare for the banquet?”

“You don’t need to worry about the arrangements, my lady—we’ll take care of everything. However…”

Lilys handed Selina a sheet of paper with the names of the evening’s most important guests.

“These are the people you should make a special effort to remember.”

Scanning down the list, Selina recognized a few names—Rochester, Zenfri, and others she had already met—but her eyes stopped at one in particular: Karen Rymont.

“Miss Karen…”

Selina murmured, her gaze lingering on the name.

Lilys followed her gaze and smiled.

“Lady Karen has been close friends with the Grand Duke since childhood. Even now, there’s no one he trusts more.”