Chapter 1.1

The dining hall of the Bierre Earldom was cold and silent.

Earl Anthony Bierre, his lovely daughter Christine, and Lovell Ashton, who had been under the Earl’s sponsorship for twelve years, were gathered together. It had been a long time since the three of them had shared a meal.

Usually, Lovell lived in the estate manager’s residence, but occasionally, he would join the Earl when summoned. The vast mansion, with its eerily quiet hall, housed only these three and a single maid.

Christine stabbed at her colorful salad plate with a fork and opened her mouth to speak.

“Why can’t I attend the academy this semester either?”

“We can’t afford tuition for two people.”

At her father’s blunt response, Christine’s sharp gaze shifted to Lovell.

‘Because of him, I can’t.’

The Bierre Earldom was managing to stay afloat. With a moderately sized estate and adequate investments, the family was surviving, though without any surplus due to excessive expenditures.

However, since Lovell was a man and was expected to assist the Earl in the future, he was receiving a higher education. Christine, being a woman, was not afforded the same luxury.

What irked her most was that Lovell wasn’t even a biological child. Meanwhile, she was the Earl’s only precious daughter. The boy her father had picked up years ago had grown up to the point of threatening Christine’s position in the household.

Christine couldn’t take her disapproving eyes off the boy’s dark-haired head, which was practically buried in his stew bowl.

‘How can you even eat right now?’

At that moment, the Earl cleared his throat, wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin. He adjusted his glasses and placed his spoon down with a decisive clink.

“I plan to have you join the estate management soon… What do you think, Lovell?”

Both of them froze at the Earl’s words, which had been hinted at before. Christine glared at Lovell, whose ears perked up as if he found the idea exciting.

She was against it. Absolutely against it.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Christine, I wasn’t asking you. I was speaking to Lovell…”

At the Earl’s stern correction, Lovell glanced at Christine. The girl, with her blonde hair tied tightly in a single ponytail, turned her face away from him.

Lovell, in his slightly nasal, low voice, replied.

“I’m ready whenever you need me… but I think it would be better to wait until I graduate.”

With that, silence fell over the room once more.

Christine idly stirred her salad, while Lovell finished his orange juice and wrapped up his meal with great satisfaction.

Once again, Christine found herself hating him.

This cold atmosphere was entirely Lovell’s fault.

Even with his slightly messy black bangs, pale blue-gray eyes that sparkled faintly, sharp temples, and a defined jawline, Lovell was still Lovell.

As he bowed his head toward the Earl and Christine in turn, the slim young man left the table.

The Earl watched him go with a look of pride, but Christine couldn’t bring herself to acknowledge him.

The older they got, the further apart they grew. By the time adolescence hit, their relationship had completely soured. They had played together as children, but now, they were worse than strangers—just awkward and distant.

The day before the new week began, Lovell hurriedly climbed into a carriage with his bag.

The students of Sailot Royal Academy, who lived in dormitories, returned home on weekends and had to go back to school before Monday.

“This weekend, I’ll be bringing a few friends to greet the Earl!”

“Will your friends be staying here?”

“Probably! Oh, but not in this mansion, of course!”

Lovell exchanged such words with the butler before rushing off.

As the sound of the carriage wheels clattered away, Christine sighed.

If only she could attend the academy too, just once—even if it was just to complain about being busy like that…

Thinking this, she leaned against the window in the study, watching the carriage disappear beyond the gates.

Her violet eyes gleamed faintly with envy.

‘You eat well, go to school happily, and live so diligently, don’t you.’

Christine walked over to the desk, piled high with books, both thick and thin. Her days of learning from a tutor were long over, and now she was studying on her own.

Most of the books were textbooks used at the academy Lovell attended. She had gone out of her way to ask him for favors she usually wouldn’t, just to get her hands on them.

‘So, he’s bringing a crowd over for the weekend? Where am I supposed to hide?’

The thought of Lovell and his friends swarming the mansion made her sigh again.

She plopped down into her chair and reached for her penholder, only to notice that one of her favorite fountain pens was missing.

It was red-bodied with a gold clip and had a satisfying grip, making it her favorite to use. But now, it was nowhere to be found.

“Hmm…”

She looked around the desk, checked if it had fallen to the floor, and even opened the drawers.

“It’s gone.”

After a cursory search, she gave up and picked up another pen.

Telling herself it wasn’t that important; Christine pulled her chair closer to the desk.

Her days were spent studying in the morning and afternoon, and reading her favorite books in the evening. Occasionally, she helped her father with his work and even dabbled in bookkeeping.

Sometimes, she wondered if she might actually be more useful than Lovell.

“Father, are you really going to pass down the title to me?”

The Earl raised his eyebrows briefly before lowering them again.

“Who else would it go to, if not you?”

“Are you sure it’s not Lovell?”

“What nonsense. It’s true that I care for Lovell, but how could I give the family name to someone who isn’t of our bloodline?”

Christine swallowed nervously, feeling a sense of relief. But her father always had a way of adding unnecessary comments.

“Well, we never know. Some families adopt capable young boys and make them heirs… hmm.”

“Father!”

“I was just joking. The Bierre Earldom is yours and yours alone. So, focus on your studies.”

“You won’t send me to the academy, and you’ve dismissed all the tutors.”

“Do you not understand why?”

“Yes, yes, it’s always about money.”

‘Lovell, that guy, blocks my potential in so many ways.’

“Christine, why don’t you try being a little nicer to him?”

“He’s just a man to me.”

With that, Christine turned her face away.

***

Another week passed, and on a sunny weekend afternoon, the time came for Lovell and his academy friends to visit, just as planned. She should have escaped from the house earlier, but she had been too engrossed in watching her father work to notice the time.

She had been tidying up ledgers and organizing books when the noise outside grew louder. It seemed they had finally arrived.

Christine peeked out from behind the door. The Earl had already gone out to greet them, and greetings like “Hello” and “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Earl” were being exchanged.

She crept down the long hallway toward the drawing room, listening carefully. Everyone seemed to be having a good time—everyone except Christine, who was eavesdropping.

While the family’s finances were modest, the mansion was unnecessarily large. Even if she wandered around, it wasn’t likely anyone would notice her right away.

From what she could hear, there were quite a few people—six or seven, maybe… and one girl.

A girl.

Christine clenched her fists. She knew most academy students were men, but still…

‘And yet, that girl can do what I can’t.’

She was about to turn away when their voices stopped her in her tracks.

“Where’s Christine?”

Lovell’s indifferent voice followed.

“She’s probably somewhere around.”

“I’d like to at least greet her. Can’t we see her for just a moment?”

Each voice was different. They called her name, asked where she was, and even mentioned being interested in her.

Christine backed away, flustered.

“Really, can’t we? I even skipped going home just to come here.”