At first, the rumor started as quiet whispers among a few people, but soon it spread beyond the mansion and reached the outside world. Now, even some in high society had heard about it.

They said things like, “Her eyes seemed to resemble the Marchioness, but now they’ve changed color to match the Marquis, haven’t they? Her nose looks like the Marquis’s, but maybe her chin takes after the Marchioness?”

“Oh, who knows. Why do children’s faces change so much as they grow? Maybe she really isn’t the Marquis’s daughter.”

Eventually, the truth of whether Ariel was truly the Marquis’s daughter no longer mattered to them. To gossipers, Ariel was simply an entertaining topic to chew over when bored.

Ariel, who had tried to ignore the rumors at first, began to wonder if she might not be the daughter of House Jiles as the rumors spread wider and wider.

Her anxiety grew, mostly because of her appearance.

She did resemble the Marquis and Marchioness, but some people in the mansion seemed to see someone else in her features.

“She has blond hair like the Marquis, but doesn’t she look more like Sally than either the Marquis or the Marchioness?”

From their whispers, Ariel realized that people thought she looked more like the former maid who had been cast out than the Marchioness.

Ariel had never seen Sally’s face, so she couldn’t know if what they said was true. That only added to her frustration.

In her room, Ariel stood in front of the mirror. She studied her reflection, comparing her features to those of the Marquis and Marchioness.

Her blond hair and green eyes once resembled her father’s, but her hair had faded to a duller gold over time. Although their eye color matched, the shape of her eyes was different.

She generally took after the Marchioness, but while Ariel’s eyes gave her a gentle impression, the Marchioness’s sharp eyes made her seem cold.

Of course, it was hard to judge by looks alone. The differences were subtle. Anyone would say Ariel resembled the couple.

The real difference was in their aura. Ariel radiated a bright, warm energy, like the freshness of spring, while the Marquis and Marchioness exuded a coldness that reminded people of a harsh winter.

She hadn’t noticed the contrast as a child, but as she grew, it became clear.

Hot and cold. Completely opposite atmospheres.

Even their personalities differed. The Marquis and Marchioness tended to be distant and reserved, while Ariel was cheerful and liked to involve herself in others’ affairs. That was why she had cared for Lucas herself.

Of course, that maid Sally seemed to have a completely different air about her as well.

Without a genetic test, no one could say for sure whether Ariel truly belonged to House Jiles.

With the Marquis and Marchioness growing distant, Ariel had no idea how to process what was happening to her.

No. She decided not to dwell on it.

One of Ariel’s strengths was her effort to see the positive side of things. If she fell into negative thoughts, she knew there would be no end to them, so she did her best to cut them off.

* * *

“Rona, what are you doing instead of cleaning?”

“I am cleaning.”

In a small village in the Kingdom of Eretel, a woman swept the floor of a bakery. Her name was Rona.

She worked at a bakery in the village marketplace, sweeping the floor and pretending to work hard. When Anna, the bakery’s owner, looked away, Rona began to sweep lazily.

“Why do I have to do this kind of work?”

She grumbled but kept sweeping. She just felt full of complaints.

As Anna’s friend, Rona took care of displaying the bread, handling the register, and cleaning, but she didn’t like her life.

‘I’m special.’

Though she grew up an orphan, Rona believed she was different from others and didn’t belong in this small village.

She thought this way because her looks stood out from everyone else’s.

It was rare for a common woman to have such striking beauty. If one did, she usually became a rich man’s mistress, so a beautiful woman living an ordinary life was almost unheard of.

Because of that, Rona could only believe that at least one of her parents had been a noble. Men came to the bakery just to see her, since she was the village’s most beautiful woman.

‘They’re not on my level!’

With this mindset, every man in the village looked rustic to Rona.

She disliked the sunburned, bronze skin of the woodcutters and farmers. The shopkeepers had fair skin, but they still didn’t look refined to her.

Rona believed she was out of their league. She would marry into a noble family, so how could she settle for them?

If she was lucky, she might even become a nobleman’s wife, or at least his mistress. But meeting a noble in this small village was difficult.

She could try to become a maid in a noble’s mansion, but that wasn’t easy either. She could work for a lesser noble house, but to work for a high-ranking family, she needed a letter of recommendation.

The problem was, she had no one around to write her such a letter.

Still, Rona was certain she would marry into a prestigious noble family.

‘This village is just a stop along the way. I don’t belong here at all.’

The bakery paid her decently, so she worked there for now, but Rona planned to leave the village soon and felt that day drawing near.

“We’re out of ingredients. Stop sweeping and go buy some flour.”

Lost in thought, Rona jumped when Anna’s voice suddenly snapped her out of it. She frowned.

“Alright.”

She answered, but just having to run errands annoyed her.

‘I’m quitting this bakery soon anyway!’

Muttering to herself, Rona glared at the bakery as she headed to the store, then bumped into someone.

“Ah!”

She landed hard on her backside with a thud. It didn’t hurt much, but she felt irritated. She should have watched where she was going.

“Hey, watch where you’re—”

She started to complain but stopped mid-sentence.

Wow. He’s handsome.

His jet-black hair, deep blue eyes, straight nose, and sharp jawline looked like they’d been carved by a master sculptor.

She stared, entranced by his striking features. She had never seen such a handsome man before, especially not in Net Street, where she lived.

“Are you alright? It seems I made a mistake.”

His words snapped her out of her daze. She took his outstretched hand and stood up.

Not only was he handsome, but his voice sounded deep and rich. His gestures were elegant and refined, almost noble.

“Count, are you alright?”

While Rona still gazed at the man, someone who seemed to be his subordinate approached. Judging from his outfit, he was a knight.

“I’m fine. But I seem to have caused trouble for this lady.”

Lady? Her?

Hearing that, Rona felt her heart leap. Apparently, even a high-ranking noble saw her as a lady, not just some commoner.

While Rona’s heart raced with excitement, the knight asked her, “What is your name?”

“Rona. Why do you ask?”

“If you feel unwell later, please visit House Leonard. If you tell us your name, we’ll help you right away.”

“Really? I’ll remember that. May I ask his name?”

Rona pointed to the man who had caught her eye.

“That is Count Lucas Leonard. We’ll see you again.”

Lucas and the knight bowed politely, then quickly walked away.

“Lucas… Lucas Leonard. Even his name sounds wonderful. How could I ever marry a man like that?”

Rona could only stare blankly as the two men disappeared into the distance. Only after they were completely out of sight did she snap out of it.

What luck! Are all nobles this kind, or is he just being special to her?

Nobles rarely visited Net Street. It happened occasionally, but even though Rona walked the same street every day, this was the first time she had met a noble on the road.

Why did they come here?

Not that nobles never used the shops here. Some did, but they usually sent their servants.

So Rona wondered if what had just happened was a dream. She pinched her cheek, worried she might wake up, but the pain assured her it was real.

“Lucas Leonard. Lucas Leonard.”

Rona repeated his name over and over as she returned to the bakery.

“Why are your hands empty?”

“Empty?”

Anna scowled at her, and only then did Rona remember she was supposed to buy flour. She had been so distracted by the man that she forgot her errand.