The Tuniell Empire was a beautiful place where sunny weather lasted all year round and fresh flowers bloomed in abundance.

It was so beautiful that people said while there might be those who had never visited the Empire, there was no one who had visited only once.

However, not every region of the Empire was beautiful. There was exactly one place where a different atmosphere flowed from the rest of the Empire.

A castle standing alone in a world of winter, where freezing cold that seemed to freeze everything continued all year round. That place was Ventus Castle in the northern region of the Tuniell Empire where I lived.

Unlike the capital, this place had winds as sharp as blades, and it was a bitterly cold place covered in snow on barren land where life couldn’t take root.

It was so cold that even one’s heart would freeze solid.

Living in the Empire’s only winter castle, I had rarely gone outside the castle. Also, since I had never left the northern region, I didn’t know what the warmth of spring meant.

But I felt like I understood one thing. Living in a world of spring would be warmer and more comfortable for both body and mind than living in a world of winter.

That’s why when social season came around, I would pester my father, Grand Duke Suffolk, saying I wanted to go to the capital under the excuse of attending balls. I wanted to experience the warm energy of spring with my own body.

“The social scene is a place where people dress up fancy on the outside just to find marriage partners. So Elena, you don’t need to go to such a place.”

My father, who had soft golden hair like mine but contrasting pale skin, was truly a gentle man to me, unlike his cold-looking exterior.

At the same time, he was also a firm person, so when he thought something was wrong, it remained wrong to the end, which meant the answer I got from him was always the same. I didn’t need to go since I would marry a man he chose for me.

“I really want to go. Can’t I go just once? I won’t think about finding a marriage partner. If you tell me not to dance, I won’t. Can’t I just watch?”

“It’s too far. I can’t have you suffering.”

I pleaded, but Father only gave a bitter smile and didn’t seem to have any intention of allowing it.

“I can go just once, can’t I?”

“Didn’t you regret it as soon as you went outside the castle before? So how can you think of going all the way to that distant capital? If you’re going to leave the castle, it would be much better to sit in front of a warm fireplace.”

Hmph— Yet Father himself frequently goes out here and there.

When I made a sulky expression, he coaxed me by giving my cheek a short kiss.

“Fine. I have no choice.”

I gave up quickly this time too.

“Yes. That’s a good choice.”

Father gently stroked my golden hair and gave a faint smile.

Father didn’t tell me, but I knew the reason he didn’t allow me to go to the social scene.

It was because the Suffolk family was an alienated family that had fallen out of His Majesty the Emperor’s favor, with only the title of Grand Duke to its name.

Sometimes I had secretly eavesdropped on Father talking with his vassals, and I could roughly guess just by seeing that the land the Suffolk family owned was barren, so the harvest from the territory was small and we couldn’t live affluently.

So if I attended the social scene, being ignored would be the baseline, and in severe cases, I could become a laughingstock.

I didn’t mind being ignored or laughed at—I wanted to attend the social scene at least once, but this time too, I couldn’t break Father’s stubbornness.

Mother had passed away early, and Father was my only family. Since he was a father who always loved me, cherished me, and worried about me, I had to follow his words.

It wasn’t that I had major complaints about my current life. But I couldn’t help feeling disappointed sometimes.

Since Father wasn’t home much, on days when he went out, I had to become a loner.

Since we were always short on people, even the working maids were too busy to be my dedicated maid, so I often spent time alone.

So when Father was away from the estate, my only conversation partner was Lady Limerick, wife of Baron Limerick who was Father’s vassal, and my tutor.

Father had me take many lessons. History, society, politics, etiquette, and so on. I was even learning ballroom dancing despite not being able to attend the social scene.

Since we couldn’t hire separate tutors, I had only one teacher, Lady Limerick, and she was in charge of all my lessons.

I didn’t learn deeply—just up to a certain level. Just about what other noble ladies generally learned.

It wasn’t to become smart. It was a kind of bridal training to become the best bride material.

“No man would like a woman with an empty head.”

That’s what Father told me before hiring a tutor. In a way, it was ridiculous, but since I had to make a political marriage, I had no choice but to follow Father’s words.

Since I had no friends and most of what I could do inside the estate was laze around alone doing embroidery or reading books, studying wasn’t difficult. So lessons with Lady Limerick were time that could relieve boredom.

Especially when I did the homework she assigned, I could spend most of my time without being bored. Sometimes when I had time left over, I even did preview studying.

However, I hated attending lessons more than studying. No, it was dreadful. Because Lady Limerick tested what we learned that day every time, and she raised her rod whenever I got something wrong.

“What did I say the current situation of the Tuniell Empire is?”

“I think you said His Majesty the Emperor’s health isn’t good… Then is it Prince Kalian who inherits the throne next?”

“Wrong. How many times have I told you that the Crown Prince’s name is Kalion? I’ve repeatedly told you that he is Lord Kalion’s younger brother, yet you still can’t memorize it. Tsk.”

“I can’t help that the names are confusing.”

When a cruel voice flowed from Lady Limerick’s mouth, I swallowed my breath slowly. My body tensed automatically, knowing what would happen next.

Thwack.

“Ugh!”

Lady Limerick struck my shin with her rod. I tried to endure by biting my lips, but since she struck with all her might, it hurt so much that sounds escaped me involuntarily each time I was hit.

Since I was beaten every time I got something wrong, my shins had to swell up whenever lesson time came.

It hurt when I was beaten, but I never tried to shed tears in front of others. Because even if I cried, no one would comfort me.

Lady Limerick was indifferent whether I was in pain or not, and it was useless to complain to Father.

He permitted the beatings out of a desire for me to focus on my studies, so all I would get back was the response that I should just memorize everything on the spot.

I would shed tears alone in my room only after Lady Limerick left. I didn’t cry loudly. I just shed enough tears to be wiped away with my hands.

I cried partly from pain, but more than that, my resentful feelings were greater because no one took my side.

Being beaten, at first my body would tense up when Lady Limerick’s lesson time came, and just seeing her face would make my body tremble.

But as I gradually became accustomed to being beaten, at some point I stopped shedding tears, and I sometimes talked with Lady Limerick after lessons ended.

Of course, I couldn’t talk comfortably with her, but since I could obtain information about the outside world, I would occasionally ask about things I was curious about.

“Have you been to the capital, Lady Limerick?”

“Of course.”

“What’s it like?”

“It’s a warm place full of vitality.”

The only way I could access the outside world was through books. They said it was a place where green sprouts emerged, flowers of various colors bloomed, and fresh breezes blew, but I had never seen it.

The place where I lived was filled only with leafless trees. Snow wrapped around the trees in place of leaves, and it was a desolate place where not a single flower bloomed.

“Can’t I go outside the castle?”

“You’ll regret it if you do.”

“I still want to go.”

“Fine. Go out and come back once.”

There was exactly one time I received Father’s permission and went outside the castle. I can’t describe how happy I was the moment I got permission.

I believed without doubt that once I went outside the castle, a bright and colorful world would unfold just like in books.

But. The moment I saw the outside world beyond the castle, my body froze.

It was different from the world in books. What greeted me wasn’t flowers of various colors and green leaves, but a world filled with bitter cold, bare branches, and nothing but freezing snow.

It was like someone had cut out the atmosphere of Ventus Castle and pasted it outside.

Ah…

It took only a moment for anticipation to turn into disappointment.

When I returned to the castle disappointed, Father wore an “I knew it” expression, and after that, my outings weren’t permitted.

I also want to see warmth and blooming flowers in person…

So my wish became to visit the capital at least once before I died.

“I’ll be able to go someday too, won’t I?”

At my question, Lady Limerick hesitated for a moment, then answered with an expressionless face.

“Someday you’ll have a day when you can go. That day will probably be when Lady Suffolk gets married.”

“I… can only see the outside world when I get married?”

“It depends on your husband, doesn’t it? Are you done with questions? I think I should get going now.”

Lady Limerick packed up the things she brought and left the study, seemingly telling me not to ask any more questions.