April inwardly scoffed at the words of her biological father, Duke Bright. When she first heard them, she had been so shocked she didn’t know what to do, but now it was different.

‘Isn’t this already the seventh time?’

He had already introduced her to about that many eligible bachelors, telling her to meet them as potential marriage partners. April suppressed the laughter that threatened to escape and swallowed the food in her mouth. If she didn’t eat well now, she wouldn’t be able to leave the duke’s residence tonight as planned.

It had been a long, long time. Enduring among people who didn’t feel like family was finally coming to an end. No more being paraded around like merchandise at a market to meet men, no more putting up with the cruel antics of her younger sister and brother who treated her like a toy.

April had saved money diligently for today. She had painstakingly collected her meager allowance, but it still wasn’t enough to run away.

‘But I have my ace in the hole.’

April thought of her younger sister Wendy’s sapphire brooch, which she had found not long ago. Wendy had dropped it in April’s room while tormenting her, and for some reason, she seemed to have completely forgotten about it. April considered it a sign from above to use it as escape funds and keep it safe.

As April was lost in thought, Duke Bright spoke up.

“Your partner is the Second Prince.”

“Yes, I unde… What?”

Until now, the duke had only ever thrown out a location and told her to go meet someone. His attitude was completely different this time, and April was so surprised she asked again.

It was unbefitting of a noble, but she couldn’t help herself. As Duke Bright’s eyebrows twitched, April quickly bowed her head.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace.”

“Consider it an honor. It’s none other than the Second Prince.”

‘The Second Prince?’

April thought there were only the First and Third Princes in the imperial palace right now.

She hadn’t heard any news of the Second Prince’s return. But seeing the duke’s serious face, it didn’t seem like a lie. That meant the Second Prince, who was only ever the subject of dark rumors, had really come to the capital, to the palace.

‘Insane.’

She couldn’t just sit still. She knew all too well how much the current Empress hated the Second Prince. No, it was more than hatred—she wanted him dead.

If April married the Second Prince, she could see her future clearly: being targeted by the Empress, the First Prince, and the Third Prince.

She would be trapped in the palace, forced to live among people who despised her. There were even rumors that the Second Prince was not sane, that he had not a shred of mercy, and that he killed people for fun and displayed their heads.

“The wedding will be simple. His Highness doesn’t care for extravagance.”

‘It’s not that—he just can’t risk drawing the Empress’s attention.’

If the Second Prince held a grand wedding, it would look as if the Emperor favored him. With the succession undecided and things already complicated, adding the Second Prince to the mix would only make things worse. What would become of the Isper Empire?

April pondered for a moment, then let the thought go. It wasn’t her concern. She was going to run away from the duke’s residence tonight anyway.

Once she escaped, she would never set foot in the capital again, and she would go somewhere outside the Isper Empire. She had waited so long for this day.

That was why April could watch the duke spouting nonsense with a surprisingly generous heart. The duke, seeing her faint smile, finally made his announcement.

“His Highness will visit the duke’s residence in three days, so be ready.”

When the duke finished speaking and stood up, April also rose. She watched him leave without even glancing back, and as the door opened, she made a fist behind his back and then politely bowed.

“Take care on your way.”

April maintained her respectful posture until the door closed completely. As soon as it did, she immediately opened her wardrobe. She took out the maid’s uniform she had hidden deep inside, changed into it, and stood in front of the mirror. She looked so different, it was hard to tell if she was a maid or a noble. The only problem was her brilliantly shining golden hair.

Even without special care, April’s hair gleamed. It was no wonder her nickname in high society was “April of Golden Thread.”

She had laughed at people saying her hair looked like it was spun from gold just yesterday, but now she felt like crying. No matter how she looked at it, her hair screamed “noble.”

Deciding this wouldn’t do, April hurriedly grabbed a handkerchief and tied it around her head. It was too short to be a proper headscarf and seemed likely to come undone, but she just needed to tie it a bit tighter.

With her hair covered, a perfect maid stood before the mirror.

“Alright.”

She put Wendy’s brooch into the pocket of her skirt and put on a simple silver necklace.

April was not the duchess’s real daughter. Her mother had been a maid in the duke’s household and had conceived April after being assaulted by the drunken duke. When the duchess found out, she killed April’s mother and tried to kill April as well, but after much trouble, she kept her alive as a means to make money for the family.

The silver necklace around her neck was the last keepsake left by her mother—a maid who had given it to her with a message, a maid who was now gone.

Looking down at the necklace, April closed her eyes tightly and then opened them. It didn’t really matter. The most important thing was for her to live her own life comfortably.

She desperately wanted to escape the duke’s house and live freely, and she would rather die than be caught up in the power struggles of the royal family.

April bit her lip and opened the door. There was no one in the hallway. It was late at night, but it was still unusual. Normally, no maids passed by April’s room, and they didn’t come even if she pulled the bell rope, so she wouldn’t expect anyone in the hall.

‘No one would ever suspect that obedient me would try to escape from the duke’s residence.’

April carefully took a step outside her room. Knowing this first step was for her freedom made her whole body tingle. She had grown up being taught to live and breathe only for the sake of the family, but not anymore.

This was her first attempt to break free.

‘It’s already half a success.’

Someone once said that just starting something means you’re already halfway there.

Repeating those words to herself, April stepped into the hallway.

She walked toward the back door of the mansion. She passed a few patrolling knights of the duke’s house, but no one suspected the disguised maid of being a noble.

The back door, used by the maids, was always open. As April slowly made her way out the door, her face filled with joy.

She was happy, truly happy. For the first time, she was leaving not because someone forced her, but by her own will. The world outside was shrouded in darkness, but to her eyes, it was radiant.

“I’m out.”

Her voice, whispered softly, sounded too loud, so April quickly covered her mouth. But she couldn’t suppress the smile spreading across her face.

As she moved farther from the duke’s residence, she turned and looked back at the grand mansion behind her. She had always thought it was a place she could never escape, or if she did, it wouldn’t be by her own will. Yet here she was, leaving it of her own accord.

April covered her mouth and bounced on her feet, her steps growing lighter.

‘First, I need to sell the brooch.’

She couldn’t go to a jeweler in the capital—too many people would recognize her. She needed to go to a pawnshop instead, which was in the back alleys of the city.

Even the bravest people rarely visited pawnshops at night, as they were dangerous places. But April, giddy with her newfound freedom, didn’t see any danger at all.

She walked quickly and soon found herself in the alley where the pawnshop was located.

“Are you alone, miss?”

“Eek!”

Just then, someone blocked her path.