Bang, bang, bang!

“Please open the door! I promise I won’t move an inch until the Grand Duke comes for me. Just open the door!”

“Sister Astrid, what is this commotion? Compose yourself! The abbot has ordered that you receive no food or water until you reflect. If you do not comply, he has given permission to lock you in the underground prayer room.”

“…!”

The sound of the nun’s clicking heels faded into the distance. Astrid slid down against the door, collapsing in despair.

The brilliant hope she’d held onto had been swallowed whole by despair in an instant.

‘Why are you doing this to me, Abbot Julio…?’

True, Caleb had been rude, but Astrid couldn’t understand why Julio was going to such lengths. Even without the permit now, Caleb could surely obtain one from the papal office.

What could Julio possibly gain by antagonizing the Grand Duke of Croatan?

‘…Because I’m a sinner?’

That was the only explanation that came to mind. Perhaps Julio’s devout nature couldn’t forgive a sinner seeking freedom.

‘Caleb will come for me. But what if Julio hides me in the monastery’s underground chambers? What if he lies and claims I’ve died? Not even Caleb would be able to search the monastery.’

Curling into a ball, Astrid hugged her knees and buried her face in her arms.

‘If not Caleb, no one will save me. But…’

There was no guarantee Caleb would risk clashing with Julio to rescue her.

Just when she thought she’d taken a step forward, she found herself back at square one. The cruel reality consumed her remaining hope, leaving only despair in its wake.

Before long, Astrid’s arms were damp with tears. She stayed in that position, silently crying, until she finally drifted to sleep as dawn approached.

It was, perhaps, a small mercy—a chance to escape her hellish reality, even if only for a while.

In her dreams, Astrid returned to a time when her father was alive, to her days as the young lady of the Bowell family. She was happy in the dream, yet anxious, knowing it was just that—a dream.

She dreaded waking up to the cold reality waiting for her. She wished, with all her heart, never to wake.

***

“Hey! Hey!”

Astrid startled awake, lying on the wooden floor where she had collapsed.

“…!”

The first thing she saw was a familiar face, smiling lazily with his lips curved into a teasing grin.

“What are you doing? If you’re going to sleep, at least use the bed. Don’t you know sleeping like this could leave your mouth crooked?”

As he spoke, Caleb helped Astrid to her feet, scolding her all the while.

“…C-Caleb?”

Still unsure whether she was dreaming or awake, Astrid blinked several times. But no matter how many times she did, the handsome face before her didn’t disappear.

“Still half-asleep, are you? Snap out of it. You’re about to be kidnapped.”

“…What?”

Astrid gasped involuntarily, then immediately bit her lip in regret.

“Alright. If you don’t want to get caught and cause a huge commotion, keep quiet. Got it?”

“…”

Truthfully, Astrid didn’t fully understand, but she nodded vigorously. Satisfied, a broad grin spread across Caleb’s face.

“Good. Listen carefully. We’ll leave through the back gate. I have a carriage waiting, and we’ll head out immediately. I assure you, nothing will go wrong. So don’t worry unnecessarily.”

“But, Lord Caleb… If we’re caught, this will cause serious trouble. And the permit…”

“You expect me to cater to that wrinkled old Pope? Requests for audiences, gifts, tea times—I don’t plan on repeating such nonsense. Besides, getting too close to him makes me feel like I’m going to vomit from the stench of rot.”

“…!”

Astrid’s eyes widened in shock at Caleb’s bold and disrespectful words.

In Hestian, the Pope, as the proxy of the goddess Hesta, was practically regarded as a living god. Although Astrid had begun to question such beliefs during two years of reading forbidden texts in the library, hearing Caleb’s outright derision still shook her.

“What? Offended?”

“…No, not really. You’re not wrong.”

“Well, you have conquered the forbidden section of the library, after all.”

With a smirk, Caleb reached into the bag he was carrying and pulled out a priest’s robe, the kind worn by St. Francesca’s clergy. He draped it over Astrid’s head, covering her completely, and now the two of them were dressed alike.

“…Will this really work?”

“How do you think I got in here in the first place?”

“By climbing the wall…?”

“What am I, a petty thief? All it took was a single silver coin. Turns out, village women sneaking in and out of the monastery through the back door isn’t exactly new. Didn’t you know?”

“…!”

Astrid felt as though she’d been struck by a hammer. Meanwhile, Caleb stuffed her belongings into his bag and motioned for her to follow him.

“Let’s go.”

“…Right now?”

“What? You want to back out?”

“No, I…”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re being kidnapped by a barbarian right now, remember?”

Under the faint glow of the candlelight, Astrid gazed at Caleb’s striking face.

“…Thank you, Caleb.”

He was nothing like the nobility she was used to, who embodied restraint and elegance in their every movement. Yet he was the only one who had pulled her life from the grave it had been buried in.

Astrid found herself liking him.

***

In the office of Duke Linton Bowell.

The Duke, who should have been focused on his work, hadn’t even touched a single document. For thirty minutes now, his daughter, Fabiola, had been causing a ruckus after barging in uninvited.

“Father, this is absurd! Caleb Lionel marrying Astrid?!”

The Duke sighed deeply. Despite his previous warnings, his stubborn daughter had insisted on breaking off her engagement. Now, she was throwing a tantrum over Caleb Lionel proposing to Astrid. Even his boundless patience for his daughter was beginning to wear thin.

“Fabiola Bowell.”

At the sound of her father’s lowered voice, Fabiola froze. She instantly recognized the restrained anger hidden in his calm tone.

Since childhood, Fabiola had been sharp and perceptive, always attuned to her father’s moods. She knew the boundaries of his tolerance better than anyone and often maneuvered deftly within them to get what she wanted.

But now, his cold gaze, tightly pressed lips, and clasped hands spoke volumes—his patience had run out. Realizing this, Fabiola’s crystalline tears began to fall.

“…Fabi.”

“Astrid becoming the Grand Duchess of Cliff?! This is ridiculous! You said she would never leave the monastery, that she was as good as dead, that I’d never see her again. You promised me!”

The Duke looked at his daughter, sobbing and pleading, with pity in his eyes. When his elder brother was alive, Fabiola had always lived in Astrid’s shadow.

Astrid and Fabiola had been born in the same month of the same year. However, while Astrid’s birth had been celebrated as a blessing, Fabiola’s had gone unnoticed by anyone but her parents.

As they grew, the disparity persisted. Astrid’s blossoming beauty, talent, and warm, radiant personality captured everyone’s attention. She became known as Bowell’s jewel, adored wherever she went.

Poor Fabi. Born to a second son with no prospects, she endured hardships she shouldn’t have faced.

Fabiola had always watched Astrid from behind. Even when the late Duke Bowell arranged for Fabiola to be tutored alongside Astrid, what began as a gesture of kindness ended in disaster.

Comparisons became routine, and the opinions of tutors, maids, and others spread throughout society, furthering the divide.

As a result, Fabiola’s pride had been deeply wounded. This was why her irrational behavior, though frustrating, wasn’t something the Duke could reprimand too harshly. As her father, he carried a lingering guilt toward her.

That was why he had yielded to her insistence and called off her engagement to Caleb Lionel when the rumors surfaced.

Fabiola had been relentless in demanding the annulment.

“I refuse! That was a promise made when I knew nothing. I don’t want to associate with such a barbarian! I heard he’s brutal by nature and even has a terrifying scar on his face!”

“Fabi, but this is an agreement between families.”

“Father, I don’t want to marry Grand Duke Cliff. Living in that desolate land without being able to participate in high society—I can’t bear it! Please, let me break off the engagement!”

The girl, now eighteen and nearing the appropriate age for marriage, was pleading with her father. However, unaware of her father’s growing anxiety about the potential scandal a broken engagement could cause, she behaved recklessly. He was at a loss as to how to persuade his obstinate daughter.

“Fabi, I understand how you feel, but this is a situation you brought upon yourself.”

“Father, but—!”

Fabiola bristled at her father’s calm demeanor, but his next words left her unable to retort.

“You’ve heard that Grand Duchess Cliff died during the recent monster subjugation, haven’t you? That means Caleb Lionel is about to take the position of Grand Duke. Cliff is the last stronghold protecting Croatan. No one, not even the king, can disregard the Grand Duke.”

“…….”

“If not you, we’d have to offer another daughter. Even Astrid would have to be put forward if necessary.”

“But…….”

“Even accepting a child who was once married is something our Bowell family should be grateful for. So, don’t complain about this matter anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Father. I didn’t consider that far. But I simply can’t marry a man like him…….”

Tears streamed down Fabiola’s face as she lowered her head. Seeing his daughter in such a state, the Duke felt a pang of regret. Just as he had lived in the shadow of his older brother, he didn’t want Fabiola to live in Astrid’s shadow her entire life.

“Fabi, don’t worry. Your father has a plan.”

“……?”

“I’ve officially stated that you are ill. So, stay out of sight and wait for the right moment. Once Caleb Lionel and Astrid’s marriage is finalized, I’ll find an excellent match for you. The very best, one you won’t be disappointed in.”

“I trust you, Father.”

Fabiola smiled at her father with a tear-streaked face. Behind that seemingly sorrowful smile lay an unmistakable ambition, which the Duke quickly recognized.

‘Yes, that’s my daughter.’

He finally felt at ease. The daughter he thought was still a child had grown in her own way.

***