Chapter 1

“Look. The fake is coming in.”

Adelina, who had just finished her wedding ceremony, entered the banquet hall where the reception was being held, still wearing her wedding dress, to greet the guests.

“Isn’t it ridiculous? Silver hair and golden eyes, yet claiming to be a noble of Ernst.”

“Marquis Stephan insists she is his biological daughter, but no one would believe that unless they’re fools.”

Princess Isabelle’s attendants whispered disapprovingly as they watched Adelina, standing alongside her groom, Duke Lexion, receiving formal greetings from people, then quickly hid their faces behind fans.

“Was this place once the Palace of Water?”

“Yes. It’s the palace that His Majesty bestowed upon the Duke. It’s been unveiled after 10 years.”

“By autumn, Duke Lexion will probably go to Ernst Island, right?”

“Most likely.”

Listening to the conversations around them, Isabelle’s attendants glanced at Adelina.

“Will the fake really be able to go to Ernst?”

“The Princess won’t let that happen.”

Indeed, they thought, as they plastered insincere smiles on their faces and slowly approached the newlyweds to offer their congratulations. The continent’s only silver hair was truly an eyesore.

+++

The newlyweds, having received formal blessings from the guests, ascended to the second floor where the bedroom was located.

Lexion, dressed in a blue ceremonial suit, let Adelina, still in her wedding dress, enter the bedroom first and close the door.

“Have the guards stationed only at the entrance to the second floor.”

He didn’t hide his displeasure at seeing knights standing guard right up to the bedroom door on a day like today.

“But, Your Grace. Especially on a chaotic day like today—”

“I.”

Lexion’s voice was as cold as his red eyes.

“I’m not patient enough to tolerate another man hearing my wife’s moans. I might want to cut off the ears of those who hear my wife’s moans, along with the eyes that capture her image.”

Leaning slightly against the bedroom door, Lexion looked at the knights.

Choose. Right now, either stand guard at the central staircase on the second floor or have your ears cut off.

“We will guard the entrance of the second floor. Call us if anything happens.”

In the end, the knights bowed their heads in response.

“Anything happening… you speak as if something will occur. On the first night of the honeymoon, no less.”

“No, Your Grace. I misspoke. Please, rest comfortably.”

As the guards moved to the central staircase of the second floor, Lexion turned and opened the bedroom door.

“Lexion…”

Adelina, still in her wedding dress, awkwardly smiled and called his name.

Among the hundreds of people in this mansion right now, the only ones he trusted were Marquis Stephan and Adelina.

“Adelina. My wife.”

Lexion approached her in long strides and removed the rose tiara from her head. As the hairpins came undone, her silver hair cascaded down her back.

“Now that we’re married and I’m your wife, shall we go find the mirror to commemorate?”

Adelina tilted her head to the side and smiled brightly. It was her habit whenever she suggested going to find the mirror, perhaps to break down his guard, even winking one eye.

‘Do I… have good fortune with people, or not…’

His wife, who was constantly trying to escape from him, was one of the only two people he could trust.

“In Ernst, it’s customary for the bride and groom to undress each other.”

“But… we…”

Lexion turned Adelina around, pulling at the knot of her wedding dress.

As expected, she wasn’t wearing a corset or petticoat. As the cumbersome dress slipped off, only a very thin slip covered her body.

“You should undress me too, wife.”

He took her hand and made her remove his jacket.

“I can… do it.”

When he brought her hand to the top button of his shirt, she blushed deeply and diligently unbuttoned it one by one.

“Adelina Ernst.”

Lexion mischievously waited until she had completely unbuttoned his shirt before laying her down on the bed.

“My wife.”

Adelina Ernst. Now there were two people bearing the Ernst name.

He was quite pleased that only his face was reflected in her golden eyes.

“Lexion…”

Caught beneath his arms, she glared at him as if to say he was being unreasonable, pushing against his chest.

+++

‘Hey! Just how far are you planning to go!’

Adelina pressed against Lexion’s chest, but he didn’t budge, smiling slyly as if it was no use.

“We must consummate our marriage on the first night, my wife.”

‘First night!  That wasn’t part of the deal!’

Lexion’s hot breath spread across Adelina’s nape. It felt as if every place his breath touched made her fine hairs stand on end.

“Lexion…”

As he caressed her neck with his warm hand, he captured her lips..

He was a man with a naturally high body temperature. However, today’s heat was much higher than usual. It felt as if she might melt away from Lexion’s heat.

“Haa… haa…”

Lexion pulled away to give Adelina a chance to breathe, gazing at her with eyes full of longing.

“Lexion… You said I didn’t have to do anything. Clearly.”

As Lexion’s lips approached hers again, she turned her head to the side.

‘Stick to the contract, you rascal! You said I’d be a Duchess who didn’t have to do anything!’

Swallowing hard, she discreetly shifted her eyes to examine Lexion’s body. It was a torso she often saw, but today it seemed even more imposing.

“Adelina. You don’t have to do anything. I’ll take care of everything.”

Lexion turned his head to match hers and kissed her.

‘Hey! How is this doing nothing!’

Though she silently scolded Lexion, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Well, they had kissed plenty of times before. His hand had even brushed against her thigh like now…

‘Thigh! You scoundrel! Just how far are you planning to go!’

Adelina twisted her body, trying to push Lexion away, but suddenly stopped.

“Cover yourself with the blanket!”

Lexion, who had removed the throwing star attached to Adelina’s thigh, tossed it toward the wall.

At the same time, he covered her from head to toe with a white silk blanket so that not a single strand of hair was visible.

‘One, two… did they send ten people? On the first night, no less!’

Listening to the sound of the assassins falling, Adelina touched her thigh from under the blanket. None of the four throwing stars attached there remained.

“Is it all done?”

“It’s already over. The knights will come, so just stay there.”

As Lexion finished speaking, the sound of the bedroom door opening was heard, as if on cue.

“Your Grace, I apologize.”

The voice of the Ducal knight captain was heard. He was probably bowing his head deeply, just like that day.

“Basket-hilt, huh. Do you wish to go to war with the Mainland? Choose your sword wisely.”

Lexion’s tone was disdainful. The knight captain’s face was probably twisted in displeasure, just like that day.

‘Basket hilt? A sword with a rounded handle? Foolish man.’

Adelina clicked her tongue under the blanket.

“It’s a misunderstanding, Your Grace.”

“Is that so? I suppose it is.”

Exchanging words with the knight captain just like that day, Lexion lifted Adelina, blanket and all.

“Where are we going?”

Adelina peeked out, asking Lexion while examining the assassins’ weapons.

As expected, they were similar in shape to the Mainland-style swords that Jaeyon had shown her.

“Don’t worry. I have five private bedrooms.”

Lexion lightly bit Adelina’s ear with his lips.

‘No way… After assassins broke in, you’re still going to consummate the first night?’

Adelina rubbed her ticklish ear against his chest and looked at him incredulously.

“There are also 360 regular bedrooms.”

“You must be crazy!”

“Hahaha. I’ll make it new for you every day.”

Lexion, holding Adelina, who buried her head against his chest, headed to the first bedroom.

+++

She was called a ‘fake.’

It was the day of the largest full moon of the year. It coincided with a total lunar eclipse for the first time in three years, a day when the blood-red full moon consumed even the light of the stars.

‘I have to hurry! If I’m late, I’ll be in trouble!’

She, who had never been called by her name, ran for a long time without realizing her shoes had come off.

The thick mist rising from the rice fields on either side helped obscure her black hair and black eyes.

‘Those bad guys! Making me miss the last bus!’

It was the doing of her aunt’s sons, with whom she lived. They pushed her chest off the bus step, preventing her from catching the only bus in town.

The worn-out backpack on her back bounced around, hitting her continuously as she ran along the field ridge. Frogs leaped into the fields, startled as she stretched out her legs.

-“It’s your fault! It’s because of you that my mom and dad divorced! You fake!”-

-“Hey. They say you’re a fake, right? Not even a real daughter? And you’re living there? So shameless.”-

-“You’re supposed to be my younger brother’s daughter? You don’t resemble him at all.”

Her heart pounded so violently that she could hear it in her ears. The voices filled with hatred from people who followed her were louder than her heart thumping.

‘I’ll leave this cursed house as soon as I graduate! I’ll leave this cursed village! I’ll live somewhere no one knows me!’

She moved her legs faster. If she was any later, her aunt would slap her.

In truth, getting slapped didn’t hurt much anymore. But showing her bruised cheek to others was still humiliating.

“Ah!”

Running through an area where she couldn’t see her toes, she tripped over something protruding from the ground and fell.

Everything was damp and dark. Even her own breath seemed to mix with the mist. Her ankle throbbed; she might have sprained it slightly.

“What’s this?”

Sitting down with a thud, touching her injured foot, she lifted something that protruded from the ground.

It was a rather large mirror. A mirror so ornate it seemed fit for a princess or a noblewoman. Or perhaps the evil stepmother of Snow White.

“A witch’s mirror!”

She chuckled at her own words. It was absurd even to her. There was no way such a fairy tale mirror would be here.

“Mirror, can I become real too?”

She asked just once. It looked so grand that she felt like talking to it.

As the lunar eclipse began, even the full moon lost its light, and the surroundings grew darker.

“Mirror… even just for one day… I want to be real. Not a fake, but real.”

A real daughter, a real sister, a real niece.

Taking advantage of the darkness, she spoke, risking embarrassment. Just once, she wanted to hear someone say they loved her. Just once, she wanted to feel a warm touch.

‘Ha! To speak of an unattainable wish. How absurd.’

A hollow laugh escaped her lips, and tears eventually fell from her eyes. The moon was now completely covered.

[Do you want to become real?]

At the voice coming from the mirror, she dropped it from her hands and stood up abruptly.

“Is it really a witch’s mirror?”

As a large crack formed on the mirror, a white light enveloped her.

In the spot where she had been, only her worn-out bag remained. The red moon, having returned to its round shape, illuminated the field ridge as if nothing had happened.

+++

“Stephan, is this the place?”

On a still quite chilly night, every step the horses took caused the fog underfoot to ripple and part for the two men.

The silver full moonlight occasionally spilled over the black hair of the two men. Finally, they stopped their horses under a tree between the lakes.

“Please wait a moment, Your Grace.”

Marquis Stephan dismounted. Despite his rather large, middle-aged frame, he dug the earth with a shovel himself, feeling around with his hands.

“I found it!”