Tragedy does not announce its arrival. It arrives without warning, without even a whisper.

When the Emperor of the Empire of Lumentis — the so-called ‘Empire of Light’ — received the sudden report, he did not hesitate. He went there himself. His destination was the Grand Duchy of Lucius, governed by his only brother.

The grand ducal castle, once as magnificent and imposing as the imperial palace, now reeked of blood. As he passed through the vast, deserted lobby, the silence pressed in on him like a weight.

Finally, he found a child, guarded by the knight he had sent ahead of him.

Only then did he exhale the breath he had been holding all this time.

“Wh-Who survived?”

His brother had two sons. Both had the distinctive golden hair of the imperial bloodline. This made it difficult to tell them apart when they were covered in blood. However, when the emperor noticed his smaller frame, he murmured in a trembling voice.

“The second….”

He knew that his brother had been particularly harsh with the younger son. Ironically, that child was the only survivor of the massacre.

“…Poor thing.”

The thought that his nephew, who had never properly experienced his father’s love, would now never receive any at all pained the emperor beyond measure. Gently cupping the face of the boy, who was barely clinging to life, the emperor issued an order loud enough for all to hear.

“Clear everything before Cassion wakes.”

He wasn’t referring to the broken furniture. He was referring to the mangled remains that were so badly mutilated that they could barely be identified as human bodies. Such carnage filled every corner of the Grand Ducal Residence, except the room they were in.

No matter who had committed such an atrocity, he would uncover the truth. Grinding his teeth, the emperor lifted his nephew into his arms.

Later, people would mourn the day the grand ducal house was annihilated, calling it…

“The Night of the Red Moon.”

They compared the Grand Duke’s golden hair to the moon. On the night when so much blood was spilled, the moon was given a new name: the Crimson Moon.

Cassion von Lucius, the sole survivor of the Night of the Red Moon, grew up quickly.

Whenever the emperor saw the grown-up Cassion, he would remark that he bore a striking resemblance to his late brother. Each time, a faint glimmer of contempt would flicker through Cassion’s eyes, but it was so fleeting that no one ever noticed.

The emperor and the other inhabitants of the imperial palace regarded Cassion with pity. They believed that he was far too young to remember anything about that terrible night.

Under the emperor’s guardianship, Cassion honed his natural talents and became unparalleled in his field. His appearance alone was enough to captivate. Whenever he smiled, the young ladies in his presence would sigh as though stricken by love.

His golden hair, like spun gold, shimmered with a flawless sheen. Beneath his elegantly arched eyebrows, his sharply defined eyes held a faint trace of sensitivity, yet the blue within them was clear and unfathomably deep.

At first glance, his vividly colored lips seemed almost delicate. However, the strong bridge of his nose and the clean, decisive line of his jaw accentuated the striking masculinity of his features.

Standing at just under one hundred and ninety centimeters tall, he seemed even more impeccable and untouchable.

He was exceptionally beautiful.

He had a commanding presence.

He enjoyed the emperor’s unwavering favor and the title of Grand Duke — a rank that no noble would ever dare to belittle.

Cassion von Lucius was the foremost choice for marriage among the noble ladies of the Empire of Lumentis.

Yet his name was also associated with a well-known rumor.

Behind his gentle, polished smile lurked an icy chill that kept everyone at a distance. No one was ever truly allowed close.

And so, though he had long since passed the ideal age for marriage, he remained unwed. This had recently become a quiet source of concern for the emperor.

In fact, everyone who knew him was concerned.

Everyone except Cassion himself.

After all, he already had someone by his side who eased his solitude in a way that no one else could.

***

Lunaria was passing the time, feeling bored.

A selection of desserts had been placed on the table in front of the sofa on which she was sitting, but she wasn’t hungry. Leaning back on the sofa, she sighed for the twentieth time before the maid attending to her, Emma, finally spoke.

“You usually eat until your cheeks are about to burst unless I stop you. Why haven’t you even picked up your fork today?”

“…Is it because Emma didn’t stop me?”

“Honestly, you’ve learned only the worst habits.”

“From whom?”

“Well… from the nobles, I suppose?”

Emma lowered her voice and cast a wary glance towards the door. Although they were not nobles themselves, the head butler or an aide might be passing outside, and they would be nobles. Despite knowing that this chamber was at the very end of the third-floor corridor, she remained cautious.

After considering Emma’s words, Lunaria replied lightly.

“There’s only one noble I know.”

“Miss… I wasn’t referring to His Grace. If he misunderstands, I’ll be the one in trouble.”

“I know what you meant, Emma. But what can I do? By my standards, the only noble is His Grace the Grand Duke.”

“I see.”

“Mhm.”

Lunaria found herself thinking about Cassion, who had left for the capital.

He was her benefactor; he was the one who had saved her life. In fact, he was the reason she was able to survive in this place at all.

He had taken a girl who knew nothing about noble society under his wing and taught her the simplest things with endless patience, such as how to lift a teacup properly.

Next came lessons in using cutlery. Then came lessons in offering greetings.

He taught her the language of the Empire of Lumentis, as well as the principles of refinement, etiquette, history, and mathematics.

He also taught her horseback riding and archery, as well as how to buy things without being ripped off.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that eight-tenths of who Lunaria had become was shaped by Cassion.

In truth, she had already surrendered ownership of herself to him.

In return, she found herself wanting to claim him as her own.

Without him, the grand ducal castle felt unbearably empty. Although only one person was absent, the entire estate seemed stripped of warmth, and the air itself was heavy with suffocating silence.

“If His Grace knew you were waiting like this, he would be very pleased.”

“…Would he?”

“Of course. You’re the only one he keeps by his side, Miss.”

Cassion was gentle, but beneath that gentleness lurked a temper as sharp as a drawn blade.

Perhaps it was because of the Night of the Red Moon that he did not let others approach him easily. Even when the mind forgets, the body remembers a wound to the heart.

She understood that all too well.

After all, she still carried the scars of being cast out by her own kind.

She did not know the full truth about the Night of the Red Moon. She had never once asked Emma about it. She could not bring herself to pry into the sorrow he kept hidden; she did not want to delve into the shadows of his past without permission.

“Ah?”

“What is it?”

Lunaria recognized the familiar sound of hooves.

Springing to her feet, she rushed to the balcony. In the distance, she spotted a carriage hurtling towards the estate. It was so far away that the n*ked eye would never have noticed it.

“He’s back a day early?”

He said that the journey to and from the capital would take around a week. He was expected back the following day.

However, Cassion was already on his way back.

Her gloom evaporated at once, replaced by a sudden rush of excitement.

“Emma!”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“I want to change my dress!”

Rather than a thick gown chosen for warmth, she opted for something that would accentuate her figure.

She had just turned twenty. She wanted him to see her as a woman, not a child.

Until now, perhaps she had seemed young to him. But from this moment on… who could say?

With Cassion being the only person in her world, wasn’t it only natural that she would want to claim him as her mate?

Lunaria hurried into the dressing room, her steps quick and restless. Emma followed close behind, almost out of breath as she tried to keep up. As Lunaria started to undo the ties of her dress, Emma rushed forward, caught her hands, and lowered her voice to an urgent whisper.

“Your tail is out!”

“Ah—my mistake.”

Her joy at Cassion’s return had made her careless, causing her to slip up and reveal her secret.

Only Cassion and Emma knew her secret within the Grand Ducal Residence.

Moments earlier, her black tail had been swaying eagerly behind her, but it had vanished in an instant. The sharpness of her nails had softened, returning them to a dull, human shape indistinguishable from anyone else’s.

Wearing a pale grey gown that complemented her dark hair and brilliant golden eyes, which sparkled like a full moon, Lunaria urged Emma to finish tying her hair more quickly.

From the moment she had sensed his presence, she had been unable to contain herself. She kept rising onto her toes, again and again, as though she might catch sight of him sooner if she reached just a little higher.

“This is enough!”

As soon as she heard the carriage pass through the castle’s main gates, she broke free from Emma’s grasp and ran out of the room. She had to be there first to greet Cassion von Lucius before he reached the entrance.

Cassion von Lucius.

The man who had saved her after her pack had cast her out and left her to die.

He had kept her identity hidden, even after learning that she was a wolf beastkin, despised by humans.

The man who had given her the means to live as one of them.

Asking her not to love him would be like asking her to stop breathing.

“Welcome back, Cassion!”

In the grand ducal residence, Lunaria alone was permitted to call him by name.

Cassion, who had just stepped down from the carriage, lifted his blue eyes and let them soften.

“I’m back, Luna.”

It was not the practiced smile he wore at the Imperial Palace, but one touched with genuine warmth. When she threw herself into his arms, he caught her without hesitation and lifted her effortlessly to his chest.