Chapter 1.1

Theodora dreamed.  

Blinding greenery and refreshing air, a painfully bright sky and the shattering southern sunlight… Scenery so familiar and missed that it brought tears to her eyes. Even in deep sleep, Theodora vaguely guessed that she was dreaming. Otherwise, she wouldn’t feel this happy. She felt pure fulfillment for the first time in ages. She realized it was a dream but was glad not to wake up. Theodora wanted to stay here a little longer.  

Having dreamed countless times, she knew what would happen next. Her heart started to race with anticipation. The beginning of the dream was always similar.  

‘Theo!’  

She was not alone in the dream. A boy with black hair came running, calling her nickname without reserve. A face she had longed for. It was Adrian from her childhood. Theodora waved vigorously at him as he ran towards her. The small hand of a young girl fluttered like a silver poplar leaf.  

‘Ian!’  

A youthful voice called the boy’s name. Adrian, who had approached her in strides, warmly responded to her call.  

‘I was worried we wouldn’t meet today. The ground was all muddy because of the rain…’  

The boy who smiled brightly was dazzlingly beautiful. No treasure in the world could shine next to him.  

Theodora was moved anew. Yes, she missed this face so much. She felt like she might cry from the overwhelming joy.  

Theodora couldn’t take her eyes off him, afraid the figure in front of her would disappear like a mirage. Slightly shorter than her, with good black hair, skin as white as snow, and warm green eyes. Adrian, around ten years old, whom she could no longer see as he had grown up, was the protagonist of the dream that repeated whenever she was about to forget.  

‘What does a little mud matter? Of course, I had to come out to meet you. Let’s have fun today too!’  

The girl replied in a clear, tinkling voice and reached out her hand to the boy. The boy, blushing shyly, firmly grasped her hand. In the dream, they roamed the heavenly fields, unaware of the passing time. The weariness of daily life and the pains of reality were all forgotten there.  

However, the languid and soft feeling, as if walking on clouds, ended without warning.  

“Miss, may I come in? It’s almost breakfast time.”  

The scenes in the dream vanished like smoke at the sound of the maid knocking on the bedroom door. It was like being doused with cold water, waking her up abruptly.  

“Miss?”  

What awaited her upon waking from the dream was the tiresome reality.  

“I’ll be out soon!”  

Responding to the maid calling her again, Theodora tore her hair and got out of bed.  

Her father, Earl Simon Hazel, insisted on the old tradition of having the whole family gather for breakfast every morning, so she had to dress neatly and go down to the dining room for a breakfast she didn’t want, instead of running out to the garden with her skirt a mess from the mud.  

Because she was no longer ten-year-old Theodora Hazel, but twenty-three.  

‘Theo!’  

The voice of the boy in the dream lingered in her ears like an auditory hallucination. Another day began, one devoid of any trace of happiness.  

* * *

“Not a single suitor again this year, what on earth is the problem!”  

Once again, the Earl’s angry voice echoed at the Hazel family’s dining table.  

“What have you been doing all this time to let it come to this? It’s not like there’s no dowry, so how have you managed your daughter’s reputation that no proper suitor has appeared even after nearly five years since her debut?”  

Feeling like the uneaten food would weigh on her stomach, Theodora lowered her head deeply. There was no room for excuses. Everything her father said was undeniable fact.  

Debuting in society at eighteen, it had already been five years. In that not-so-short time, only one man had come forward wanting to marry Theodora.  

However, the only hope her father had was withdrawn in less than a month for some reason, and since then, she seemed cursed, receiving no proposals or even date requests from any man. So, her father’s words that there wasn’t a single ‘proper’ suitor held some truth.  

“Oh, Father, it’s only April. The season hasn’t even started yet. Once the parties really begin, I’m sure Sister will receive a proposal this year. Right, Sister?”  

Unlike her, who gloomily stirred her soup, her younger sister Eloise tried to appease their father’s anger with a bright smile. Eloise’s charm was always effective. As evidence, their father’s expression softened as if it had never been angry.  

“If only you were half like Eloise… Tsk. Anyway, try to find a husband before winter comes. If there’s no news by then, I’ll have to take my own measures. It’s embarrassing to still be supporting a twenty-three-year-old daughter when others my age have already seen their grandchildren… How shameful.”  

Though his loud voice subsided, Theodora nodded reluctantly at his sharp words. She could have been angry at her father’s constant criticism, but her calm nature, which didn’t easily get excited over trivial matters, allowed her to remain composed even on days like this.  

She understood why her father had been urging her marriage for years. One reason was the lack of an heir in the Hazel family. Earl Hazel, the last remaining male of the family, had not achieved his long-desired son in 24 years of marriage.  

Therefore, after Eloise was born, he planned to bring in a son-in-law or adopt a son to continue the family line. Otherwise, after his death, all titles and wealth would have to be passed to distant relatives he had never met.  

In recent years, it had become more common in the capital and some large cities to pass titles to daughters, but in Melhem, where the Hazel family was rooted, it was still rare. Earl Hazel, who inherited the southern social conventions, considered passing the family to a daughter unthinkable.  

Another reason he urged Theodora’s marriage was tied to such outdated thinking. In this region, young ladies often married as early as sixteen, so to Earl Hazel, his daughter, with no engagement news, let alone marriage, was utterly unsatisfactory.  

“The eldest daughter should be the family’s foundation, yet she’s still so immature. As I age, I miss not having a son more and more!”  

“Don’t worry too much, Honey. I’ll do something about it this year.”  

As her father’s rebuke, leaving one last remark, showed signs of changing targets, Theodora’s mother, Countess Hazel, quickly responded.  

“Besides, Eloise is about to debut, so who knows? Unlike her sister, she might bring a husband right away in her first year. Anyway, you’ll have a reliable son-in-law. Worrying too much isn’t good for your health.”  

Her mother added a comparison to Eloise, giving Theodora a sharp look. She believed such cold and stinging words would help Theodora. In reality, those words only left wounds on her heart, having no effect.  

“Yes, I’ll try this year too.”  

Under the gaze of her parents, she replied obediently, like a doll without emotions.  

“By the way, Father, are you going to town today?”  

Meanwhile, Eloise quickly picked up on the atmosphere and changed the subject, allowing Theodora to finally catch her breath. 

“Yes, I’m thinking of meeting with a lawyer. There are so many laws needed to start a business… Anyway, why do you ask? Do you need something?” 

Earl Hazel replied with a gruff smile only for his beloved second daughter. He ran a large orchard and farmland in Melhem and, with his excellent skills, managed several businesses, making visits to government offices or law firms not uncommon.  

“Then I’d like to go with you. There’s a store I want to visit. Can I do that?” 

Unlike Theodora, who felt suffocated just imagining spending time with her father, Eloise seemed eager not to miss the chance to explore the town.  

“Of course, why wouldn’t you be able to? I’ve heard there have been many suspicious people around here since the war ended. It’s dangerous, so don’t ever go alone.” 

Sending a kind smile to his youngest daughter, the father cast a cold glance at his eldest, who was just now taking a spoonful of soup.  

“Ahem, and there’s news I must share with everyone this morning. A letter arrived from the Bachelet Ducal family yesterday.”  

The Hazel family was one of the vassals of the Bachelet family, and as such, they often received letters about the various happenings in the Ducal family.  

The recent news was that the Duke had successfully led the war and returned safely to the capital, so Theodora secretly hoped this letter might contain news about Adrian, who had also gone to war. Her guess was somewhat correct.  

“Like His Grace the Duke, the second son has also returned safely. In recognition of his merits in the expedition, Lord Frederick personally bestowed upon him the title of Marquis and part of the southern territory. The rest of the details aren’t necessary for women to know, but what’s more important is…”  

The joy of hearing Adrian had returned safely was short-lived, as the following news was completely unexpected, leaving her a bit flustered.  

“The second son, now the new Marquis of Devon, has expressed a desire to stay here at Hazel Manor while the old villa in Downing is being renovated into his marquisate. Everyone will, of course, agree, but especially you, Countess, should take care to prepare for the guest.”  

At the sudden news dropped by Earl Hazel, not only Theodora but also Eloise and their mother blinked in silent surprise. It was rare for guests to visit their quiet countryside noble house, let alone a great noble who was the Duke’s brother and now a Marquis.