The heavy sleet swirled under the dark night sky, resembling soft cotton fluff.

Rosalyn looked up at the sky, where thick snowflakes were falling, before continuing on her way.

With each step, the worn hem of her skirt fluttered weakly in the cold air, and her shoes, their leather soles coming apart, soaked up the melted snow through the cracks, leaving them damp.

As she opened the kitchen door and stepped inside, she was greeted by the sight of busy maids moving around.

As it was a rare occasion for a national VIP to visit this remote region of the Empire, the lord of the manor was doing all he could to entertain the guest.

Ackshire was a remote village, so unknown that even its name was a mystery to the people of the capital.

The only reason it was known at all was that a war hero from the Empire had recently ended a long-running war nearby and signed a ceasefire with the enemy.

While it was a joyous occasion that the tiresome war had temporarily ceased, the lord of the castle was delighted that a hero had paid a personal visit, especially as the castle had not had any visitors for a long time.

It wasn’t just the lord; everyone at Ackshire Castle shared the same sentiment. 

“How lucky the woman who will be his wife must be. Just looking at him is mesmerising.” 

Even one of the maids, busy with her chores, had a look of admiration on her face as she gazed at him, wiping her cheek with her hand. 

In the midst of the Empire’s crisis, Duke Moore, who had triumphed in countless battles, became a beacon of hope for the people. Of course, this wasn’t the whole story.

Another maid shrugged and replied,

“So what? Even if she becomes his wife, the old scandal will follow her like a shadow”.

“But that story happened ten years ago, right? By now people will hardly remember such a scandal.”

He was one of the most promising knights in the Emperor’s Elite, a group of the continent’s finest warriors. An immoral man who forfeited certain honours and fled in the dead of night with the daughter of a traitor. But in the end, he overcame a scandalous past to become a true hero.

Aside from his remarkable achievements in this war, there were many aspects of his turbulent life that captivated people.

Above all, Johannes Moore was remarkably handsome for a swordsman, so there were more than enough reasons for people to love him.

The maid, who had been lost in ecstasy, suddenly scoffed.

“I don’t know where she is or what she’s doing, but I’m sure she’s regretting it by now. I wonder how it feels to see the man who once fled in the middle of the night become a national hero. Ah, just thinking about it is pitiful.” 

“He wasn’t a traitor at all. Right, Daisy?” 

Rosalyn’s unfocused gaze shifted to the question, and the corner of her mouth curled slightly. 

“Seems like it.” 

“Daisy, I’m really jealous of you. You get to serve him all day and be by his side. What’s he like up close? Is he nice to the maids too?”

Instead of answering, Rosalyn forced a smile. But she couldn’t hide the slight tremor in her eyes.

She had lived as a maid under the name Daisy for over ten years, but whenever her past was mentioned, her entire body instinctively stiffened.

Fortunately, the maids didn’t press further and quickly lost interest, turning their attention back to praising Johannes Moore.

Seizing the opportunity, she quickly gathered the dishes and left the kitchen. By the time she stepped outside, the snowflakes had grown thicker.

She quickened her pace. Each step echoed with the crunch of snow underfoot. As she watched the white snow crunch under her dirty shoes, she couldn’t help but remember the words from earlier.

“I don’t know where she is or what she’s doing, but I’m sure she’s regretting it by now.” 

Rosalyn stopped and looked up at the sky. The dark sky and the white snow falling below made a stark contrast. The cold snow fell softly on her face. A faint mist rose from her slightly parted lips and soon a bitter laugh escaped. 

Regret? 

Johannes Moore, one of the continent’s greatest knights, once an unrivalled figure, had fallen from grace.

After fleeing with the daughter of a traitor and betraying the Emperor, he became a traitor himself. As John’s status grew, Rosalyn felt increasingly relieved.

After her disastrous escape, the guilt of ruining his life with her own hands weighed heavily on her heart, like a hard stone set firmly on one side.

Nearly banished from the capital, she wandered through unfamiliar lands where no one knew her, eventually finding a place in a remote castle on the outskirts of the city.

But the nightmare of that day continued to haunt her every night. As the years passed and his name began to be spoken, not for past scandals but for his achievements in the war, Rosalyn began to feel the weight of her past lift.

This was especially true as Johannes rose higher and higher and became more distant. But this was not the reunion she had ever hoped for…

Rosalyn took a calm, deep breath before entering the hall. The moment she stepped inside, the loud laughter of drunken soldiers filled her ears.

The room was in complete chaos, a veritable scene of disorder.

The drunken soldiers moved erratically, so Rosalyn made her way carefully, pressing against the wall to avoid colliding with them.

As she cautiously moved forward, her eyes met those of a man sitting in the high chair.

Her fingers, gripping the glass tightly, turned pale from the pressure, though she probably didn’t notice.

A small castle in a remote village, far from the capital. Even though they were in the same room, everything felt different.

She was no longer the Duke’s daughter, and this life of constant fear that her past might be revealed at any moment felt like nothing more than a life of fear and shame – an existence unworthy of redemption, especially after betraying the man she loved.

Now Johannes, the man who had fled with the daughter of a traitor, had amassed great wealth and honour, his past mistakes dismissed as mere youthful folly.

Knights across the continent revered him, and the people of the Empire admired him as one. In the midst of all this, there was no place for the name of the family that had long since been destroyed. 

The brief glances they exchanged seemed emotionless, but like a finely honed blade, they cut through Rosalyn’s heart. Though his face remained indifferent and the look was fleeting, Rosalyn could feel the warmth spreading through her body, flushing her face.

“Is life in the castle to your liking? We certainly wouldn’t want to inconvenience such an esteemed guest.” 

The lord’s voice as he asked this was so soft it was almost submissive. He was clearly trying to make a strong impression on Johannes, who was gaining influence in the capital. 

“Your hospitality makes me feel very comfortable.” 

His expression was neutral, but his voice, accompanied by a faint smile, was simply friendly. 

The conversation continued in a pleasant atmosphere, and occasionally Rosalyn would glance at him. Sometimes memories of the past would surface, overlapping with the image of the Lord’s smiling face.

“You will be my wife and I will be your only husband.” 

As the soft voice that had once whispered those words suddenly echoed in her mind, Rosalyn bit her lip tightly. To have betrayed that pure affection and now live with a body that had survived the consequences was more than anything else sickening. 

In this distant land, when he saw her again, his feelings were probably disgust. It didn’t seem pleasant to see the only stain of his life in such an unexpected place. 

If not, perhaps it was a little satisfying.

The look Johannes had given her quickly lost its intensity. Rosalyn gripped the frayed edge of her old apron with her rough hand. 

Was this the life she had chosen after leaving him?

It was humiliating to see herself as a maid in a remote castle while Johannes, now a hero of the nation, continued to rise. If only she hadn’t run out of Delmart Castle with him that day, if only she hadn’t betrayed him in the port city.

As she replayed those moments in her mind, Rosalyn realised that such thoughts no longer had any meaning.

The days when they were lovers are now a distant memory, and the memory of their painful parting, in his now glorious life, has long since faded without a trace. 

Now she clearly understands that there are lives in which simply being together can lead both to destruction.