She had sworn to survive at any cost, determined to uncover the truth behind her parents’ tragic deaths and restore the honor that had been so cruelly tarnished.

Each time she stood before the emperor who had taken their lives, she was overcome with the urge to tear him apart. But she endured it, over and over again. Silencing the vile rumors spread by the nobles about her parents was her motivation to remain strong, clenching her teeth as she rose to take control of high society.

And so, she became the perfect Duchess of Francia.

From that day on, however, her already lifeless heart grew emptier with each passing moment. The cold, hollow silence of her marriage to Cedric slowly began to suffocate her. No matter how desperately she searched, she could not find a single clue about her parents’ deaths. It was a path without end or light.

Then, in the midst of that darkness, she met Anna and, for the first time, found a small measure of comfort.

And yet…

Even that fragile solace was taken from her — by Cedric.

“If it had been any other woman, I wouldn’t be this angry!”

Since the sudden death of her parents, Isabel had lived life as though she were a doll, rarely showing emotion. But now, as she unleashed her fury without restraint, Cedric’s expression wavered. After watching her for a moment with conflicting emotions, he sighed quietly.

“…It was just… a mistake.”

“Ha!”

Isabel let out a disbelieving laugh.

Would things have been better if he had just held the girl who had once been her solace and apologized? That would have made more sense than the absurd excuse he had just given.

“You’re saying you embraced her by mistake?”

Isabel’s beautiful emerald eyes twisted with contempt.

“I’ve never been this disappointed in you, Cedric.”

Under her cold gaze, the back of Cedric’s neck flushed red with shame. Then, as if provoked, he snapped.

“Fine! It was a mistake!”

“I heard you spent several nights with her.”

The disgust rose so violently within her that it made her feel sick.

“And you call that a mistake? If you realize how insulting that sounds, you would do well to stop now.”

“Th-that’s…! It was, at first—but before I knew it, I had already… d*mn it!”

Stammering, Cedric faltered, then cursed under his breath. His face twisted darkly as he glared at her.

“Why should I have to explain every trivial matter to you?”

“…If that’s how you see it, then I have nothing more to say. If my husband wishes to embrace another woman as he pleases, it’s hardly my place to interfere. My mistake.”

With a mocking tone, Isabel turned away from him.

Cedric fell silent, as if deciding not to speak further, and simply stared at her composed back as she calmly resumed her preparations.

“It’s the first delegation we’ve received in three years.”

All trace of her earlier fury had vanished. Isabel’s face was once again elegant, composed—flawless.

“At this rate, we’ll be late. I should finish getting ready.”

“…Is that all you have to say?”

As she examined her reflection in the mirror, Isabel’s lips curved slightly.

“Of course. You said it was a personal matter, didn’t you? What more is there for me to say?”

She met Cedric’s gaze in the mirror and smiled.

Her face was flawless.

For a moment, Cedric felt humiliated by her beauty. His eyes trembled.

Watching him, Isabel let out a cold, mocking laugh.

“Shall I punish you for calling that… a mistake?”

“Stop—!”

At her sharp ridicule, the fragile thread of Cedric’s restraint finally snapped.

“Wipe that arrogant look off your face!”

In an instant, he closed the distance between them. His hand shot out, gripping Isabel’s slender neck with brutal force.

“Ah—!”

The sudden pressure forced her forward, her cheek slamming harshly against the vanity. Cosmetics and jewelry clattered to the floor in a chaotic spill.

“You think you’re so superior? Is that why you look down on me?”

Cedric stared at her pale skin, now flushed red beneath his grip, his eyes dark with a volatile mix of anger and desire.

“What… do you think you’re doing?!”

Struggling, Isabel finally wrenched herself free. She staggered back, clutching her throat with trembling hands, then glared at him with fierce intensity.

“That arrogant look of yours—it drives me insane every time!”

Even now, that same prideful gaze had not faded, and it only twisted Cedric’s emotions further.

“My brother used to look at me like that too.”

Grabbing Isabel’s chin as if he might crush it, Cedric spoke in a low, suppressed voice. Isabel clenched her teeth and glared back at him. His rough breath, so close to her face, made her stomach churn.

“What kind of look do you think I’m giving you?”

“Michel!”

Cedric’s shout tore through the room, the back of his neck flushed red.

“You’re looking at me the same way my brother did, the one who treated me like a filthy bastard!”

“I have never looked at you that way! It’s your inferiority toward Michel that’s blinded you!”

At her words, Cedric let out a hollow laugh.

“Inferiority? Did you just call it inferiority?”

His eyes flashed.

“What do you know about my life? They treated me like dirt, like I was nothing, just because I was illegitimate! Michel always looked down on me with that same cold, arrogant gaze just like you!”

His grip on her face tightened even more.

“But Michel is dead. I am the rightful head of the Francia family now. Not that pathetic brother who died, but me. I am the true master of this house at last.”

By then, Cedric was shouting, his grip on reality slipping as if he no longer knew where his anger truly belonged. All the humiliation he had endured as an illegitimate child, along with his deep-seated inferiority towards the perfect Michel, came pouring out at once.

“So if you ever dare to look at me like that again, I won’t let it slide.”

He released Isabel as though throwing her aside and slowly turned away.

“That girl is nothing like you. She wouldn’t look at me with contempt. Of course I would welcome her into my life.”

His gaze shifted back to Isabel. A few strands of her carefully arranged hair had fallen loose, brushing against her chest and rising and falling with her uneven breaths. His eyes lingered on her almost indulgently before he spoke again.

“I intend to keep her by my side as my mistress. After all, I must take responsibility for my ‘mistake’. Of course, I’m not asking you to give up your position as lady of the house. If I were to cast you out, my aunt would never allow it.”

With that, Cedric slammed the door behind him.

The moment he stepped outside, his voice rang out, deliberate and unrestrained.

“Find that girl immediately!”

Isabel stared at the tightly closed door, willing it to open with her gaze alone. Then, her hands trembling, she reached out to steady herself against the vanity unit and slowly sank back into her chair.

She tried to carry on preparing, but her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Frustration surged within her. As she dragged a brush through her disheveled hair, she suddenly lost control and threw it at the mirror.

It struck with a sharp crash, shattering instantly.

Her entire body trembled with fury as she stared blankly at her reflection, now broken into countless fragments.

It was a pitiful sight.

‘Just as I have changed… so have you, Cedric.’

The shy boy who had once longed to join her and Michel in their childhood games was gone. So too had the girl who laughed so freely, running wherever she pleased and dreaming of seeing the world one day.

Just as he had said, their marriage had always been political.

No matter whom he chose to meet or whether he took a mistress, it had nothing to do with her.

For now, he was simply weary and searching for somewhere to rest. He had simply been drawn in by the small comfort the girl offered him.

As long as he returned to being the man he once was, that would be enough.

Steeling herself, Isabel slowly straightened her disheveled hair and smoothed the creases from her dress.

❖ ❖ ❖

Marrying Cedric had never been part of her plans.

As the only daughter of the Lewen family — a house that had led the charge in driving out the ancient races and raising the kingdom to become an empire — it was only natural that she would be chosen as Crown Princess.

Although there had been an examination to determine her suitability for the position, it was little more than a formality. The other families were equally prestigious, yet Isabel stood above them all.

But the truth was that she had never wanted to become Crown Princess. She disliked the crown prince, who resembled the emperor in both temperament and cruelty, and she despised the suffocating atmosphere of the palace. Even her parents had shown no joy at the prospect of her becoming the likely candidate.

So Isabel planned to withdraw her candidacy and leave the palace of her own accord.

“What… do you mean?”

But before she could even leave, the unthinkable happened.

“My father… what do you mean? My mother is dead?!”

Almost escorted back home by force by the Lewen household’s retainers, who had arrived unannounced, Isabel was met with news that she could scarcely comprehend.

Her uncle delivered the explanation in a calm, clipped tone.

No one knew the reason.

The only rumor was that they had incurred the emperor’s wrath.

She was already familiar with his growing tyranny and unpredictable moods, and the days he spent indulging himself with his mistresses.

But even so—

—to execute the Duke and Duchess of Lewen, from one of the most prestigious families in the empire, without even the pretense of due process?

What could they possibly have done to provoke such fury? What crime could possibly justify such a cruel and miserable end?

“That’s… impossible!”

Her father had devoted his life to the Empire, serving as a knight until his death. Her mother was the bravest and wisest person she had ever known. She could not believe that they had been killed for angering the Emperor.

“No…! That’s a lie, isn’t it? Please—tell me it’s not true… please!”

In an instant, Isabel lost the two people she loved most in the world. She wept uncontrollably, unable to accept the reality before her.

But her parents never came back.

Once she had come to terms with their deaths, she spent day after day at the castle gates, pleading for their bodies to be returned to her.

All she received in return were her father’s sword and her mother’s necklace.

No matter how desperately she pleaded, the gates remained tightly shut and never opened for her.

So, Isabel turned to the Lewen family for help.

“Are you trying to bring ruin upon this household with your foolish behavior? The position of Crown Princess is beyond your reach now. What we should be doing is finding you another match.”

Her uncle, who had inherited the Lewen family estate following her father’s death, feared nothing more than incurring the Emperor’s displeasure. Even worse, he feared that Isabel, his sister’s daughter, might bring disaster upon them.

Therefore, he sought to cast her out of the family by marrying her off to an elderly baron.

“As you know, Lady Anita, none of the nobles in the capital are willing to take you in. They all fear angering the emperor. Fortunately, the baron has agreed to take you in.”