“Uncle…!”

“Lock that child up at once!”

Fearing that she might try to escape before being forced into an arranged marriage with an elderly man, her uncle locked her in her room. Day after day, she pounded on the door until her nails split and her hands were left bruised and raw. Still, no one came to set her free.

It was Duchess Margaret von Francia who finally opened the door.

“I heard that your parents’ bodies were thrown from a cliff. The order came directly from His Majesty the Emperor. They sent people to search below, but it seems the tide carried the bodies out to sea — there wasn’t a trace left.”

Margaret, a close and trusted friend of Duchess Cherbil von Lewen, had stepped forward in Isabel’s stead and even surrendered the gold mine that the Emperor had long coveted. Despite acting as though he would at least return the bodies, the Emperor claimed that they could not be recovered from the cliff.

“They say the Duke of Lewen committed a grave crime. No one has told us what it was, but His Majesty’s anger has yet to fade — he even forbade a funeral.

It was horrifying. No matter how hard Margaret tried to make sense of it, nothing added up.

No matter how furious he may have been, he had no right to k*ll the head of the Lewen family so arbitrarily.

Although the power of the nobility had weakened, with many abandoning their lands to settle in the capital and become imperial court officials living under the Emperor’s watch,

How could he sl*ughter them like animals and cast their bodies off a cliff?

Even the lowest noble families conducted investigations and held councils before passing a death sentence. And yet the head of one of the greatest houses in the Empire had been executed without even a proper charge.

“…I’ll k*ll him!”

At Margaret’s words—that there was no known reason, that even their remains had been discarded—Isabel lost all sense of reason.

“I’ll k*ll him the same way!”

Margaret pulled her into a desperate embrace as she screamed as though she would storm the palace that very moment.

“Get a hold of yourself! I can’t lose you too, Isabel. If I lose you as well, Cherbil will never forgive me.”

“Aaaah!”

Clutched in Margaret’s arms, Isabel broke down, her grief and fury pouring out in a raw, anguished cry.

“Live. No matter what, you must survive. If you do… your time will come someday.”

Margaret held her close as she spoke. She told her that only by surviving would she one day have her chance.

“Until that day comes, I will protect you.”

❖ ❖ ❖

Margaret sought out the new head of the Lewen household and announced that she was taking Isabel with her.

Meanwhile, vile rumors about the late Duke and Duchess of Lewen were spreading rapidly throughout the capital. These were lies fabricated by the imperial palace to justify the emperor’s actions, but no one bothered to distinguish truth from falsehood. Instead, the rumors spread even faster.

Most claimed that the Duke and Duchess had committed an unspeakable crime behind the Emperor’s back.

Yet no one knew what that crime was.

Rumor upon rumor piled up, each one more distorted than the last, until the once honored name of House Lewen was ruined overnight.

Her uncle, who had long wished to cast her aside, welcomed the turn of events.

Having believed the rumors, the Francia family opposed the idea of bringing Isabel into their household. Although Margaret was the true head of the family, she could not take Isabel in without justification, especially in the face of such strong opposition.

Desperately searching for a lawful way to protect Isabel, she found no other option.

It was then that she thought of Cedric, the illegitimate son of House Francia, who had become its head following the death of her son, Michel.

In exchange for formally recognizing Cedric as the rightful head of the house, Margaret proposed a marriage between him and Isabel.

The offer was not unfavorable for Cedric.

Isabel, who had no choice but to survive, accepted the marriage proposal immediately. Cedric was someone she had trusted, having shared her childhood with Michel.

She was grateful to him for accepting her despite the vicious rumors surrounding her. And so, she made a vow before God. Even if his decision had been driven by his own need to survive, she promised to serve him faithfully as his wife — the man who had accepted her unconditionally, and who had once been a part of her most cherished memories.

However, perhaps overwhelmed by the circumstances that had forced the marriage upon him, Cedric fled on the very night they were due to consummate their union.

Left alone, Isabel had to accept the painful reality that she had lost both a husband and a friend.

In the three years that followed, they did not share a single kiss.

This did not mean, however, that their relationship had been entirely cold. As she had once believed, he had been her friend. She clung to the hope that he still saw her that way, at the very least.

But perhaps even that had been nothing more than her own foolish illusion.

With a faint, bitter smile, Isabel forced herself to stop thinking about Cedric and Anna.

What she wanted was simple.

She had to survive — no matter what.

She would uncover the truth behind her parents’ deaths and discover why they had been condemned so cruelly. They had been denied a proper funeral and cast from a cliff like discarded refuse.

Whatever crime they had been accused of, she would discover it.

And she would restore their honor.

“Yes… that’s all I want.”

Repeating to herself what mattered most, Isabel finished dressing.

❖ ❖ ❖

“…My lord has already departed ahead of you.”

“I see.”

Ignoring the coachman’s cautious glances, Isabel climbed into the carriage. Shortly after the door closed and the driver took his seat, the carriage lurched forward, an escort following closely behind.

She gazed silently at the dark scenery rushing past the window.

The capital, cloaked in night, felt unbearably cold.

The tangled sprawl of countless buildings made her dizzy. As the carriage passed through the chaotic streets and entered a quieter alleyway, it began to climb up the side of a cliff.

As they ascended towards the castle perched on the cliff’s edge, the vast Karian Sea came into view beyond the towering double walls. Isabel stared blankly at the endless expanse of water.

Near the harbor, massive ships — most likely belonging to foreign delegations — bobbed in the rough waves. Faint, unsettling sounds echoed at irregular intervals from somewhere in the distance, their source unknown.

“We have arrived, my lady.”

Lost in thought, Isabel stood entranced by the sea, which appeared ready to engulf her. Only when she heard the coachman’s voice, carried on the cold wind, did she realize that they had arrived at the castle.

The carriage had already passed through the gates and stopped at the entrance to the banquet hall.

Stepping down, Isabel slowly began to ascend the seemingly endless staircase.

“Duchess Francia! You look as beautiful as ever today!”

As she climbed, an inexplicable tightness gripped her chest, making her falter with each step. Then, from below, someone called out to her.

“As expected, the flower of high society!”

It was Marchioness Louise, one of the members of the social circle Isabel had formed.

“Marchioness Louise.”

Arriving later than Isabel, Louise brightened and hurried over to her.

“Is that a newly made dress? I don’t think I’ve seen it before. That blue suits the night so perfectly—and it makes your fair skin shine even more!”

Gazing at Isabel in admiration, Louise lavished her with praise, her eyes sparkling as she asked.

“By the way, you’re always so punctual. What made you late today?”

“I had some personal matters to attend to.”

Isabel offered a light smile.

“More importantly, have you been well? I was worried when you didn’t attend the last gathering.”

At her question, Marchioness Louise let out a faint, bitter smile.

“It’s because of my husband.”

Perhaps the strain had been weighing on her for some time, Marchioness Louise looked noticeably worn. Isabel already knew the reason.

“He left for the Martes Wall again, didn’t he?”

“I begged him to go to His Majesty and plead his case, but he wouldn’t even listen to me. He just left.”

The Marquis of Louise was sent to the north-central region to guard the Martes Wall, one of the great fortifications built to defend against the ancient race said to inhabit the Ice Forest. He was sent there because he had dared to offer honest counsel to the tyrannical Emperor, who neglected the affairs of the state, and was cast out for it.

Not long ago, news spread that the Marquis had returned unexpectedly. Louise had been overjoyed the other day, believing he had returned after realizing how dangerous the outside world truly was.

However, contrary to her hopes, he had merely gathered what he needed and left again.

“You know my husband’s temperament, don’t you? He insists that, even if he dies, he’s done nothing wrong.”

He went back out without putting up any resistance, as if he preferred it. Once he stepped beyond the capital and faced the harsh reality, it seemed he had come to a realization of some kind. He started to build barriers throughout his domain and took the abandoned citizens of the Empire under his protection.

“The Marquis of Louise is doing what no one else can.”

“And because of that, he’s only earned more of His Majesty’s hatred.”

“His Majesty won’t be able to dismiss him completely. There is no other commander who can defend the borders so effectively while boosting the army’s morale.”

Perhaps Isabel found some comfort in her words. The Marchioness smiled with quiet pride, then glanced at Isabel sidelong.

“You’re just saying that to comfort me, aren’t you?”

“I’ve only spoken the truth.”

A soft laugh slipped from Isabel.

“Even so… I would rather have him by my side than be praised as a hero.”

The Marchioness muttered, her voice tinged with dejection.

“When he came back for a while… it felt like he had become a different person.”

“…”

“He said he had lived too foolishly here in the capital, Anita… and that it was time he took responsibility for the people of the Empire he had left behind.”

As the Marchioness linked arms with her, Isabel listened in silence as they walked down the corridor towards the banquet hall.

Strange and inexplicable phenomena had begun to appear across the world since the reign of Kaidus II. And when the current emperor, Kaidus III, ascended the throne, a dreadful era truly began.

The land became corrupted. Crops withered and failed. Monsters began to emerge.

The once radiant and fertile lands slowly collapsed one by one.

The noble houses that had once protected the Calium Empire abandoned their territories and fled to the only place untouched by corruption: the capital city of Anita.

Those who could not leave their homes were left behind to struggle for survival in lands that the Emperor had all but forsaken.

Not a single noble chose to remain outside the capital. Instead, they sent their private soldiers and aides to guard what remained of their domains.

“Outside of Anita, it’s far worse than I ever imagined. To be honest, it’s the same for you, my lady, and for me. Neither of us has ever left the capital, so how could we possibly know what it’s really like out there?”