Chapter 1

In the 987th year of the Valder Solar Calendar.

When the Emperor of the Luman Empire declared the unification of the continent, a bloody wind swept across the once-peaceful Continent of Chronos.

To fight against the mighty Luman Empire, the large and small nations of the continent united tightly and established an allied coalition. Among them was the Petra Kingdom.

At first, the one who commanded the army of the Petra Kingdom was the First Prince, Alex von Martinez. He declared that he would protect the Petra Kingdom at all costs, but regrettably, he was defeated in every battle he took part in.

The situation was no better in the other countries. While everyone was growing uneasy at the news of repeated defeats, Howard von Martinez, the Second Prince of the Petra Kingdom, stepped forward.

However, no one had any expectations. Not only the people of the Petra Kingdom, but even the King himself was skeptical.

But unexpectedly, Prince Howard drove back the army of the Luman Empire, which had advanced all the way to the border of the Petra Kingdom.

Not only that, but wherever he fought, he sounded the trumpet of victory, raising once more the morale of the allied forces that had been thrown to the floor.

Riding that momentum, he pressed the army of the Luman Empire and, in the end, made the Emperor of the Luman Empire sit at the negotiation table.

Because no one had expected it, the shock was all the greater. People went wild over Prince Howard, and newspapers and gossip sheets were filled with stories about him.

Prince Howard’s closest confidant and one of the key figures who led the war to victory, ‘K’. Who was he.

There was one person who was always mentioned alongside Prince Howard, and that was ‘K’, the key figure who had helped him lead the war to victory.

Other than the fact that he was male, nothing was known about him at all, not his name, age, status, or origins. Even the nickname ‘K’ was something people had given him.

Countless reporters and informants tried to uncover his identity, but all of them failed.

Just what kind of person was K?

One day, when people’s interest in ‘K’, who was completely shrouded in mystery, had soared high enough to pierce the sky.

Prince Howard, who had brought the horrific four-year war to an end, and the rumored ‘K’ returned to Baluches, the capital of the Petra Kingdom.

* * *

The streets of the royal capital, bright with lamplight, were lined with carriages even brighter and more splendid than that. Their destination was the Palace of Dawn, where the victory party was being held.

Because it had truly been a long time since a royal banquet had been held, owing to the long four years of war, the faces of the nobles entering the banquet hall were flushed with excitement.

“Are we finally going to see K’s face?”

What thrilled them even more than the banquet was the fact that they might actually get to see the rumored ‘K’. The nobles began searching for ‘K’ the moment they stepped into the banquet hall, but unfortunately, he had not appeared yet.

Prince Howard, the main figure of the banquet, was nowhere to be seen either.

“I heard rumors saying he’s a huge man as cruel as a barbarian. Do you think that’s really true?”

“Oh my, I heard he’s a sly and underhanded man, nimble as a weasel……”

“What do you think, Miss Elisa?”

Elisa Leslie, who had been with them but had not joined the conversation and had only been drinking champagne, turned her head when someone called her name. In time with the movement, her platinum-blonde hair, as though moonlight and honey had been mixed in just the right measure, swayed softly with the tilt of her head.

Her transparent blue eyes, clear as glass beads, looked at the red-haired woman with freckles scattered over the bridge of her nose.

What was that woman’s name again. Elisa remembered that she was the youngest daughter of the Montesh family, but her name did not come to mind.

“Come to think of it, the Grenville family, the family of your fiancé, Miss Elisa, is involved in military supply business, isn’t it? Then you must know quite a lot about the situation on the battlefield!”

Meaning they were not close enough for that, yet the youngest daughter of the Montesh family called her by name without hesitation as though they were extremely close.

Elisa found that part absurd, and it was irritating that she kept asking about the rumored ‘K’, in whom Elisa had not the slightest bit of interest.

“Have you perhaps heard anything about K? His name, for instance. Or what he looks like.”

“No. I haven’t heard anything at all.”

At the chilly voice, cold enough to instantly cool the excitement that had heated the atmosphere, the young lady of the Montesh family flinched and closed her mouth. The other young ladies also began watching Elisa’s expression.

“……”

Seeming to think things had become a little troublesome, Elisa narrowed one eye slightly, let out a short sigh, and handed her empty glass to a servant who was serving drinks.

“I think I feel a little dizzy after drinking so much champagne for the first time in a while.”

When Elisa looked back at the young ladies, a social smile was drawn on her lips.

“I’d like to sit on the sofa and rest for a moment, if that’s alright?”

“Ah, yes. Of course! Hurry and go get some proper rest.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Click, click, the sound of high heels rang out in an even rhythm. Contrary to what she had said about being dizzy, Elisa did not stagger in the slightest.

“……Miss Leslie has changed a lot.”

The youngest daughter of the Montesh family, Celine Montesh, who had been staring blankly at Elisa’s back as she moved farther and farther away, spoke in a deeply regretful tone.

“She used to have such a bright and cheerful personality…… How did she end up changing like that?”

“Couldn’t it be because she was so sick she had to recuperate for no less than two years? They do say a person changes after nearly dying.”

At one young lady’s words, short exclamations broke out here and there.

“Ah, right. Miss Leslie fell ill not long after coming-of-age ceremony, didn’t she? She shows no sign of having been sick at all, so I had completely forgotten.”

“Come to think of it, there was a story that she met her current fiancé while recuperating. Is that true?”

“Since the two of them got engaged about three years ago, it probably is, don’t you think?”

Saying things like how impressive it was to meet a man while recuperating, or asking whether her illness had not just been an excuse.

The chatter died all at once when they spotted Derek Grenville, Elisa Leslie’s fiancé.

“So this is where you were, Elisa.”

Elisa, who had been sitting on the sofa resting, only then noticed that her fiancé had arrived and lifted her head.

Derek Grenville was not handsome enough to make one gasp, but he was a handsome man with a gentle impression. He also gave off an intelligent air because he wore brown glasses similar in color to his hair.

And in truth, he was intelligent as well. She had heard so often that he was a talented man who had graduated second in his class from the Royal Academy that her ears had grown calluses from it.

“You suddenly disappeared from sight, so I was worried something might have happened.”

“It’s not as if I’m a child. I can be by myself, so please don’t worry and enjoy the banquet comfortably, Sir Grenville.”

“Not ‘Sir Grenville’, ‘Derek’. We’re to be married soon, so don’t feel burdened and just call me by my name.”

Marriage. The word tightened around Elisa’s throat like a tightly laced corset.

It was not that she hated marriage itself. Rather, she had dreamed of marrying the man she loved, having children, and building a warm and happy family.

Yes. The basic condition of the marriage Elisa wanted was ‘that it be with the man she loves’.

〈……I love you, Eli.〉

As the gentle voice that had whispered low at her heated ear suddenly came to mind, Elisa bit down hard on her lower lip.

It was an old memory from well over four years ago, but it came back so vividly that it tormented her as if she had experienced it only yesterday.

“Are you feeling unwell……”

“His Highness Prince Howard von Martinez is entering!”

Just as Derek, who had been watching her with concern as her complexion steadily worsened, was about to say something, the attendant guarding the entrance to the banquet hall cried out loudly.

Elisa looked toward the entrance. Because of the crowd gathered like a mass of clouds, neither Prince Howard nor the man called K could be seen.

“It seems that man following behind the Prince is K!”

Even so, from the people’s reaction, it was possible to tell that they had entered the banquet hall

“Judging by the fact that he wasn’t introduced separately upon entering, K must be a commoner.”

“Of course. If he were a noble, do you think his family would have stayed quiet until now? They would’ve been running around everywhere boasting that he belonged to their family.”

“Even if he is a commoner, he’s still a hero who ended this war, so won’t he receive a title?”

The nobles, finally seeing the person who had been veiled in mystery, clicked their tongues in gossip with slight excitement. Most were favorable, but there were also quite a few who envied and resented him.

A little after they entered the banquet hall, Prince Howard, with his bright blond hair neatly swept back and dressed in a pure white tailcoat, and a man dressed in a black uniform in complete contrast to him, became faintly visible over people’s heads.

Is that man the rumored K.

Elisa narrowed her eyes and looked at the man in black. He was still surrounded by a great number of people, and because he had his back turned, his face could not be seen.

And yet, his back looked strangely familiar. Where had I seen it before. Elisa narrowed her eyes and stared intently at the man’s back.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, the man turned his head. His pitch-black hair swayed softly with the movement.

His features were so distinct that one could tell even from far away that he was handsome. They were familiar too.

He really does seem like someone I know. Elisa stepped closer, trying to get a better look, but the moment she met his detached ash-gray eyes, she came to an abrupt halt.

Her heart dropped, and her breathing grew ragged. An unpleasant memory struck her mind, and her face hardened coldly. Elisa clutched her dress so tightly that it wrinkled terribly and murmured his name.

“……Ethan.”

Her childhood friend, and her first love.

Around four years ago, he had taken everything from Elisa and vanished without a trace, that damned bastard.